Out of the Silent Planet Dictionary

Reading through Lewis’ first sci-fi book can be a little tricky the first time. There are a lot of words in the Malacandrian language to pick up. To make life easier, here’s my own Malacandrian dictionary:

A

Arbol: Sun
Arbol hru: Gold (literally “sun’s blood”)

B

Bent: Sin/Evil
Balki: The name of a pool

C

Crah: The final part of a poem

E

Eeldil (singular) / eldila (plural): Angels

F

Field of arbol: The Solar System

H

Handra: The ground, land, or planet

Handramit: Valley (literally “low earth”)

Harandra: Mountain or plateau (literally “high earth”)

Hlab: Language

Hluntheline: Longing for something in the future

Hman (singular) / hmana (plural): Man/Men

Hnakra (singular)/ hnéraki (plural): Shark-like creature

Hnakrapunt (singular) / hnakrapunti (plural): A great hunter, one who kills many hneraki.

Hnau: Rational creature

Honodraskrud: The white, pinkish weed

Hressa Hlab: Language of the Hrossa

Hross (singular male) / Hressni (singular female) / hrossa (plural): The race of creatures that look like otters who love farming, hunting and art.

Hyoi: Ransom’s first friend among the hrossa

M

Malacandra: Mars

Maleldil (the Younger): Ruler of the Oyéresu and the Malacandran equivalent to Jesus

O

Old One: God

Oyarsa (singular) / Oyéresu (plural): The title of an exalted eldil who rules a planet

P

Perelandra: Venus.

Pfifltrigg (singular) / Pfifltriggi (plural): The race of frog-like creatures who are engineers

S

Sorn (singular)/ séroni (plural): The race of tall, feathered creatures who are scholars

T

Thulcandra: The “silent planet”, namely Earth

W

Wondelone: Longing for something in the past

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After working as a Software Engineer in England for several years, David moved to the United States in 2008, where he settled in San Diego. Then, in 2020 he married his wife, Marie, and moved to La Crosse, Wisconsin. Together they have a son, Alexander, who is adamant that Narnia should be read publication order.