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)
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).