cirth

File:Ashton_Park_rock_carving.jpg, dating back to the 1980s at least]]

Many letters have shapes also found in the historical runic alphabets, but their sound values are only similar in a few of the vowels. Rather, the system of assignment of sound values is much more systematic in the Cirth than in the historical runes (e.g., voiced variants of a voiceless sound are expressed by an additional stroke).

The division between the older Cirth of Daeron and their adaptation by Dwarves and Men has been interpreted as a parallel drawn by Tolkien to the development of the Fuþorc to the Younger Fuþark.{{cite book |title=Mittelerde: Tolkien und die germanische Mythologie |trans-title=Middle-earth: Tolkien and Germanic Mythology |first=Rudolf |last=Simek |language=de |author-link=Rudolf Simek |pages=155–156 |publisher=C. H. Beck |year=2005 |isbn=3-406-52837-6 }} The original Elvish Cirth "as supposed products of a superior culture" are focused on logical arrangement and a close connection between form and value whereas the adaptations by mortal races introduced irregularities. Similar to the Germanic tribes who had no written literature and used only simple runes before their conversion to Christianity, the Sindarin Elves of Beleriand with their Cirth were introduced to the more elaborate Tengwar of Fëanor when the Noldorin Elves returned to Middle-earth from the lands of the divine Valar.{{cite conference |last=Smith |first=Arden R. |author-link=Arden R. Smith |title=The Semiotics of the Writing Systems of Tolkien's Middle-earth |book-title=Semiotics Around the World: Synthesis in Diversity. Proceedings of the Fifth Congress of the International Association for Semiotic Studies, Berkeley, 1994 |editor-first=Irmengard |editor-last=Rauch |editor-link=Irmengard Rauch |editor2-first=Gerald F. |editor2-last=Carr |pages=1239–1242 |volume=1 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |year=1997 |isbn=978-3-11-012223-7 }}

In the Appendix E to The Return of the King, Tolkien writes that the Sindar of Beleriand first developed an alphabet for their language some time between the invention of the Tengwar by Fëanor (YT 1250) and the introduction thereof to Middle-earth by the Exiled Noldor towards the end of the First Age.{{cite book |title=The Return of the King |at=Appendix E |first=J. R. R. |last=Tolkien |author-link=J. R. R. Tolkien |location=London |publisher=George Allen & Unwin |year=1955}}

This alphabet was devised to represent only the sounds of their Sindarin language and its letters were mostly used for inscribing names or brief memorials on wood, stone or metal, hence their angular shapes and straight lines. In Sindarin these letters were named cirth (sing. certh), from the Elvish root *kir- meaning "to cleave, to cut".{{cite web |url=https://eldamo.org/content/words/word-285722173.html |title=Sindarin Words: certh|author= |website=eldamo.org |access-date=2019-03-31}} An abecedarium of cirth, consisting of the runes listed in due order, was commonly known as Certhas ({{IPA|sjn|ˈkɛrθɑs|}}, meaning "rune-rows" in Sindarin and loosely translated as "runic alphabet"{{cite web |url=https://eldamo.org/content/words/word-1641782601.html |title= Sindarin Words: certhas|author= |website=eldamo.org |access-date=2019-03-31}}).

The oldest cirth were the following:

The form of these letters was somewhat unsystematic, unlike later rearrangements and extensions that made them more featural. The cirth 16px and 16px were used for {{angbr|h}} and {{angbr|s}}, but varied as to which was which. Many of the runes consisted of a single vertical line (or "stem") with an appendage (or "branch") attached to one or both sides. If the attachment was made on one side only, it was usually to the right, but "the reverse was not infrequent" and did not change the value of the letter. (For example, the variants 20px or 20px specifically mentioned for h or s, also 16px or 16px for t, etc.).

In Beleriand, before the end of the First Age, the Certhas was rearranged and further developed, partly under the influence of the Tengwar introduced by the Noldor. This reorganisation of the Cirth was commonly attributed to the Elf Daeron, minstrel and loremaster of King Thingol of Doriath. Thus, the new system became known as the Angerthas Daeron (where "angerthas" {{nowrap|{{IPA|sjn|ɑŋˈɡɛrθɑs|}}}} is from Sindarin {{nowrap|"an(d)"}} {{nowrap|{{IPA|sjn|ɑn(d)|}}}} + "certhas" {{IPA|sjn|ˈkɛrθɑs|}}, meaning "long rune-rows"{{cite web |url= https://eldamo.org/content/words/word-698537603.html|title= Sindarin Words: angerthas|author=|website=eldamo.org|access-date=2019-05-11}}).

In this arrangement, the assignment of values to each certh is systematic. The runes consisting of a stem and a branch attached to the right are used for voiceless stops, while other sounds are allocated according to the following principles:

1. adding a stroke to a branch adds voice (e.g., 16px {{IPA|[p]}} → 16px {{IPA|[b]}});
2. moving the branch to the left indicates opening to a spirant (e.g., 16px {{IPA|[t]}} → 16px {{IPA|[θ]}});
3. placing the branch on both sides of the stem adds voice and nasality (e.g., 16px {{IPA|[k]}} → 16px {{IPA|[ŋ]}}).

The cirth constructed in this way can therefore be arranged into series, each corresponding to a place of articulation:

• labial consonants, based on 16px;
• dental consonants, based on 16px;
• front consonants, based on 16px;
• velar consonants, based on 16px;
• labialized velar consonants, based on 16px.

Other letters introduced in this system include: 16px and {{nowrap|16px}} for {{angbr|a}} and {{angbr|w}}, respectively; runes for long vowels, evidently originated by doubling and binding the certh of the corresponding short vowel (e.g., {{nowrap|16px16px {{angbr|oo}}}} → {{nowrap|16px {{angbr|ō}});}} two front vowels, probably stemming from ligatures of the corresponding back vowel with the {{angbr|i}}-certh (i.e., {{nowrap|16px16px}} → {{nowrap|16px {{angbr|ü}}}}, and {{nowrap|16px16px}} → {{nowrap|16px {{angbr|ö}});}} some homorganic nasal + stop clusters (e.g., {{nowrap|16px {{IPA|[nd]}}).}}

Back to the fictional history, since the new {{nowrap|16px-series}} and {{nowrap|16px-series}} encompass sounds which do not occur in Sindarin but are present in Quenya, they were most probably introduced by the Exiled Noldor who spoke Quenya as a language of knowledge.

By loan-translation, the Cirth became known in Quenya as Certar {{IPA|qya|ˈkɛrtar|}}, while a single certh was called certa {{IPA|qya|ˈkɛrta|}}.

After the Tengwar became the sole script used for writing, the Angerthas Daeron was essentially relegated to carved inscriptions. The Elves of the West, for the most part, abandoned the Cirth altogether, with the exception of the Noldor dwelling in the country of Eregion, who maintained it in use and made it known as Angerthas Eregion.

Note: In this article, the runes of the Angerthas come with the same peculiar transliteration used by Tolkien in the Appendix E, which differs from the (Latin) spelling of both Quenya and Sindarin. The IPA transcription that follows is applicable to both languages, except where indicated otherwise.

Notes:

{{ordered list|type=lower-roman

|{{note|ADmh||According to the principles outlined above, the labial nasal would be assigned to the certh 16px. However, archaic Sindarin had two labial nasals: the occlusive {{IPA|[m]}}, and the spirant {{IPA|[ṽ]}}{{cite journal |last1= Tolkien |first1= J. R. R. |author-link=J. R. R. Tolkien |date=2015-06-12 |title=The Feanorian Alphabet (Part 1) and Quenya Verb Structure: On Ælfwine's Spelling|url= http://www.eldalamberon.com/parma22.html |journal=Parma Eldalamberon |issue=22 |page=67 |quote=But he knew the old sign for 'nasal ṽ' and sometimes represents this (espec. where it is an initial variant on m) by {{angbr|mh}}.}} (spelt {{angbr|mh}}). Since the {{angbr|mh}} sound could best be represented by a reversal of the sign for {{angbr|m}} (to indicate its spirantization), the reversible 16px was given the value {{angbr|m}}, and 16px was assigned to {{angbr|mh}}. The sound {{IPA|[ṽ]}} merged with {{IPA|[v]}} in later Sindarin.}}

|{{note|ADnd||The certh 16px was not clearly related in shape to the dentals.}}

|{{note|ADA||The {{nowrap|16px-series,}} which represents the front consonants of Quenya, is essentially the Cirth counterpart to the Tengwar tyelpetéma (column III in the [http://at.mansbjorkman.net/teng_general.htm#consonants General Use]).
In this article, each certh of this series comes with two IPA transcriptions. The reason is that these consonants are realised as palatals in Noldorin Quenya, but as postalveolars in Vanyarin Quenya. Although the Angerthas Daeron was devised for the Noldorin variety, it is deemed necessary to show the Vanyarin pronunciation as well, given that the very transliteration used by Tolkien is more akin to the Vanyarin phonology.}}

|{{note|ADch||The certh 16px indicates Quenya {{angbr|ty}}, which is pronounced {{nowrap|{{IPA|[c^⁽ȷ̊^⁾]}}}} in Noldorin{{cite journal |last1=Tolkien |first1=J. R. R. |author-link= J. R. R. Tolkien |date=2015-06-12 |title=The Feanorian Alphabet (Part 1) and Quenya Verb Structure: Qenya Grammar – Spelling and Transcription |url=http://www.eldalamberon.com/parma22.html |journal=Parma Eldalamberon |issue=22 |page=66 |quote={{angbr|ty}} is pronounced as a 'front explosive' [c], as e.g. Hungarian ty; but it is followed by an appreciable partly unvoiced y-offglide.}} but is a voiceless postalveolar affricate {{IPA|[t͡ʃ]}} in Vanyarin.{{cite web |url=https://realelvish.net/pronunciation/quenya/ |title=Quenya pronunciation |website=RealElvish.net |access-date=2019-05-07}}}}

|{{note|ADj||The certh 16px represents Quenya {{angbr|dy}}, formerly pronounced {{IPA|[ɟj]}}.{{cite journal |last1= Tolkien |first1=J. R. R. |author-link=J. R. R. Tolkien |date=2015-06-12 |title=The Feanorian Alphabet (Part 1) and Quenya Verb Structure: Qenya Grammar – Spelling and Transcription |url= http://www.eldalamberon.com/parma22.html |journal=Parma Eldalamberon |issue=22 |page=66 |quote={{angbr|dy}} was formerly the voiced counterpart [ɟ] followed by a y-offglide.}}}}

|{{note|ADsh||The certh 16px stands for Quenya {{angbr|hy}}, which is a voiceless palatal fricative {{nowrap|{{IPA|[ç]}}}} in Noldorin{{cite journal|last1=Tolkien |first1=J. R. R. |author-link=J. R. R. Tolkien |date=2015-06-12 |title=The Feanorian Alphabet (Part 1) and Quenya Verb Structure: Qenya Grammar – Spelling and Transcription |url=http://www.eldalamberon.com/parma22.html |journal=Parma Eldalamberon |issue=22|page= 65|quote={{angbr|hy}} is an audibly spirant voiceless y, that is approximately [ç] as ch in German ich.}} and a voiceless postalveolar fricative {{IPA|[ʃ]}} in Vanyarin.}}

|{{note|ADgn||The certh 16px denotes Quenya {{angbr|ndy}}, formerly pronounced {{IPA|[ɲɟj]}}. In Noldorin, this cluster was later reduced to {{angbr|ny}}{{cite journal |last1=Tolkien |first1=J. R. R. |author-link=J. R. R. Tolkien |date=2015-06-12 |title=The Feanorian Alphabet (Part 1) and Quenya Verb Structure: Qenya Grammar – Spelling and Transcription |url=http://www.eldalamberon.com/parma22.html |journal=Parma Eldalamberon |issue=22|page= 66|quote={{angbr|dy}} ... only occurred in the group {{angbr|ndy}}, which has become simplified to {{angbr|ny}}.}} (articulated as {{IPA|[ɲj]}}{{cite journal |last1=Tolkien |first1=J. R. R. |author-link=J. R. R. Tolkien |date=2015-06-12 |title=The Feanorian Alphabet (Part 1) and Quenya Verb Structure: Qenya Grammar – Spelling and Transcription |url= http://www.eldalamberon.com/parma22.html |journal=Parma Eldalamberon |issue=22 |page=66 |quote=n in {{angbr|ny}} is 'palatal n' but followed by (cf. {{angbr|ty}}) a y-offglide, more marked medially (where {{angbr|ny}} counts as a group), less so initially).}}). On the other hand, in Vanyarin, the cluster underwent assibilation, turning into {{IPA|[nd͡ʒ]}}.}}

|{{note|ADngw||The certh {{nowrap|16px,}} much like the tengwa 16px "ñwalme", formerly represented Quenya {{angbr|ñw}} (pronounced {{IPA|[ŋʷw]}}), occurring only in initial position. This sound later evolved into {{IPA|[nʷw]}}, explaining the transliteration of this certh as {{angbr|nw}}. Non-initial occurrences of {{IPA|[nʷw]}} are most probably interpreted as {{angbr|n}}+{{angbr|w}} (i.e., two separate cirth).{{Cite web|url=http://at.mansbjorkman.net/teng_quenya.htm|title=Amanye Tenceli: Tengwar - The Classical mode|access-date=2021-01-02|website=Amanye Tenceli|quote=ñwalme > nwalme. Only used for initial {{angbr|nw}}, which developed from {{angbr|ñw}}. Other occurrences of {{angbr|nw}} (originating in {{angbr|n}} + {{angbr|w}}) are written númen + vilya.}}}}

|{{note|ADB||The certh 16px, the theoretical value of which is {{angbr|z}}, is instead used as {{angbr|ss}} in both Quenya and Sindarin (cf. the tengwa 16px "esse"/"áze").}}

|{{note|ADC||The new certh 16px was introduced for {{angbr|h}}: it is similar in shape both to the certh 16px (formerly used for {{angbr|h}}, then reassigned to {{angbr|ty}}) and to the tengwa 16px "hyarmen".}}

|{{note|ADhw||The certh 16px, the theoretical value of which was {{angbr|m}}, was used for Sindarin {{angbr|hw}} for the reasons stated above (cf. the tengwa 16px "hwesta sindarinwa").}}

}}

According to Tolkien's legendarium, the Dwarves first came to know the runes of the Noldor at the beginning of the Second Age. The Dwarves "introduced a number of unsystematic changes in value, as well as certain new cirth". They modified the previous system to suit the specific needs of their language, Khuzdul. The Dwarves spread their revised alphabet to Moria, where it came to be known as Angerthas Moria, and developed both carved and pen-written forms of these runes.

Many cirth here represent sounds not occurring in Khuzdul{{cite thesis|type=BA|last=Amram|first=Tess|date=2015|title=Aglab Khazad: The Secret Language of Tolkien's Dwarves|url=https://scholarship.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/bitstream/handle/10066/15353/Amram_thesis_2015.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y|publisher=Swarthmore College}} (at least in published words of Khuzdul: of course, our corpus is very limited to judge the necessity or not, of these sounds). Here they are marked with a black star (^★).

Notes:

At the beginning of the Third Age the Dwarves were driven out of Moria, and some migrated to Erebor. As the Dwarves of Erebor would trade with the Men of the nearby towns of Dale and Lake-town, they needed a script to write in Westron (the lingua franca of Middle-earth, usually rendered in English by Tolkien in his works). The Angerthas Moria was adapted accordingly: some new cirth were added, while some were restored to their Elvish usage, thus creating the Angerthas Erebor.

While the Angerthas Moria was still used to write down Khuzdul, this new script was primarily used for Mannish languages. It is also the script used in the first and third page of the Book of Mazarbul.{{citation needed|reason=a random post on imgur is not a sufficiently reliable source to pass muster under WP:RS|date=October 2021}}

Angerthas Erebor also features combining diacritics:

• a circumflex 16px used to denote long consonants;
• a macron below 16px to indicate a long vowel sound;
• an underdot 16px to mark cirth used as numerals. As a matter of fact, in the Book of Mazarbul some cirth are used as numerals: 16px for 1, 16px for 2, 16px for 3, 16px for 4, 16px for 5.

File:Balin sp2.PNG's tomb is written in English using the Angerthas Erebor. It reads left-to-right: "Balin sʌn ov Fu[nd]in lord ov Moria"]]

The Angerthas Erebor is used twice in The Lord of the Rings to write in English:

1. in the upper inscription of the title page, where it reads "[dh]ə·lord·ov·[dh]ə·riŋs·translatᵊd·from·[dh]ə·red·b[oo]k' ..." (the sentence follows in the bottom inscription, written in Tengwar: "... of Westmarch by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. Herein is set forth/ the history of the War of the Ring and the Return of the King as seen by the Hobbits.");
2. in the bottom inscription of Balin's tomb—being the translation of the upper inscription, which is written in Khuzdul using Angerthas Moria.

The Book of Mazarbul shows some additional cirth used in Angerthas Erebor: one for a double {{angbr|l}} ligature, one for the definite article, and six for the representation of the same number of English diphthongs:

Notes:

|- style="vertical-align: top;"

| align="right" | ∗. || {{note|AE|}}The cirth marked with an asterisk are unique to Angerthas Erebor.

|}

The Cirth is not the only runic writing system used by Tolkien in his legendarium. In fact, he devised a great number of runic alphabets, of which only a few others have been published. Some of these are included in the "Appendix on Runes" of The Treason of Isengard (The History of Middle-earth, vol. VII), edited by Christopher Tolkien.{{cite journal |last=Hyde |first=Paul Nolan |date=Summer 1990 |title=Quenti Lambardillion: Runing on Empty: Charting a New Course |url= https://dc.swosu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2721&context=mythlore |journal=Mythlore |volume=16 |issue=4, no. 62}}

According to Tolkien himself, those found in The Hobbit are a form of "English runes" used in lieu of the Dwarvish runes proper.{{cite book |title=The Hobbit|first=J.R.R. |last=Tolkien |author-link=J.R.R. Tolkien |publisher=London: George Allen & Unwin. |year=1937}} They can be interpreted as an attempt made by Tolkien to adapt the Fuþorc (i.e., the Old English runic alphabet) to the Modern English language.{{cite web |url= https://www.tolkienestate.com/en/learning/languages-and-writing-systems/writing-systems.html |title= Writing Systems |first=Arden R. |last=Smith |author-link=Arden R. Smith |website= The Tolkien Estate |quote= The runic alphabet used on Thror's Map and elsewhere in The Hobbit is not the Angerthas, but is rather the futhorc used by the Anglo-Saxons in England over a thousand years ago, adapted by Tolkien for the representation of modern English. |access-date= December 30, 2020}}

These runes are basically the same found in Fuþorc, but their sound may change according to their position, just like the letters of the Latin script: the writing mode used by Tolkien is, in this case, mainly orthographic.{{cite web |url= http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/runes-eng.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725065431/http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/runes-eng.pdf |archive-date=2008-07-25 |url-status=live |title= Tolkien English Runes|last= Lindberg|first= Per|date= 2016-11-27|website= forodrim.org|access-date= 2019-03-27}} This means that the system has one rune for each Latin letter, regardless of pronunciation. For example, the rune 16px {{angbr|c}} can sound {{IPAc-en|k}} in {{angbr|cover}}, {{IPAc-en|s}} in {{angbr|sincere}}, {{IPAc-en|ʃ}} in {{angbr|special}}, and even {{IPAc-en|tʃ}} in the digraph {{nowrap|16px16px}} {{angbr|ch}}.{{cite letter | first = J.R.R. | last = Tolkien | author-link = J.R.R. Tolkien | recipient = Katherine Farrer | subject = Letter 112 | date = November 30, 1947 | url = https://arda.saloon.jp/?plugin=attach&refer=The%20Letters%20of%20J.R.R.Tolkien%2FLetter%20112&openfile=letter112_tolkien.jpg | access-date = December 31, 2020 }}

A few sounds are instead written with the same rune, without considering the English spelling. For example, the sound {{IPAc-en|ɔː}} is always written with the rune 16px whether in English it is spelt {{angbr|o}} as in {{angbr|north}}, {{angbr|a}} as in {{angbr|fall}}, or {{angbr|oo}} as in {{angbr|door}}. The only two letters that are subject to this phonemic spelling are {{angbr|a}} and {{angbr|o}}.

Finally, some runes stand for particular English digraphs and diphthongs.

Here the runes used in The Hobbit are displayed along with their Fuþorc counterpart and corresponding English grapheme:

Notes:

{{ordered list|list-style-type=lower-roman

| {{note|ph||This table summarises the transcription of English {{angbr|a}} and {{angbr|o}} in runes:}}

}}

{{ordered list|start=2|list-style-type=lower-roman

| {{note|H||The three runes {{nowrap|16px,}} {{nowrap|16px,}} and 16px were invented by Tolkien and are not attested in real-life Fuþorc.}}

| {{note|HZ||According to Tolkien, this is a "dwarf-rune" which "may be used if required" as an addendum to the English runes.}}

| Tolkien commonly writes the Pronunciation of English ⟨wh⟩ (pronounced {{IPA|en|ʍ||generic=yes}} in some varieties of English) as {{nowrap|16px16px}} {{angbr|hw}}.

| There is no rune to transliterate {{angbr|q}}: the digraph {{angbr|qu}} (representing the sound {{IPA|en|kʷw||generic=yes}}, like in {{angbr|queen}}) is always written as {{nowrap|16px16px}} {{angbr|cw}}, reflecting the Anglo-Saxon spelling {{angbr|{{Script|Latg|cƿ}}}}.

}}

Not all the runes mentioned in The Hobbit are Dwarf-runes. The swords found in the Trolls' cave bore runes that Gandalf could not read. In fact, the swords Glamdring and Orcrist (which were forged in the ancient kingdom of Gondolin) bore a type of letters known as Gondolinic runes. They seem to have become obsolete and been forgotten by the Third Age, and this is supported by the fact that only Elrond could still read the inscriptions on the swords.

Tolkien devised this runic alphabet in a very early stage of his shaping of Middle-earth. Nevertheless, they are known to us from a slip of paper that Tolkien wrote; his son Christopher sent a photocopy of it to Paul Nolan Hyde in February 1992. Hyde published it, with an extensive analysis, in the 1992 Summer issue of Mythlore, no. 69.{{cite journal |last=Hyde |first=Paul Nolan |date=July 1992 |title=Quenti Lambardillion: The 'Gondolinic Runes': Another Picture |url=https://dc.swosu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2370&context=mythlore |journal=Mythlore |volume=18 |issue=3, no. 69}} The system was reanalyzed by Carl F. Hostetter, who corrected the reading of the χ̑ rune to an ich-laut (voiceless palatal fricative).{{Cite journal |last=Hostetter |first=Carl |last2=Baynes |first2=Pauline |last3=Martsch |first3=Nancy |date=1992-10-15 |title=Letters |url=https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol18/iss4/12/ |journal=Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature |volume=18 |issue=4 |issn=0146-9339}} Later, in Parma Eldalamberon 15, the original manuscript including a script variety of Gondolinic, the first cursive form of any of Tolkien's runic scripts, was presented.{{Cite book |last=Tolkien |first=J. R. R. |editor-last1=Gilson |editor-first1=Christopher |editor-last2=Smith |editor-first2=Arden |editor-last3=Wynne |editor-first3=Patrick |editor-last4=Welden |editor-first4=Bill |url=https://archive.org/details/parma-eldalamberon-15 |title=Parma Eldalamberon 15 |date=2004}}

The system provides sounds not found in any of the known Elvish languages of the First Age, but perhaps it was designed for a variety of languages. However, the consonants seem to be, more or less, the same found in Welsh phonology, a theory supported by the fact that Tolkien was heavily influenced by Welsh when creating Elvish languages.{{cite news |date=2011-05-21 |title=Study explores JRR Tolkien's Welsh influences |url= https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-13472344 |work=BBC |access-date=2019-03-27}}

Equivalents for some (but not all) cirth can be found in the Runic block of Unicode.

Tolkien's mode of writing Modern English in Anglo-Saxon runes received explicit recognition with the introduction of his three additional runes to the Runic block with the release of Unicode 7.0, in June 2014. The three characters represent the English {{angbr|k}}, {{angbr|oo}} and {{angbr|sh}} graphemes, as follows:

• {{unichar|16F1|RUNIC LETTER K}}
• {{unichar|16F2|RUNIC LETTER SH}}
• {{unichar|16F3|RUNIC LETTER OO}}

A formal Unicode proposal to encode Cirth as a separate script was made in September 1997 by Michael Everson.{{cite web|url= http://std.dkuug.dk/JTC1/SC2/WG2/docs/n1642/n1642.htm|title=N1642: Proposal to encode Cirth in Plane 1 of ISO/IEC 10646-2 | first = Michael | last = Everson | publisher=Working Group Document, ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2 and UTC|date=1997-09-18|access-date=2015-08-08}}

No action was taken by the Unicode Technical Committee (UTC) but Cirth appears in the Roadmap to the SMP.{{cite web|url=https://www.unicode.org/roadmaps/smp/ |title=Roadmap to the SMP |publisher=Unicode.org |date=2015-06-03 |access-date=2015-08-08}}

{{Infobox Unicode block

|blockname = Cirth (in Private Use Area)

|rangestart = E080

|rangeend = E0FF

|assigned = 109

|script1 = Artificial Scripts

|alphabets = Cirth

|sources = CSUR

|codechart=omit

|note = Part of Private Use Area; possible conflicting fonts

}}

Unicode Private Use Area layouts for Cirth are defined at the ConScript Unicode Registry (CSUR){{cite web|url=http://www.evertype.com/standards/csur/ |title=ConScript Unicode Registry |publisher=Evertype.com | access-date=2015-08-08}} and the Under-ConScript Unicode Registry (UCSUR).{{cite web|url=http://www.kreativekorp.com/ucsur/ |title=Under-ConScript Unicode Registry | access-date=2015-08-08}}

Two different layouts are defined by the CSUR/UCSUR:

• 1997-11-03 proposal{{cite web|url=http://www.evertype.com/standards/csur/cirth.html |title=Cirth: U+E080–U+E0FF|publisher=ConScript Unicode Registry|date=1997-11-03|access-date=2015-08-08}} implemented by fonts like GNU Unifont{{cite web|url=http://unifoundry.com/unifont.html|title=GNU Unifont|publisher=Unifoundry.com |access-date=2015-07-24}} and Code2000.
• 2000-04-22 discussion paper{{cite web|url=http://www.evertype.com/standards/iso10646/pdf/cirth.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030312180613/http://www.evertype.com/standards/iso10646/pdf/cirth.pdf |archive-date=2003-03-12 |url-status=live |title=X.X Cirth 1xx00–1xx7F|first=Michael|last=Everson|date=2000-04-22|access-date=2015-08-08}}{{cite web|url=http://www.kreativekorp.com/ucsur/charts/PDF/UE080.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140617041717/http://www.kreativekorp.com/ucsur/charts/PDF/UE080.pdf |archive-date=2014-06-17 |url-status=live|title=Cirth, Range: E080–E0FF|date=2008-04-14|publisher=Under-ConScript Unicode Registry|access-date=2015-08-08}} implemented by fonts like Constructium and Fairfax.

Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols below instead of Cirth.

{{CSUR chart Cirth}}

• List of runestones

{{Reflist}}

{{Languages of Middle-earth}}

{{Middle-earth}}

{{Constructed languages}}{{List of writing systems}}

Category:Middle-earth writing systems

Category:Alphabets

Category:Runology

Category:Runiform scripts

Category:Miscellaneous Unicode blocks