What name does J.R.R. Tolkien give to the writing system used by the Elves of Middle-earth?

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J.R.R. Tolkien gives the Elves of Middle-earth a writing system called Tengwar.

Tengwar, meaning “letters” in Quenya, was developed by the Elf Fëanor in Tolkien’s fictional history. The characters were designed to represent consonants and vowels in a flexible way, and different languages could use the script with different modes.

Tengwar appears in many famous Tolkien inscriptions, including the writing on the One Ring and the title pages associated with The Lord of the Rings. The Ring inscription uses the script even though the words themselves are in the Black Speech of Mordor.

Tengwar is often confused with Cirth. Cirth is another writing system, made from angular runes and associated especially with the Dwarves, although other peoples also used it. Sarati is an older Elvish script attributed to Rúmil, making it a separate historical stage in Tolkien’s invented writing traditions.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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