Giants & Stone-Giants of Middle Earth | Tolkien Explained

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  • Опубліковано 23 вер 2024
  • The existence of giants may be debatable in Middle-earth, but Tolkien's use of them in his early legendarium is very real. Today, we explore the appearances and references of giants (and stone-giants) in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and also dive into Tolkien's abandoned writings.
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    Giants - Angus McBride
    Giant - BFME2
    Bargrisar - War in the North
    Giant - The White Council
    Tarlang - Ralph Damiani
    Cave Troll - John Howe
    dwarf king - artigas
    Giant - BFME2
    Giant - BFME2
    Forest edge - Felix Englund
    Into the Lone-lands - Alan Lee
    Riddles In The Dark - John Howe
    A Thunderstorm in the Mountains - Matěj Čadil
    Nearing the Secret Door - Alan Lee
    Hobbit & horse - Catherine Karina Chmiel
    Giant 4 - BFME2
    Forest Creek - Felix Englund
    An Unexpected Party - Alan Lee
    Bilbo closeup - Kinko White
    Bilbo - Kinko White
    Misty Mountains - Steve Airola
    Misty Mountains - Painted Dragon
    Dark valley - Felix Englund
    Bilbo returning home - Daniel Dougherty
    Bilbo- Elrodimus Flash
    Bilbo at his desk - Abe Papakhian
    Beorn's Hall - J.R.R. Tolkien
    At Beorns Hall - Ted Nasmith
    gandalf - John Howe
    Beorn - Anke Eißmann
    Gandalf - Skullb*st*rd
    Giant 6 - BFME2
    Giant 5 - BFME2
    Riddles in the Dark - Alan Lee
    Riddles in the Dark - Daniel Govar
    I am Gandalf - Abe Papakhian
    Hillmen and Wolfdogs - Jan Pospíšil
    Giant 7 - BFME2
    men at pool - Turner Mohan
    Minas Tirith - Alan Lee
    Mindolluin - Alan Lee
    Minas Tirith - Aronja Art
    Minas Tirith - Kinko White
    mountainside lake - Felix Englund
    Beren and Luthien - Ralph Damiani
    thingol and luthien - steamey
    Luthien - Sara M. Morello
    Lúthien Tinúviel - Alan Lee
    Luthien Dancing in the Moonlight - Anna Kulisz
    The Choice of Luthien - Jenny Dolfen
    Luthien - Jenny Dolfen
    Luthien Tinuviel - Jenny Dolfen
    Luthien Tinuviel - Janka Latečková
    Lúthien Reveals Herself to Celegorm - Ted Nasmith
    Luthien Tinuviel - Antti Autio
    Luthien Tinuviel - Šárka Škorpíková
    Luthien Tinuviel - Daniel Dougherty
    Luthien of Doriath - Marya Filatova
    Lúthien at Tol Galen - Ted Nasmith
    Lúthien prepares her escape from Hírilorn - Anke Eißmann
    Lúthien Escapes Upon Huan - Ted Nasmith
    Bilbo and trolls - Elrodimus Flash
    Forest farm - Felix Englund
    Troll - JG Jones
    Fantasy landscape - Felix Englund
    snow trolls - Turner Mohan
    Misty Mountains - Felix Englund
    Gandalf - Jenny Dolfen
    #lordoftherings #giants #tolkien

КОМЕНТАРІ • 371

  • @Holammer
    @Holammer 5 місяців тому +295

    Sweden is littered with large boulders or 'Glacial erratics' left by the Ice Age and they are known as "jättekast" (lit: giant throw).
    In folklore, people believed Giants got annoyed by the piercing sound of church bells so they threw boulders in an attempt to silence them.

    • @SvengelskaBlondie
      @SvengelskaBlondie 4 місяці тому +24

      A local folk tale from my parts of Sweden talk about the GIant "Visst" and how he created the island known as Visingsö. He wanted to cross the lake Vättern and meet up with his love interest. There's a wooden statue of him that's next to one of the roads that go through Huskvarna, the Ica Maxi in Jönköping also have some artwork in their entrance of the giant Visst.

    • @k-la-k6828
      @k-la-k6828 4 місяці тому

      Grendel?

    • @mokarokas-1727
      @mokarokas-1727 4 місяці тому +6

      @LordofFireBlood Yes, giants have been around in Nordic myth and folklore since the Vikings and most likely before.

    • @mokarokas-1727
      @mokarokas-1727 4 місяці тому +6

      @LordofFireBlood In some parts maybe, but this folklore existed alongside Christianity rather than as part of it. People won't stop telling stories just because the official religion of the state changes.

    • @tarminas6805
      @tarminas6805 4 місяці тому +5

      The Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland was, of course created by a thunder battle between two giants hurling rocks at each other from the Irish and Scottish coasts.

  • @ArawnsFire
    @ArawnsFire 5 місяців тому +155

    Like Vampires and Werewolves, giants were part of Arda’s ancient past. Giants while rare by the Third Age were indeed part of Middle-Earth.

    • @cojanemanuel8319
      @cojanemanuel8319 4 місяці тому +3

      Vampires and werewolves are present in middle earth?😮😮

    • @fant2sy
      @fant2sy 4 місяці тому +14

      @@cojanemanuel8319 both created by sauron in the yt and 1st ages

    • @gomongio
      @gomongio 3 місяці тому +4

      @@cojanemanuel8319During the Quest for the Silmaril undertaken by Beren and Lúthien, during which Finrod Felagund King of Nargothrond fell in Tol-in-Gaurhoth (lit. “Isle of Werewolves”). This place used to be known as Tol Sirion, where Minas Tirith was built by Felagund to guard the Pass of Sirion. In the Dagor Bragollach Sauron captured the tower and inhabited it himself along with Thuringwethil, a vampire servant of the second Dark Lord, and their minions.

  • @RobbyBurney
    @RobbyBurney 5 місяців тому +144

    The art he used for the giants is (mostly) from battle from middle earth game series. One of the better RTS games

    • @themole4369
      @themole4369 5 місяців тому +15

      I hate the giants in that game. Their range and destructiveness as pieces of siege equipment is insane. I've lost so many battles against AI goblins simply because of the giants.

    • @AdDewaard-hu3xk
      @AdDewaard-hu3xk 4 місяці тому +1

      Cart before the horse.

    • @marcekessen8003
      @marcekessen8003 4 місяці тому +2

      I loved that game

    • @bruceyuchuanyu
      @bruceyuchuanyu 3 місяці тому +1

      @@themole4369they are indeed so broken, even more so than their equivalent ents

  • @SvengelskaBlondie
    @SvengelskaBlondie 4 місяці тому +57

    Here in Sweden, some of our church bells used to have rune inscriptions on them. One of the reasons was that it was meant to "chase away witches and giants" when the church bells rang. Sadly, allot of church bells where lost when some of our kings chose to repurpose them into cannons, I think there's a few still left that are several hundreds of years old (some are quite big, the biggest weighing in at a few tons).
    From a quick check, the oldest church bells we have where found outside of Uppsala in a field that was being plowed, it came from the 12th century. That church bell is on display at the Swedish History Museum. The oldest in current use is found at Ödskölts kyrka i Dalsland, it also came from the 12th century (roughly the middle of the 12th century). The oldest one with rune inscriptions came from the 13th century, it was found at Saleby kyrka i Saleby, This church bell was made in 1228.

    • @SvengelskaBlondie
      @SvengelskaBlondie 4 місяці тому +1

      @LordofFireBlood Norse runes, at least the older one's are.

    • @SvengelskaBlondie
      @SvengelskaBlondie 4 місяці тому

      @LordofFireBlood just do an internet search for "kyrkklockor runor" and you will get quite a few answers.
      "Åtta medeltida kyrkklockor berättar spännande historier. En del är fyllda med teckningar av sedelärande fabler, andra med skyddande runor, en tredje med ryska kyrilliska tecken - ett krigsbyte från Ryssland. Klangen från kyrkklockorna blev det tydligaste utrycket för skiftet mellan asatro och kristendomen."

    • @SvengelskaBlondie
      @SvengelskaBlondie 4 місяці тому

      @LordofFireBlood if you look for "kyrkklockor runor", will give you lots of answers.

  • @juanchoguerrero9143
    @juanchoguerrero9143 5 місяців тому +288

    This isn’t a thunderstorm it’s a thunder battle

    • @Hi-fd4cw
      @Hi-fd4cw 5 місяців тому +15

      Has real “that’s no moon” energy to it

    • @clancyjames585
      @clancyjames585 4 місяці тому +5

      It's a special thunder operation...

    • @bifrostbeberast3246
      @bifrostbeberast3246 3 місяці тому +3

      Galadriel in some fan-fic crap TV show: "There is a tempest in me!"

    • @charlesgibson4906
      @charlesgibson4906 2 місяці тому

      @@clancyjames585 A quick three-day special thunder operation

  • @WooogaTooga
    @WooogaTooga 4 місяці тому +93

    It's worth mentioning too that Treebeard was originally "Treebeard the Giant" before Tolkien settled on the Ents. So it would seem that giants are predecessors to Ents in some way in Tolkien's imagination.

    • @peterjay3257
      @peterjay3257 4 місяці тому +27

      Enta is Anglo-Saxon for giant.

    • @WooogaTooga
      @WooogaTooga 4 місяці тому +9

      @@peterjay3257 exactly

    • @FlorentPlacide
      @FlorentPlacide 4 місяці тому +5

      This is quite pertinent ! When one describes what giants can and could do Ents come to mind as they can do it all (and the did)

    • @TijmenHatesads
      @TijmenHatesads 4 місяці тому +1

      >In that case a stone giant made out of stone isn't that far off a wood giant made out of wood.
      >???
      >The Hobbit is canon?

    • @WooogaTooga
      @WooogaTooga 4 місяці тому +2

      @TijmenHatesads The stone giants are only made of stone in the Jackson film. Tolkien doesn't describe the giants outside of them being large

  • @Alduinswall
    @Alduinswall 5 місяців тому +26

    Giants are one of my favourte races in middle earth and fantasy at that matter, im glad someone finally mentioned them

    • @bifrostbeberast3246
      @bifrostbeberast3246 3 місяці тому

      There is a new Giant game that you would love. You play a giant and have to stomp hordes of humans that try to capture you. It's pretty fun.

    • @Alduinswall
      @Alduinswall 3 місяці тому

      Whats it called

    • @bifrostbeberast3246
      @bifrostbeberast3246 3 місяці тому +1

      @@Alduinswall Giants Uprising

    • @bifrostbeberast3246
      @bifrostbeberast3246 3 місяці тому

      @@Alduinswall Giants Uprising

  • @saintskutt
    @saintskutt 4 місяці тому +12

    It's worth noting that Torin also mentions the giants in "The Hobbit" during the thunderstorm in the mountains: "This won’t do at all!” said Thorin. “If we don’t get blown off, or
    drowned, or struck by lightning, we shall be picked up by some giant and
    kicked sky-high for a football.” “Well, if you know of anywhere better, take us there!” said Gandalf,
    who was feeling very grumpy, and was far from happy about the giants
    himself." Love your videos.

  • @DrForrester87
    @DrForrester87 5 місяців тому +28

    Aw yeah, more Nerd of the Rings!

  • @justindurfee9375
    @justindurfee9375 5 місяців тому +31

    The poem about Luthien's hair sounds like a stylization of the story of Rapunzel altered to fit in the tales and histories of Middle-earth. No doubt Tolkien would have taken as much inspiration from such children's stories as he did from Norse, Greek and Old Englinsh mythologies.

    • @valentinkambushev4968
      @valentinkambushev4968 4 місяці тому +6

      There are also seven houses of dwarves, just like Snow White has seven dwarves. That's too much of a coincidence.

    • @justindurfee9375
      @justindurfee9375 4 місяці тому +3

      @@valentinkambushev4968 Very true.

    • @rcrawford42
      @rcrawford42 4 місяці тому +5

      Seven pops up in lots of legends; one of the "mystic" numbers.

    • @Lodrik18
      @Lodrik18 3 місяці тому

      There is no english mytholgy, Tolkien wanted to create this with Middle Earth (that has already been mentioned on this channel).

    • @justindurfee9375
      @justindurfee9375 3 місяці тому

      @@Lodrik18 FYI, Old English is a mixture of cultures whose mythologies combines to form the basis of what became Anglican history. Specifically, Old English refers to early medieval Danish culture (485 - 850 AD).

  • @michaelwilliams949
    @michaelwilliams949 4 місяці тому +22

    He may have been a professor but he remained as a boy at heart. He loved filling stories with dragons, but he clearly knew that a mythology simply wouldn't be complete without giants.

    • @ColoradoStreaming
      @ColoradoStreaming 2 місяці тому +1

      He was also inspired by Norse mythology which has a lot of rock and frost giants in many of the stories.

    • @kirbyculp3449
      @kirbyculp3449 7 днів тому +1

      Watch the norwegian movie Troll Hunter!!

  • @DagorBragollach
    @DagorBragollach 4 місяці тому +18

    fun to think that even to those in Middle Earth, there was some mysterious creatures partially shrouded in legend.

  • @VGGPTA
    @VGGPTA 5 місяців тому +10

    Weirdest thing is that yesterday I looked for a video on the stone giant couldn’t find a single one but then today you come out with one crazy coincidence

  • @CartoonHero1986
    @CartoonHero1986 5 місяців тому +80

    Don't forget Tolkien was writing these stories and legends of Middle Earth pre Plate Tectonics. So a lot of even Developed and Educated Cultures still had folklore as to how geological structures like Mountains and rift valleys formed. He was likely just borrowing something that existed in old local folklore that was already obscure but would hold preconceived lore from other sources in the Anglo Saxon/Celtic/Welsh/Pict/Manx etc history of the Islands.

    • @daarom3472
      @daarom3472 5 місяців тому +10

      not pre, but there was scientific debate about it during his lifetime that stopped in the 60ies after it was definitively settled.

    • @Cyballistic
      @Cyballistic 5 місяців тому +5

      Giants makes more sense

    • @FinrodFelagundTheFair
      @FinrodFelagundTheFair 4 місяці тому +1

      And you are completely right, mellon nin. People tend to forget that Prof. Tolkien was a linguist well before he wrote anything resembling the Legendarium. They also forget that he is the reason we even have Beowulf or the Saga of Kurumo(?) From Icelandic myths.
      In those sagas, the heroes or lack thereof in Kuromo's case(as he was a huge inspiration for the Children of Hurin. Particularly Turin himself.) Face off against giants. And Beowulf did so twice. So, it isn't too farfetched to believe that at some point that Prof. Tolkien wanted the giants in his Legendarium. And just like in the sagas, the giants are there, but in the times of the heroes and the reader, it is but speculation.
      I hope that spreads some light on the issue of giants in the Legendarium. Ultimately I believe that Tolkien took inspiration from the sagas he translated and left them as something that was debated in his universe as well.

    • @JenMaxon
      @JenMaxon 4 місяці тому +1

      @@FinrodFelagundTheFair Except Beowolf was first translated some time in the 18th century, I think - and there have been a good number of translations since then. Or is that not what you meant?

    • @FinrodFelagundTheFair
      @FinrodFelagundTheFair 4 місяці тому +4

      @JenMaxon Pardon me, I meant that as far as Beowulf, it was his translation that made widespread distribution, and Prof. Tolkien was the first to translate the Icelandic sagas. I apologize for the lack of clarity on my part and the use of a blanket statement due to laziness.
      Kemeble first translated the Epic in 1837. But, he fumbled the translation. Changing too much, thus changing the context of the poem overall.
      Tolkien's version stays closer to the details and rhythm of the original and extremely close to the original sense of the poem, which has been attributed to Tolkien's scholarly knowledge of Old English, whereas Heaney, on the other hand, succeeded in producing a translation better suited for the modern reader.
      I appreciate you calling me out on my own laziness mellon nin. Due to that, I was given the opportunity to clean it up and clarify the information I had given. I faer nîn linna nan glass, mellon nin.

  • @newworldastrology1102
    @newworldastrology1102 4 місяці тому +16

    C S Lewis friend of Tolkien, also had stone-throwing giants,
    in The Silver Chair, part of the Chronicles of Narnia/

  • @jsimeoneafc2370
    @jsimeoneafc2370 5 місяців тому +31

    Have you thought of making a theory video if Boromir claimed the One Ring?

    • @ScooterDoge
      @ScooterDoge 4 місяці тому +1

      He goes invis, takes it to Gondor, saurons forces invade Gondor, game over. There, I saved you some time.

    • @gondorianslayer4250
      @gondorianslayer4250 4 місяці тому +1

      It's not that simple, he gets corrupted.

    • @Gongall
      @Gongall 3 місяці тому

      @@ScooterDoge I think you may have missed a big point. The one ring WOULD actually confer power to the one who wanted to use it for that means. When Frodo asks Galadriel why the ring hasn't given him any power, she says its because he hasn't attempted to use it against others. Boromir could probably have used it to defeat sauron's armies (the nazgul would serve the ring most likely too), but Sauron would always remain while the ring did.

  • @TheHoneyBadger-yh5vj
    @TheHoneyBadger-yh5vj 5 місяців тому +13

    May God bless you and your work sir 💙💙💙 deep respect for your work and passionate narration from Croatia Europe 😇😇😇

  • @metzdupcounselor
    @metzdupcounselor 2 місяці тому +2

    I love that a brilliant man wrote on behalf of a mythical character writing about witnessing and discussing other mythical characters throwing stones, guffawing, and having lightning battles.
    A legend made legends within legends.

  • @BasedDad
    @BasedDad 5 місяців тому +13

    I am glad they added the stone giants to the Hobbit film trilogy. Good stuff.

    • @t.kersten7695
      @t.kersten7695 5 місяців тому +3

      but a bit pointless because it didn´t lead to anything. but at least it had some great visuals.

    • @bighand1530
      @bighand1530 4 місяці тому

      Same.

    • @oldylad
      @oldylad 2 місяці тому

      @@t.kersten7695if that was pointless then so is everything else included that was mentioned in the book

  • @nunyabidness-y2r
    @nunyabidness-y2r 4 місяці тому +5

    Ya know NotR, I have appreciated your content so much over the last year since I discovered your channel. Your research, thoughtful explanations, and presentation of possibilities is very entertaining and thought provoking. You recent award is well deserved! As a matter of fact, your channel is one of only two that I watch the ads all the way through IOT help your channel out. Keep up the good work!

  • @soniaromero11
    @soniaromero11 5 місяців тому +23

    Yes giants are ancient , I like this post, thank you.

  • @FinrodFelagundTheFair
    @FinrodFelagundTheFair 4 місяці тому +8

    People tend to forget that Prof. Tolkien was a linguist well before he wrote anything resembling the Legendarium. They also forget that he is the reason we even have Beowulf or the Saga of Kurumo(?) From Icelandic myths.
    In those sagas, the heroes or lack thereof in Kuromo's case(as he was a huge inspiration for the Children of Hurin. Particularly Turin himself.) Face off against giants. And Beowulf did so twice. So, it isn't too farfetched to believe that at some point that Prof. Tolkien wanted the giants in his Legendarium. And just like in the sagas, the giants are there, but in the times of the heroes and the reader, it is but speculation.
    I hope that spreads some light on the issue of giants in the Legendarium. Ultimately I believe that Tolkien took inspiration from the sagas he translated and left them as something that was debated in his universe as well.
    Note: Copy and pasted from my reply to another comment.

  • @colinbaldwin313
    @colinbaldwin313 5 місяців тому +19

    If giants were simply overgrown Men, shouldn't they have created cities and kingdoms as grand as Gondor and Minas Tirith - grander, in fact, because they'd have to be built to scale for these enormous people? I guess they seem more akin to trolls because they appear to fulfill a similar role: living in wild and dangerous places, popping up on one's adventures. If they were really Men, one would expect them to leave a greater impact on the world of Middle-Earth.

    • @danielloewen2857
      @danielloewen2857 4 місяці тому +5

      I guess they were so big they didn't feel the need for proper shelter? Idk man they throw rocks for fun

    • @colinbaldwin313
      @colinbaldwin313 4 місяці тому

      @@danielloewen2857 Again, that doesn't sound very Mannish to me.

    • @The_Tradie_Trainer
      @The_Tradie_Trainer 4 місяці тому +5

      There are still men to this day that live without cities or kingdoms, having done so 1000s of years.

    • @colinbaldwin313
      @colinbaldwin313 4 місяці тому +2

      @@The_Tradie_Trainer Should we then assume that the Giants are essentially enormous Wild Men, equivalent to the Dunlendings and Druedain?

    • @The_Tradie_Trainer
      @The_Tradie_Trainer 4 місяці тому +3

      @@colinbaldwin313 idk about you but I’m not assuming anything of the sort.

  • @andrewthielmann5342
    @andrewthielmann5342 4 місяці тому +2

    One of my favorite aspects of War in the North (which is a criminally underrated game, despite it's flaws) was that one of the boss battles is a Stone Giant.

  • @kylelavelle8082
    @kylelavelle8082 5 місяців тому +4

    Interesting!! Thanks again Nerds of the Rings for the Incredible productions.
    💥💥💪😎⚔️💥💥

  • @bdonaghu
    @bdonaghu 5 місяців тому +13

    You have not fully watched the video until you hear the "...and Debbie"

  • @ASu-yw3tf
    @ASu-yw3tf 4 місяці тому +1

    I’m a big fan of “The Lord of the Rings” books and I LOVE your videos. I’ve learned a lot from them.

  • @aaronmillam9838
    @aaronmillam9838 4 місяці тому

    You're in depth search through Tolkiens notes is always incredible and helps me learn so much 🎉
    If I had could make a small suggestion: maybe cut some of Luthiens poem as most of the latter half doesn't cover giants?
    I loved your reading of it, though. Got the cadence just right 🤌

  • @lilgrublet
    @lilgrublet 4 місяці тому +1

    Thank you for this video. One of my favorite of the more obscure parts of the Professor's Legendarium.

  • @jonahblood-et8wv
    @jonahblood-et8wv 5 місяців тому +4

    Just want to comment so I'm reminded of this later. I love your videos and you're a great storyteller.

  • @3mmdm32
    @3mmdm32 4 місяці тому +25

    I believe Gandalf said He would need to find a friendly Giant to block the tunnel.

    • @w.martin2108
      @w.martin2108 4 місяці тому +6

      He mentions that in the video

  • @perskarva123
    @perskarva123 4 місяці тому +22

    Please for the love of the Valar make a LOTR audio book! I love your voice acting fr.

    • @LozPlaya
      @LozPlaya 4 місяці тому

      He can't. that would violate copyright laws, unless he gets a license.

    • @jayyrod1
      @jayyrod1 3 місяці тому +1

      I like Andy Serkis reading. It's wonderfully done.

    • @JV-ll1cu
      @JV-ll1cu 2 місяці тому

      Mitä suotta. Hyvin luettu löytyy jo englanniks

  • @jasonsinn9237
    @jasonsinn9237 4 місяці тому +1

    Hey Matt, have you considered doing a video about the Drúedain? I'm reading Unfinished Tales for the first time and was really surprised to discover how interesting they were despite having very little officially written about them. I would also be interested in hearing some of your theories about them.

  • @EinsteinInTraining938
    @EinsteinInTraining938 4 місяці тому +19

    Has frodo ever worn wigs

    • @MerkhVision
      @MerkhVision 4 місяці тому +4

      What kind of question is that lmao

    • @kocayine4854
      @kocayine4854 3 місяці тому +1

      @@MerkhVision It's from an interview with Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan ( IIRC ) would impersonate a random interviewer and ask him if he wore wigs and some other nonsense questions {':

    • @ColoradoStreaming
      @ColoradoStreaming 2 місяці тому +1

      According to Amazon Sauron definitely did.

  • @witext
    @witext 4 місяці тому +2

    In old Norse mythology, the mountains came from giants dying & turning to stone, as people thought mountains looked like people lying down
    Because of this, in Norway, there’s a particularly mountainous region called “jøtunheim” or giantshome which is also the name of one of the places in midgård

    • @bighand1530
      @bighand1530 4 місяці тому +1

      I prefer Middle Earth over Norse Mythology.

  • @adpirtle
    @adpirtle 5 місяців тому +9

    I think it's interesting how he slowly moved away from the concept, until you get to TLotR, when they are eventually replaced entirely,. Personally, I think Ents feel better suited to this world.

    • @jaroslavpesek6642
      @jaroslavpesek6642 4 місяці тому +2

      Ents are wood giants. The name ent even means giant.

  • @robertsimpson7424
    @robertsimpson7424 4 місяці тому +1

    Always loved giant lore, even better from Tolkien.

    • @bighand1530
      @bighand1530 4 місяці тому +1

      Genesis 6 talks about giants too.

  • @captivatednightshade1432
    @captivatednightshade1432 5 місяців тому +3

    Great video, Matt! ❤

  • @davepowder4020
    @davepowder4020 4 місяці тому +2

    And now I know where the names in Western Gondor in LOTRO come from. I didn't expect that! Tarlang indeed! 😃

  • @annaroselarsen4218
    @annaroselarsen4218 4 місяці тому +17

    Yes I love this!

  • @mattpburgess
    @mattpburgess 4 місяці тому +2

    I love the idea that a fantasy world might have it's own fanciful myths and legends; that maybe giants don't exist, but they are referred to as if they do (in a similar way to which people refer to Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster).

  • @LongThom422
    @LongThom422 4 місяці тому +1

    Yesssss! This is what we've been waiting for!!

  • @stormstrider1990
    @stormstrider1990 4 місяці тому +2

    In the game Battle for Middle Earth 2, the mountain giants are giant siege monsters of the Goblin faction, similar to the Mumakil of the Mordor faction, matching Tolkien's initial idea of the giants as servants of Morgoth. To me personally, the way the Hobbit describes the giants as a force of nature, and the stories of men and hobbits you described, gives me the impression they were ancient creatures of Arda's past. They might have been numerous once, but dwindled overtime, until only a small number remained in the mountains of Middle Earth. They're nether good not evil. They answer to no Dark Lord, nor do they answer the call of aid of anyone else.

  • @Bill-uf1sj
    @Bill-uf1sj 4 місяці тому +1

    In this video,the author discusses how when 2 Thunderstorms meet. 1 summer when my kids were alot younger,we went on vacation in Maine.We knew some people that rented a cottage.Being on a lake it was great,1 night there were 2t-storms at the other end of the lake,what a display!We weren’t getting any rain but the lightning and thunder from the storms echoed to our end of the lake.I had never seen anything like that before,I sat on the short dock,maybe 15 feet long in a chair and watched in fascination as the lightning battled and thunder boomed!

  • @ManthonyHiggs
    @ManthonyHiggs 4 місяці тому +2

    throwing a big rock around and smashing trees has got to be pretty fun

  • @TarMody
    @TarMody 4 місяці тому +1

    I believe the stone giants of the Misty Mountains may be related to Melkor. As is known from lore, these mountains are a geographical feature raised by Melkor in order to stop the advance of Vala Oromë. A reflection of Melkor's will spread over Arda. Beings incarnated from this will can be described as giants. This theory also explains their malevolent characteristic. Although they do not have a physical existence, this will may also be the cause of the hallucination in Bilbo's mind.

  • @valentinkambushev4968
    @valentinkambushev4968 5 місяців тому +432

    When haters realize the stone giants weren't just made-up for the Hobbit trilogy.

    • @TheGeneralGrievous19
      @TheGeneralGrievous19 5 місяців тому +13

      Didn't You read The Hobbit?

    • @valentinkambushev4968
      @valentinkambushev4968 5 місяців тому +59

      @@TheGeneralGrievous19 Yes, I have. I am just talking about the people who haven't.

    • @madjimjaspers7603
      @madjimjaspers7603 5 місяців тому +11

      When you have lotta big rocks in your backyard. 🪨

    • @KororaPenguin
      @KororaPenguin 5 місяців тому +8

      And I wonder if that scene in the _Hobbit_ book would have given Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole flashbacks to the earlier of their own two close calls with giants. (I know, different Inkling)

    • @VGGPTA
      @VGGPTA 5 місяців тому +3

      He meant for the movies

  • @Satire-Gaming
    @Satire-Gaming 2 місяці тому +3

    Bilbo was very old and has seen many great storms, I do not think he mistook lightning for giants...

  • @istari0
    @istari0 4 місяці тому +2

    The problem is that it is hard to reconcile Gandalf's statement to Beorn with Bilbo's account or the other mention of giants around Gondor, which really do sound like tall tales or myths and legends set within Middle-Earth itself. I'm inclined to say giants did exist but beyond that we really don't know anything about them.

    • @Enerdhil
      @Enerdhil 4 місяці тому +1

      Maybe giants were the inspiration for the Argonath.🤔

  • @Arturoperezp
    @Arturoperezp 5 місяців тому +5

    maybe they really liked longbottom leaf and meant to call them stoned giants

  • @mikegardner107
    @mikegardner107 5 місяців тому +4

    Thank you for this study of some of the more obscure characters. Can you, or have you, done a study on yet another of Tolkien’s characters, indeed a race, that Peter Jackson left out - Ghan Buri Ghan and the Pukel men who guided the Rohirrim along the old and hidden road to safely arrive at the Pellenor fields in time for the battle. And apparently destroyed the Orc host sent to waylay and destroy the Rohirrim, for nothing was ever heard of those orcs again. I think in honor of their fealty in preserving the Rohirrim King Elessar ceded the territory along the mountains to the Pukel mean and forbade men to ever travel there.

    • @NerdoftheRings
      @NerdoftheRings  5 місяців тому +7

      Great question! I'm actually planning to do one on them soon. Working on commissioning some artwork as there isn't a whole lot existing for them. Coming soon!!

    • @gandalf4751
      @gandalf4751 5 місяців тому +2

      😍✅

    • @mikegardner107
      @mikegardner107 5 місяців тому +1

      And the Stone Guardians at the entrance to the Paths of the Dead who verbally warned Aragorn and the host of the Dunedin who rode with him and Legolas and Gimli that THE WAY IS CLOSED!
      Also, in LOTR when Sam enters the tower of Barad Dur(?) to rescue Frodo from the Orcs a pair of stone lions at the door have an invisible barrier between them that throws him back. He then uses Galadriel’s Light of Elbereth (?) to open the barrier - and a loud gong sounds. I’m not sure if there was any other action directly from the stone lions when Sam “Rang the front doorbell.” or not.

  • @whiteknight257
    @whiteknight257 4 місяці тому +1

    Pretty sure the prow of Gondor, Is sold rock. And the city is built around it.

  • @devinreese1397
    @devinreese1397 4 місяці тому +2

    There were no giants included in the Silmarillion except for the Ents which means Giant in old english. They were written in the Hobbit.

    • @MrEmiosk
      @MrEmiosk 4 місяці тому

      Tolkien did intend to rewrite the hobbit to match the tone of lotr. With the silmarillion focusing nearly all on the elves themselves, not the world of men. The silmarillion and all works after are c.r.j.tolkiens work (the silmarillion finished by him) many things can be said but C.R.J is not his father and all the work he's done should not be taken as true as Tolkien imagined it.

  • @t.kersten7695
    @t.kersten7695 5 місяців тому +4

    who knows what other great stories Tolkien might have had created if he wanted so. he could´ve filled his world with even more lifes and wonders.
    and giants can be from different groups or even races with different abilities - some more stupid than others.

    • @Enerdhil
      @Enerdhil 4 місяці тому

      Lifespan was the only thing that was able to stop Tolkien from writing.

  • @theshadowstrike6
    @theshadowstrike6 5 місяців тому +5

    Awesome!

  • @Beryllahawk
    @Beryllahawk 4 місяці тому +1

    I love the sly little puns in there. Tall Tales indeed!

  • @gandalf4751
    @gandalf4751 5 місяців тому +4

    Stone giants truly exist in Middle Earth because it is clearly written in the hobbit book

    • @Enerdhil
      @Enerdhil 4 місяці тому

      True, but the reason they exist in The Hobbit is because Tolkien needed something exciting and cool to tell his kids for their bedtime story.

  • @smelisi
    @smelisi 4 місяці тому +1

    Another terrific video -- but I'm curious, where does the story of Tarlang appear???

  • @GloriousRAT
    @GloriousRAT 4 місяці тому +1

    This is another aspect of our writing where we differ. I leave no doubt about races mentioned in my narratives. Yes I have Giants... Stone Giants (so named for the appearance of their skin, rough and gray) and Mountain Giants (named simply for their homeland, since they appear quite Human). The Mountain Giants are seen by the Company in book five.

  • @nkosig4995
    @nkosig4995 Місяць тому

    War in the north had the best giant ngl design and story its such a beutiful design

  • @Ben-eo4fu
    @Ben-eo4fu 4 місяці тому

    YESSS FINALLY IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOR FOREVER

  • @karma_iswhoIam
    @karma_iswhoIam 2 місяці тому

    Me: That solves the giant argument.
    You: Ok so we're good?
    Me: Cul Bin.
    You: Cul Bin.

  • @OnlyGhostMusic
    @OnlyGhostMusic 4 місяці тому +1

    The Luthien poem is so beautiful. Didn't expect to have shivers in a video about giants.

  • @born2biscuit
    @born2biscuit 3 місяці тому

    These are the things I always forget about lord of the rings they should be mentioned way more

  • @jack1235ify
    @jack1235ify 4 місяці тому +1

    I can only imagine if Sauron had charmed a few giants to his side during the ear of the ring..and how the story may have changed

    • @The_Tradie_Trainer
      @The_Tradie_Trainer 4 місяці тому

      I wonder if that’s where JK Rowling got the idea from? Lol

  • @nerdwatch1017
    @nerdwatch1017 4 місяці тому +1

    Man could you plan for an awesome video idea I thought of for you. Say you become the Kevin Faigi type person over at Warner Brothers and you were given full rights to control the building of what I like to call the TCU Tolkien Cinematic Universe which already has the 2 trilogies and the rings of power series. What stories from all of Arda would you make in movie form or series. I’m asking because you are literally the Nerd of the Rings Bro!!

  • @pewpewsalote8802
    @pewpewsalote8802 Місяць тому +1

    I believe the giants don't exist. If they did exist, Sauron ABSOLUTELY would have tried to bend them to his will, such powerful creatures could bring down the walls of Minas Tirith with a single stroke of their hand. Sauron would never pass up such power even if he were unlikely to succeed. And yet there is never any mention of Sauron attempting to corrupt these creatures.

  • @paulsarnik8506
    @paulsarnik8506 5 місяців тому +5

    Um, it was a figment of Bilbo's imagination why did Thorin speak about "being kicked skyhigh for a football?" 😮🤓😎✌🏻

    • @shokmusic_AC
      @shokmusic_AC 4 місяці тому

      Good point! I did remember a dwarf mentioning this but forgot which one said it.

    • @Enerdhil
      @Enerdhil 4 місяці тому +1

      That is the movie. Nothing like that is in the book.

    • @shokmusic_AC
      @shokmusic_AC 4 місяці тому +3

      @@Enerdhil Chapter 4: Over Hill and Under Hill: "This won't do at all!" said Thorin. "If we don't get blown off or drowned, or struck by lightning, we shall be picked up by some giant and kicked sky-high for a football."
      "Well, if you know of anywhere better, take us there!" said Gandalf, who was feeling very grumpy, and was far from happy about the giants himself.

    • @Enerdhil
      @Enerdhil 4 місяці тому +1

      @@shokmusic_AC
      Oh. That was stupid of Tolkien.🧐 Football? Worse than golf.

    • @shokmusic_AC
      @shokmusic_AC 4 місяці тому +1

      @@Enerdhil True 🙂

  • @xix94
    @xix94 4 місяці тому +1

    do a video on Beorn

  • @jacobsedlack1173
    @jacobsedlack1173 4 місяці тому +3

    The average Numenorean was around 8 ft. tall and Gandalf was supposed to be 5'7. That's a 2 foot gap in height and it would follow that misconstrued memories of the High Men would call them giants. Also, some Atlantean mythos concepts have the pre-Cataclysm supermen being taller than the normal humans not from the island realm and Tolkien would have probably been aware of those as he constructed the Akallabeth.

  • @superhaven3647
    @superhaven3647 4 місяці тому

    I wonder if you’re gonna eventually talk about other mentioned things like mermaids, sprites, sylphs, fays, etc.

  • @shaggycan
    @shaggycan 5 місяців тому +2

    I did think the choice to just make them gargantuan earth elementals in the films was interesting.

    • @Enerdhil
      @Enerdhil 4 місяці тому

      Too much money wasted on CGI.😞

  • @TreborPaulson
    @TreborPaulson 5 місяців тому +1

    5:55
    “not builded but carven”
    Is that directly from the page?

  • @teamermia7741
    @teamermia7741 2 місяці тому

    Tolkien's work relies very heavily on ancient Irish folklore, and this connection also throws up an interesting comparison with regard to giants. Finn, a giant of Irish folklore is said to have created the 'Giants Causeway' in county Antrim. Tarlang seems inspired by Finn.

  • @kristenrosales2919
    @kristenrosales2919 5 місяців тому +3

    Bless my soul! The legends are true!

  • @michaeljebbett160
    @michaeljebbett160 4 місяці тому +1

    I think a fascinating video topic would be how Tolkien influenced Dungeons and Dragons
    Some of its concepts are ripped straight outta LotR, and the Estate even sued the creators at one point

    • @rcrawford42
      @rcrawford42 4 місяці тому

      "The phone is circular metal banding!"

  • @zacharycampbell5626
    @zacharycampbell5626 4 місяці тому

    In my headcanon the relation between trolls and giants always seemed very similar to that of the huorns and ents - the idea of them balancing out always appealed to me

  • @ScottMcMaster-er4xj
    @ScottMcMaster-er4xj 3 місяці тому

    Could you imagine how incredible it would be to have J.R.R. Tolkien DM a D&D campaign for you. The only downside is that he would likely take years in-between each session to create the languages and entire histories of the NPCs and their ancestors. But those sessions would be legendary.

  • @MaxFleye
    @MaxFleye 4 місяці тому

    I love the Hobbit movies. I have the extended blu-ray 3D versions. I watch them a couple times a year, and the stone giant part is so much fun! 😎😎

  • @Nappa-q5x
    @Nappa-q5x 4 місяці тому

    Keep up the good work I looove lotr lore videos

  • @robertclark5936
    @robertclark5936 2 місяці тому

    Interesting that both Tolkien and Lewis have giants throwing rocks as a game

  • @pamelah6431
    @pamelah6431 4 місяці тому

    Reminds me of CS Lewis' giants tossing rocks in The Silver Chair (Narnia).

  • @unclerojelio6320
    @unclerojelio6320 4 місяці тому +4

    Now I need a breakdown on the similarities and differences of giants, ogres, and trolls.

    • @Lodrik18
      @Lodrik18 3 місяці тому

      Its funny that some german people think "Giganten" and "Riesen" are different things but "Riese" is the german word for "giant" ^^

  • @bman3794
    @bman3794 25 днів тому

    Do a video about Narsil/Anduril

  • @barukkazhad8998
    @barukkazhad8998 4 місяці тому

    In England we have at least one story involving a giant dropping his shovel of earth making a hill

  • @Darkgeran7
    @Darkgeran7 5 місяців тому

    Can you do a video on the variags please I’ve been curious about that race of men for some time

  • @smthsmth
    @smthsmth 4 місяці тому +1

    Elves, Dwarves, Orcs... but noo, no stone giants!

  • @cofpaddy
    @cofpaddy 4 місяці тому

    I think they're likely like Ents, rarely seen by men or even Elves anymore, few in number, clever and don't often engage in the wider affairs of Middle Earth.

  • @rogue050
    @rogue050 4 місяці тому

    Mandu Pandu is dropping the ball

  • @flashkraft
    @flashkraft 4 місяці тому

    I like to think Giants were part of the original creation of Arda. Like Ents and Giant Eagles. But most were corrupted into a decrepit form by Morgoth which is where Trolls come from.
    Much like Orcs were originally elves but corrupted into a monstrous form and then later cross bred with men.

  • @Firenutz
    @Firenutz 4 місяці тому

    “I want to hear more about Debbie, dad. Why didn't they put in more of her talk, dad? That's what I like, it makes me laugh. And Nerd wouldn't have got far without Debbie, would he, dad?"'

  • @Fanelan053
    @Fanelan053 4 місяці тому +2

    Pretty cool

  • @wweminehead5458
    @wweminehead5458 5 місяців тому +4

    The Dawn shall take you

  • @MalakaiSayer
    @MalakaiSayer 4 місяці тому

    Please do a video about what if Gandalf instead of Saruman turned evil

  • @Acidfool
    @Acidfool 2 дні тому

    I would like to think that the Giants were just larger, more primitive men, and that Trolls were just Giants corrupted by Morgoth/Sauron. And maybe in an effort to make an entire army of trolls, they diluted the Giants bloodline, leading to fewer purebred Giants and shorter Trolls. Similar to the Numenoreans in the third age!

  • @kylepessell1350
    @kylepessell1350 4 місяці тому

    The idea of giants was probably lifted right out of Norse mythology like with elves and dwarves. Calling them 'full of cunning and wizardry' certainly brings to mind the greatest rivals of the Aesir.

  • @alexsmith7313
    @alexsmith7313 4 місяці тому

    Makes sense that a species obsessed with stone like the Dwarves living in mountain ranges would choose the far more difficult path of digging out and living under the mountains; they’re getting boulders thrown on them outside their holds.

  • @gandalf4751
    @gandalf4751 5 місяців тому +2

    The stone giants exist in middle earth because gandalf and thorin tell beorn about them

  • @graemehyndman394
    @graemehyndman394 2 місяці тому

    I was under the impression that the stone giants being earth elementals were bound to the mountains of stone that they were part of, thus wernt able to be used for war.

  • @el_chico1313
    @el_chico1313 4 місяці тому

    can u please upload a list of ost u use? especially the one for the war of wrath