Write English with Cirth: A Workbook for Dwarven Runes

By Fiona Jallings

Want to write like a Dwarf, but not learn a language? Then this book is for you!

Welcome to Angerthas Erebor, a version of the Elven runic script Cirth that J. R. R. Tolkien developed for writing English. This is the script he used on the title page of The Lord of the Rings, a Christmas greeting to his friend, and his reproduction of pages from the book of Mazarbul.

This book takes you beyond the brief description in the back of The Lord of the Rings, using texts that Tolkien wrote in Cirth to get a more complete picture of the runes as the Dwarves used them. Many of these texts weren’t published until after his death. Today we’re able to draw on more research and data than ever before!

This isn’t just a book telling you what each symbol stands for; it teaches you to form them correctly and to be able to read what you’ve written. Furthermore, you’ll be learning Cirth not as though it is a code, but like a real-world writing system. You’ll even learn how to format documents.

Whether you’re putting a powerful Dwarvish spell on your battle axe or passing a nerdy note to your best friend, this book will show you the way!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9781667113685

Book preview

Write English with Cirth

A Workbook for Dwarven Runes

© 2021 Fiona Jallings.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever, except for review purposes.

Materials from J. R. R. Tolkien’s works are represented here with the permission of the Tolkien Estate and may not be reproduced without their prior consent.

Lulu eBook ISBN: 9781667113685

Acknowledgements

The works on which my research for this book has been based, notably those of J. R. R. Tolkien himself and his son Christopher Tolkien, are works protected by copyright throughout the world. Anyone wishing to quote from these works in their own publications must seek their own permission from the Tolkien Estate and any other relevant copyright owner.

In particular, my research draws from the following sources:

The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.

J. R. R. Tolkien Artist & Illustrator by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull.

The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien edited by Humphrey Carpenter.

TolkienEstate.com

Thanks to the font developer who made it possible to type in cirth:

Dan Smith, maker of Cirth Erebor.

J. R. R. Tolkien’s scripts, on which the fonts used in this book are based, are themselves also works protected by copyright throughout the world, and use of them also requires the permission of the Tolkien Estate.

Thanks also to:

My editor, Mark Rosenfelder, who helped me organize this mess.

My copy-editor, Adam Elliott, who found all my errant commas.

My beta readers, who are just awesome.

Edith Wietek, who made the pretty cover.

My cat, Muior, who slept on my toes.

Introduction

Welcome to the mysterious world of Cirth! Inspired by the ancient Germanic writing system, the Futhark, J. R. R. Tolkien invented this writing system for his Sindarin Elves.

Cirth grew organically from a simple script used to carve inscriptions into wood or stone. Tolkien didn’t credit a character for inventing Cirth, though the minstrel Daeron popularized a version of it in Doriath, which is called Angerthas Daeron, or Daeron’s Long Runic Alphabet.

While the Noldor turned their noses up at