Lintips

From Tolkien Gateway

Lintips were mysterious creatures only mentioned in verse. They appear at night under the moon; Tom wondered whether they slide down from the Moon, or come in star-winks. Apparently they are very small, and smell mousy.

Tom noticed them from their smell, one night they came too early; he told them to drink up the dew from the grass, but minding his feet. They just ran away and laughed at him to Tom's dismay who wished them to stay, leaving him complaining that they are the only things that won't talk to him, and wondered if they hide something.[1]

Inspiration[edit | edit source]

As in the case of the Mewlips, readers have "failed to identify a source of the 'lintips'".[2] Rhona Beare has suggested that the lintips correspond to the "gleaming spirits" that danced and sipped radiance from the buttercups, in Tolkien's earlier poem An Evening in Tavrobel, which was probably the basis of Once upon a Time.[3]

External links[edit | edit source]

References

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