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3.13  Andabund, Andrabon, Múmund, Múmar, Mâmuk

§ Andabund >> Andrabon >> Múmund (WR:136)
§ Múmar, Mâmuk (WR:136, Let:66)

These are various experimental names for the oliphaunt of Harad, ultimately mûmak was chosen (LotRIV, ch.4).
The Etymologies give MBUD- ’project’, N. andabon, annabon ’elephant’, lit. ’long-snouted’ with the first element anda-, anna- meaning ’long’ (ÁNAD-, ANDA-) and the adjective #bon(d) < #mbundā ’snouted’.
Andabund seems to be formed with the noun bund, bunn ’snout, nose, cape’ instead and leaves medial -nd- unchanged (compare Mindolluin, Gondolin, Glorfindel (Silm.index)). Andrabon is formed with #bon again, but shows a different adjective initially, probably from primitive *and’rā with adjectival -rā.
Múmund looks like a Noldorin/Sindarin word as well, with bund being lenited to *mund (cf. N. bâr ’house’ > i·mâr (PE13:120), initial mb- archaically). But then the element mú- is difficult to explain. In any case the later mûmak is from the speech of the Easterlings (PM:79) and so are most probably its predecessors múmar and mâmuk. Múmund may have been conceived as an alien word as well, with just a coincidental resemblance, or perhaps it might be a mixed compound.
Compare also the pseudo-Elvish translations Aramund ’Kingly bull’, Tarmund ’Noble bull’, Rasmund ’Homed bull’, Turcomund ’Chief of bulls’ in one of Tolkien’s letters (Let:345) which can be neither Quenya nor Sindarin phonologically.


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