Sea-serpents

"There are many monsters in the Sea..."

― J.R.R. Tolkien^[1]

Sea Serpent by Angus McBride

Sea-serpents, also called fish-dragons, were a breed of dragons only mentioned fleetingly in Elvish linguistic writings.^[2] No story tells of their appearance in the history of Arda.

[edit] Names

In Quenya, the name of the creature is lingwilóke^[2] (Sindarin, lhimlug).^[3]

[edit] Portrayal in adaptations

Water Drake in MERP, by Kent Burles

1982-97: Middle-earth Role Playing:

Water Drakes, or Water Serpents, are drakes who have adapted to a life in freshwater pools or in the ocean. The smaller varieties, who only live in fresh-water, are called Rain-drakes (or Lake-worms), while the larger (who prey in all types of water) are called True Water-drakes or Sea Serpents.^[4] An individual Water-drake, Séahmatha (meaning "Lake Serpent" in the tongue of the Northmen), inhabits the Long Lake.^[5]

1995-8: Middle-earth Collectible Card Game:

"Sea Serpent" and "Rain-drake" are creatures of the Drake-kind. A unique dragon of the water is Eärcaraxë, which may be played keyed to coastal regions and sites.

[edit] See also

• Images of Sea-serpents
• Serpents

[edit] External links

• Sea serpent at Wikipedia

[edit] References

1. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, "Fastitocalon"
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, "Part Three: The Etymologies", p. 370 (entry for LOK-)
3. ↑ Sindarin dictionary at Hiswelokë (accessed 20 November 2010)
4. ↑ Ruth Sochard Pitt, Jeff O'Hare, Peter C. Fenlon, Jr. (1994), Creatures of Middle-earth (2nd edition) (#2012), pp. 116-117
5. ↑ Zachariah Woolf (1995), Lake-town (#2016), pp. 121-128