Sindarin
Annon edhellen, edro hi ammen!
Elvish gate, open now for us!
Say it: AN-non e-DHEL-len, ED-ro hee AM-men
Source: Gandalf’s opening-spell, West-gate of Moria, FotR II.4
Free Elvish incantation builder
Elvish Spell Generator
Most fantasy spell generators invent words that sound magical. This one builds incantations from the Elvish Tolkien actually wrote — the Sindarin Gandalf spoke at the Doors of Moria and on Caradhras, the Quenya Frodo cried in Shelob’s Lair — and tells you, line by line, where every word comes from.
Build your incantation
Choose a tongue, a school of magic and what to call upon. Every line comes from Tolkien, or is one attested word swapped inside a line he wrote.
This school has no line spoken to a person, so the name is not used.
Your incantation
A Elbereth Gilthoniel, o menel palan-diriel!
O Elbereth Star-kindler, from heaven gazing afar!
Say it: ah EL-beh-reth gil-THO-nee-el, o MEH-nel PA-lan-DEE-ree-el
Source: Sam in Shelob’s Lair, TT IV.10 (the Rivendell hymn, FotR II.1, opens with the same “A Elbereth Gilthoniel”)
Lacho calad! Drego morn!
Flame light! Flee night!
Say it: LA-kho KA-lad! DREH-go MORN!
Source: War-cry of the Edain of the North, Narn i Hîn Húrin, Unfinished Tales
In Tengwar
Tolkien’s real Elvish spells
Tolkien never wrote a spellbook, but his characters speak words of power at the moments that matter. These are all of them that the builder draws on, exactly as printed, with the passage each one comes from.
Sindarin
Fennas nogothrim, lasto beth lammen!
Doorway of the Dwarf-folk, listen to the word of my tongue!
Say it: FEN-nas no-GOTH-rim, LAS-to beth LAM-men
Source: Gandalf at the West-gate of Moria, FotR II.4
Sindarin
Naur an edraith ammen!
Fire be for the saving of us!
Say it: NOWR an ED-raith AM-men
Source: Gandalf kindling fire in the snow on Caradhras, FotR II.3
Sindarin
Naur dan i ngaurhoth!
Fire against the werewolf-host!
Say it: NOWR dan ee NGOWR-hoth
Source: Gandalf against the wolves in Hollin, FotR II.4
Sindarin
Lacho calad! Drego morn!
Flame light! Flee night!
Say it: LA-kho KA-lad! DREH-go MORN!
Source: War-cry of the Edain of the North, Narn i Hîn Húrin, Unfinished Tales
Sindarin
A Elbereth Gilthoniel, o menel palan-diriel!
O Elbereth Star-kindler, from heaven gazing afar!
Say it: ah EL-beh-reth gil-THO-nee-el, o MEH-nel PA-lan-DEE-ree-el
Source: Sam in Shelob’s Lair, TT IV.10 (the Rivendell hymn, FotR II.1, opens with the same “A Elbereth Gilthoniel”)
Sindarin
Le nallon sí di’nguruthos!
To thee I cry here beneath the horror of death!
Say it: leh NAL-lon see dee-NGOO-roo-thos
Source: Sam’s plea to Elbereth in Shelob’s Lair, TT IV.10
Sindarin
A tíro nin, Fanuilos!
O look towards me, Fanuilos!
Say it: ah TEE-ro nin, fa-NOOY-los
Source: Sam’s plea to Elbereth in Shelob’s Lair, TT IV.10
Sindarin
Gilthoniel, A Elbereth!
Star-kindler, O Elbereth!
Say it: gil-THO-nee-el, ah EL-beh-reth
Source: Sam before the Watchers of Cirith Ungol, RotK VI.1
Sindarin
Noro lim, noro lim!
Run swift, run swift!
Say it: NO-ro LEEM, NO-ro LEEM
Source: Glorfindel urging Asfaloth to the Ford, FotR I.12
Quenya
Aiya Eärendil Elenion Ancalima!
Hail Eärendil, brightest of stars!
Say it: EYE-ya eh-ah-REN-dil eh-LEH-nee-on an-KA-li-ma
Source: Frodo holding up the Phial in Shelob’s Lair, TT IV.9
Quenya
Utúlie’n aurë!
The day has come!
Say it: oo-TOO-lee-en OW-reh
Source: Fingon opening the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, Silmarillion ch. 20
Quenya
Auta i lómë!
The night is passing!
Say it: OW-ta ee LOH-meh
Source: The Eldar answering Fingon before the Nirnaeth, Silmarillion ch. 20
Quenya
Aurë entuluva!
Day shall come again!
Say it: OW-reh en-TOO-loo-va
Source: Húrin holding the rearguard at the Nirnaeth, Silmarillion ch. 20
Quenya
Aiya Eldalië ar Atanatári!
Hail, Elven-folk and Fathers of Men!
Say it: EYE-ya el-DA-lee-eh ar a-ta-na-TAH-ree
Source: Fingon opening the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, Silmarillion ch. 20
Quenya
Anar kaluva tielyanna!
The Sun shall shine upon your path!
Say it: AH-nar KA-loo-va tee-eh-LYAN-na
Source: Gelmir’s farewell to Tuor, “Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin”, Unfinished Tales (spelled with k there)
Quenya
Nai hiruvalyë Valimar! Nai elyë hiruva!
Maybe thou shalt find Valimar! Maybe even thou shalt find it!
Say it: NIGH hee-roo-VAL-yeh VA-li-mar! NIGH EL-yeh HEE-roo-va!
Source: Galadriel’s lament, Namárië, FotR II.8
Quenya
Elen síla lúmenn’ omentielvo!
A star shines on the hour of our meeting!
Say it: EH-len SEE-la LOO-men o-men-tee-EL-vo
Source: Frodo greeting Gildor Inglorion, FotR I.3
Quenya
Namárië!
Farewell!
Say it: na-MAH-ree-eh
Source: Galadriel’s lament, Namárië, FotR II.8 (Tolkien’s gloss: “be well”)
How to build an Elvish incantation
1
Choose a tongue
Sindarin is the language of Gandalf’s fire and opening spells; Quenya, the ancient High-elven tongue, carries the blessings and the cries of the First Age. Some schools exist in only one of them, because that is where Tolkien’s material is.
2
Pick a school and what to call upon
Light, fire, protection, opening, swiftness, dawn, blessing or the stars. Then call on Elbereth, Eärendil, the Sun or the Moon as an invocation — the way Sam calls on Elbereth before he acts.
3
Weave it, read it, say it
You get the incantation in Elvish, its meaning, a pronunciation guide, the Tengwar script and a word-by-word breakdown. Weave again for another form, copy it, or share it.
Tolkien’s words, and what is composed
Every line carries one of two labels. “Tolkien’s own words” means the line is printed in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales, letter for letter. “Composed in Tolkien’s frame” means one attested word has been swapped inside a line he wrote — calad, light, in place of naur, fire, in Gandalf’s “Naur an edraith ammen!” — and nothing else has changed.
That is a deliberate limit. Sindarin changes the first letter of a word after many small words, and Quenya builds sentences out of endings; a generator that strings random Elvish words together produces something no Elf would say. Keeping to Tolkien’s own sentence frames is what lets the result be both new and correct.
Questions about Elvish spells
Are there real Elvish spells in The Lord of the Rings?
Yes. Gandalf’s “Annon edhellen, edro hi ammen!” at the West-gate of Moria is an opening-spell, his “Naur an edraith ammen!” kindles fire on Caradhras, and “Naur dan i ngaurhoth!” is cast against the wolves in Hollin. Sam’s and Frodo’s cries to Elbereth and Eärendil work as words of power too: the Phial blazes when Frodo cries “Aiya Eärendil Elenion Ancalima!”.
What is the most famous Elvish spell?
Gandalf’s opening-spell at the Doors of Durin: “Annon edhellen, edro hi ammen! Fennas nogothrim, lasto beth lammen!” — “Elvish gate, open now for us! Doorway of the Dwarf-folk, listen to the word of my tongue!” It fails, and the door opens only when Gandalf reads the inscription right and says “mellon”, friend.
Is the spell generator just making up Elvish words?
No. It uses no invented vocabulary at all. Lines are either Tolkien’s own, or one attested word swapped inside one of his sentences, and each line is labelled so you always know which is which.
Should a spell be in Sindarin or Quenya?
For commands and battle-magic, Sindarin — it is what Gandalf, Glorfindel and Sam speak. For blessings, invocations and anything solemn, Quenya, the Elves’ ancient ceremonial tongue. Never mix the two in one line: their grammar is different.
Can I use these incantations in D&D, a novel or a tattoo?
Yes. For a tattoo or engraving choose a line marked as Tolkien’s own words and check the Tengwar with a second source, since Tengwar can be written in several modes. For a game or story the composed lines are fine, and the label tells your readers the truth.
How do you pronounce Elvish spells?
Each line has a pronunciation guide. A few rules cover most of it: dh is the th of “this”, th the th of “thin”, ch the German ach, and a two-syllable word is stressed on the first syllable — EL-rond, NO-ro. The audio button reads the line aloud.
Read more
Speak more than spells
Learn the Sindarin and Quenya behind these incantations, one lesson at a time.
