How big was Ancalagon?

[Vultur]

From the Silm: "Before the rising of the sun Earendil 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."

But Thangorodrim was the highest mountains in Middle-earth. So how big was Ancalagon, that his crashing to earth would break whole mountains??? Merely Godzilla-sized wouldn't cut it. He must have been like a mile long at least; and it's hard to imagine what Earendil even did to fight something that size...

[narfforc]

I'm not too sure how to interpret mighty in this case. Might doesn't always come in size, being bigger doesn't always mean stronger or better. Ancalagon may have been heavier, more armoured or more intelligent than the other dragons. His fiery or icy blast (if he had one) could have been more potent, of course these things we don't know, along with his size (in which you may be right). What we do know is that he fell from the sky, we don't know how far he fell, weight gains power the faster it moves. The thing that is always overlooked when discussing Earendil, is The Silmaril and Vingilot. This normal ship was hallowed by the Valar, it was filled with a wavering flame , pure and bright, on it sat Earendil with the Light of The Two Trees combined blazing from the Silmaril, nothing Black and Evil could stand up to that for long.

[Morthoron]

It could be the "towers of Thangorodrim" refer to outlooks or bastions of Angband, the great fortress which lay within Thangorodrim. It is entirely within reason that towers would have been built by Morgoth after the great Eagles moved their abode to the Crissaegrim, as there are references to ''terraces" on Thangorodrim in relation to Morgoth's fortress as well.

[Vultur]

The towers as buildings: possible. But elsewhere 'the towers of Thangorodrim' clearly means the mountain peaks: Morgoth raised them as slag-heaps, etc.

Originally Posted by narfforc

I'm not too sure how to interpret mighty in this case. Might doesn't always come in size,

Certainly. Sauron was probably more powerful than Ancalagon, but certainly much smaller (in physical form).

What I meant about the size was the breaking of (possibly Everest-size) mountains.

What we do know is that he fell from the sky, we don't know how far he fell, weight gains power the faster it moves.

Yes, but I don't think you can break Everest with a blue whale, even if you drop it from space. Or rather, an aircraft carrier might be a better analogy -- Ancalagon's hide would have been more like armor steel than blubber.

The thing that is always overlooked when discussing Earendil, is The Silmaril and Vingilot. This normal ship was hallowed by the Valar, it was filled with a wavering flame , pure and bright, on it sat Earendil with the Light of The Two Trees combined blazing from the Silmaril, nothing Black and Evil could stand up to that for long.

True. Now, the Silmaril didn't slay Carcharoth, just madden him, even though he was more directly exposed, and presumably lesser than Ancalagon. But the Silmaril probably guided Earendil in some way (to strike at the proper point), and Vingilot may have had armaments of some sort.

Also, the Eagles of Manwe were in the battle too, and Thorondor was pretty gigantic himself ('thirty fathoms' - 180 feet across his wings).

[skip spence]

Originally Posted by Vultur

Yes, but I don't think you can break Everest with a blue whale, even if you drop it from space.

That would be an interesting experience. You know, in the name of science...

Anyway, I don't think you can take the depiction of the War of Wrath too literally. It's highly mythological in it's outline, and also, from an outside perspective, a much older text, and should be read differently to more detailed and realistic first age stories like Coh.

[Lalaith]

I know its a bit blasphemous but think of Merlin - of the Dragon crashing down on Camelot and breaking the towers. It would happen. I agree with Morthoron, that the "towers" were constructions of Morgoth, not of nature.

[Nerwen]

Originally Posted by Lalaith

I know its a bit blasphemous but think of Merlin - of the Dragon crashing down on Camelot and breaking the towers. It would happen. I agree with Morthoron, that the "towers" were constructions of Morgoth, not of nature.

Actually, we know they were constructions– but that doesn't make them buildings in the normal sense:

Originally Posted by Vultur

The towers as buildings: possible. But elsewhere 'the towers of Thangorodrim' clearly means the mountain peaks: Morgoth raised them as slag-heaps, etc.

And this seems to be quite true. However, by the same token–

Originally Posted by Vultur

Yes, but I don't think you can break Everest with a blue whale, even if you drop it from space.

I can't recall any indication they were anything like as high as Everest, and they weren't natural mountains, so maybe they wouldn't be all that stable. Ancalagon would still have to be utterly enormous, however.

As has been said already, though, the account in the War of Wrath should perhaps not be taken too literally.

[Ozban]

Originally Posted by skip spence

Anyway, I don't think you can take the depiction of the War of Wrath too literally. It's highly mythological in it's outline, and also, from an outside perspective, a much older text, and should be read differently to more detailed and realistic first age stories like Coh.

I agree. Tolkien's personality should be considered. He was Filologist, expert on ancient literature. If you read "Ring of Nibelungs", "Saga of Volsungs", or Arthurian Legends, which were certainly one of his main inspirations, or if you look at works of C.S. Lewis (notably Chronicles of Narnia), who was Tolkien's close friend and has influenced him a lot, You will see that all these texts are mostly parables. And so are all of Tolkien's works, Silmarilion possibly most of all, (though that's really on personal opinion).

You really wouldn't ask where is the gate to underworld that Orfeus used in serch for Euridika. As well as doubting Arthur's foretold return when England is in gravest peril will get you nowhere. And by the way, where did Agamemnon assemble fleet of thousand warships?

I this manner I could ask how is it possible for Volcano (meaning Mount Doom) to erupt with such violence, after engulfing a piece of gold. There weren't any preliminary eruption before, or any earthshaking. And then in matter of seconds it all burst out. I'm not any volcanologist, but reality is different, prove me wrong.

My point is, that Ancalagon was pretty damn big. I wouldn't try to measure him. I see him just as manifestation of terror that Morgoth unleashed, malice that even Ainur were shocked to witness. Ancalagon is more an idea, presence, as well as Earendil, aka "Star of Hope".

I'd see Ancalagons fight with Earendil as symbol, Hope defeating Malevolence, that even the mightiest of the mighty (Valar) could not match.

[Galadriel]

Originally Posted by Ozban

I agree. Tolkien's personality should be considered. He was Filologist, expert on ancient literature.

I believe it's 'philologist', my good fellow

[Selmo]

[QUOTE=Vultur;640325]and he fell upon the towers of Thangorodrim, and they were broken in his ruin."QUOTE]

This could be a piece of hyperbole, a completely over-the-top exageration of Ancalagon's fall, to point out just how great it was. Hyperbole was much used in the ancient literature that Tolkien loved.

Or it could be a metaphor, showing that Ancalagon's death was the turning point of the war that led to the complete destruction of Morgoth's empire, including the towers of Thangorodrim.

.

[Vultur]

Originally Posted by Selmo

This could be a piece of hyperbole

But I like the idea of Ancalagon being so big Godzilla would be finger-food...

(Kidding.)