ungol
noun. spider
ungol
noun. spider
cirith ungol
place name. Cleft of the Spider
The pass near Minas Morgul where Shelob laired (LotR/644). In Tolkien’s Nomenclature of the Lord of the Rings, he translated the name as “Cleft of the Spider”, a combination of cirith “cleft” and ungol “spider” (RC/767).
Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, this name first appeared as N. Kirith Ungol, translated “Spider Glen” (TI/330, WR/104).
torech ungol
place name. Shelob’s Lair, (lit.) Tunnel of the Spider
Sindarin name of Shelob’s Lair (LotR/717), more literally “Tunnel of the Spider”, a combination of torech “(secret) hole” and ungol “spider” (RC/490).
Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, this name first appeared as Terch Ungol “Spider’s Lair”, revised to Torech Ungol “Spider’s Hole” (WR/202).
Cirith Ungol
noun. pass of spider
cirith (“pass”), ungol (“spider”)
ungol
spider
1) ungol (pl. yngyl); coll. pl. ?unglath or ungolath; 2) *lhingril (?i thlingril or ?i lingril the lenition product of lh is uncertain); no distinct pl. form except possibly with article (?i lingril). Coll. pl. lhingrillath. (Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” thlingril.) 3) or
ungol
spider
(pl. yngyl); coll. pl. ?unglath or ungolath
Cirith Ungol
Spider's Cleft
dúath
noun. darkness, shadow
dúath
noun. nightshade
lhing
noun. spider, spider's web, cobweb
lhingril
noun. spider
môr
noun. darkness, dark, night
dû
darkness
1) dû (i dhû) (night, nightfall, late evening, dusk), pl. dui (i nui) (SD:302), 2) fuin (gloom, night, dead of night, nightshade). No distinct pl. form. 3) môr (i vôr, construct mor), pl. mŷr (i mŷr) if there is a pl. (Letters:382); 4 morn (i vorn) (night), pl. myrn (i myrn). Note: the word môr, morn is also used as an adjective ”dark, black”. (Letters:386)
dû
darkness
(i dhû) (night, nightfall, late evening, dusk), pl. dui (i nui) (SD:302)
fuin
darkness
(gloom, night, dead of night, nightshade). No distinct pl. form.
lhing
spider’s web
(?i thling or ?i ling – the lenition product of lh is uncertain) (cobweb), no distinct pl. form except possibly with article (?i ling). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” thling.
lhingril
noun. spider
lhingril
spider
(?i thlingril or ?i lingril – the lenition product of lh is uncertain); no distinct pl. form except possibly with article (?i lingril). Coll. pl. lhingrillath. (Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” *thlingril**.*)
lhê
spider filament
(?i thlê or ?i lê – the lenition product of lh is uncertain) (fine thread), pl. lhî (?i lî). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” thlê.
môr
darkness
(i vôr, construct mor), pl. m**ŷr (i m**ŷr) if there is a pl. (Letters:382); 4 morn (i vorn) (night), pl. myrn (i myrn). Note: the word môr, morn is also used as an adjective ”dark, black”. (Letters:386)
ungol
noun. spider
ungol
noun. spider
kirith ungol
place name. Spider Glen
terch ungol
place name. Spider’s Hole, Spider’s Lair
thlingril
noun. spider
A noun appearing as N. thlingril “spider” in The Etymologies, probably a feminine form of N. thling “spider, spider’s web, cobweb” (Ety/SLIG). Christopher Tolkien said the r was uncertain.
Neo-Sindarin: Since initial sl- became lh- in Sindarin, most Neo-Sindarin writers adapt this word as ᴺS. lhingril, as suggested in HSD (HSD). This word is somewhat questionable, since in later writings √ungu- was the basis for spider words (PE22/160). I think ᴹ√SLIG may be reinterpreted as having to do with threads, and as such I think ᴺS. lhingril can be retained as originally meaning “(female) web spinner”. However, I recommend later S. ungol as the more common Sindarin word for “spider”.
dúath
noun. darkness, shadow
dúath
noun. nightshade
dúwath
noun. darkness, shadow
dúwath
noun. nightshade
môr
noun. darkness, dark, night
thling
noun. spider, spider's web, cobweb
thlingril
noun. spider
ungol Reconstructed
noun. (monstrous) spider
A “neologism” extracted from the name Q. Ungoliantë, which was untranslated in Tolkien’s later writings. Given that S. ungol meant “spider” (Let/180; RC/490, 767) and √ungu- was the basis for spider words (PE22/160), it is very likely that ungol in the Quenya also meant “spider” in Tolkien’s later conception of the languages. However, the latest Quenya word for “spider” in currently published material is ᴹQ. liante. To retain that word I assume that [ᴺQ.] ungol was limited to monstrous spiders, the descendents of Ungoliantë, while liante was used for ordinary spiders; see ᴹQ. liante for further discussion.
liantë
spider
liantë (1) noun "spider" (SLIG), in earlier sources ascribed other meanings:(2)liantë "tendril" (LT1:271) and (3) "vine" (PE14:55, cf. liantassë elsewhere)
lúmë
darkness
lúmë (2) noun "darkness" (one wonders if Tolkien confused lúmë "time, hour" and lómë "night") (Markirya)
lúmë
noun. darkness
A noun in the 1960s versions of the Markirya glossed “darkness” (MC/222), perhaps derived from a root √DU as suggested by David Salo in a post to the Elfling mailing list in 2012 (Elfling/362.96).
Neo-Quenya: I’d generally use Q. huinë for “darkness” in Neo-Quenya, but that word is more for total darkness, whereas lúmë might be a less severe form of darkness, a variant of Q. lómë “night, dusk”.
mor
darkness
mor noun "darkness" (Letters:308; probably just an Elvish "element" rather than a complete word; Namárië has mornië for "darkness")
mornië
darkness
mornië noun "darkness" (Nam, RGEO:67), "dark, blackness" (PE17:73). Early "Qenya" also has Mornië "Black Grief", "the black ship that plies between Mandos and Erumáni" (LT1:261). This is probably a compound of mor- "black" and nië "tear".
uñg
root. spider
This root and ones like it were tied to spider words for much of Tolkien’s life, most notably in the name S. Ungoliant and its precursors. The earliest iteration of this root was unglossed ᴱ√GUŊU in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. ungwe/G. gung “spider” (QL/98); Tolkien marked the root with a “?” and given that the Qenya forms had no initial consonant, the actual root may have been ✱ᴱ√ƷUŊU. In The Lost Tales of the 1910s, Tolkien changed G. Gungliont to G. Ungoliont (LT1/156), and in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon the word for “spider” was G. ungwi (GL/75), so it seems Tolkien revised {✱ᴱ√ƷUŊU >>} ✱ᴱ√UŊU.
In The Etymologies of the 1930s, unglossed ᴹ√UÑG had derivatives like ᴹQ. ungwe “gloom” and ᴹQ. ungo “cloud, dark shadow” (Ety/UÑG), and it was the second element ᴹQ. liante in ᴹQ. Ungoliante that meant “spider” (Ety/SLIG). However, in notes from 1969 Tolkien gave ✱ungu- as the basis for “spider” words (PE22/160), as reflected in Q. ungwë “spider’s web” (LotR/1122) and S. ungol “spider” in his later writings (Let/180; RC/490, 767).
burzum
noun. darkness
burzum
noun. darkness
Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!
ungol
noun. darkness
A noun for “darkness” developed from the root ᴹ√UÑG (Ety/UÑG), perhaps from a primitive form ✱✶uñglē̆ [uŋglē̆] as suggested by Helge Fauskanger (AL-Ilkorin/ungol): after the [[ilk|primitive final [e] was lost]], the resulting [[ilk|final [l] would become syllabic and develop into [-ol]]].
liante
noun. spider, spider, [ᴱQ.] tendril, vine
A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “spider” derived from the root ᴹ√SLIG with various other derivatives having to do with webs and fine threads (Ety/SLIG). Most notably it was the second element in the name ᴹQ. Ungoliante “Gloomweaver” (LR/230). In the paradigm of The Etymologies, ᴹQ. ungo was “cloud, dark shadow” (Ety/UÑG), not “spider”.
Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon and Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa of the 1910s, ᴱQ. liante was glossed “tendril” and was derived from the early root ᴱ√LI+ya “unite many in one” (QL/53, PME/53). In this period it was an element in the name ᴱQ. Ungweliante or Ungwe Lianti “the great spider who enmeshes” (LT1/152), where the intial element ᴱQ. ungwe meant “spider” (QL/98). In the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s, ᴱQ. liante was translated “vine” (PE14/55), as opposed to the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s where ᴱQ. liantasse was “vine” (QL/53).
Neo-Quenya: Tolkien gave no other Quenya words for “spider” in his later writings, but S. ungol was glossed “spider” (Let/180; RC/490, 767) and √ungu- was described as the basis for “spider words” (PE22/160), making it very likely that ✱ungol was “spider” in his later conception of the name Q. Ungoliantë. However, I think [ᴹQ.] liante might be reconceived of as a (feminine?) agental form originally meaning “weaver” or “webspinner”. Furthermore, I think [ᴺQ.] ungol might have come to be associated only with monstrous spiders, the descendants of Ungoliantë, so that [ᴹQ.] liante came to be used of ordinary spiders.
ungwi
noun. spider
cing(win)
noun. spider
A noun for “spider” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s with variants cing and cingwin (GL/26). Tolkien indicated this word was related to G. cang “tangled” (GL/25), which was probably based on the early root ᴱ√KAŊA “weave, twine” (QL/45, 98). The i in cing indicates the primitive form was probably kŋ̣g-, since short syllabic nasals became in in Gnomish.
ging
noun. spider
gung
noun. spider
morth
noun. darkness
kangaris
noun. spider
ungwe
noun. spider
The Sindarin word for “spider” (Let/180; RC/490, 767), derived from √ungu- that was the basis for spider words (PE22/160).
Conceptual Development: The Gnomish word for “spider” was initially G. gung in both the Qenya Lexicon and Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s as a derivative of the early root ᴱ√GUŊU (QL/98; GL/43), also appearing an element in G. Gungliont, the earliest name of Ungoliant (LT1/160). In the Gnomish Lexicon the word gung was crossed through, but may have become ging in G. gwidh-a-ging “cobweb” (GL/46). Regardless, Tolkien added G. ungwi “spider” in pencil to the Gnomish Lexicon (GL/75), which seems to indicate a change of the root from ᴱ√GUŊU to ᴱ√UŊU, consistent with the replacement name G. Ungoliont from the contemporaneous narratives (LT1/152).
In The Etymologies of the 1930s, “spider” words were derived from the root ᴹ√SLIG (Ety/SLIG); see N. thling for discussion. Tolkien soon restored Ung-, however, since N. ungol was translated as “spider” in Lord of the Rings drafts of the 1940s (WR/202).