Giants

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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.

History

Giants are beings shrouded in mystery. Their origins and history are obscure, but they lived in the Misty Mountains during the late Third Age. Upon coming, they drove out the majority of the bears that lived there.[1] They found a sport in throwing rocks at eachother, and then into the depths below them to hear them shatter trees.[2]

A local legend among the indiginous people of Gondor told of giants making the White Mountains, to keep Men out of their lands by the Sea. One of them, Stiff-neck, 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.[3]

Other versions of the Legendarium

Giants originally had a larger part in the legendarium. It is quite possible that their appearance in The Hobbit is a relic from those days. They were originally counted among the Úvanimor, servants of Melko,[4] but John D. Rateliff argued that they might have become "free agents"; not wicked, but simply not aware of their surroundings.[5] In the early writings, two giants are named: Nan and Gilim.[6][7] Gilim is Gnomish for "winter", and Nan was said to be like an Elm-tree.

The above makes the connection between Giants and Ents within Tolkien's imagination clear;[5] "Ent" comes from an Old English word for "giant",[8] seen at various points in Beowulf, for example line 2717, enta geweorc, "the work of giants".[9] Giants were the wicked precursors of Ents: it was the Giant Treebeard who held Gandalf captive, not Saruman, in early versions.[10]

Etymology

An early Root for "giant" is given as NOROTH. This yields Quenya norsa.[11] A discarded Quenya word was hanaco, from a root KHAN-AK.[12]

Other Fiction

A giant troubles Farmer Giles' land, who chases him off with his blunderbuss.[13]

Portrayal in adaptations

1989: The Hobbit (graphic novel):

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

2003: Sierra's The Hobbit:

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.[14]

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

"Mountain Giants" are large and powerful beings in the Goblin faction. They can hurl stones.

See Also

References

  1. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "Queer Lodgings"
  2. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "Over Hill and Under Hill"
  3. J.R.R. Tolkien, Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings, omitted entry quoted in Wayne G. Hammond, Christina Scull, The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, page 536-7
  4. 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"
  5. 5.0 5.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, John D. Rateliff (ed.), The History of The Hobbit, Mr. Baggins, "Goblins", "(iii): The Giants", page 143-5
  6. 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)
  7. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, "I. The Tale of Tinúviel"
  8. 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"
  9. Howell D. Chickering, Jr., "Beowulf: A Dual Language Edition", page 212-3
  10. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Return of the Shadow, "The Third Phase (3): XXI. To Weathertop and Rivendell"
  11. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies" (cf. Root NOROTH)
  12. 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 (pp. 3-39, esp. 21)
  13. J.R.R. Tolkien, Farmer Giles of Ham
  14. The Hobbit (2003 video game), "Over Hill and Under Hill"