Oliphaunt jrr tolkien biography

Fictional creature from works of J.R.R. Tolkien

In J. R. R. Tolkien's epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings, an oliphaunt (known in Harad and Gondor as a mûmak, plural: mûmakil)^[1] is a giant war elephant, 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.

Oliphaunt jrr tolkien biography amazon

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