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(TFT) Race Etymology

Race Etymology

    Dwarf:
from the middle English dwerg, dwerf; from old English dweorg, dweoh, akin to the old high German twerg which means dwarf (before 12 century). A small legendary manlike being skilled as an artifaicer. 
    Oxford English Dictionary
"To support the heavenly vault, the gods stationed the strong dwarfs, Nordri, Sudri, Astri, Westri at its four corners, bidding them sustain it upon their shoulders, and from them the four points of the compass received their present names of North, South, East, and West." 
	H. A. Guerber The Norsemen (1994) page 6
"Those which were dark, treacherous, and cunning by nature were banished to Svart-alfa-heim, the home of the black dwarfs, situated underground, whence they were never allowed to come forth during the day, under penalty of being turned into stone. They were called Dwarfs, Trolls, Gnomes, or Kobolds, and spent all their time and energy in exploring the secret recesses of the earth. They collected gold, silver, and precious stones, which they stowed away in secret crevices, whence they could withdraw them at will." 
	H. A. Guerber The Norsemen (1994) page 10
"The dwarfs, were also known as trolls, kobolds, brownies, goblins, pucks, or Huldra folk, according to the country where they dwelt. 
	H. A. Guerber The Norsemen (1994) page 239
"... the Northern race fancied they [Nightmares] were female dwarfs or trolls, who crept out of the dark recesses of the earth to torment them. All magic weapons in the North were said to be the work of the dwarfs, the underground smiths,..." 
	H. A. Guerber The Norsemen (1994) page 362


    Elf:
from middle English from old English aelf, akin to the old Norse alfr which is elf, and it is probably from the latin albus which means white (before 12 century). Some have compared it to the Genii of the seasons in Hindu Mythology. A small often mischievous fairy. 
	Oxford English Dictionary
"The remainder of these small creatures, including all that were fair, good, and useful, the gods called Fairies and Elves, and they sent them to dwell in the airy realm of Alf-heim (home of the light-elves), situated between heaven and earth, to attend to the plants and floweres, sport with the birds and butterflies, or dance in the silvery moonlight on the green." 
	H. A. Guerber The Norsemen (1994) page 11
"In Scandinavia and Germany sacrifices were offered to the elves to make them propitious. These sacrifices consisted of some small animal, or of a bowl of honey and milk, and were know as Alf-blot." "Many of the elves were supposed to live and die with the trees and planst which they tended, but these moss, wood, or tree maidens, while remarkably beautiful when seen in from, were hollow like a trough when viewed from behind. They appear in many of the popular tales, but almost always as benevolent and helpful spirits, for they were anxious to do good to mortals and to cultivate friendly relations with them." 
	H. A. Guerber The Norsemen (1994) page 248


    Giant:
"There were giants on the earth in those days; and also after that, for the sons of god came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, and they became giants who in the olden days were mighty men of renown." 
	Genesis 6:4


    Holbytla:
"On a blank leaf I scrawled: 'In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.' I did not and do not know why." 
		The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, No 163, to W.H. Auden, dated 1955
The word hob (meaning 'sprite' or 'little man', as in hobgoblin) seems an obvious solution. It's a mark of Tolkien's attention to detail that he didn't use it - the word is far too young (less than a thousand years old) and was unknown to the Anglo-Saxons. The solution he chose was more sophisticated: he selected the Old English words hol byldan, or some similar variant, meaning 'to build a hole', and developed the fictional compound holbytla (plural holbytlan). The last word on this topic came from the Oxford English Dictionary, when they decided to honour Tolkien by including 'hobbit' in their hallowed pages. For the etymology, they needed to establish definitively when the word was first used. Their conclusion effectively closes the matter:
"hobbit n. one of an imaginary race of half-sized persons in stories by Tolkien; hence ~RY (5) n. [invented by J.R.R. Tolkien, Engl. writer d. 1973, and said by him to mean 'hole-builder']" 
		The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English


    Human:
From middle English humain, from middle French, from Latin humanus; akin to latin homo which is man (14 century). Having human form or ability. 
    Oxford English Dictionary


    Orc:
     Orcneas in beowulf.  An Orc-giant derived from the word orcus.
    Oxford English Dictionary
"... His term orcneas, a hybrid composed of a Latin word for "infernal demon" and a Germanic word for the walking dead, epitomizes the dual perception of the monsters." 
	Fred C. Robinson Beowulf and the Appositive style 1985 page 83


	"eotenas ond ylfe ond orcneas
	swylce gigantas"   		-Old english

	"etins and elves and orcs
	such giants"	  		-translation
		Beowulf  lines 112-13
"A different word orc, alluding to a demon or ogre, appears in Old English glosses of about AD 800 and in the compound word orcneas ("monsters") in the poem Beowulf. As with the Italian orco ("ogre") and the word ogre itself, it ultimately derives from the Latin Orcus, a god of the underworld. The Old English creatures were most likely the inspiration for the orcs that appear in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy." 
	Encyclopedia Britanica

	"Dis Pater
(Latin: Rich Father), in Roman religion, god of the infernal regions, the equivalent of the Greek Hades, or Pluto (Rich One). Also known to the Romans as Orcus, he was believed to be the brother of Jupiter and was greatly feared. His wife, Proserpina (a Roman corruption of the Greek Persephone), was identified with vegetation, being regarded as a goddess of death during her annual sojourn in the underworld and of abundance during her term in the upper regions." 
	Encyclopedia Britanica



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