Glaemscribe-py

A Python implementation of Glaemscribe for transcribing Tolkien's Elvish languages (Quenya and Sindarin) to Tengwar script using Unicode.

Glaemscribe-py is a Python port of the original Glaemscribe. It focuses on Elvish → Tengwar transcription and outputs Unicode Private Use Area (PUA) characters instead of font-specific codes, so you can use modern Unicode Tengwar fonts.

Key features

• Quenya transcription – Classical Quenya → Tengwar
• Sindarin transcription – General Sindarin → Tengwar
• Font flexibility – Works with any Unicode Tengwar TTF or OTF font
• PNG rendering helpers – Example scripts for image output

Installation

 pip install glaemscribe

Fonts

This library outputs Unicode Tengwar (PUA) and can be used with any Unicode Tengwar font. The repository includes a small, curated set of Unicode Tengwar fonts, all under the SIL Open Font License (OFL):

• FreeMonoTengwar – baseline font used during development
• AlcarinTengwar-Regular – Unicode Tengwar font by Toshi Omagari
• AlcarinTengwar-Bold – Bold companion font by Toshi Omagari

These fonts live under src/glaemscribe/fonts/ and are suitable for most uses. See the respective licence files alongside the fonts for details. There are many Tengwar fonts available online, an example of how to use a custom font is shown in the Quick start section.

Quick start

Simple API (recommended)

The easiest way to use Glaemscribe is with the high-level transcribe() function:

from glaemscribe import transcribe, list_modes

# Simple Quenya transcription
quenya_text = transcribe("Elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo", mode="quenya")
renderer = TengwarRenderer()
renderer.render_to_file(quenya_text, "quenya_text.png")
print(quenya_text)

# Sindarin transcription
sindarin_text = transcribe("Ai na vedui Dúnadan !", mode="sindarin")
# For other tengwar fonts simply pass in the path to the ttf or otf file
renderer_alcarin = TengwarRenderer(font_name='alcarin-bold', font_size=36)
renderer_alcarin.render_to_file(sindarin_text, "sindarin_text.png")

# List available modes
modes = list_modes()
print(modes)  # ['quenya', 'sindarin', 'english', ...]

Rendered outputs using the default fonts look like this:

Quenya example text rendered to Tengwar using FreeMonoTengwar font

Sindarin example text rendered to Tengwar using AlcarinTengwar-Bold font

Mode aliases for convenience:

• "quenya" → Quenya Classical Tengwar
• "sindarin" → Sindarin General Use
• "sindarin-beleriand" → Sindarin Beleriand mode
• "english" → English Tengwar (experimental)

See scripts/simple_usage.py for more examples.

Advanced usage (custom modes/options)

For advanced use cases, you can use the lower-level API:

from glaemscribe.parsers.mode_parser import ModeParser
from glaemscribe.resources import get_mode_path

parser = ModeParser()
mode = parser.parse(str(get_mode_path('quenya-tengwar-classical')))
mode.processor.finalize({})

success, result, debug = mode.transcribe("Elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo")
if success:
    print(result)

Example Scripts

The scripts/ directory contains several useful examples:

• simple_usage.py - Simple API examples for common use cases
• render_text.py - Render Tengwar text to PNG images, also accepts custom fonts
• validate_unicode.py - Validate Unicode transcriptions
• render_poem.py - Render the Namárië poem with multiple fonts

Example:

uv run scripts/simple_usage.py
uv run scripts/render_text.py "Elen síla" --mode quenya --output output.png

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! When contributing:

1. Maintain compatibility with original Glaemscribe behavior
2. Add tests for new features
3. Follow existing code style and patterns
4. Update documentation as needed

TO DO

The core architecture supports all transcription modes from the original Glaemscribe.

Examples of modes that can be added this way:

• English Tengwar (phonemic, via eSpeak NG)
• Other Tengwar modes from the original Glaemscribe
• Cirth (runes), Sarati, and other scripts

License

This port follows the same license as the original Glaemscribe project (GNU Affero General Public License v3.0).

Acknowledgments

• Benjamin Babut (Talagan) - Original creator of Glaemscribe
• The Tengwar and Quenya community - For supporting the creation of the original Glaemscribe

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