How big is Ancalagon exactly? [duplicate]












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  • What does Tolkien say about Ancalagon's physical appearance, especially his size?

    1 answer




I've had this question for a while now and it's: How big is Ancalagon exactly? I mean, I've looked over thousands of explanations but it keeps on changing. So I'm asking now, how big exactly is this dragon?



I don't know if this is mentioned in The Silmarillion but I just wanted to see if there is an exact calculation.










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marked as duplicate by Jenayah, TheLethalCarrot, Niffler, Blackwood, Kyle Doyle Mar 6 at 0:41


This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question.



















  • We have no idea, and that's the problem.

    – Mithoron
    Mar 5 at 23:17
















1
















This question already has an answer here:




  • What does Tolkien say about Ancalagon's physical appearance, especially his size?

    1 answer




I've had this question for a while now and it's: How big is Ancalagon exactly? I mean, I've looked over thousands of explanations but it keeps on changing. So I'm asking now, how big exactly is this dragon?



I don't know if this is mentioned in The Silmarillion but I just wanted to see if there is an exact calculation.










share|improve this question









New contributor




The Shekiah is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











marked as duplicate by Jenayah, TheLethalCarrot, Niffler, Blackwood, Kyle Doyle Mar 6 at 0:41


This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question.



















  • We have no idea, and that's the problem.

    – Mithoron
    Mar 5 at 23:17














1












1








1









This question already has an answer here:




  • What does Tolkien say about Ancalagon's physical appearance, especially his size?

    1 answer




I've had this question for a while now and it's: How big is Ancalagon exactly? I mean, I've looked over thousands of explanations but it keeps on changing. So I'm asking now, how big exactly is this dragon?



I don't know if this is mentioned in The Silmarillion but I just wanted to see if there is an exact calculation.










share|improve this question









New contributor




The Shekiah is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.













This question already has an answer here:




  • What does Tolkien say about Ancalagon's physical appearance, especially his size?

    1 answer




I've had this question for a while now and it's: How big is Ancalagon exactly? I mean, I've looked over thousands of explanations but it keeps on changing. So I'm asking now, how big exactly is this dragon?



I don't know if this is mentioned in The Silmarillion but I just wanted to see if there is an exact calculation.





This question already has an answer here:




  • What does Tolkien say about Ancalagon's physical appearance, especially his size?

    1 answer








tolkiens-legendarium the-lord-of-the-rings the-silmarillion dragons






share|improve this question









New contributor




The Shekiah is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











share|improve this question









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share|improve this question




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edited Mar 5 at 23:07









Jenayah

20.9k5103138




20.9k5103138






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asked Mar 5 at 23:05









The ShekiahThe Shekiah

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587




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New contributor





The Shekiah is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






The Shekiah is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.




marked as duplicate by Jenayah, TheLethalCarrot, Niffler, Blackwood, Kyle Doyle Mar 6 at 0:41


This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question.









marked as duplicate by Jenayah, TheLethalCarrot, Niffler, Blackwood, Kyle Doyle Mar 6 at 0:41


This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question.















  • We have no idea, and that's the problem.

    – Mithoron
    Mar 5 at 23:17



















  • We have no idea, and that's the problem.

    – Mithoron
    Mar 5 at 23:17

















We have no idea, and that's the problem.

– Mithoron
Mar 5 at 23:17





We have no idea, and that's the problem.

– Mithoron
Mar 5 at 23:17










1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes


















2














We don't know much! The Silmarillion says:




Before the rising of the sun Eärendil slew Ancalagon the Black, the mightiest of the dragon-host, and cast him from the sky; and he fell upon the towers of Thangorodrim, and they were broken in his ruin.




So all we can do is look at what we know of Thangorodrim. We know that Morgoth came to the ruins of Angband and




There he delved anew his vast vaults and dungeons, and above their gates he reared the threefold peaks of Thangorodrim, and a great reek of dark smoke was ever wreathed about them.




And Feanor, before he dies,




... looking out from the slopes of Ered Wethrin with his last sight he beheld far off the peaks of Thangorodrim, mightiest of the towers of Middle-earth,




"Threefold peaks" makes them sound like mountains, but in another places, Tolkien writes:




and above its doors he reared the reeking towers of Thangorodrim;




"Towers" are not quite so...vast... sounding. Nor does the fact that when




the Elves smote upon the gates of Angband, and the challenge of their trumpets shook the towers of Thangorodrim;




They shook, which does not sound like mountains. (But perhaps this is poetic rather than descriptive?)



Yet, he also says that Morgoth




... piled the thunderous towers of Thangorodrim, that were made of the ash and slag of his subterranean furnaces, and the vast refuse of his tunnellings. They were black and desolate and exceedingly lofty; and smoke issued from their tops, dark and foul upon the northern sky.




But at another time they were volcanoes:




Then suddenly Morgoth sent forth great rivers of flame that ran down swifter than Balrogs from Thangorodrim, and poured over all the plain; and the Mountains of Iron belched forth fires of many poisonous hues...



...Below them suddenly thunder rolled, lightnings leaped upward, and the mountains quaked. Fire and smoke belched forth from Thangorodrim, and flaming bolts were hurled far abroad, falling ruinous upon the lands;




How tall were they? Well, we know that




coming to the skirts of Taur-nu-Fuin he looked out across the waste of Anfauglith and saw afar the peaks of Thangorodrim.




Finally, we know that the meaning of "Thangorodrim" is "Mountains of tyranny".



So, whatever Thangorodrim's peaks were, they were BIG. It seems hard to say more than than -- the three towers may have been Empire State Building sized or they may have been a lot bigger.



What does this tell us about Ancalagon the Black? Well, at the very least it must have been large compared to a modern airplane -- you can't knock down even one Empire State Building sized tower with an airplane unless it is hollow and subsequently gutted by fire. For Ancalagon the destroy all three just by falling on them, it must be several hundred feet long at the least.



And if Thangorodrim's three peaks are volcanoes, Ancalagon must have been vast beyond comprehension.



At the end, I remember that Earendil, in a boat that was probably not more than 100' long, killed Ancalagon and I conclude that maybe he could best a 200' dragon. If Ancalagon is a mile long, all he could do is land on it and engage in trench warfare against Ancalagon's skin parasites...






share|improve this answer
























  • :/ We know that Thangorodrim was highest mountains in Middle-Earth there's no point in speculating. Thing is "he fell upon the towers of Thangorodrim, and they were broken in his ruin" isn't particularly clear and people get weird ideas. This doesn't really say anything about dragon's size.

    – Mithoron
    2 days ago











  • My half serious theory is that Earendil flew his ship from ear to ear inside Ancalagon's head, and the silmaril melted and vaporized part of Ancalagon's brain, thus causing Ancalagon to fall upon Thangorodrim.

    – M. A. Golding
    2 days ago











  • So in other words, he's big.

    – The Shekiah
    yesterday











  • Tolkien used poetic language, particularly in the Silmarillion. His descriptions of Thangorodrim vary widely, and cannot be reconciled if all are taken as literal surveyor's notes. Given that, I don't think we can reliably assert that the very largest possible interpretation is the right one. Ancalagon was at least a couple of hundred feet long; beyond that? You'll have to balance your own taste for gigantism against your taste for realism. Me? I lean towards the realistic: "Only" a couple hundred feet long...

    – Mark Olson
    14 hours ago




















1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes








1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









2














We don't know much! The Silmarillion says:




Before the rising of the sun Eärendil slew Ancalagon the Black, the mightiest of the dragon-host, and cast him from the sky; and he fell upon the towers of Thangorodrim, and they were broken in his ruin.




So all we can do is look at what we know of Thangorodrim. We know that Morgoth came to the ruins of Angband and




There he delved anew his vast vaults and dungeons, and above their gates he reared the threefold peaks of Thangorodrim, and a great reek of dark smoke was ever wreathed about them.




And Feanor, before he dies,




... looking out from the slopes of Ered Wethrin with his last sight he beheld far off the peaks of Thangorodrim, mightiest of the towers of Middle-earth,




"Threefold peaks" makes them sound like mountains, but in another places, Tolkien writes:




and above its doors he reared the reeking towers of Thangorodrim;




"Towers" are not quite so...vast... sounding. Nor does the fact that when




the Elves smote upon the gates of Angband, and the challenge of their trumpets shook the towers of Thangorodrim;




They shook, which does not sound like mountains. (But perhaps this is poetic rather than descriptive?)



Yet, he also says that Morgoth




... piled the thunderous towers of Thangorodrim, that were made of the ash and slag of his subterranean furnaces, and the vast refuse of his tunnellings. They were black and desolate and exceedingly lofty; and smoke issued from their tops, dark and foul upon the northern sky.




But at another time they were volcanoes:




Then suddenly Morgoth sent forth great rivers of flame that ran down swifter than Balrogs from Thangorodrim, and poured over all the plain; and the Mountains of Iron belched forth fires of many poisonous hues...



...Below them suddenly thunder rolled, lightnings leaped upward, and the mountains quaked. Fire and smoke belched forth from Thangorodrim, and flaming bolts were hurled far abroad, falling ruinous upon the lands;




How tall were they? Well, we know that




coming to the skirts of Taur-nu-Fuin he looked out across the waste of Anfauglith and saw afar the peaks of Thangorodrim.




Finally, we know that the meaning of "Thangorodrim" is "Mountains of tyranny".



So, whatever Thangorodrim's peaks were, they were BIG. It seems hard to say more than than -- the three towers may have been Empire State Building sized or they may have been a lot bigger.



What does this tell us about Ancalagon the Black? Well, at the very least it must have been large compared to a modern airplane -- you can't knock down even one Empire State Building sized tower with an airplane unless it is hollow and subsequently gutted by fire. For Ancalagon the destroy all three just by falling on them, it must be several hundred feet long at the least.



And if Thangorodrim's three peaks are volcanoes, Ancalagon must have been vast beyond comprehension.



At the end, I remember that Earendil, in a boat that was probably not more than 100' long, killed Ancalagon and I conclude that maybe he could best a 200' dragon. If Ancalagon is a mile long, all he could do is land on it and engage in trench warfare against Ancalagon's skin parasites...






share|improve this answer
























  • :/ We know that Thangorodrim was highest mountains in Middle-Earth there's no point in speculating. Thing is "he fell upon the towers of Thangorodrim, and they were broken in his ruin" isn't particularly clear and people get weird ideas. This doesn't really say anything about dragon's size.

    – Mithoron
    2 days ago











  • My half serious theory is that Earendil flew his ship from ear to ear inside Ancalagon's head, and the silmaril melted and vaporized part of Ancalagon's brain, thus causing Ancalagon to fall upon Thangorodrim.

    – M. A. Golding
    2 days ago











  • So in other words, he's big.

    – The Shekiah
    yesterday











  • Tolkien used poetic language, particularly in the Silmarillion. His descriptions of Thangorodrim vary widely, and cannot be reconciled if all are taken as literal surveyor's notes. Given that, I don't think we can reliably assert that the very largest possible interpretation is the right one. Ancalagon was at least a couple of hundred feet long; beyond that? You'll have to balance your own taste for gigantism against your taste for realism. Me? I lean towards the realistic: "Only" a couple hundred feet long...

    – Mark Olson
    14 hours ago


















2














We don't know much! The Silmarillion says:




Before the rising of the sun Eärendil slew Ancalagon the Black, the mightiest of the dragon-host, and cast him from the sky; and he fell upon the towers of Thangorodrim, and they were broken in his ruin.




So all we can do is look at what we know of Thangorodrim. We know that Morgoth came to the ruins of Angband and




There he delved anew his vast vaults and dungeons, and above their gates he reared the threefold peaks of Thangorodrim, and a great reek of dark smoke was ever wreathed about them.




And Feanor, before he dies,




... looking out from the slopes of Ered Wethrin with his last sight he beheld far off the peaks of Thangorodrim, mightiest of the towers of Middle-earth,




"Threefold peaks" makes them sound like mountains, but in another places, Tolkien writes:




and above its doors he reared the reeking towers of Thangorodrim;




"Towers" are not quite so...vast... sounding. Nor does the fact that when




the Elves smote upon the gates of Angband, and the challenge of their trumpets shook the towers of Thangorodrim;




They shook, which does not sound like mountains. (But perhaps this is poetic rather than descriptive?)



Yet, he also says that Morgoth




... piled the thunderous towers of Thangorodrim, that were made of the ash and slag of his subterranean furnaces, and the vast refuse of his tunnellings. They were black and desolate and exceedingly lofty; and smoke issued from their tops, dark and foul upon the northern sky.




But at another time they were volcanoes:




Then suddenly Morgoth sent forth great rivers of flame that ran down swifter than Balrogs from Thangorodrim, and poured over all the plain; and the Mountains of Iron belched forth fires of many poisonous hues...



...Below them suddenly thunder rolled, lightnings leaped upward, and the mountains quaked. Fire and smoke belched forth from Thangorodrim, and flaming bolts were hurled far abroad, falling ruinous upon the lands;




How tall were they? Well, we know that




coming to the skirts of Taur-nu-Fuin he looked out across the waste of Anfauglith and saw afar the peaks of Thangorodrim.




Finally, we know that the meaning of "Thangorodrim" is "Mountains of tyranny".



So, whatever Thangorodrim's peaks were, they were BIG. It seems hard to say more than than -- the three towers may have been Empire State Building sized or they may have been a lot bigger.



What does this tell us about Ancalagon the Black? Well, at the very least it must have been large compared to a modern airplane -- you can't knock down even one Empire State Building sized tower with an airplane unless it is hollow and subsequently gutted by fire. For Ancalagon the destroy all three just by falling on them, it must be several hundred feet long at the least.



And if Thangorodrim's three peaks are volcanoes, Ancalagon must have been vast beyond comprehension.



At the end, I remember that Earendil, in a boat that was probably not more than 100' long, killed Ancalagon and I conclude that maybe he could best a 200' dragon. If Ancalagon is a mile long, all he could do is land on it and engage in trench warfare against Ancalagon's skin parasites...






share|improve this answer
























  • :/ We know that Thangorodrim was highest mountains in Middle-Earth there's no point in speculating. Thing is "he fell upon the towers of Thangorodrim, and they were broken in his ruin" isn't particularly clear and people get weird ideas. This doesn't really say anything about dragon's size.

    – Mithoron
    2 days ago











  • My half serious theory is that Earendil flew his ship from ear to ear inside Ancalagon's head, and the silmaril melted and vaporized part of Ancalagon's brain, thus causing Ancalagon to fall upon Thangorodrim.

    – M. A. Golding
    2 days ago











  • So in other words, he's big.

    – The Shekiah
    yesterday











  • Tolkien used poetic language, particularly in the Silmarillion. His descriptions of Thangorodrim vary widely, and cannot be reconciled if all are taken as literal surveyor's notes. Given that, I don't think we can reliably assert that the very largest possible interpretation is the right one. Ancalagon was at least a couple of hundred feet long; beyond that? You'll have to balance your own taste for gigantism against your taste for realism. Me? I lean towards the realistic: "Only" a couple hundred feet long...

    – Mark Olson
    14 hours ago
















2












2








2







We don't know much! The Silmarillion says:




Before the rising of the sun Eärendil slew Ancalagon the Black, the mightiest of the dragon-host, and cast him from the sky; and he fell upon the towers of Thangorodrim, and they were broken in his ruin.




So all we can do is look at what we know of Thangorodrim. We know that Morgoth came to the ruins of Angband and




There he delved anew his vast vaults and dungeons, and above their gates he reared the threefold peaks of Thangorodrim, and a great reek of dark smoke was ever wreathed about them.




And Feanor, before he dies,




... looking out from the slopes of Ered Wethrin with his last sight he beheld far off the peaks of Thangorodrim, mightiest of the towers of Middle-earth,




"Threefold peaks" makes them sound like mountains, but in another places, Tolkien writes:




and above its doors he reared the reeking towers of Thangorodrim;




"Towers" are not quite so...vast... sounding. Nor does the fact that when




the Elves smote upon the gates of Angband, and the challenge of their trumpets shook the towers of Thangorodrim;




They shook, which does not sound like mountains. (But perhaps this is poetic rather than descriptive?)



Yet, he also says that Morgoth




... piled the thunderous towers of Thangorodrim, that were made of the ash and slag of his subterranean furnaces, and the vast refuse of his tunnellings. They were black and desolate and exceedingly lofty; and smoke issued from their tops, dark and foul upon the northern sky.




But at another time they were volcanoes:




Then suddenly Morgoth sent forth great rivers of flame that ran down swifter than Balrogs from Thangorodrim, and poured over all the plain; and the Mountains of Iron belched forth fires of many poisonous hues...



...Below them suddenly thunder rolled, lightnings leaped upward, and the mountains quaked. Fire and smoke belched forth from Thangorodrim, and flaming bolts were hurled far abroad, falling ruinous upon the lands;




How tall were they? Well, we know that




coming to the skirts of Taur-nu-Fuin he looked out across the waste of Anfauglith and saw afar the peaks of Thangorodrim.




Finally, we know that the meaning of "Thangorodrim" is "Mountains of tyranny".



So, whatever Thangorodrim's peaks were, they were BIG. It seems hard to say more than than -- the three towers may have been Empire State Building sized or they may have been a lot bigger.



What does this tell us about Ancalagon the Black? Well, at the very least it must have been large compared to a modern airplane -- you can't knock down even one Empire State Building sized tower with an airplane unless it is hollow and subsequently gutted by fire. For Ancalagon the destroy all three just by falling on them, it must be several hundred feet long at the least.



And if Thangorodrim's three peaks are volcanoes, Ancalagon must have been vast beyond comprehension.



At the end, I remember that Earendil, in a boat that was probably not more than 100' long, killed Ancalagon and I conclude that maybe he could best a 200' dragon. If Ancalagon is a mile long, all he could do is land on it and engage in trench warfare against Ancalagon's skin parasites...






share|improve this answer













We don't know much! The Silmarillion says:




Before the rising of the sun Eärendil slew Ancalagon the Black, the mightiest of the dragon-host, and cast him from the sky; and he fell upon the towers of Thangorodrim, and they were broken in his ruin.




So all we can do is look at what we know of Thangorodrim. We know that Morgoth came to the ruins of Angband and




There he delved anew his vast vaults and dungeons, and above their gates he reared the threefold peaks of Thangorodrim, and a great reek of dark smoke was ever wreathed about them.




And Feanor, before he dies,




... looking out from the slopes of Ered Wethrin with his last sight he beheld far off the peaks of Thangorodrim, mightiest of the towers of Middle-earth,




"Threefold peaks" makes them sound like mountains, but in another places, Tolkien writes:




and above its doors he reared the reeking towers of Thangorodrim;




"Towers" are not quite so...vast... sounding. Nor does the fact that when




the Elves smote upon the gates of Angband, and the challenge of their trumpets shook the towers of Thangorodrim;




They shook, which does not sound like mountains. (But perhaps this is poetic rather than descriptive?)



Yet, he also says that Morgoth




... piled the thunderous towers of Thangorodrim, that were made of the ash and slag of his subterranean furnaces, and the vast refuse of his tunnellings. They were black and desolate and exceedingly lofty; and smoke issued from their tops, dark and foul upon the northern sky.




But at another time they were volcanoes:




Then suddenly Morgoth sent forth great rivers of flame that ran down swifter than Balrogs from Thangorodrim, and poured over all the plain; and the Mountains of Iron belched forth fires of many poisonous hues...



...Below them suddenly thunder rolled, lightnings leaped upward, and the mountains quaked. Fire and smoke belched forth from Thangorodrim, and flaming bolts were hurled far abroad, falling ruinous upon the lands;




How tall were they? Well, we know that




coming to the skirts of Taur-nu-Fuin he looked out across the waste of Anfauglith and saw afar the peaks of Thangorodrim.




Finally, we know that the meaning of "Thangorodrim" is "Mountains of tyranny".



So, whatever Thangorodrim's peaks were, they were BIG. It seems hard to say more than than -- the three towers may have been Empire State Building sized or they may have been a lot bigger.



What does this tell us about Ancalagon the Black? Well, at the very least it must have been large compared to a modern airplane -- you can't knock down even one Empire State Building sized tower with an airplane unless it is hollow and subsequently gutted by fire. For Ancalagon the destroy all three just by falling on them, it must be several hundred feet long at the least.



And if Thangorodrim's three peaks are volcanoes, Ancalagon must have been vast beyond comprehension.



At the end, I remember that Earendil, in a boat that was probably not more than 100' long, killed Ancalagon and I conclude that maybe he could best a 200' dragon. If Ancalagon is a mile long, all he could do is land on it and engage in trench warfare against Ancalagon's skin parasites...







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered Mar 5 at 23:55









Mark OlsonMark Olson

14.4k25182




14.4k25182













  • :/ We know that Thangorodrim was highest mountains in Middle-Earth there's no point in speculating. Thing is "he fell upon the towers of Thangorodrim, and they were broken in his ruin" isn't particularly clear and people get weird ideas. This doesn't really say anything about dragon's size.

    – Mithoron
    2 days ago











  • My half serious theory is that Earendil flew his ship from ear to ear inside Ancalagon's head, and the silmaril melted and vaporized part of Ancalagon's brain, thus causing Ancalagon to fall upon Thangorodrim.

    – M. A. Golding
    2 days ago











  • So in other words, he's big.

    – The Shekiah
    yesterday











  • Tolkien used poetic language, particularly in the Silmarillion. His descriptions of Thangorodrim vary widely, and cannot be reconciled if all are taken as literal surveyor's notes. Given that, I don't think we can reliably assert that the very largest possible interpretation is the right one. Ancalagon was at least a couple of hundred feet long; beyond that? You'll have to balance your own taste for gigantism against your taste for realism. Me? I lean towards the realistic: "Only" a couple hundred feet long...

    – Mark Olson
    14 hours ago





















  • :/ We know that Thangorodrim was highest mountains in Middle-Earth there's no point in speculating. Thing is "he fell upon the towers of Thangorodrim, and they were broken in his ruin" isn't particularly clear and people get weird ideas. This doesn't really say anything about dragon's size.

    – Mithoron
    2 days ago











  • My half serious theory is that Earendil flew his ship from ear to ear inside Ancalagon's head, and the silmaril melted and vaporized part of Ancalagon's brain, thus causing Ancalagon to fall upon Thangorodrim.

    – M. A. Golding
    2 days ago











  • So in other words, he's big.

    – The Shekiah
    yesterday











  • Tolkien used poetic language, particularly in the Silmarillion. His descriptions of Thangorodrim vary widely, and cannot be reconciled if all are taken as literal surveyor's notes. Given that, I don't think we can reliably assert that the very largest possible interpretation is the right one. Ancalagon was at least a couple of hundred feet long; beyond that? You'll have to balance your own taste for gigantism against your taste for realism. Me? I lean towards the realistic: "Only" a couple hundred feet long...

    – Mark Olson
    14 hours ago



















:/ We know that Thangorodrim was highest mountains in Middle-Earth there's no point in speculating. Thing is "he fell upon the towers of Thangorodrim, and they were broken in his ruin" isn't particularly clear and people get weird ideas. This doesn't really say anything about dragon's size.

– Mithoron
2 days ago





:/ We know that Thangorodrim was highest mountains in Middle-Earth there's no point in speculating. Thing is "he fell upon the towers of Thangorodrim, and they were broken in his ruin" isn't particularly clear and people get weird ideas. This doesn't really say anything about dragon's size.

– Mithoron
2 days ago













My half serious theory is that Earendil flew his ship from ear to ear inside Ancalagon's head, and the silmaril melted and vaporized part of Ancalagon's brain, thus causing Ancalagon to fall upon Thangorodrim.

– M. A. Golding
2 days ago





My half serious theory is that Earendil flew his ship from ear to ear inside Ancalagon's head, and the silmaril melted and vaporized part of Ancalagon's brain, thus causing Ancalagon to fall upon Thangorodrim.

– M. A. Golding
2 days ago













So in other words, he's big.

– The Shekiah
yesterday





So in other words, he's big.

– The Shekiah
yesterday













Tolkien used poetic language, particularly in the Silmarillion. His descriptions of Thangorodrim vary widely, and cannot be reconciled if all are taken as literal surveyor's notes. Given that, I don't think we can reliably assert that the very largest possible interpretation is the right one. Ancalagon was at least a couple of hundred feet long; beyond that? You'll have to balance your own taste for gigantism against your taste for realism. Me? I lean towards the realistic: "Only" a couple hundred feet long...

– Mark Olson
14 hours ago







Tolkien used poetic language, particularly in the Silmarillion. His descriptions of Thangorodrim vary widely, and cannot be reconciled if all are taken as literal surveyor's notes. Given that, I don't think we can reliably assert that the very largest possible interpretation is the right one. Ancalagon was at least a couple of hundred feet long; beyond that? You'll have to balance your own taste for gigantism against your taste for realism. Me? I lean towards the realistic: "Only" a couple hundred feet long...

– Mark Olson
14 hours ago





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