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{{Pronounce|Ancalagon.mp3|Ardamir}}
{{Dragon infobox
[[Image:Daniel Govar - Ancalagon the Black.jpg|thumb|250px|''Ancalagon the Black'' by [[Daniel Govar]]]]
| image=[[Image:Daniel Govar - Ancalagon the Black.jpg|250px]]
'''Ancalagon''' ("Rushing Jaws") '''the Black''' was the greatest [[Dragon]] of [[Middle-earth]]
| name=[[Ancalagon]]
| othernames=
| titles=''The Black''
| realm=
| affiliation=[[Morgoth]]
| hoard=
| birth=c. {{FA|545}}
| birthlocation=[[The War Of Wrath]]
| death=c. {{FA|587}}
| deathlocation=[[Thangorodrim]]
| slayer=[[Eärendil]]
| type=''[[Urulókë]]''
| legs=Yes
| wings=Yes
| colour=Black
}}{{Pronounce|Ancalagon.mp3|Ardamir}}
'''Ancalagon the Black''' ([[Sindarin|S]], pron. {{IPA|[aŋˈkalaɡon]}}) was the greatest of the winged [[Dragons|Dragons]] of [[Morgoth]].


The Dark Lord [[Morgoth]] bred Ancalagon during the [[First Age]] to be the mightiest of all the winged Dragons. During the [[War of Wrath]] that pitted Morgoth's armies against the host of the [[Valar]], Morgoth sent Ancalagon forth from the fortress of [[Angband]] to destroy the Dark Lord's enemies. So powerful was the dragon that even the [[Valar]] host was driven back.
==History==
During the [[War of Wrath]], the [[Valar]] waged their final war on [[Morgoth]]. Their victory was at hand, with most of the Dark Lord's [[Balrogs]] and other troops destroyed. But then, Morgoth unleashed the winged dragons, with Ancalagon at their van. Ancalagon drove back the forces of the Valar, but was stopped by [[Eärendil]]. Ancalagon was no match for the mariner, who sailed through the skies in the ship [[Vingilot]], with the [[Silmaril]] upon his brow. Ancalagon was cast down and fell atop [[Thangorodrim]], breaking its mighty towers. With him fell most other dragons.<ref name="Voyage">{{HM|S}}, "[[Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath]]"</ref> Even by the late [[Third Age]] Ancalagon was considered the mightiest winged dragon, though Gandalf noted that that dragon could not melt [[the One Ring]].<ref>{{HM|FR}}, "[[The Shadow of the Past]]"</ref>


But [[Eärendil the Mariner|Eärendil]], a [[Half-elven]] descendent of the princes of the [[Eldar]] and [[Edain]], descended from the sky on his ship [[Vingilot]] and duelled with Ancalagon. They fought for an entire day until Eärendil slew the dragon, whose ruined corpse crashed down upon the triple-peaked towers of [[Thangorodrim]], destroying them. With his mightiest defender slain, [[Morgoth]] was utterly defeated soon afterward.
==Etymology==
''Ancalagon'' is a [[Sindarin]] name, from ''[[anc]]''<ref name="EtymAnc">{{LR|Etymologies}},[[Sundocarmë|Root]] [[ÁNAK]] and NAK</ref> and ''[[alag]]''<ref name="EtymAlag">{{LR|Etymologies}}, [[Sundocarmë|Root]] A[[LAK]]</ref> plus the name ending ''[[-on]]''. Its meaning is "Rushing Jaws" or "Biting-storm".<ref>{{S|Appendix}}</ref><ref name="EtymAnc"/>


Ancalagon was said to have been so large that he blotted out the [[Sun]]. [[Gandalf]] later said that Ancalagon's fire-breath was hotter than that of any other dragon in history, and he speculated that it was hot enough to destroy even Rings of Power, although not the [[One Ring]] itself. It is not stated as to what methods or weapons Eärendil used to battle, and eventually kill, so vast and mighty a creature.  
In [[Eriol]]'s [[Old English]] translations, Ancalagon is referred as ''Anddraca'' "Enemy-dragon".<ref>{{SM|QA1}}</ref>


It is possible that Ancalagon's titanic size might have turned into a disadvantage when fighting a foe so comparativly small as Vingilot in the air, if one were to compare such an action to a large adult human attempting to swat a gnat buzzing around him. Eärendil more than likely had aid from the Eagles, which might be likened to trying to find and swat a gnat while at the same time fending off a swarm of angry bees. Eärendil may have foucused on shredding the great dragon's wings, a difficult attempt at best, as to eventually deprive Ancalagon of the ability to fly, thus letting the great reptile simply fall to his grusome and doubtlessly painful death on the jagged tops of Thangodrim.
==In popular culture==
 
Two animals are named after Ancalagon: ''Ancalagon'', a [[wikipedia:Cambrian|Cambrian]] [[wikipedia:Priapulida|priapulid]] by [[wikipedia:Simon Conway Morris|Simon Conway Morris]] in [[1977]], and ''Ankalagon'' by [[wikipedia:Leigh Van Valen|Leigh Van Valen]] in [[1980]], a [[wikipedia:Paleocene|Paleocene]] [[wikipedia:Mesonychid|mesonychid]] mammal.<ref>Chris Isaak, "[http://www.curioustaxonomy.net/etym/fiction.html Names from Fictional Characters]", ''[http://www.curioustaxonomy.net/index.html Curiosities of Biological Nomenclature]''</ref>
Whatever method he might have used, Eärendil's slaying of Ancalagon would have been one of the greatest and most spectacular battles in all the recorded history of [[Arda]] before or since, even eclipsing [[Gandalf]]'s battle against the [[Balrog]] of [[Moria]] ages later.
==See Also==
* [[:Category:Images of Ancalagon|Images of Ancalagon]]


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[[Category:Characters in The Silmarillion]]
[[Category:Dragons]]
[[Category:Dragons]]
[[Category:First Age characters]]
[[Category:Sindarin names]]
[[Category:Servants of Melkor]]
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[[fr:encyclo:personnages:animaux:dragons:ancalagon]]
[[fi:Ancalagon]]

Revision as of 16:32, 17 July 2015

Ancalagon
Dragon
Daniel Govar - Ancalagon the Black.jpg
Biographical Information
TitlesThe Black
AffiliationMorgoth
Appearedc. F.A. 545
The War Of Wrath
Deathc. F.A. 587
Thangorodrim
Slain byEärendil
Physical Description
TypeUrulókë
LegsYes
WingedYes
ColourBlack
Gallery[[:Category:Images of Ancalagon|Images of Ancalagon]]

Ancalagon the Black (S, pron. [aŋˈkalaɡon]) was the greatest of the winged Dragons of Morgoth.

History

During the War of Wrath, the Valar waged their final war on Morgoth. Their victory was at hand, with most of the Dark Lord's Balrogs and other troops destroyed. But then, Morgoth unleashed the winged dragons, with Ancalagon at their van. Ancalagon drove back the forces of the Valar, but was stopped by Eärendil. Ancalagon was no match for the mariner, who sailed through the skies in the ship Vingilot, with the Silmaril upon his brow. Ancalagon was cast down and fell atop Thangorodrim, breaking its mighty towers. With him fell most other dragons.[1] Even by the late Third Age Ancalagon was considered the mightiest winged dragon, though Gandalf noted that that dragon could not melt the One Ring.[2]

Etymology

Ancalagon is a Sindarin name, from anc[3] and alag[4] plus the name ending -on. Its meaning is "Rushing Jaws" or "Biting-storm".[5][3]

In Eriol's Old English translations, Ancalagon is referred as Anddraca "Enemy-dragon".[6]

In popular culture

Two animals are named after Ancalagon: Ancalagon, a Cambrian priapulid by Simon Conway Morris in 1977, and Ankalagon by Leigh Van Valen in 1980, a Paleocene mesonychid mammal.[7]

See Also

References


Named Dragons
Glaurung · Gostir · Ancalagon · Scatha · Smaug