ñgor

root. dread, terror, fear, horror

This root was connected to fear and dread in Tolkien’s later writing, most notably in S. goroth as an element in S. Gorgoroth “[Valley] of Terror” as the name of a region in Mordor (LotR/401), as well as in S. Ered Gorgoroth “Mountains of Terror” where Ungoliant dwelled (S/95). The root first appeared in its extended form ᴹ√ÑGOROTH “horror” in The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/ÑGOROTH) with a variant ÑGOR-OT mentioned in another entry (EtyAC/GOS). The unextended root √ÑGOR was mentioned regularly in Tolkien’s later writings with glosses like “dread” (PE17/113), “terror, dread” (PE17/154), “fear” (PE17/172) and “terror” (PE17/183). It did not necessarily have an entirely negative meaning, however, as its derivative S. gorn given the sense “revered” in (one possible) etymology of S. Aragorn < Ara-ngorn “Revered King” (PE17/113).

A variant root √NGUR “horror” was mentioned in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60 (WJ/415), but elsewhere √ÑGUR was generally given the sense “death”; see that entry for detail.

Derivatives

• ✶ñgormē “dread, reverence, awe” ✧ PE17/113
• ✶ñgornā “dreaded, revered” ✧ PE17/113
  • S. gorn “revered” ✧ PE17/113
• Q. nor- “fear” ✧ PE17/172
• S. gor “horror, dread, fear” ✧ PE17/172
• S. gorgor “extreme horror, terror, haunting fear”
• N. gorgor “dreadful”
• S. goroth “horror, dread” ✧ WJ/415

Element in

• ✶ñgor(o)-thūsō “Mist of Fear” ✧ PE17/183
• ✶(ñ)guruk “horror” ✧ WJ/415

Variations

• NGUR ✧ WJ/415