andie, she/her, 26, united states. this blog is full of Tolkien. also other art, photos, fandoms, and big-eyes-emoji stuff, but mostly Tolkien. i tag! my girlfriend is bright ivanaskye, who is a lot, but not too much
While sign languages really don’t play a part in any of Tolkien’s stories, we learn from his more academic essays on Middle Earth that they did exist. Tolkien’s sign languages are basically split into two main types: elvish and dwarvish.
Elvish Sign Language (Hwerme)
Tolkien didn’t name this language, but since he explains since he uses the Quenya word “hwerme” to refer to gesture-codes, we’ll use that to refer to the elvish sign language.
Tolkien described Hwerme as “a fairly elaborate system containing a large number of conventional gesture-signs.” He says that the elves mainly used Hwerme if they were out of hearing range from each other (while elves had excellent hearing, their eyesight was even better, so they could clearly see each other’s gestures even when they could no longer hear each other.) Tolkien also mentions that the gestures used in Hwerme were obviously different from the more natural gestures used during everyday speech (which, by the way, he notes that elves were very fond of using as well.)
Dwarvish Sign Language (Iglishmek)
Iglishmek was the name given to the dwarvish sign language. Tolkien said that Iglishmek was far more elaborate and organized than the elvish sign language was. It was actually just as well-developed as Khuzdul, their spoken language, and was taught to children as soon as they started learning to speak.
Interestingly, Tolkien goes on to say that, while Khuzdul was very uniformly spoken across different dwarvish communities, Iglishmek tended to see a lot more regional diversity. So some dwarves might even “speak” different dialects of Iglishmek. And the dwarves were just as secretive about Iglishmek as they were about Khuzdul, generally refusing to teach it to outsiders. But, understanding how much the Noldor loved languages, a few Noldorin loremasters were taught the language, for academic purposes.
Finally, Tolkien says that Iglishmek was used for a very different purpose than Hwerme was. Dwarves were actually pretty short-sighted, so it wasn’t useful for long-distance communication. Rather, the dwarves used Iglishmek for the sake of secrecy when among outsiders (non-dwarves.) The gestures were very slight and subtle, so that (unless you were looking for it), others wouldn’t even recognize it as a sign language. This way, dwarves could communicate with each other while in public without anyone else knowing. Tolkien says “they could speak with their voices but at the same time by ‘gesture’ convey to their own folk modifications of what was being said. Or they could stand silent considering some proposition, and yet confer among themselves meanwhile.” (For anyone who’s read any of David Eddings’ Belgariad books, I imagine it’s the same as the Drasnian secret finger language.) ((EDIT: In “real world” mines, sign languages are commonly used to communicate when it’s too loud for vocal communication. It’s possible that the dwarves also used Iglishmek in these situations as well.))
We (probably) know of at least two Iglishmek gestures. According to Tolkien Gateway, in Vinyar Tengwar no. 39 (which I don’t have access to – if anybody else does, could you check this for me?), there are two signs described: to say “Listen!“ you slightly raise both index fingers at the same time. And to say ”I am listening”, you slightly raise your right index finger, followed by slightly raising the left index finger.
SOURCES: The Histories of Middle Earth vol. 11 (“Quendi and Eldar”); “From Quendi and Eldar, Appenix D” in Vinyar Tengwar no. 39
`I need no map,’ said Gimli, who had come up with Legolas, and was gazing out before him with a strange light in his deep eyes. `There is the land where our fathers worked of old, and we have wrought the image of those mountains into many works of metal and of stone, and into many songs and tales. They stand tall in our dreams: Baraz, Zirak, Shathûr.
`Only once before have I seen them from afar in waking life, but I know them and their names, for under them lies Khazad-dûm, the Dwarrowdelf, that is now called the Black Pit, Moria in the Elvish tongue. Yonder stands Barazinbar, the Redhorn, cruel Caradhras; and beyond him are Silvertine and Cloudyhead: Celebdil the White, and Fanuidhol the Grey, that we call Zirak-zigil and Bundushathûr.
`There the Misty Mountains divide, and between their arms lies the deep-shadowed valley which we cannot forget: Azanulbizar, the Dimrill Dale, which the Elves call Nanduhirion.’
`It is for the Dimrill Dale that we are making,’ said Gandalf. `If we climb the pass that is called the Redhorn Gate, under the far side of Caradhras, we shall come down by the Dimrill Stair into the deep vale of the Dwarves. There lies the Mirrormere, and there the River Silverlode rises in its icy springs.’
`Dark is the water of Kheled-zâram,’ said Gimli, `and cold are the springs of Kibil-nâla. My heart trembles at the thought that I may see them soon.’
-The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, “The Ring Goes South”
From a draft of the tale of the creation of the Dwarves (found in WJ):
But it is said that to each Dwarf Ilúvatar added a mate of female kind, yet because he would not amend the work of Aulë, and Aulë had yet made only things of male form, therefore the women of the Dwarves resemble their men more than all other speaking races.
In another version, though:
Aulë made one, and then six, and he began to make mates for them of female form, and he made six, and then he wearied. Thus he buried six pairs, but one (Durin) the eldest he laid alone.
So either Aulë just straight-up forgot to make women, and Ilúvatar had to do it for him (lol), or else he did make wives for six of the Dwarf-men but then was just like “welp, I’m tired – sorry Durin, I guess you’re SOL”.
– Aulë with his sons his Maiar (Curumo left, Mairon right)
– Aulë giving tiny smith hammer to tiny dwarf (nearly sent me into cardiac arrest just sketching it, I can’t deal,,)
– Aulë having to/realizing he’s not able to destroy the dwarves
If Aulë ’s taught me anything, it’s that fatherhood must suck tremendously (what with not one, but two of his maiar going bad and never returning– at least it’s not at once)
If anything though, I consider him the “patron father” figure out of the Valar; someone who loved as a father does before the concept was fully hammered out. (Hah. ”Hammered”. I’m funny. . )
Yeah friendships between elves and dwarves are pretty scandalous, but has anyone considered ent-wife/dwarf-lady friendships??? This would be the ultimate get-along challenge, since they’re even less compatible with each other.
ephal ephalak idon hi-akallabeth 