Black Speech and Orkish

This page is about the language. For the MP skill, see Black Speech (Skill). 

Black Speech and Orkish refer to various languages that are used by creatures in the service of Sauron. These harsh tongues are generally considered very unpleasant to the Free Peoples, and few among them ever learn them.

The Black Speech was devised by Sauron as a common language for all his servants. But this was not to be, for after his defeat in the Second Age this original Black Speech was forgotten by all but the Nazgûl. It survived in a debased form spoken by the Orcs of Mordor, and many Black Speech words remained in the vocabulary of Orcs in the Third Age. Bereft of a Dark Lord's rule, the Orcs splintered into tribes and settlements unfriendly to one another, each with their own variant of Orkish language. Orcs tend to make coarse, rudimentary dialects based on other languages, and despite the common Black Speech origin, these dialects became mutually unintelligible. Thus, Orcs often rely on crudely-spoken Westron for inter-tribal communication.

Some form of Black Speech seems to still be in use in Angmar and Southern Mirkwood, as well as by at least some White Hand Orcs.

Known Terms

See External Links for many more definitions and details. Note that little of the true Black Speech is known, and these words have varying degrees of authenticity. Different sources may have few words in common, and sometimes give different definitions to those they do share.

akul - frost, ice

áth - dog

balt - marsh, mud

bidroi - revenge

bishúk - moor

blog - blood

bloz - ash

Blogmal - Blood-mountain

búbhosh - great

bugdash - birth name

bugdatish - name-keeper

bugud - name

búrz, bûrz - dark

bûrzum - darkness

dalgum - garbage

dâg - child

dâr - house

dorr - swine

dru, drû - timber, wood (material)

durub - ruler

dush - sorcery

faltor - fane, temple

fashat - village

fil - cave, crack

fra - foot

frûm - spirit

fushaum - camp

gâm - disease, illness

gath - leaf

gazat - dwarf

ghâsh - fire, flame

gijak - blood

Ghâshfra - Fire-foot

Ghâsh-hai - Fire-folk

glob - filth

Globsnaga - Filth-slave

golug - Elf, Noldo

goth - lord, master

Gothbúrz - Dark Lord, the Master

grak - trap

grish - blood

gropor - valley

groth - grey

gûl - wraith

gurz, gúrz - death

hai - folk

hatur - hate

hîsht - ash

hon - look, see, watch

jarn - iron

jug - south

kala, kála - castle, fortress, stronghold

kâm - cleft

karn - red

krah - arm (body part)

Krahjarn - Iron-arm

lata - under

lind - east

lagúrz - broken

laug - dire

lug, lûg - fortress, prison, tower

mal - mountain

maudhul, maudhúl - camp

maufulug - barracks

matum - death

matúrz - dead, mortal

mau - warrior

mokal - marsh

mor - black

mur - door, room

murg - drear, grey

nakh - hand

nar - no, not

narbugud - nameless

nau - end

nink - white

núrzum - wrath

olog - troll (used by the Free Peoples to refer to a new breed of Gorthorog-kind)

Olog-hai - Troll-folk (used to refer to the new breed of Ologs specifically)

ong - iron

Ongbúrz - Dark-iron

porandaum - west

praush - spoil

pûlpum - drum

rashat - skull

ríp - skin

ronk - pit, pool

rukh - horror

sár - bitter

shakatrog - devastate

shâpol - cave

sharkû - old man, Saruman

shâtroful - cave

shakh - lord

shík - scream

skai - exclamation of contempt or disbelief

skoi - fly (insect)

skûm - smell, odour

slaiug, slaug - living

snaga - slave, weaker Orc

stazg - place

târ - high

tark, târk - Dúnadan, Gondorian, Man, Númenórean (used in the Army of Angmar to refer to Men in general)

Tarkríp - Man-flayer

tau - forest

thol - deep (noun)

thrâng - rage

thrug, thrûg - murderer

tum, tûm - smoke

-u - to (preposition)

urro - hate, revulsion

uruk - Orc (especially the kind known to the Free Peoples as Uruks)

Uruk-hai - Orc-folk (used to refer to Uruks specifically)

ushtar - army

utot - town

vadok - death

varg - ridge

vogál - little, upstart

vor, vôr, voraut - north

yûl - -less

zot - lord

zûr - wily

Background

J.R.R. Tolkien translated very few Black Speech words. The only known example of pure Black Speech is the One Ring's inscription, and several translations have been given for a phrase of Third Age Mordor Black Speech. These have inspired fans to expand the lexicon with "neo-Black Speech". Some neo-Black Speech definitions and dictionaries match The Lord of the Rings Online's usage of the language better than others. Some of the words that fit LOTRO's usage are listed on this page.

External Links

• Black Speech - Tolkien Gateway
• Parf Edhellen - searchable dictionary of Tolkien's languages, including what little Black Speech he published
• Black Speech - The Land of Shadow - neo-Black Speech site, with invented grammar and some words used by LOTRO
• Black Speech Dictionary - Angelfire - English to neo-Black Speech dictionary, with some words used by LOTRO