XPost: rec.arts.books.tolkien, alt.books.inklings   
   From: david@trimboli.name   
      
   On 11/28/2011 10:01 PM, Steve Morrison wrote:   
   > And I agree with Raven that it isn't too plausible that *no*   
   > two Elves ever had the same name, since that would require all   
   > Elvish parents to have access to some web site where all of the   
   > previously used names were listed! Although I still wonder how   
   > they were able to tell whether their newborns would grow up to be   
   > major characters or not.    
      
   Elves receive use-names that differ from the names their mothers and   
   fathers give them. Most of the time we only hear the use-name. A notable   
   instance is Fëanor, who at birth was named Curufinwë, but whose mother   
   named him Fëanor, "spirit of fire."   
      
   But since Curufinwë means "skillful (son of) Finwë," one wonders how   
   Finwë knew that Fëanor would be skillful...   
      
   And by the way, Curufinwë also named his fifth son Curufinwë, which   
   became Curufin in Sindarin. I'm pretty sure Finwë didn't think himself   
   unimportant enough that he could name another after himself. I imagine   
   that the restriction on duplicate names only applies to use-names that   
   end up in tales.   
      
   --   
   David Trimboli   
   http://www.trimboli.name/   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)