The original Elvish form of Saruman's title; in full he was known to the Elves as Curunír Lân, translated as 'Saruman the White'. The word itself derived from glân, meaning 'White'. In the Wizard's title, the initial 'g' of the word is 'lenited', or softened, to the point where it is not in fact pronounced, and the apostrophe preceding the title is used to indicate this missing, silent letter.
Notes
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The initial apostrophe in 'Lân is not directly explained, and appears to be a unique usage. It can be taken to indicate that the initial 'g' sound of glân, 'White', was absent from the title (perhaps to ease pronunciation where it follows the name Curunír).
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- Updated 5 September 2022
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