• Welcome to The Tolkien Forum! Connect with fellow Tolkien enthusiasts and join a community that is over two decades old, and still going strong. We look forward to meeting you.  Register

What precisely Easterlings chant ?

Escobar

New Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2015
Messages
5
In all descriptions which describes that scene:
"Za dashu snaku Zigur, Durbgu nazgshu, Durbgu dashshu!" (Hail, Sauron, Lord of the Ring, Lord of the Earth!) is only mentioned. Nowhere is mentioned about other words heard in this scene. Lets watch video which I sent above.
0:03 single voice: "za dashu snaku Zigur!"(too quietly)
0:05 single voice: "teetatee, tatatee"
0:09 soldiers: "huh" single voice: "...anmala!"
0:10 soldiers: durgbu dashgu,
0:12 single voice: "teetaa!"

Anybody know what is text of this cry?
 
If this is solely from the movies, I doubt PJ has a translation for the rest of it. It's probably just gibberish to make it sound like they had something to chant as they march.
 
I think that was just Gimli saying a prayer or something in Dwarvish when he found Balin's tomb. I don't know if there is an exact translation.
 
Speech of Gimli contains words, not gibberish. In cry of Easterlings, and also in Haradrim cry in battle at pelennor I hear pure, exact words. It is influenced by maori "haka". Maybe this cries are based od maori language.
 
If you Google “Khuzdul dictionary” you get over 4,200 hits. There are a number available. (My favorite is gorog – “ale” – while grog is inferior beer brewed by Men. Makes you wonder how good Dwarvish ale might be!) You could get any number of these and translate Dwarvish.

You can also Google “black speech of mordor dictionary”.

Searches for Easterling or Haradrim lexicons were unsuccessful (for me). If it’s something P Jackson invented (or had others invent) for the films, you’d best narrow your search with them. They might tell you outright, or lead you to clues to uncover it.

Zigur, btw, is Second Age Adûnaic (predecessor language of Common or Westron, and the everyday speech of Númenor derived from the language of the Third House of the Edain) for “Wizard/Sorcerer”, what Sauron was called when taken “captive” to Númenor. On the off-chance that the Easterlings are speaking Adûnaic (a little inconsistent, but hey! par for the course), you could check Adûnaic dictionaries, too.
 
"Kilmin malur ni zaram kalil ra narag. Kheled-zâram ... Balin tazlifi"
also gibberish?
As the company enters the chamber and Gandalf takes the Book of Mazarbul in his hands, Gimli prays:

Kilmin malur ni zaram kalil ra narag, Kheled-zâram… Balin tazlifi.
aaaand contrary to what half the world believes, we know its meaning. It is a modified fragment of a song that Philippa Boyens, producer, asked Salo:

Kilmîn thatur ni zâram kalil ra narag, Kheled-zâram. Durin tazlifi.
The differences are: malur instead of thatur, and Balin instead of Durin. The meaning of the original sentence is:

A crown of stars in the cold, black waters of the Kheled-zâram. Durin sleeps.
It’s been extracted from the lyrics composed for the Moria Theme:

Durin ku bin-amrad / Ugmal sullu addad. / Ku bakana / Ana aznân / Undu abad / Ku ganaga / Tur ganâd abanul
Durin who is Immortal / The greatest of all the Fathers / Who awoke / To the darkness / Under the mountain / Who walked alone / Through halls of stone

Durin ku bin-amrad / Uzbad Khazaddûmu / Ku baraka / Aznân / ra karaka / atkât / ala lukhudizu! / ala galabizu! / ala ukratizu! / Khazad-dûm!
Durin who is Immortal / Lord of Khazad-dum / Who cleft / The Darkness / And broke / The silence / This is your light! / This is your word! / This is your glory! / The Dwarf Mine of Khazad-dum!

Kilmîn thatur ni zâram kalil ra narag, Kheled-zâram. Durin tazlifi.
A crown of stars in the cold, black waters of the Kheled-zâram. Durin sleeps.

Ubzar ni kâmin / Aznân taburrudi / Iklal tanzifi bashukimâ / Ubzar ni kâmin.
Deeper into the earth / The darkness becomes heavy / The cold breaks our bones / Deeper into the earth.

Gilim Sanzigil / shakar ra udlag / Ubzar ni kâmin / tada aklat gagin / Ugrûd tashurrukimâ.
There, the flash of Mithril / Sharp and far / Deeper in the earth / That sound again / Dread surrounds us.

Maku kataklutimâ? / Askad gabil / Tashfati ni aznân / Kâmin takalladi / Tabriki! Takarraki!
Can’t anyone hear us? A great shadow / Moves in the darkness / The earth trembles! / Cracks! It breaks!

Maku zatansasimâ? / Urus! / Urus ni buzra! / Arrâs talbabi fillumâ!
Will no one save us? / Fire! / Fire in the depths! / Flames lick our skin!

Ugrûd tashniki kurdumâ! / Lu! Lu! Lu! / Urkhas tanakhi!
Fear tears our heart! / No! No! No! No! / The devil is coming!
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Similar threads

Back
Top