Fictional species Middle-earth animals

1 fictional species

1.1 fictional flying species

1.1.1 crebain
1.1.2 elven-birds
1.1.3 fell beasts
1.1.4 great eagles
1.1.5 kirinki


1.2 other fictional species

1.2.1 great spiders
1.2.2 kine of araw
1.2.3 mearas
1.2.4 mûmakil
1.2.5 wargs

fictional species
fictional flying species
crebain

crebain (singular: craban) large species of crow inhabited land of dunland during third age. used servants , spies various evil powers, notably saruman. during war of ring, flock of crebain searched ring-bearer. crebain crows regular plural form of sindarin *craban crow, word (while unattested) seems have been adopted tolkien indo-european languages, particularly pre-germanic form *krabn-, whence proto-germanic *hrabnaz, descended both old high german hraban , english raven.

elven-birds

a species of song-birds native tol eressëa. birds mated life, , described grey, golden beaks , feet. pair of elven-birds gifted erendis on wedding aldarion, crown-prince of númenor. later dismissed birds when marriage broke down.

fell beasts

flying creatures used nazgûl steeds during later parts of war of ring. tolkien did not use phrase proper name them (it description; fell means fierce, awful, terrible ), absent other name, called fell beasts . tolkien describes 1 thus:

...if bird, greater other birds... ...neither quill nor feather did bear, , vast pinions webs of hide between horned fingers... creature of older world maybe was...

a few paragraphs later said attack beak , claw .

great eagles

a race of eagles of outstanding size, believed have been sent middle-earth , númenor manwë. tolkien proposed variously had been either maiar or highly intelligent animals.

kirinki

one of many species of birds found in númenor not known in middle-earth. kirinki said have been smaller wrens, scarlet feathers , piping voices on edge of human hearing .

other fictional species
great spiders

the hobbit describes colony of sapient , oversized spiders in northern parts of mirkwood @ end of third age. elves of thranduil s realm tried unsuccessfully exterminate them. during events of book, thorin s company of dwarves captured spiders , enmeshed in webs; however, bilbo baggins managed free them aid of sword sting , magic ring.

the lord of rings adds these spiders of brood of shelob, in turn child of ungoliant, , inhabited southern regions of mirkwood well. suggests spiders appeared after shadow fell on mirkwood around t.a. 1050.

kine of araw

white oxen lived near inland sea of rhûn, called men of gondor, associated them vala oromë or araw, huntsman of valar . vorondil hunter fashioned horn blowing 1 of these beasts, became heirloom of stewards of gondor. horn came boromir , cloven when fell during war of ring.

the kine of araw have been compared aurochs.

mearas

the mearas (singular mearh) breed of wild horses in north of middle-earth. lifespan similar of men , intelligence , strength extraordinary. surpass normal horses in same manner elves surpass men.

they descend felaróf, tamed first king of rohan, eorl young, , perhaps nahar, horse of vala oromë. ever since, have been mounts of king , princes of rohan alone. during war of ring, however, gandalf white s friendship shadowfax, lord of mearas, led shadowfax allowing gandalf ride him end of third age. king théoden s mount, snowmane, 1 of mearas.

mûmakil

mûmakil (singular: mûmak) animals harad resembling elephants. terms mûmak , mûmakil used men of gondor. hobbit folklore called these creatures oliphaunts.

the creatures described in 2 towers. samwise gamgee expresses desire see 1 , tells of hobbit-lore of being big house (see below). later, sam sees 1 big moving hill . employed beast of burden haradrim, mûmakil used in battle during wars of third age. in war of ring, used troops in ithilien , in battle of pelennor fields, war elephants of real world. in battle, carried tower-like structures (corresponding howdahs), bearing haradrim archers. known way kill 1 shoot in eye. real elephants, horses (other haradrim s own) refused go near them, making them effective against enemy cavalry. there mûmakil in rhûn.

oliphaunt title of short comic poem beast quoted hobbit samwise gamgee, based on traditional bestiary lore shire. poem appears in 2 towers , adventures of tom bombadil.

the word oliphaunt variant spelling of archaic word oliphant, used in literature denote elephant , ivory , elephant-tusk , musical horn made of elephant tusk , or musical instrument resembling such horn . famous use of term in literature outside tolkien in song of roland, wherein knight roland fails call @ battle of roncevaux using oliphant horn until late him , comrades. roland s horn echoed in lord of rings boromir s horn , counterposed helm s horn , horns of buckland.

in film version of 2 towers , return of king, mûmak shown giant elephant 2 tusks on upper jaw , 2 on lower jaw, whereof legs longer , head smaller in proportion body, of extant elephants, more long-legged, smaller-headed columbian mammoth; , mûmak s humped, akin indian elephant.

wargs

a species of wolves allied orcs. tolkien took name old norse word vargr (for wolf ). called hound of sauron , appear in lay of leithian, hobbit, , fellowship of ring. 2 later peter jackson film adaptations lord of rings trilogy had more hyena-like depictions of them, resembling extinct, heavier-bodied cenozoic hyaenodon in appearance.