The Ten Thunderwords
Finnegans Wake contains ten "thunderwords"—massive portmanteau constructions of approximately one hundred letters each. These words, built from thunder-words in dozens of languages, mark the transitions between ages in Joyce's Viconian structure.
Overview
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Number | 10 thunderwords |
| Length | First 9 = 100 letters; 10th = 101 letters |
| Total letters | 1,001 (evoking The Thousand and One Nights) |
| Function | Mark transitions between Vico's ages |
| Source | Thunder-words from multiple languages |
Vico and Thunder
According to Giambattista Vico's La Scienza Nuova (1725), primitive humans—wandering the forests after the Flood—heard thunder for the first time and believed it was the voice of God. This thunder:
- Inspired the invention of religion (to appease the angry sky-god)
- Drove humans to seek shelter (the first homes)
- Prompted the creation of language (imitating divine speech)
Joyce built ten thunderclaps into the Wake to mark the great transitions of human history and consciousness.
The Thunderwords by Location
Thunderword 1 (p. 3)
The Fall of Man
bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonner
ronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoorde
nenthurnuk
| Language | Element | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Babel | bababadal | Tower of Babel |
| Hindi | gharaghta | Thunder (गरज) |
| Japanese | kaminari | Thunder (雷) |
| Finnish | ukkonen | Thunder |
| Greek | brontao | To thunder (βροντάω) |
| French | tonnerre | Thunder |
| Various | thunntro... | Thunder sounds |
Context: Appears in the opening pages, announcing the Fall—Adam's fall, Finnegan's fall, all the falls of history.
Thunderword 2 (p. 23)
The Rise of HCE
Perkodhuskurunbarggruauyagokgorlayorgromgremmit
ghundhurthrumathunaradidillifaititillibumullunu
kkunun
Context: Marks HCE's emergence as the new protagonist, replacing the fallen Finnegan.
Thunderword 3 (p. 44)
The Ballad of Persse O'Reilly
klikkaklakkaklaskaklopatzklatschabattacreppycro
ttydittattillibuttumptrennauntuovarrhountherns
turnuk
Context: Accompanies the ballad that spreads HCE's disgrace through Dublin.
Thunderword 4 (p. 90)
The Trial
bladyughfoulmoecklenburgwhurawhorascortastrappt
henapopluddypakkpuk
Context: Appears during Festy King's trial, marking the public judgment of HCE.
Thunderword 5 (p. 113)
The Letter Analyzed
Lukkedoerendunandurraskewdylooshoofermoyportertoo
ryzooysphalnabortansporthaokansakroidverjkapakapu
k
Context: Accompanies the scholarly analysis of ALP's letter/mamafesta.
Thunderword 6 (p. 257)
End of the Children's Games
Bothallchoractorschumminaroundgansumuminarumdrums
trumpmptuttrinatatumtumetraralteraltarrumpthumpt
ittopliffloralulamunsturnumpitioladybogwipherum
Context: Marks the end of the children's games in II.1 and the transition to night lessons.
Thunderword 7 (p. 314)
In the Pub
Pappappapparrassannuaragheallachnatullaghmonganm
acmacmacwhackfalltherdebblenonthedubblandaddle
dyd
Context: Appears during the pub scene, amid radio broadcasts and storytelling.
Thunderword 8 (p. 332)
Buckley and the Russian General
Husstenhasstencaffincoffintussemtossemdamandamna
cosaghcusaghhobixhatouxpeswchbechoscashlcarcare
arct
Context: Accompanies the tale of how Buckley shot the Russian General.
Thunderword 9 (p. 414)
The Ondt and the Gracehoper
Ullhodturdenweirmudgaardgringnirurdrmolnirfenri
rlukkilokkibaugimandodrrerinsurtkrinmgernrackinar
ockar
| Element | Source |
|---|---|
| Ullhod | Norse mythology |
| Fenrir | Norse wolf |
| Various | Scandinavian thunder gods |
Context: Appears during Shaun's fable of the Ondt and Gracehoper.
Thunderword 10 (p. 424)
The Final Thunder
Bothallchoractorschumminaroundgansumuminarumdrum
strumtruminahumptadumpwaultopoofoolooderamaunstur
nup
101 letters (not 100)—the extra letter signals completion and renewal.
Context: The final thunder, preparing for the ricorso and return.
Total: 1,001 Letters
The ten thunderwords together contain exactly 1,001 letters—evoking The Book of a Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights).
- 9 thunderwords × 100 letters = 900
- 1 thunderword × 101 letters = 101
- Total = 1,001
This connects the Wake to the frame narrative of Scheherazade, who tells stories to delay death—just as HCE's dream defers the dawn.
Eric McLuhan's Interpretation
In The Role of Thunder in Finnegans Wake (1997), Eric McLuhan (son of Marshall McLuhan) argues that each thunderword encodes a major communications revolution:
| Thunder | Technology/Revolution |
|---|---|
| 1 | Speech / the Fall into language |
| 2 | Writing / the rise of cities |
| 3 | The ballad / oral tradition |
| 4 | Print / public discourse |
| 5 | Manuscript / scholarship |
| 6 | Mass media beginnings |
| 7 | Radio |
| 8 | War reporting / telegraphy |
| 9 | Television |
| 10 | The electric age complete |
McLuhan presents the Wake as "both an encyclopedia of the effects of technology in reshaping human culture and society, and a complete training course for detecting the changes in sensibility occasioned by new media."
The Dreamer and Thunder
Some scholars argue that thunder is the only element from the "real world" that enters HCE's dream:
"There is a thunderstorm while he is dreaming; when thunder cracks it makes its way into the dream."
The thunderwords would then be the dreamer's mind processing actual thunder into the fabric of the dream-text.
Pronouncing the Thunderwords
Resources
- JoyceGeek ThunderVideos — Video tutorials on pronouncing each thunderword
- Hatter's Cabinet — Detailed breakdown of each word
- FinnegansWiki Thunderwords — Wiki entries for each
Tips for Reading Aloud
- Sound them out — They're meant to sound like thunder
- Don't rush — Let each syllable roll
- Find the languages — Hearing "kaminari" or "tonnerre" helps
- Accept approximation — There's no single "correct" pronunciation
Languages in the Thunderwords
Joyce drew thunder-words from dozens of languages:
| Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 雷 (kaminari) | Thunder |
| French | tonnerre | Thunder |
| Greek | βροντή (bronti) | Thunder |
| Hindi | गरज (garaj) | Thunder |
| Finnish | ukkonen | Thunder |
| Italian | tuono | Thunder |
| Portuguese | trovão | Thunder |
| Swedish | åska | Thunder |
| Danish | torden | Thunder |
| Irish | toirneach | Thunder |
Structural Function
Each thunderword marks a transition:
- Page 3: From prehistory to the Fall
- Page 23: From Finnegan to HCE
- Page 44: From private shame to public scandal
- Page 90: From accusation to trial
- Page 113: From trial to interpretation
- Page 257: From children's play to study
- Page 314: From domestic to public (the pub)
- Page 332: From local to historical (war)
- Page 414: From reality to fable
- Page 424: From waking to sleeping to waking again
Further Reading
| Title | Author | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| The Role of Thunder in Finnegans Wake | Eric McLuhan | Communications theory |
| Annotations to Finnegans Wake | Roland McHugh | Language breakdown |
| A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake | Campbell & Robinson | Vico interpretation |
See Also
- Structure — Vico's cyclical ages
- I.1: Finnegan's Fall — First thunderword context
- Joseph Campbell — Campbell on Vico
- Glossary — Wake vocabulary