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Dates
A measurement used by the Dúnedain, who established themselves in Númenor in II 32
Race
Division
Culture
Originated among the Númenóreans, but also used by their descendants, the Dúnedain of Middle-earth
Pronunciation
ra'nga
Meaning
'Pace'1
Note
Ranga is a singular term; the plural form is rangar

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About this entry:

  • Updated 21 November 2023
  • This entry is complete

Ranga

A Númenórean measure of length

A measure used by the Númenóreans and their descendants in Middle-earth. One ranga was defined as the length of the stride of a man walking at ease, and seems to have corresponded to a length of thirty-eight inches, or 0.97 metres. A height of two rangar was conventionally referred to as 'man-high', representing (approximately) the average height of a Dúnadan as 6 feet, 4 inches, or 1.93 metres. The Halflings were named by the Dúnedain as being half their own height on average, so if two rangar were 'man-high', then one ranga can be considered roughly 'Hobbit-high'.

Measurements of longer distances were also based on the ranga. A distance of 5,000 strides was named a lár, signifying a point where a rest-stop should be held. By convenient coincidence, 5,000 rangar also corresponds almost exactly to three miles, so a lár described a distance essentially equivalent to a league.


Notes

1

While a unit of one ranga definitively referred to a full pace, the full etymology of the name is difficult to tease out. In Quenya, the Elves had a unit of measurement they called a rangwë, which represented the length of a pair of outstretched arms (the same origin of the old English unit of the 'fathom'). This rangwë would have represented a distance of about six feet (or two metres), roughly double the length of a Númenórean ranga. So, the Númenóreans cannot have taken their ranga directly from the Elves, but the similarity of the names suggests a potential etymological connection.

See also...

Lár, Man-high, The Tall

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 21 November 2023
  • This entry is complete

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