The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Descended from Hamfast of Galabas (born III 2760 or 1160 by the Shire-reckoning); the name Galpsi was first used by Hobson (born III 2885 or S.R. 1285); continued into the Fourth Age1
Origins
Descendants of Hamfast of Galabas through his great-grandson Hobson, who acquired the nickname Galpsi
Race
Culture
Settlements
Originated in Galabas (anglicised to Gamwich), but later associated with Tighfield and Hobbiton
Pronunciation
ga'lpsi
Meaning
A contraction of Galbasi, ultimately 'from Galabas'
Other names

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 17 September 2022
  • This entry is complete

Galpsi

The original form of the name ‘Gamgee

Well-known though it is, the name 'Samwise Gamgee' would not have been recognised by the character who bore it. It is an anglicised version of Sam's original name, created by Tolkien using Old English equivalents to the elements of that name, which would actually have been Banazîr Galpsi, or 'Ban' for short.

The name 'Galpsi' was a contraction of an older form, 'Galbasi', referring to Hobbits who were resident in the village of Galabas. The anglicised version of the name follows a similar logic: 'Gamgee' is a contraction of 'Gammidgy', which relates to the village of Gamwich, where Sam's family originated.


Notes

1

We only have a detailed description of the name's evolution in its anglicised terms, so here we necessarily assume that the historical development of Galabas > Galbasi > Galpsi mirrored the evolution of Gamwich > Gammidgy > Gamgee from the genealogical records.

Note that we use the anglicised forenames here for members of the family, because only a small number of their 'actual' names were known. We can be relatively confident that Hamfast of Gamwich would have originally been named 'Ranugad of Galabas', but for Hobson or Roper Gamgee we have no hints as to what his 'true' names might have been.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 17 September 2022
  • This entry is complete

For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2007, 2022. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

Website services kindly sponsored by myDISCprofile, the free online personality test.
Take the FREE myDISCprofile personality test to discover your core personality and your ideal job.
The Encyclopedia of Arda
The Encyclopedia of Arda
Menu
Homepage Search Latest Entries and Updates Random Entry