| This article is about the sword. For the tower, see Ringil. Additionally for the ocean, see Sea of Ringil. |
- "Ringil was his sword, as cold its blade and as bright as the blue ice, and on his shield was the star on a blue field that was his device."
- —Fingolfin preparing to face Morgoth[3]
Ringil was the name of the sword of Fingolfin, the High King of the Ñoldor, which was said to have glittered like cold blue[3] ice.[2] With it he wounded Morgoth seven times in single combat after the Dagor Bragollach[4].[5]
History[]
Ringil as imagined by Woodsted Studios
Forged at an unknown time in Aman or Beleriand, Ringil was a pale[1] gray[2] Elvish sword that was capable of piercing "the flesh with deadly chill".[1] Fingolfin, High King of the Ñoldor, carried it with him to Angband after the Ñoldor's devastating defeat at Dagor Bragollach.[4] He used the sword to strike the doors of Angband,[3] issuing a challenge to fight Morgoth in single combat. When Morgoth came, Fingolfin wielded it to great effect against him, wounding him seven times and filling Grond's great pits with his black blood. However, Fingolfin was slain by the Dark Lord, who broke his neck with his foot. With his last breath, Fingolfin pinned Morgoth's foot with Ringil and hewed it, rendering him lame for the rest of his existence.[5]
Ringil's ultimate fate is unknown, it may have been broken by Morgoth's foot, or it could have been stolen, and then experienced a similar fate to Glamdring and Orcrist. It is likely that neither Morgoth nor his subjects would wish to handle the blade, after the grievous injury it dealt to Morgoth.
Etymology[]
Ringil is a Quenya name consisting of ringe,[6] the plural of ringa ("damp, chilly;[7] cold")[8][9].[10]
Ringil is also a Sindarin name possibly meaning "star of ice", consisting of the elements ring- ("a sudden breeze or cold breath;[7] cool;[11] cold;[12] chill")[13] and possibly -il.[14]
In other versions[]
Before the tales in the Quenta Silmarillion evolved to their final versions, Ringil was a name of one of the lamp-pillars erected by Melko (Melkor) during the days of the coming of the Valar into Middle-earth - the name of the other pillar being Helkar. Melko (Melkor) made the two pillars, of ice, and from the light they melted, eventually forming seas and lakes.[15]
In the final account (the chapter "Of the Beginning of Days" of The Silmarillion), the two Lamps of the Valar themselves have names, and they are Illuin and Ormal - and it is Aulë, Yavanna, and Manwë who invent them. Ringil remained only the name of Fingolfin's sword, and bears the same meaning as it had before.
In an early version of Quenya, Ringil was an elaboration of the element ringë ("cold")[16].[17]
Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Amharic | ሪንጊል |
| Arabic | رينجيل |
| Armenian | Րինգիլ |
| Assamese | ৰিংগিল |
| Belarusian Cyrillic | Рынгіль |
| Bengali | রিংইল |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Рингил |
| Chinese | 凛吉尔 |
| Dari | رینگل |
| Dogri | रिंगिल |
| Georgian | რინგილი |
| Greek | Ρινγιλ |
| Gujarati | રિંગિલ |
| Hebrew | רינגיל |
| Japanese | リンギル |
| Kannada | ರಿಂಗಿಲ್ |
| Kazakh | Рінгіл (Cyrillic) Ringil (Latin) |
| Konkani | रिंगिल |
| Kyrgyz Cyrillic | Рингил |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | Рингил |
| Marathi | रिंगिल |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Рингил |
| Pashto | رینګیل |
| Persian | رینگیل |
| Punjabi | ਰਿੰਗਿਲ |
| Russian | Рингил |
| Sanskrit | रिङिल् |
| Serbian | Рингил (Cyrillic) Ringil (Latin) |
| Sinhalese | රින්ගිල් |
| Tajik Cyrillic | Рингил |
| Tamil | ரிங்கில் |
| Tatar | Рингил |
| Telugu | రింగిల్ |
| Ukrainian Cyrillic | Рінґіл |
| Urdu | رنگال |
| Uzbek | Рингил (Cyrillic) Ringil (Latin) |
| Yiddish | רינגיל |
| Named weapons of Middle-earth | |
|---|---|
| Hobbits | Barrow-blades • Sting |
| Dwarves | Durin's Axe • Orcrist |
| Servants of Evil | Grond (battering ram) • Grond (hammer) • Morgul-knife |
| Elves | Aeglos • Anglachel • Anguirel • Angrist • Aranrúth • Belthronding • Dailir • Glamdring • Orcrist • Ringil |
| Men | Andúril • Dramborleg • Black arrow • Dagmor • Gúthwinë • Gurthang • Herugrim • Narsil • Red Arrow |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The History of Middle-earth, Vol. III: The Lays of Beleriand, III: "The Lay of Leithian", Canto XII, pgs. 285-6, 293
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The History of Middle-earth, Vol. V: The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Two: "Valinor and Middle-earth before The Lord of the Rings", pgs. 284-5 (§§144-7)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The History of Middle-earth, Vol. IV: The Shaping of Middle-earth: The Quenta, The Ambarkanta, and The Annals, III: "The Quenta", pgs. 106-7
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XVIII: "Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin", pgs. 153-4
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The History of Middle-earth, Vol. XI: The War of the Jewels, Part One: "The Grey Annals", pg. 55 (§§155-7)
- ↑ The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien, Volume Three, no. 183: "Yénion Yukainen Nunn’ ar Anduine Lútie Loar! · Loä Yukainen Avar Anduinë Sí Valútier (1958)", version "C"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 The History of Middle-earth, Vol. I: The Book of Lost Tales Part One, Appendix: Names in the Lost Tales – Part I
- ↑ The Essays of J.R.R. Tolkien: The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays, A Secret Vice, pg. 222 (note)
- ↑ Vinyar Tengwar 49, pg. 23
- ↑ "Ringa" on eldamo.org
- ↑ Parma Eldalamberon, issue XIII: The Alphabet of Rúmil and Early Noldorin Fragments, pg. 149
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. V: The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies", pg. 383 (entry "RINGI-")
- ↑ Vinyar Tengwar 42, pg. 14
- ↑ "Ringil" on The Encyclopedia of Arda
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. I: The Book of Lost Tales Part One, III: "The Coming of the Valar and the Building of Valinor"
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. V: The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies", pg. 383 (entry "RINGI-")
- ↑ "Ringil" on eldamo.org