Editing Tengwar (section)

=== Tengwar ===

[[File:One Ring inscription.svg|thumb|300px|The two-line inscription on the [[One Ring]], written in the [[Black Speech]] of [[Mordor]] using Tengwar: "Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul / ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul".]]

[[File:One Ring inscription Atul.svg|thumb|Tengwar "atul" element recurring in the ring inscription]]

The Tengwar script was probably developed in the late 1920s or in the early 1930s. ''The Lonely Mountain Jar Inscription'', the first published Tengwar sample, dates to 1937.<ref>''[[The Hobbit]]'', most editions with colour plates.</ref> The full explanation of the Tengwar was published in Appendix E of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' in 1955.<ref>''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', Appendix E, "Writing: The Fëanorian Letters "</ref>

The ''Mellonath Daeron Index of Tengwar Specimina'' (DTS) lists most of the known samples of Tengwar by Tolkien.

There are only a few known samples predating publication of ''The Lord of the Rings'' (many of them published posthumously):

* ''The Lonely Mountain Jar Inscription'', published 1937<ref>[http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS1 DTS 1]</ref>
* ''Middle Page from the [[Book of Mazarbul]]''<ref>[http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS13 DTS 13]</ref>
* ''Last Page from the Book of Mazarbul, Last Line'', this and the above one originally prepared for inclusion in ''The Lord of the Rings''<ref>[http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS14 DTS 14]</ref>
* ''Steinborg Drawing Title''<ref>[http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS15 DTS 15]</ref>
* ''Ilbereth's Greeting'' from [[The Father Christmas Letters]], dating to 1937<ref>[http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS22 DTS 22]</ref>
* ''The Treebeard Page''<ref>[http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS24 DTS 24]</ref>
* ''Edwin Lowdham's Manuscript'' from [[The Notion Club Papers]] has [[Old English language]] text written in Tengwar (with a few [[Adûnaic]] and Quenya words), dating to 1945/6.<ref>[http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS50 DTS 50]/[http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS51 51]</ref>
* The Brogan Tengwa-greetings, appearing in ''[[The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien]]'', No. 118, tentatively dated to 1948<ref>[http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS10 DTS 10]</ref>

The following samples presumably predate the Lord of the Rings, but were not explicitly dated: 

* ''Elvish Script Sample I, II, III'', with parts of the English poems ''Errantry'' and ''Bombadil'', first published in the ''Silmarillion Calendar 1978'', later in ''Pictures by J. R. R. Tolkien'',<ref>[http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS16 DTS 16], [http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS17 DTS 17], [http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS18 DTS 18]</ref> 
* ''So Lúthien'', a page of the English ''Lay of Leithian'' text<ref>[http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS23 DTS 23]</ref><ref>Facsimiled in ''[[The Lays of Beleriand]]'':299.</ref>