Ancalagon the Black, also known as Ancalagon the Great, was a dragon from J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythology. He was one of the most feared creatures to ever exist in Middle-earth, and his size was a contributing factor to his fearsome reputation.
The size of Ancalagon is hard to fathom, but it is estimated that he was larger than any other dragon in Middle-earth. According to Tolkien’s writings, Ancalagon was so massive that he was able to block out the sun with his wingspan alone.
This is an incredible feat considering that the sun is over 93 million miles away from Earth. Additionally, the wingspan of a modern-day airplane is only around 200 feet. In comparison, the wingspan of Ancalagon was massive enough to cover the sun, which is approximately 864,938 miles wide.
It is believed that Ancalagon was at least 200 meters (656 feet) long when standing on all four legs, which is about 1.5 times the length of a football field. He was also said to have possessed a head the size of a small house, sharp talons, and teeth that were as long as a grown man’s arm.
Furthermore, Ancalagon was said to be strong enough to crush mountains with his massive jaws and tail. He was even powerful enough to destroy an entire mountain chain, reportedly bringing down the pillars of Thangorodrim, a range of mountains that had been created by the evil god Melkor.
The sheer size and strength of Ancalagon made him a formidable opponent to even the greatest of Middle-earth’s heroes.
Comparing Ancalagon’s size to other dragons in Tolkien’s mythology, it is clear that he was the largest of them all. Smaug, the dragon found in The Hobbit, was approximately 20 meters (66 feet) long, making him much smaller than Ancalagon.
Glaurung, the father of dragons, was also a large creature, but his size was still nowhere near that of Ancalagon. In fact, the only creature that may have been able to rival Ancalagon in size was the dragon Scatha, who was said to have been able to crush men under his massive feet.
However, Scatha was only briefly mentioned in Tolkien’s books, and not much is known about him beyond his size and strength.
Some have speculated that Tolkien may have based the size of Ancalagon on the fabled Leviathan from the Bible. The Leviathan is described as a giant sea creature that is so large that no human could hope to defeat it.
The descriptions of the Leviathan match some of the characteristics attributed to Ancalagon, such as the ability to block out the sun, and the ability to destroy mountains with its strength.
In Tolkien’s mythology, Ancalagon was eventually defeated by Earendil, a human hero who was aided by the Valar, the powerful spirits of the god-like beings of Arda.
Earendil was able to slay Ancalagon by piercing his heart with a sword, but even then, it took the combined efforts of the Valar to bring down the mighty dragon.
FAQs:
Q: How tall was Ancalagon the Black?
A: It’s unclear how tall Ancalagon was, but it’s estimated that he was at least 200 meters long (656 feet) when standing on all four legs.
Q: Was Ancalagon the Black the largest dragon in Middle-earth?
A: Yes, Ancalagon was the largest dragon in Middle-earth, and his size was a contributing factor to his fearsome reputation.
Q: Was Ancalagon based on the Leviathan?
A: Some speculate that Tolkien may have based the size of Ancalagon on the fabled Leviathan from the Bible. The descriptions of the Leviathan match some of the characteristics attributed to Ancalagon in Tolkien’s books.
Q: How was Ancalagon defeated?
A: Ancalagon was defeated by Earendil, a human hero who was aided by the Valar. Earendil was able to slay Ancalagon by piercing his heart with a sword, but even then, it took the combined efforts of the Valar to bring down the mighty dragon.