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snurtz — TUTORIAL: How to write Elvish
Published: 2007-08-29 18:07:51 +0000 UTC; Views: 111867; Favourites: 996; Downloads: 5503
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If you use this tutorial to make a deviation of any kind, kindly comment below and tell me so. I'd love to view your work,
it, and possibly critique it, if you so desire. You don't have to credit me in the comments, seeing as I didn't actually create Elvish, but I really want to see if you used it. 
This took me like, 2 or 3 days. But that's just because I'm distractable.
I also have this available as a Word document, if you want it for printing purposes. Sorry, the computer the Word document was saved on is LONG gone!!!
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References:
The Languages of Tolkien's Middle-earth by Ruth S. Noel
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
thanks to for this fabulous workbook !!! I suggest comparing my tutorial and this workbook to get a more rounded view on how to write in Elvish!
NOTE: The workbook is a pdf, just to let you know. Apparently this workbook has disappeared!!!Elvish fonts found at [link] ... They're fabulous, but make sure you use the character map pdf that comes with it, or what you think says "mellon" will actually say ldfyywhw! And yes, that's what it will actually say.
If there is anything else you want to know, just tell me!
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P.S.- Want a REAL challenge?? Translate THIS! [link]
P.P.S.- I just noticed this, I messed up the example for Quenya, with the word "Elemmire"... The Tehtar are pretty much all in the wrong place. The "practice" example is correct, however.
P.P.P.S.- OHOHOH. If you wanna learn real elvish, go here, it's a great website!!! [link] ...or you can get the book The Languages of Tolkien's Middle-earth [link] by Ruth S. Noel, it's veeeery helpful.
P.P.P.P.S.- I like P.S... hehehe. Check out this website by .
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I take requests/commissions on Elvish calligraphy such as this. Right now it’s free because I’m not a greedy person, but I don’t know how long it will stay that way. Please see my journal [link] for more information.
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Thank you to everyone for the comments and the
s!
Related content
Comments: 255
∑(ﾟДﾟ)Uh...no....I'm almost 18.
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Wait this is a real damn language??
Dem geeks work hard.
I am a geek too but still.
Dayum
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Actually Tolkien came up with most of it. He loved languages and often had them created before he actually wrote the books. He wrote to give the languages he created a more realistic evolution and some back story. We geeks just embellished and added here and there.
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Don't have time because of finals, but I will use later latter.
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Considering I just (before finding this) started writing with Fëanorian alphabets; how trustworthy is that Noel's book? All the data I collected, I used only and only The Return of the King. Now, I'm not trying to ruin anyone's day or be a b*tch so don't be mad at me snurtz, but e.g. that "~" part of the "of the" symbol you've done, is actually a marking for a long consonant.
What I'm trying to say, did Noel know Tolkien? How new is this book, and can the author show reliable sources? I admit I haven't read the Book of Unfinished Tales, but otherwise I'm quite learned with Tolkien's works. I just don't want false info to spread is all. Peace.
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I've had Noel's book for like... 9 years, but I don't use it as a first resource. It's a good reference, though. When it comes to English mode, Tolkien basically said anything goes, so really it's up to you how you want to really do it. It's only when it comes to Sindarin and Quenya that there are concrete rules.
Usually the ~ signifies a double consonant, but in the case of the "of the" - it's often done like this. Odd, I know - but if you don't like it, obviously you don't have to use it. Once again, English mode. No rules. Do what you want! Have fun with it.
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I see... I'll remain a purist X) Glad you took this so well. Some people might have infuriated themselves over my comment. Wanna say your opinion on my work? It's the latest I posted, you can't miss it.
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Haha, I used to get really angry about stuff like this but then I read in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien that he really didn't care what people did with Tengwar when it was in English mode - he basically said "whatever makes you happy". I'll take a look at your latest work!
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I want to learn Elvish including writing and speaking and yes, I will use your tutorial xD/
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Hi! i would like make a Elvish tattoo the name of my dad unfortunately died "Gerard" I searched the internet but I do not really trust the proposed sites. you could help me please ? (Sorry for my english i'm french ^^) thanks !
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Could you please put the translation to the practice? I have read the Hobbit at least 6 times, and same with LOTR. Thank you do much!
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Wow, this is amazing! It means I don't have to keep asking my roomie to write things in Elvish for me anymore, at least!
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OH MY GOD. I'VE BEEN SEARCHING FOR A TUTORIAL LIKE THIS!!!! Thank you so much for making this! I haven't gotten very far in my Elvish, so this could really help! 
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hehehe no problem! It's a blast - have fun with it
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Seriously, this is the best tutorial I've ever seen ! 
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squeee thanks! it's sooo fun - I have a blast with it ^_^
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this is amazing and i'm dead excited to start learning!
In the mean time, could you please translate this as I'd love it as a tattoo!
"Freedom, beauty, truth and love"
THANKS!!!
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I'm sorry that this has taken me a month to get to, but I did it for you! It's on my tumblr here: [link]
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Hello, I'm looking to get a tattoo of the "The Sea calls us home" in Elvish. Would you say it's proper to transcribe that from the English (The Sea calls us home) or the Elvish (I Aear can ven na mar)? Also are the examples you give for words such as "the" and "of" referring to the English pronunciation or the Elvish? I hope this makes sense
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You could transcribe either and then pick whichever one you think looks best! Haha.
Yeah, the symbols for "the" and "of" are only for English mode.
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Okay, if I can write in Japanese and Sanskrit characters, I should be able to learn this. I'm excited!
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One rainy day, I'm going to sit down and learn this
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this is simply put, amazing, how long did it take you to do this? and i was wondering if you would be able to translate a phrase for me, if only because i feel i would mess it up? but anyway this is so cool and i am grateful that you took the time to put this up
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I'd love to transcribe a phrase for you! What would you like it to say?
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omg you are amazing and i love you......yea...
anyway could you translate the phrase: "Below the Courageous there is Nothing"
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Thank you sooo much for this, I can finally try and learn elvish! But I have a few questions...First, what is the difference between 7 and 19 in quenya? and second, how does one write the tehtar over 33?
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Hmmmmm... let me see.
The difference appears to be in the way the sound is produced. #7, anga, shows a clear ng sound, where both the n and the g are pronounced.
#19, ngoldo, is reserved for a silent g, or if you will, a sound more like "ny", which is not commonly found in English. You may recognize it more as ñ in Spanish, or if you know anything about phonetics, the corresponding symbol would be ŋ.
Regarding hyarmen, #33 - that one has always pissed me off. Basically you just have to sort of maneuver the way you write it so the tehta can fit sort of on top to the right.
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alright, thank you very very much. After finding this deviation, I have finally started trying to learn Quenya using this and the CoE site. Again, thank you so so much for this motivation
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I'm glad you've been motivated! It's a blast - have fun!
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can you translate in italian? i really want it... i love elvish... but i can't understand too much in a language that is not mine...
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If you give me a word or phrase in Italian, I will transcribe it for you
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I used this wonderful tutorial in my deviation here . Thank you :3 I'm going to be using it on another one as well.
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I wanted to ask something. I'm writing a book, and there are elfs in it. I wanted to use the elvish language, but I have no idea if there is any Tolkien's rights that don't let others use it. Could you please help me with this, its really important for me to know. And congratulations on the works, its amazing and easier to leard it ^^
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I'd say that if you're writing something of your own, you should probably make up your own language. If you study how Tolkien did it, it'll give you some guidelines on how to make your own. I'm pretty sure that Tolkien's relatives have rights to his languages, and it would probably not be wise to use it for something that may be making you profit.
Some tips of my own:
- Regarding the actual language - don't just replace English words with your elvish words. What you want to do is determine what kind of grammatical structure would work for you best, and then create a vocabulary AFTER you have started with function words (the, and, of, be, etc.).
- When creating an alphabet, make the letters so that they make sense for your language. If your language doesn't have the letter x in it, why would your alphabet? Create an alphabet that best fits what you are doing. For example, in Tolkien's Quenya, the b is never separated from the m, so mb is one letter. Play around with it and have fun!
- Don't make it too complicated. If it's too hard to do, then why would anyone do it in the first place? I recommend researching the history of written Korean, and studying the shapes of Tolkien's letters. That should help!
If you have any more questions, I'm glad to help
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THANK YOU SO MUCH I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU.
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haha you're welcome! have fun!
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There are not enough words for me to express my joy that you posted this. I found a site that talked about some general rules for writing in Elvish but after looking at some other places I saw inconsistencies in large ways. Since you actually cited where you got your information, I feel more comfortable with relying on your information. Thank you so much!
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you're welcome <3 be sure to look at other resources! My way isn't the only way!
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Indeed, but at least you say where you got your information instead of just ambiguously posting it in which the person viewing it has to assume that you actually know how to write Elvish. It's a nice starting point.
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D: ~
So beautiful~~~
Can't wait to start learning, finally.
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