With the exception of Thingol, the Sindar never travelled to Valinor, and so they had no names for most of the distant Valar. There were exceptions: they knew Oromë, who had guided them from Cuiviénen, and they called him Tauron in their own tongue. They also had names for the mightiest of the Powers, Manwë and Varda (whom they called Aran Einior and Elbereth) and Melkor (whose name translated into Sindarin as Belegûr).
The names Melkor and Belegûr both meant 'he who arises in might', and the Sindar baulked at such a recognition of the Dark Lord's power. So the name was transformed into Belegurth, meaning 'great death', which became the normal form in Sindarin. After Melkor's return to Middle-earth, and that of the Noldor in pursuit of the stolen Silmarils, the name Belegurth fell out of use. From this time, the name Morgoth, 'Black Foe', became the normal usage among both Sindar and Noldor alike.
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- Updated 24 December 2012
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