Oliphaunt

Tolkien borrowed the term oliphaunt from Middle English, which in turn was a borrowing of Old French olifaunt. These terms meant an ordinary elephant. Tolkien stated in his guide for translators that the word was "used as a 'rusticism', on the supposition that rumour of the Southern beast would have reached the Shire long ago in the form of legend." == The Lord of the Rings ==

Narrative rim's mûmakil to Pyrrhus of Epirus's war elephants in his invasion of Ancient Rome. 1896 illustration by Helene Guerber. and then encountered twice. Sam and Frodo Baggins see one in Ithilien as they witness the ambush of a contingent from Harad by Faramir's men of Gondor. Tolkien implies that they are a larger (and now extinct) relative of the elephant. Classical and medieval sources Elizabeth Solopova and Stuart D. Lee argue that the Haradrim's mûmakil war elephants put their country far to the East, since only India and lands to its east went on using war elephants after classical times. Tolkien however mentioned Pyrrhus of Epirus's use of war elephants against Ancient Rome in 280–275 BC in his notes for the illustrator Pauline Baynes. Christian perspective Kathleen O'Neill, in Cistercian Studies Quarterly, writes that while Sam is "open to wonder" and excited about the possibility of seeing an oliphaunt, Gollum's fearful mind is "so utterly closed to the goodness of what is as to will away its very existence". In O'Neill's view, God "quickly" rewards Sam with the terrifying view of an out-of-control oliphaunt, giving him "lasting delight" and gratitude. She adds that this capacity for seeing the good even in dark moments comes to his aid in Mordor, when he sees a white star, knows its beauty, and realises that "the Shadow was only a small and passing thing". == Poems ==

Playful depiction Before seeing the oliphaunt, Sam recites a poem of Shire-lore, to explain to Gollum what one is. It begins: Modern work in bestiary tradition . Harley 3244, folio 39, after 1236 Tolkien had published a different John D. Rateliff notes that Tolkien stated that when he read a medieval work, he wanted to write a modern one in the same tradition. == In film ==

'', with curved tusks and elongated skull, which Peter Jackson's oliphaunts somewhat resemble The 1980 Rankin/Bass animated version of The Return of the King portrayed oliphaunts as resembling woolly mammoths. In Peter Jackson's film The Two Towers, the Haradrim appear Middle Eastern, with turbans, flowing robes, and riding mûmakil. The beasts, constructed in CGI animation, differ markedly from Tolkien's account; Kristine Larsen describes his treatment of the oliphaunt as taking "artistic liberties" on the "visual aspects". They have two pairs of tusks, one being curved upwards, and a third small pair from the cheekbones; their skull shape resembles Gomphotherium. 's 2002 film The Two Towers Jackson's depiction was criticised in Mythprint for being "too much just visual quotes from [the 1988 fantasy film] Willow." Janet Brennan Croft writes that Jackson's invention of a battle between the Elf Legolas and a mûmak unnecessarily distracts attention from Éowyn's far more important fight with the Witch-king. Maureen Thum on the other hand argues that while, as Jackson admits, his films offer "only a relatively shallow rendering" of the book, details like Éowyn's invented attack on the mûmakil – galloping beneath them with two swords raised – usefully gives a picture of the lady of Rohan as "a strong able warrior", preparing the viewer for the final showdown with the Witch-king. An oliphaunt in the 2024 anime film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim succeeds, according to Polygon, in "mak[ing] oliphaunts terrifying again". == Notes ==