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'''Giants''' were one of the mysterious [[Races]] of [[Middle-earth]], mentioned only fleetingly. They lived in the [[Misty Mountains]], and maybe the [[Ettenmoors]].
{{Disputedcanon}}
[[File:Angus McBride - Giants.jpg|frame|right|[[Angus McBride]] - ''Giants'']]
'''Giants''' were one of the mysterious [[:Portal:Characters|races]] of [[Middle-earth]], mentioned only fleetingly.


The only sign of [[Giants]] that is definite  happened during the [[Quest of Erebor]], when [[Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] were traveling through the [[Misty Mountains]].
==History==
Giants are beings shrouded in mystery. [[Gandalf|Gandalf the Grey]] was known for telling stories about [[dragons]] and [[Orcs|goblins]] and giants<ref>{{H|Party}}</ref> and [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] had heard of giants in tales,<ref>{{H|Riddles}}</ref> but none of these tales survive and the origin and history of the giants is obscure.<ref name="Giants">{{HH|IV}}, "(iii): The Giants", pp. 143-5</ref>


{{quote|across the valley the stone-giants were out, and were hurling rocks at one another for a game...|The Hobbit}}
A local legend among the [[Pre-Númenóreans|indigenous people]] of [[Gondor]] told of giants making the [[White Mountains]], to keep [[Men]] out of their lands by the [[Belegaer|Sea]]. One of them, [[Tarlang]], tripped, and broke his neck. The other giants did not clean up his body, which became incorporated in the land instead. The giant's neck became [[Tarlang's Neck]], his head [[Dol Tarlang]], and the stones he was carrying [[Cûl Veleg]] and [[Cûl Bîn]].<ref>{{HM|N}}, pp. 536-7</ref>


This could just be a figure of speech, for there was also a thunderstorm at the time, and that could have been causing the rocks to fall. [[Bilbo]] said that this was the act of [[Giants]]
The ''stone-giants'' lived in the Misty Mountains during the late [[Third Age]]. Upon coming, they drove out the majority of the [[bears]] that lived there.<ref>{{H|Queer}}</ref> They found a sport in throwing rocks at each other, and then into the depths below them to hear them shatter among the trees.<ref>{{H|Hill}}</ref>


That is fairly unlikely, though. The [[Dwarves]], [[Bilbo]], and even [[Gandalf]] act as if the [[Giants]] are real. [[Thorin Oakenshield]] is even worried about being picked up by one, and [[Gandalf]], the wisest one there, suggests that they find a friendly Giant to deal with the [[Goblin]] problem in the [[Misty Mountains]].
Presumably, not all giants were evil, as Gandalf hoped to convince a more or less decent giant to block the [[Front Porch]] to [[Goblin-town]] at the top of the [[High Pass]] in the [[Misty Mountains]].<ref>{{H|6}}</ref>


Giants don't appear anywhere else, not even in the massive battles of the [[Elder Days]] or the following [[War of the Ring]]. Also, their creation or nature is mentioned in the annals as of other creatures.
==Fandom==
==Possible origin==
Giants are notable for being definitely mentioned in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' as actual creatures of the mythological setting, yet appearing nowhere else among the creatures and races of [[Arda]], nor participating in any of the wars. The [[Valaquenta]] doesn't mention them, nor do they appear in the wars of the ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'', neither does [[Sauron]] use them in the [[War of the Ring]].
It is possible that the Giants of the Misty Mountains are some form of [[Ent]], Tolkien having derived the word Ent from the Anglo-Saxon for Giant. Ents are indeed described as something close to the common conception of a Giant (''"a large Man-like, almost Troll-like, figure, at least fourteen foot high, very sturdy, with a tall head, and hardly any neck."''). Their ability to tear rock "...like bread-crust." and hurl huge boulders is described by Tolkien when the Ents of [[Fangorn]] attack [[Isenguard]]. Individual Ents are also known to vary greatly among themselves, and some are said to be full of anger and hate.


Given these facts, it does not seem far-fetched that the reference to 'stone-giants' is analogous to 'stone-Ents': some group of [[Ents|Ent]] that has an affinity for, or is charged with the upkeep of, mountains rather than forests. The difference in terminology being similar to the interchangeable uses of ''[[goblin]]'' and ''[[orc]]''. That such a group would endanger travellers by throwing boulders fits with the detached attitude towards other inhabitants of Middle-earth Ents are known to have. However Gandalf's suggestion that they find a friendly Giant/Ent to help them reflects his knowledge that Ents are a fundamentally good race.
This led some [[Tolkienists]] to assume that giants are maybe a fleeting idea of Tolkien that perhaps should not be considered [[canon]]ical. [[Robert Foster]] comments that the ''stone-giants'' "may be no more serious than [[Golfimbul]]".<ref>{{HM|Guide}}, p. 366</ref>


Another possibility, given that mountain-dwelling [[Trolls]] are described by [[Treebeard]] as an evil mockery of Ents (as Orcs to Elves), the Giants of the Misty Mountains could be a mix between the two. As [[Saruman]] bred Men and Orcs, it is feasible that in an early experiment Saruman (who had dealings with the Ents of Fangorn) or an older power such as [[Angmar]] or [[Dol Guldur]] bred Ents and Trolls creating the Giants which remain in the Misty Mountains.
Other theories attempt to include the giants among the known races of Arda. For example they might be a large race of [[Men]] (like [[Hobbits]] are a small race of Men), or [[Trolls]], or simply "nature [[Spirit (disambiguation)|spirits]]" more or less like [[Tom Bombadil]].<ref>{{webcite|author=Steuard Jensen|website=Tolkien meta-FAQ|articlename=What were the giants?|articleurl=http://tolkien.slimy.com/faq/Creatures.html#Giants}}</ref>


[[Category:Races]]
==Other versions of the legendarium==
===Before ''The Hobbit''===
Giants originally had a larger part in the [[legendarium]]. In one early manuscript, the giants are counted among the [[úvanimo|Úvanimor]], servants of [[Morgoth|Melko]].<ref>{{LT1|X}}</ref> In another manuscript, the giants are counted among the [[Earthlings]], and are divided between the "wood-giants" ([[Qenya]] ''ulbandi'') and "mountainous-giants" (Qenya ''taulir'').<ref>{{PE|14}}, p. 9</ref> And in other early writings, two giants are named: [[Nan (Giant)|Nan]] (said to be like an [[Elms|Elm]]-tree) and [[Gilim]] (whose name is [[Gnomish]] for "winter").<ref>{{LB|C5}} (verse 1497)</ref><ref>{{LT2|I}}</ref>.
 
It is quite possible that their appearance in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' is a relic from this early phase of the legendarium. [[John D. Rateliff]] has argued that they might have become "free agents"; not wicked, but simply not aware of their surroundings.<ref name="Giants"/>
 
===Giants and Ents===
Giants were the wicked precursors of [[Ents]]. The elm-like features of the Giant Nan, and that in early versions of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' it was the Giant [[Treebeard]] who held [[Gandalf]] captive, not [[Saruman]],<ref>{{RS|3XXI}}</ref> makes the connection between Giants and Ents within [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s imagination clear.<ref name="Giants"/> "Ent" comes from an [[Old English]] word for "giant",<ref>{{RS|1XId}}</ref> seen at various points in ''[[Beowulf (poem)|Beowulf]]'', for example line 2717, ''enta geweorc'', "the work of giants".<ref>Howell D. Chickering, Jr., "Beowulf: A Dual Language Edition", pp. 212-3</ref>
 
==Inspiration==
In the ''[[The Return of the King|Return of the King]]'' it is noted that [[Minas Tirith]] "''seemed to have been not builded but carven by giants out of the bones of the earth''".<ref>{{RK|V1}}</ref> [[Wayne G. Hammond|Hammond]] and [[Christina Scull|Scull]] have suggested that this notion derives from [[Old English]] mythology, in which giants were often portrayed as builders of ancient structures.<ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. 514</ref>
 
==Other fiction==
A [[The Giant|giant]] troubles [[Farmer Giles]]' land, who chases him off with his blunderbuss.<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], ''[[Farmer Giles of Ham]]''</ref>
 
==Etymology==
An early [[Sundocarmë|root]] for "giant" is given as [[NOROTH]]. This yields [[Quenya]] ''[[norsa]]'',<ref name="NOROTH">{{LR|Etymologies}} (cf. [[Sundocarmë|Root]] ''[[NOROTH]]'')</ref> and ''Noroth'' (likely supposed to be a [[Noldorin]] word<ref>{{webcite|author=Roman Rausch|articleurl=http://sindanorie.lima-city.de/RS&TI&WR.htm|articlename=''Essekenta Endamarwa'' - Names from ''The Return of the Shadow'', ''The Treason of Isengard'' and ''The War of the Ring''|dated=23 December 2006|website=Sindanórie|accessed=8 October 2011}}</ref>). A discarded Quenya word was ''hanako'', from a root KHAN-AK.<ref>{{VT|45a}}, p. 21</ref>
 
==Portrayal in adaptations==
{{Gallery
|title=Giants in adaptations
|width=200
|height=200
|lines=3
|File:Nicholas Jainschigg - Thunder's Companion.jpg|''Thunder's Companion'' by Nicholas Jainschigg for [[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game|''MECCG'']]
 
|File:The Lord of the Rings - The Battle for Middle-earth II - Mountain Giant.jpg|Mountain giant in  ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II]]''
 
|File:The Lord of the Rings Online - Giant.jpg|A giant in  ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]''
 
|File:The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey - Stone Giants.jpg|A ''stone giant'' in  ''[[The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey]]''
|File:The Lord of the Rings - War in the North - Bargrisar.png|Bargrisar in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]''
}}
===Films===
'''2012: ''[[The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey]]'':'''
:''Stone-giants'' are seen throwing rocks and crashing into each other as [[Thorin and Company]] travel over the [[Misty Mountains]]. In the film, they are interpreted as literally being colossal stone entities.
 
===Games===
'''1982: ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]'':'''
:Several divisions and races of giants are described and given statistics, such as Stone Giants<ref>{{ICE|8070}}</ref>, Ice Giants<ref>{{ICE|2025}}</ref>, Giants of the Southern Misty Mountains<ref>{{ICE|3600}}</ref>, and Red Giants<ref>{{ICE|2012}}</ref>.
 
'''1995: ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]'':'''
:Giants, called ''Thunder's Companions'', are one of the Hazard Creatures.
 
'''2003: [[The Hobbit (2003 video game)|''The Hobbit'' (2003 video game)]]:'''
:Stone-giants are golem-like creatures that appear in the fourth level, hurling rocks at Bilbo as he tries to travel along a mountain path. They are completely made of stone, and their stones are dangerous.<ref>[[The Hobbit (2003 video game)|''The Hobbit'' (2003 video game)]], "Over Hill and Under Hill"</ref>
 
'''2006: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II]]'':'''
:"Mountain Giants" are large and powerful beings in the Goblin faction, with brown scaly skin. They can hurl stones at great distance, and serve as the faction's artillery units.
 
'''2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:Several tribes of giants appear in the game, including ''Stone-giants'', Ogres (also called Jorthkyn or Earth-kin), and Ice-giants. While some are enemy creatures, others remain neutral and can be befriended by the player.
 
'''2011: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]'':'''
:A renegade ''Stone-Giant'' named Bargrisar appears in the game, serving as a boss character. He is the leader of a small army of Orcs and Trolls. Similar to the portrayal in ''[[The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey]]'', he is a being composed entirely of stone.
 
===Other===
'''1989: [[The Hobbit (comic book)|''The Hobbit'' (comic book)]]:'''
:Giants are displayed as bearded gigantic men with regular leather attire.
 
==See also==
*[[:Category:Images of Giants|Images of Giants]]
*[[Ents]]
*[[Trolls]]
 
==External links==
 
*[http://middle-earth.xenite.org/2013/03/26/are-the-stone-giants-supposed-to-be-demons-like-the-balrog/ Are the Stone Giants Supposed to Be Demons like the Balrog?] by [[Michael Martinez]]
 
{{references}}
{{Legend}}
[[Category:Giants| ]]
[[de:Riesen]]
[[de:Riesen]]

Revision as of 04:42, 10 September 2017

Template:Disputedcanon

Angus McBride - Giants

Giants were one of the mysterious races of Middle-earth, mentioned only fleetingly.

History

Giants are beings shrouded in mystery. Gandalf the Grey was known for telling stories about dragons and goblins and giants[1] and Bilbo had heard of giants in tales,[2] but none of these tales survive and the origin and history of the giants is obscure.[3]

A local legend among the indigenous people of Gondor told of giants making the White Mountains, to keep Men out of their lands by the Sea. One of them, Tarlang, tripped, and broke his neck. The other giants did not clean up his body, which became incorporated in the land instead. The giant's neck became Tarlang's Neck, his head Dol Tarlang, and the stones he was carrying Cûl Veleg and Cûl Bîn.[4]

The stone-giants lived in the Misty Mountains during the late Third Age. Upon coming, they drove out the majority of the bears that lived there.[5] They found a sport in throwing rocks at each other, and then into the depths below them to hear them shatter among the trees.[6]

Presumably, not all giants were evil, as Gandalf hoped to convince a more or less decent giant to block the Front Porch to Goblin-town at the top of the High Pass in the Misty Mountains.[7]

Fandom

Giants are notable for being definitely mentioned in The Hobbit as actual creatures of the mythological setting, yet appearing nowhere else among the creatures and races of Arda, nor participating in any of the wars. The Valaquenta doesn't mention them, nor do they appear in the wars of the Quenta Silmarillion, neither does Sauron use them in the War of the Ring.

This led some Tolkienists to assume that giants are maybe a fleeting idea of Tolkien that perhaps should not be considered canonical. Robert Foster comments that the stone-giants "may be no more serious than Golfimbul".[8]

Other theories attempt to include the giants among the known races of Arda. For example they might be a large race of Men (like Hobbits are a small race of Men), or Trolls, or simply "nature spirits" more or less like Tom Bombadil.[9]

Other versions of the legendarium

Before The Hobbit

Giants originally had a larger part in the legendarium. In one early manuscript, the giants are counted among the Úvanimor, servants of Melko.[10] In another manuscript, the giants are counted among the Earthlings, and are divided between the "wood-giants" (Qenya ulbandi) and "mountainous-giants" (Qenya taulir).[11] And in other early writings, two giants are named: Nan (said to be like an Elm-tree) and Gilim (whose name is Gnomish for "winter").[12][13].

It is quite possible that their appearance in The Hobbit is a relic from this early phase of the legendarium. John D. Rateliff has argued that they might have become "free agents"; not wicked, but simply not aware of their surroundings.[3]

Giants and Ents

Giants were the wicked precursors of Ents. The elm-like features of the Giant Nan, and that in early versions of The Lord of the Rings it was the Giant Treebeard who held Gandalf captive, not Saruman,[14] makes the connection between Giants and Ents within J.R.R. Tolkien's imagination clear.[3] "Ent" comes from an Old English word for "giant",[15] seen at various points in Beowulf, for example line 2717, enta geweorc, "the work of giants".[16]

Inspiration

In the Return of the King it is noted that Minas Tirith "seemed to have been not builded but carven by giants out of the bones of the earth".[17] Hammond and Scull have suggested that this notion derives from Old English mythology, in which giants were often portrayed as builders of ancient structures.[18]

Other fiction

A giant troubles Farmer Giles' land, who chases him off with his blunderbuss.[19]

Etymology

An early root for "giant" is given as NOROTH. This yields Quenya norsa,[20] and Noroth (likely supposed to be a Noldorin word[21]). A discarded Quenya word was hanako, from a root KHAN-AK.[22]

Portrayal in adaptations

Giants in adaptations
Thunder's Companion by Nicholas Jainschigg for MECCG  
Mountain giant in The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II  
A giant in The Lord of the Rings Online  
A stone giant in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey  
Bargrisar in The Lord of the Rings: War in the North  

Films

2012: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey:

Stone-giants are seen throwing rocks and crashing into each other as Thorin and Company travel over the Misty Mountains. In the film, they are interpreted as literally being colossal stone entities.

Games

1982: Middle-earth Role Playing:

Several divisions and races of giants are described and given statistics, such as Stone Giants[23], Ice Giants[24], Giants of the Southern Misty Mountains[25], and Red Giants[26].

1995: Middle-earth Collectible Card Game:

Giants, called Thunder's Companions, are one of the Hazard Creatures.

2003: The Hobbit (2003 video game):

Stone-giants are golem-like creatures that appear in the fourth level, hurling rocks at Bilbo as he tries to travel along a mountain path. They are completely made of stone, and their stones are dangerous.[27]

2006: The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II:

"Mountain Giants" are large and powerful beings in the Goblin faction, with brown scaly skin. They can hurl stones at great distance, and serve as the faction's artillery units.

2007: The Lord of the Rings Online:

Several tribes of giants appear in the game, including Stone-giants, Ogres (also called Jorthkyn or Earth-kin), and Ice-giants. While some are enemy creatures, others remain neutral and can be befriended by the player.

2011: The Lord of the Rings: War in the North:

A renegade Stone-Giant named Bargrisar appears in the game, serving as a boss character. He is the leader of a small army of Orcs and Trolls. Similar to the portrayal in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, he is a being composed entirely of stone.

Other

1989: The Hobbit (comic book):

Giants are displayed as bearded gigantic men with regular leather attire.

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "An Unexpected Party"
  2. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "Riddles in the Dark"
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 J.R.R. Tolkien, John D. Rateliff (ed.), The History of The Hobbit, Mr. Baggins, The Second Phase, "Goblins", "(iii): The Giants", pp. 143-5
  4. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings" in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, pp. 536-7
  5. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "Queer Lodgings"
  6. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "Over Hill and Under Hill"
  7. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "Out of the Frying-Pan into the Fire"
  8. ↑ Robert Foster, The Complete Guide to Middle-earth, p. 366
  9. ↑ Steuard Jensen, "What were the giants?", Tolkien meta-FAQ (accessed 16 April 2024)
  10. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part One, "X. Gilfanon's Tale: The Travail of the Noldoli and the Coming of Mankind"
  11. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Early Qenya and The Valmaric Script", in Parma Eldalamberon XIV (edited by Carl F. Hostetter, Christopher Gilson, Arden R. Smith, Patrick H. Wynne, and Bill Welden), p. 9
  12. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lays of Beleriand, "III. The Lay of Leithian: Canto V (Lúthien's captivity in Doriath)" (verse 1497)
  13. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, "I. The Tale of Tinúviel"
  14. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Return of the Shadow, "The Third Phase (3): XXI. To Weathertop and Rivendell"
  15. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Return of the Shadow, "The First Phase: XI. From Weathertop to the Ford, Note on the Entish Lands"
  16. ↑ Howell D. Chickering, Jr., "Beowulf: A Dual Language Edition", pp. 212-3
  17. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "Minas Tirith"
  18. ↑ Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 514
  19. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Farmer Giles of Ham
  20. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies" (cf. Root NOROTH)
  21. ↑ Roman Rausch, "Essekenta Endamarwa - Names from The Return of the Shadow, The Treason of Isengard and The War of the Ring" dated 23 December 2006, Sindanórie (accessed 8 October 2011)
  22. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Addenda and Corrigenda to the Etymologies — Part One" (edited by Carl F. Hostetter and Patrick H. Wynne), in Vinyar Tengwar, Number 45, November 2003, p. 21
  23. ↑ Carl Willner (1985), Goblin-gate and Eagle's Eyrie (#8070)
  24. ↑ Randy Maxwell (1997), The Northern Waste (#2025)
  25. ↑ Randell E. Doty (1987), Dunland and the Southern Misty Mountains (#3600)
  26. ↑ Ruth Sochard Pitt, Jeff O'Hare, Peter C. Fenlon, Jr. (1994), Creatures of Middle-earth (2nd edition) (#2012)
  27. ↑ The Hobbit (2003 video game), "Over Hill and Under Hill"
Legendary races of Arda
 Animals:  Dumbledors · Gorcrows · Hummerhorns · Pards · Swans of Gorbelgod · Turtle-fish
Dragon-kind:  Sea-serpents · Spark-dragons · Were-worms
Evil Races:  Ettens · Giants · Half-trolls · Hobgoblins · Ogres · Snow-trolls · Two-headed Trolls
Other:  Badger-folk · Great beasts · Lintips · Mewlips · Nameless things · Spectres
Individuals:  Talking Gurthang · Talking purse · The Hunter · Lady of the Sun · Lonely Troll · Man in the Moon · The Rider · River-woman · Tarlang · Tim · Tom · White cow
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