It's common knowledge now that Mairon was a smith of Aule and one of the greatest smiths to be known before he became corrupted and commonly known as Sauron. I want to know if anyone knows any specific sources (i.e Tolkien's letters) where Tolkien explicitly states that Mairon was the original name.
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6"Common knowledge." Was there a discussion or song at The Prancing Pony's tap-room that I missed?– LexibleCommented Jan 8, 2022 at 18:57
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2I think Thuringwethil used to call him “Uncle May-may?”– Silly but TrueCommented Jan 8, 2022 at 20:18
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2@Mae to me "proof" would be if achaeologists unearth ruins from a civilization thouands of years before the first known ones, with inscriptions translated as memorials to warriors and lords slain figithing in obedience to "our god Mairon" in holy wars against the evil elves and Dunedain. But I guess you will have to be content with statements from Tolkien which may or may not be considered canon to various of his published stories.– M. A. GoldingCommented Jan 8, 2022 at 20:39
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3In regards to @SillybutTrue's comment: how is 'Mairon' actually pronounced? May-ron, or My-ron? I think that since it is Quenya (right?) the latter is more probable?– JoachimCommented Jan 9, 2022 at 14:21
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The running joke between Eru and his other created Ainar was that Sawy “was not Your-ron, he was My-ron.”– Silly but TrueCommented Jan 9, 2022 at 20:11
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1 Answer
Per Tolkien's writings on the languages of Middle-earth.
Sauron's original name was Mairon, but this was altered after he was suborned by Melkor. But he continued to call himself Mairon the Admirable, or Tar-mairon ‘King Excellent’ until after the downfall of Númenor. The Quenya form equivalent to Gorthu was ñorthus, ñorsus. stem ñorũr-.
This is, to the best of my understanding, the sole place that this name has been mentioned and only became common knowledge after the 2007 publication of Parma Eldalamberon #17. Certainly this was when references were added to the major internet articles about Sauron, for example on Wikipedia
answered Jan 8, 2022 at 19:59
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5@SillybutTrue I’m sure it is. But it SOUNDS less like Tolkien and something more like, say, Bill and Ted. Commented Jan 8, 2022 at 21:45
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2It's funny how so many people know this and yet the source is so obscure.– MaeCommented Jan 8, 2022 at 22:32
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8It should also be noted that this quotation is the only known place that Tolkien has ever used the name Mairon. So any source that OP has seen mentioning this ultimately derives from this 2007 publication.– ibidCommented Jan 9, 2022 at 3:12
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1@suchiuomizu People likewise complain about "Mount Doom" being so literal Commented Jan 13, 2022 at 11:50