I am going to tackle this in two parts. For this post, I will give my guess as to the identity of the Couriers by their Elvish names. In a follow-up post I will give me guess as to their Book of Mormon names. It actually all ties back to the very beginning of this blog - pretty neatly, I think - so I am pretty happy with where this particular train-thought has taken me.
Gildor's name is already given as is in those words I've cited earlier, and I think that is exactly who that stands for. So, their isn't any riddle in the name, but if you look into the character, there are a few interesting things to point out.
Gildor, as I've mentioned earlier, is the very first elf that Frodo comes across as he sets out from the Shire. In fact, he hasn't even left the Shire entirely yet before he comes across him (or rather, Gildor and his band happen upon Frodo). It is he who will first name Frodo as "Elf-Friend".
We do not learn much more, if anything, about him after this encounter. Glorfindel (who I will get to in a second) mentions his group and their encounter with Frodo when he happens upon Aragorn and the Hobbits as they are trying to get to Rivendell following Frodo's wounding at Weathertop by the Nazgul. Gildor sent word to Elrond in Rivendell, and Elrond sent out any of his people who could stand against the Nine to go in search of the Hobbits. Glorfindel's mission was to take the Road, which is where he happened upon the Hobbits.
During this first encounter, however, Gildor introduces himself to Frodo, Sam, and Pippin as "Gildor Inglorion of the House of Finrod". Meaning he is a son of "Inglor", and this Inglor is of Finrod's House. There is a bit of a mystery in this name, however, as just who Inglor is, as well as Finrod, is not entirely clear, and it has to do with some confusion and changes Tolkien would make as just who was known by both Finrod and Inglor, as well as some potentially poor assumptions about who Gildor's parents could actually be.
Inglor was actually the original name for Finrod Felagund, who was the son of Finarfin. Inglor would ultimately be rejected by Tolkien in favor of Finrod. To further muddy the waters, Tolkien also had interpreted Inglor as another name for Finarfin himself, thus making both father and son the bearer of this name oat one point.
The name Inglor is said to mean something like "Heart of Gold", although the form of the name applied to Finarfin (and which was his mother-name, or what his mother called him) meant something like "Top Gold" or "First Gold". (Ingalaure)
Anyway, that name of Inglor pretty much vanished from later uses, not being applied to either Finrod or Finarfin, it seems. But the name survived on in the LOTR story with Gildor, who is clearly the son of an Inglor. Most people assume that this can't have been Finrod because Tolkien would end up deciding that Finrod had not married and had become separated from his lover Amarie when he followed the Exiles out of Aman (though previous story version had him marry Amarie and they did have at least one child: Gil-Galad). So, the consensus has been that Gildor is a a son of Inglor, just not a son of either Finarfin or Finrod Felagund. Some unknown Inglor.
My own view differs. I believe the "Finrod" whose House he mentions being a part of is none other than Finarfin (I forgot to mention that Finarfin had gone by Finrod before Tolkien took than name and give it to Finarfin's son Inglor), and thus the Inglor who Gildor is the son of is, in fact, none other than Finrod Felagund.
I hope that makes sense.
So, a pretty understated and disguised character in the story, and I think that it is he - the grandson of Finarfin and son of Felagund - who is our first identified Elf Courier and Usher. In other words, even though we know his name, I am making a bit of a guess as to his identity with respect to where Gildor fits within the Houses of the Eldar.
OK, so on to the second Courier.
In my words, he simply goes by the name of Hodnir. This is a disguised name for whoever this really is, and my guess, which I have already given away, is Glorfindel.
As to the name Hodnir, I actually think this is a case where it is possible I flipped the consonants dr when I wrote the name down. Meaning, this should be Hondir. I can actually make it work with either Hodnir or Hondir.
If Hondir, it would mean something like "Heart Friend". As in with the "Heart-language" that was used to describe or reference the promise that Eowyn and Faramir made prior to their separation, I take this to phrase to mean something like a Close Friend or potentially even meaning Friends who have been joined by a bond or oath in a similar fashion. I don't know for sure on that last part, but think it could be and if not, at the very least this is a dear friend.
Now if it really was Hodnir, you still have "Friend" (Nir means Friend as well), but Hod gets a bit more confusing or limited. You could use a variation of Hod to have Hoth, which would mean a Host or Army. Army Friend? That could work as well given who I think Glorfindel was in the Book of Mormon. But I do have to change the Hod to Hoth to get this, and I am not sure how that holds up.
But basically I am not too bent out of shape on whether it is Hodnir or Hondir (or both?) in this case. The most important thing we have here is that then name designates a "Friend". Just tuck that away for the follow-up post on the Book of Mormon connection.
In fact, thinking on this now, I think I will have to do that segment before the Glorfindel connection comes more into focus. It is that identity, along with a re-interpreting a dream I already shared, that gives me some confidence that Glorfindel is our guy. So, for now just know that my guess is Glorfindel and Gildor were the two "Elves" who were the Germans of the original trip with the Darkened Anor Stone to search for Joseph, Green Stones, Brass Plates, Tom's Study, and whatever else. They would also have been the ones to take on the roles of Couriers in transporting the Sawtooth Stone from Idaho to Tom's House in France. And they are the two that have been suggested to usher Faramir-Eonwe home.
By the way, both Glorfindel and Gildor join Tom Bombadil in having the honor of being completely cut from Peter Jackson's movies. No trace of Gildor or Tom were included, and Glorfindel's assistance to Aragorn and Frodo in the 'flight to the ford' was given to Arwen instead (and he was scratched from the Council of Elrond).
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