Oliphaunt
Sign in to saveIn J. R. R. Tolkien's epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings, an oliphaunt (known in Gondor as a mûmak, plural: mûmakil) is a giant elephant-like beast. They are encountered only as war elephants used by the army of the Haradrim. Tolkien borrowed the word from Middle English to give a rustic feeling to Sam Gamgee's speech. The beasts are first mentioned by Sam as he explains to Gollum what an oliphaunt is; he hopes to see one. His wish is fulfilled as he witnesses Faramir's ambush of a contingent from Harad in Ithilien. Several mûmakil take part in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
Article
14 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- ''The Lord of the Rings''
- Narrative
- Classical and medieval sources
- Christian perspective
- Poems
- Playful depiction
- Modern work in bestiary tradition
- In film
- Notes
- References
- Primary
- Secondary
- Sources
In J. R. R. Tolkien's epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings, an oliphaunt (known in Gondor as a mûmak, plural: mûmakil) is a giant elephant-like beast. They are encountered only as war elephants used by the army of the Haradrim. Tolkien borrowed the word from Middle English to give a rustic feeling to Sam Gamgee's speech. The beasts are first mentioned by Sam as he explains to Gollum what an oliphaunt is; he hopes to see one. His wish is fulfilled as he witnesses Faramir's ambush of a contingent from Harad in Ithilien. Several mûmakil take part in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
Tolkien wrote two "Oliphaunt" poems, one a playfully childlike rhyme recited by Sam in The Lord of the Rings, the other a humorous poem in the medieval bestiary tradition mocking the excessive use of allegory in Middle English verse. Scholars have analysed Tolkien's sources for his oliphaunts, noting the Old English account in the Homily on the Maccabees and his mention of Pyrrhus of Epirus's use of war elephants against Ancient Rome.