Dalish: Lexicon

## Elvish phrases

* **Andaran atish’an** || Enter this place in peace. A formal elven greeting. Literally: "I dwell in this place, a place of peace."
* **Aneth ara** || A sociable or friendly greeting, more commonly used among the Dalish themselves rather than with outsiders. Literally: "My safe place"
* **Ara seranna-ma** || "Excuse me," as in after a sneeze or belch; this phrase may be differently conjugated depending on the speaker
* **Ar lasa mala revas** || "You are (now) free
* **Ar lath ma** || "I love you
* **Arlathan** || The major city of Elvhenan, original homeland of the elves, from the phrase "ar lath’an" meaning "This place of love"
* **Asha'belannar** || "The Woman of Many Years."
* **Atish'all Vir Abelasan** || "Enter the path of the Well of Sorrows."
* **Bellanaris Din'an Heem** || "Make you dead"
* **Dareth shiral** || Used as a "farewell" it means, "Safe journey"
* **Din'Anshiral** || A journey of death
* **Dirth'ena enasalin** || the Elvish word for the Arcane Warrior or, more recently, Knight Enchanter disciplines
* **Dirthara-ma** || "May you learn." Used as a curse
* **Emma lath** || My love
* **Fen'Harel enansal** || The Dread Wolf's blessing
* **Fen'Harel ma ghilana** || "Dread Wolf guides you" Indicates someone being mislead/making bad life choices
* **Fen'Harel ma halam** || "Dread Wolf ends you" A threat
* **Garas quenathra** || "Why are you here?/Why have you come?"
* **Ghil-Dirthalen** || "One who guides seekers of knowledge true."
* **Ghilan'him banal'vhen** || "The path that leads astray": a derogatory term for Arcane Warriors among those elves who eschewed physical combat
* **Halam'shivanas** || The sweet sacrifice of duty
* **Ir abelas** || I am sorry
* **Ir abelas, ma vhenan** || "I am filled with sorrow for your loss, my heart."
* **Ir tel'him** || "I'm me again."
* **Lasa ghilan** || Grant/give guidance
* **Lathbora viran** || Roughly translated as "the path to a place of lost love," a longing for a thing one can never really know
* **Ma banal las halamshir var vhen.** || You do nothing to further our people
* **Ma ghilana mir din'an** || Guide me into death
* **Ma melava halani** || You helped me
* **Mala suledin nadas** || Now you must endure
* **Ma nuvenin** || As you wish
* **Ma vhenan** || My heart (a term of endearment)
* **Ma serannas** || My thanks (Thank you)
* **Mana. Ma halani.** || "Ma halani" is "Help me". In this context, "Mana" is an imperative verb, like "Stop" or "Wait"
* **Melana en athim las enaste** || Now let humility grant favor
* **Sulevin ghilana hanin** || Guide to certain glory / Guide of Glorious Purpose
* **Tel'abelas** || "I'm not [sorry]."
* **Tel garas solasan** || Come not to a prideful place
* **Telanadas** || Nothing is inevitable
* **Vir'abelasan** || "The place of the way of sorrows."

### Endearments

* **da'assan** || little arrow
* **da'mi** || little blade
* **da'vhenan** || little heart
* **emm'asha** || my girl
* **emma lath** || my love
* **ma sa'lath** || my one love
* **ma'arlath** || my love
* **ma emma lath** || you are my love
* **vhenan'ara** || heart's desire

### Insults

* **elvhen'alas** || dirt elves
* **len'alas lath'din** || dirty child no one loves
* **seth'lin** || thin blood

### Threats

* **Ar'din nuvenin na'din** || I don't want to kill you
* **Ar tu na'din** || I will kill you
* **Ar tu na'lin emma mi** || I will see your blood on my blade
* **Emma shem'nan** || My revenge is swift
* **Halam sahlin** || This ends now
* **Ma emma harel** || You should fear me
* **Ma halam** || You are finished

## Elvish Vocabulary

### **A**

* **Abelas** || Sorrow. Also used as an apology.
* **Adahl** || tree/bush.
* **Adahlen** || forest
* **Alas** || earth, dirt
* **-An** || suffix indicating place or location.As in the phrase "vir'abelasan," "the place of the way of sorrows"; or "Solasan," the "place of pride."
* **Annar** || year
* **Ar** || personal pronoun: I, me
* **Aravas** || journeys
* **Aravel** || A wagon used by the Dalish; literally a physical and spiritual path, a journey with purpose. Humans call them "landships."
* **Arla** || home
* **Arlathvhen** || Meeting of the Dalish clans, every ten years.Arla: home; Ar: I, me; Lath: love; Vhen: people, us. The meaning of this title is connotative more than anything else. Means "for love of the people."
* **Asha** || woman
* **Assan** || arrow
* **Atisha** || peace, peaceful
* **Athim** || humility

### **B**

* **Banal** || nothing, not, no
* **Banalhan** || "The place of nothing", a name for the Blight or its place of origin
* **Banal'ras** || Shadow.Vir Banal'ras
* **Bel** || many
* **Bellanaris** || Eternity
* **Bora** || to throw, project, lose
* **Bor'assan** || bow

### **D**

* **Da** || small, diminutive prefix
* **Dar** || to be
* **Da'len** || little child, or "little one"
* **Dareth** || be safe
* **Din** || "not", or "isn't"; also used to indicate someone who has died: someone who is not
* **Din'an** || death, end
* **Dirth** || tell, speak. A term for knowledge, secrets
* **Dirthara** || learn, seek truth
* **Dirthavaren** || "The promise"—Elvish name for the Exalted Plains
* **Dirthera** || tell
* **Dorf** || grey
* **Durgen** || stone

### **E**

* **El** || our
* **Elgar** || spirit
* **Elgara** || sun
* **Elgar'arla** || a spirit-trap, a binding circle to hold a Spirit or Demon
* **Eluvian** || mirror. Literally, "seeing glass."
* **Elvarel** || longer, more effort
* **Elvhen** || "Our People". Elven name for their own race
* **Elvhenan** || Place of our people. The name of the Elvhenan|elven civilization before the arrival of humans in Thedas. Also could be translated as: "Our hearts"
* **Ena** || appear; emerge
* **Enasal** || joy in triumph over loss; a variation of joyful relief
* **Enasalin** || victory
* **Enansal** || gift or blessing
* **Enaste** || favor, approval
* **Enfanim** || to fear
* **Era** || story, tale, dream
* **Era'harel** || demon-mage; similar to an arcane horror
* **Eth** || safe
* **Evanuris** || leaders. What the elves/elvhen called their elven pantheon/gods

### **F**

* **Falon** || friend
* **Felas** || slow
* **Felandaris** || demon weed
* **Felassan** || slow arrow
* **Fen** || wolf
* **Fenedhis** || undefined common curse. Possibly the equivalent of "crap"
* **Fenedhis lasa** || an expansion on Fenedhis, a common curse

### **G**

* **Garas** || come
* **Ghilani** || to guide
* **Ghilas** || to go
* **Glandival** || wish, to believe

### **H**

* **Hahren'al** || A gathering of *hahrens* during *arlathvhen*
* **Hahren** || Elder. Used as a term of respect by the Dalish, but more specifically for the leader of an alienage by the City Elves.
* **Halam** || the end, finished
* **Halamshiral** || The end of the journey. Also the name of the capital of the second elven homeland in the Dales
* **Halani** || help
* **Hamin** || rest, relax
* **Hanal'ghilan** || "the pathfinder;" Elvish name for the mythical golden halla said by the Dalish to appear during times of great need
* **Hanin** || glory
* **Harel** || To trick or deceive. Dreaded, frightening, causing fear
* **Harellan** || trickster, traitor to one's kin
* **Harillen** || opposition
* **Hellathen** || noble struggle
* **Him** || become

### **I**

* **In** || with or inside; dwell
* **Inan** || eyes. Literally: "inside place" or "dwelling place" - i.e. windows to the soul
* **Ir** || very, more; I'm/I amas
* **Iras** || where
* **Irassal** || wherever
* **Isala** || in need of

### **L**

* **La** || and
* **Las** || grant, give
* **Lath** || love
* **Len**||child.
* **Lethallin; Lethallan** || Casual reference used for someone with whom one is familiar. Lethallin is used for males, while lethallan is used for females
* **Lin** || blood

### **M**

* **Ma** || my, mine, *or* you, your
* **Mahvir** || tomorrow
* **Mala** || your
* **Mamae** || Mother
* **Mana** || distant past; long amount of time
* **Melana** || time
* **Melava** || time, past tense
* **Mi** || blade
* **Mi'durgen** || diamond, literally 'blade stone'
* **Mien'harel** || rebellion (or else a violent call for justice, depending on the interpretation), normally a city elves| city elf term; a concept that when humans push the elven population too far they must remind them that even a "short blade" must be respected
* **Mir** || my

### **N**

* **Na** || your; is
* **Nadas** || Inevitable. Also used as an expression of obligation (i.e. "must")
* **Nan** || revenge; vengeance
* **Ne** || you
* **Nehn** || joy
* **Numin** || cry, tears
* **Nuvenin** || want, need

### **R**

* **Renan** || voice
* **Revas** || freedom
* **Revasan** || "The place where freedom dwells"

### **S**

* **Sa** || one
* **Sahlin** || now, in this moment
* **Samahl** || laugh, laughter
* **Sa'vunin** || a single day
* **Serannas** || grateful, appreciative
* **Seth** || thin, tenuous
* **Setheneran** || Land of waking dreams. Literally: "Tenuous waking dream place"
* **Shem** || quick, fast
* **Shemlen** || Literally "quick children". The original name of the elves for the human race. It continues to see use as a slang term amongst the City Elves ("Shems") even though its meaning has largely been lost
* **Shiral** || journey
* **Solas** || Pride, to stand tall
* **Solasan** || a prideful place
* **Somniar** || to dream
* **Souveri** || weary, tired
* **Suv** || happen
* **Sulahn'nehn** || joy/happiness
* **Sulahn** || sing
* **Suledin** || endure, strength to withstand loss
* **Sulevin** || certain, purpose

### **T**

* **Tan** || three
* **Tarasyl'an Te'las** || the place where the sky was held back. Original elven name for Skyhold
* **Taren** || mind
* **Tasallan** || meaning unknown
* **Tel** || not; often used to negate the noun/verb that proceeds it
* **Then** || awake, alert
* **Theneras** || dream
* **Tu** || to make, to cause

### **U**

* **U** || alone
* **Uth** || long, forever, never ending, eternal.Breakdown of "uthenera."
* **Uthenera** || Waking sleep; immortal. Uthenera was the name of the ancient practice of immortal elves who would "sleep" once they tired of life. Literally: "Eternal waking dream"

### **V**

* **Vallas** || writing
* **Vallasdahlen** || Life-trees. Trees planted in remembrance of those who dedicated their lives to the Dalish kingdom, that grew into a mighty wood
* **Vallaslin** || Blood writing. The art of tattooing adopted by some elves to more prominently (and some might say belligerently) display their worship of the traditional elven pantheon.
* **Vallem** || "To bid" or "I bid you"
* **Var** || our
* **Ven** || to go
* **Venavis** || stop
* **Vhen** || "people of" or "belonging to the elves, the clans, elven society"
* **Vhenadahl** || The tree of the people
* **Vhen'alas** || The land itself, as in "the ground". Literally: "our earth"
* **Vhenan** || heart
* **Vhenas** || home
* **Vir** || way or path
* **Vissanalla** || translation unknown
* **Vunin** || day

## The Elvish Eulogy

emma ir abelas
souver'inan isala hamin
vhenan him dor'felas
in uthenera na revas
vir sulahn'nehn
vir dirthera
vir samahl la numin
vir lath sa'vunin
now I am filled with sorrow
weary eyes need resting
heart has become grey and slow
in waking sleep is freedom
we sing, rejoice
we tell the tale
we laugh and cry
we love one more day

## Suledin (Endure)

ir su araval tu elvaral
u na emma abelas
in elgar sa vir mana
in tu setheneran din emma na
lath sulevin
lath araval ena
arla ven tu vir mahvir
melana ‘nehn
enasal ir sa lethalin
but long journeys are made longer
when alone within.
Take spirit from the long ago
but do not dwell in lands no longer yours.
Be certain in need,
and the path will emerge
to a home tomorrow
and time will again
be the joy it once was

## I Am the One

Alai uethri maeria
Halurocon yalei nam bahna
Dolin nereba maome
Ame amin
Halai lothi amin
Aloamin Heruamin
Heruamin oh lonai
Imwe naine beriole
Ame amin
Halai lothi amin
Aloamin Heruamin
Ame amin
Halai lothi amin
Noamin
Ame amin
Halai lothi amin
Noamin Heruamin

## Mir Da'len Somniar - a Dalish Lullaby

Melava somniar
Mala tara aravas
Ara ma'desen melar
Iras ma ghilas, da'len
Ara ma'nedan ashir
Dirthara lothlenan'as
Bal emma mala dir
Tel'enfenim, da'len
Irassal ma ghilas
Ma garas mir renan
Ara ma'athlan vhenas
Ara ma'athlan vhenas
Time to dream
Your mind journeys,
But I will hold you here.
Where will you go, little one
Lost to me in sleep?
Seek truth in a forgotten land
Deep with in your heart.
Never fear, little one,
Wherever you shall go.
Follow my voice--
I will call you home.
I will call you home.

## Where Willows Wail

An elven version of a lullaby local to Denerim and nearby villages to the south.

Sethen’a ir san’shiral, mala tel’halani
Ir sa’vir te’suledin var bana’vallaslin,
Vora’nadas san banal’him emma abel revas.
Ir tela’ena glandival, vir amin tel’hanin.
Ir tela las ir Fen halam, vir am’tela’elvahen.
Time won’t help when the Fade|land of dreams is no longer our journey
We try to lead despite the eventual failing of our markings.
To the inevitable and troubling freedom we are committed.
When we could no longer believe, we lost glory to war.
When the Fen'Harel|Wolf failed/won, we lost the People to war.