Ancalagon
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| Ancalagon | |
|---|---|
| Dragon | |
 | |
| "Ancalagon vs Earendil" by Daniel Pilla | |
| Biographical Information | |
| Titles | The Black |
| Affiliation | Morgoth |
| Death | c. F.A. 587 War of Wrath |
| Slain by | Eärendil |
| Physical Description | |
| Type | Urulókë |
| Legs | Yes |
| Winged | Yes |
| Colour | Black |
| Gallery | Images of Ancalagon |
Ancalagon the Black was the greatest of Morgoth's Dragons, and the mightiest winged fire-dragon ever existed.
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.[1] But in the year 587,[2] Morgoth unleashed the winged dragons, which he had been hiding in Angband. Ancalagon was among them, and their attack drove back the forces of the Host of the Valar, as they came with thunderbolts and fire storms.[1]
But Eärendil came, shining with white flame, and about Vingilot were gathered all the great birds of heaven and Thorondor was their captain, and there was battle in the air all the day and through a dark night of doubt. Before the rising of the sun Eärendil slew Ancalagon the Black, the mightiest of the dragon-host, and cast him from the sky; and he fell upon the towers of Thangorodrim, and they were broken in his ruin.
—Quenta Silmarillion, "Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath"
Even by the late Third Age Ancalagon was considered the mightiest winged dragon, with Gandalf noting that not even his fire could melt the One Ring,[3][4] as Ancalagon's breath was probably the hottest thing of the whole world.[5]
Etymology
Ancalagon is a Sindarin name. It is not properly glossed, but it contains anc ("jaws") + root alak- ("rushing").[6]
In the Noldorin phase of the Elvish language it is glossed as "Biting-storm", from anc ("jaw, row of teeth") + alagos ("storm of wind").[7]
In Eriol's Old English translations, Ancalagon is referred as Anddraca ("Enemy-dragon").[8]
Other versions of the legendarium
The first apparition of Ancalagon in Tolkien's legendarium was in the Quenta Noldorinwa (1930s), which gives a version even more summarized of the War of Wrath than what is given above, although the story does not differ from later versions.[9] Tolkien never fully completed the Quenta Silmarillion, so the information about Ancalagon was never developed, and although he revised the text of the War of Wrath, they were very brief expansions, made in the Quenta Silmarillion of 1937,[10] and in The Later Quenta Silmarillion of 1951.[11] This last version was the text used by Christopher Tolkien for his edition of The Silmarillion.[12]
Inspiration
According to an early prophecy attributed to a Wise-woman called Andreth, in an imprecise context Túrin shall return from the Dead before he left the Circles of the World forever, challenging the Great Dragon of Morgoth, Ancalagon the Black, and dealing him the death-stroke. This prophecy could have designated the War of Wrath in origin, but it actually foresees the Last Battle. This version bears several similarities to the celtic "Sybil's Prophecy", according to The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún.[13][14]
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.[15]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part Three. The Wanderings of Húrin and Other Writings not forming part of the Quenta Silmarillion: V. The Tale of Years", p. 346
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Shadow of the Past"
- ↑ Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, The Shadow of the Past; Index, Ancalagon the Black
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Return of the Shadow
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin Names", entries alqua, anc
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies", entries "ÁLAK-", "ÁNAK-", "NAK-"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Shaping of Middle-earth, "III. The Quenta: Appendix 1: Fragments of a translation of The Quenta Noldorinwa into Old English, made by Ælfwine or Eriol; together with Old English equivalents of Elvish names", p. 209
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Shaping of Middle-earth, "III. The Quenta: §18 in the Q II version", p. 160
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, "Part Two: Valinor and Middle-earth before The Lord of the Rings, VI. Quenta Silmarillion", The Conclusion of the Quenta Silmarillion, §18
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part Two. The Later Quenta Silmarillion: The Last Chapters of the Quenta Silmarillion", pp. 246-247
- ↑ Douglas Charles Kane, Arda Reconstructed: The Creation of the Published Silmarillion, 24. "Of the Voyage of Eärendil"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "XII. The Problem of Ros"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien; Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún, "Commentary on Völsungskviða en nýja", "Upphaf", pp.?
- ↑ Chris Isaak, "Names from Fictional Characters", Curiosities of Biological Nomenclature
| Named Dragons | |
| Glaurung · Gostir · Ancalagon · Scatha · Smaug | |
