§ Elenarda, Kalen(arda) (WR:155,167)
§ Kalinarda (WR:156)
§ {Kalin} Calenardan >> Calenardhon (WR:168)
These are earlier ancient names of the region which in the Third Age was renamed to Rohan, ultimately Calenardhon ’The Green Province’ (Silm.index).
Elenarda is Quenya ’star-realm, upper air or sky’ (VT45:16) < Q. elen ’star’ (EL-) + arda ’realm’ (ƷAR-). The new reference of this name to the region of Rohan is difficult to explain. Perhaps it is because of the stars becoming better visible when standing amidst such a plain? Or might this region be seen to form a star-like shape on the map?
Kalen(arda) was written above Elenarda and is a peculiar form – N. calen ’bright-coloured = green’ (KAL-) must come from *kalinā (see Q. kalina ’light (adj.)’) with a-affection i > e. But a-affection does no occur in Quenya, while arda is clearly a Quenya word and cannot be Noldorin/Sindarin. Is it just a slip of Tolkien’s or an error of the Númenoreans? In any case the following version of this passage (Faramir’s description of the history of the Dúnedain) has Kalinarda, the Quenya form one would expect.
Calenardan is obviously from calen + #ardan *’realm’. According to The Etymologies the stems ƷAR- ’have, hold’ and GAR-, GARAT-, GARAD- were much blended in Eldarin. A Noldorin derivative is ardh ’realm’, while ardan seems to show the suffix -an denoting a region as in Rochann > Rohan ’Hippia’ (Let:144). Thus ardan may here symbolize *arðan – see UT:267 on this spelling matter – unless ƷAR- blended here with GARAT- rather then GARAD-.
Calenardhon contains ardhon *’realm’ now with a different suffix -on (cf. Arðon in PM:348).