Common Sindarin Greetings and What They Actually Mean
The phrases most often presented online as Sindarin “hello,” “welcome,” and “goodbye” do not all have the same history. Some are Tolkien-attested expressions; others are useful Neo-Sindarin constructions that should be labeled honestly.
Try Sindarin translationThe most useful phrases at a glance
| Phrase | Practical meaning | Status and nuance |
|---|---|---|
| mae govannen | well met | Tolkien-attested; a meeting greeting, not a generic word identical to every use of hello |
| suilad | greeting | Tolkien-attested noun; it names a greeting rather than clearly functioning as a standalone hello |
| maedol | welcome | Neo-Sindarin formation; useful, but not an attested Tolkien greeting |
| novaer / navaer | farewell; be well | Neo-Sindarin creation rather than a Tolkien-attested fixed phrase |
| aur vaer | good day | Transparent modern construction; not an attested fixed “good morning” formula |
Mae govannen really means “well met”
Mae govannen is the strongest choice when its actual sense fits. Tolkien used it as a greeting and glossed it “well met.” The phrase describes the meeting itself, which is why translating it simply as hello loses a little of its character.
The internal history of govannen was revised and discussed by Tolkien, but the complete published phrase is securely attested. Capitalization is ordinary sentence capitalization, not a grammatical distinction.
Suilad is a noun, not automatically an interjection
Suilad is attested with the meaning “greeting,” including in the King’s Letter material. That supports uses equivalent to “a greeting” or “greetings,” but it does not by itself prove that Tolkien used bare suilad exactly as an everyday spoken hello.
Using it as a salutation is understandable in modern composition, provided the grammatical distinction is not hidden.
Welcome and farewell often rely on Neo-Sindarin
Maedol is a Neo-Sindarin welcome formation connected with mae “well” and the verb “come.” Novaer or navaer is a Neo-Sindarin farewell built around the idea “be well.” These can be practical choices for modern use, but neither should be described as a phrase securely attested from Tolkien’s own Sindarin sentences.
The same caution applies to time-of-day formulas such as aur vaer. The elements can be meaningful while the complete greeting remains a modern construction.
How to choose a greeting
- Use mae govannen when “well met” suits an actual meeting.
- Use suilad with awareness that its secure grammatical status is the noun “greeting.”
- Label maedol, novaer, and similar everyday formulas as Neo-Sindarin.
- For a permanent inscription, cite the phrase’s source or reconstruction instead of trusting an unattributed phrase list.