Were-worms
- "Tell me what you want done, and I will try it, if I have to walk from here to the East of East and fight the wild Were-worms in the Last Desert."
- ― Bilbo Baggins, from The Hobbit, "An Unexpected Party"
Were-worms were creatures of an unknown kind, possibly mythical and presumably related to Dragons, that were said to dwell in the Last Desert.
Tolkien only ever mentions Were-worms once, in the quote given above, so we know almost nothing about them. We cannot even be certain that they actually existed — the Hobbits had a rich folklore full of fantastic creatures, and Were-worms quite possibly fall into that category.
[edit] Etymology
The element "were-" is a Germanic term that refers to humans. It suggests a shapeshifting creature like the werewolf of modern-day folktales. In Middle-earth, "Werewolves", such as Draugluin, did not shapechange and the name perhaps refers to the size and intelligence.
Thus Were-worms, if they did exist, could be a man-like type of Dragon, though this must remain in the realm of speculation.
| Legendary Races of Arda | |
| Animals: | Dumbledors | Gorcrows | Hummerhorns | Pards | Swans of Gorbelgod | Turtle-fish |
|---|---|
| Dragon-kind: | Great glow-worms | Sea-serpents | Spark-dragons | Were-worms |
| Evil Races: | Giants | Half-trolls | Ogres | Snow-trolls | Troll-men | Two-headed Trolls |
| Fairies: | Badger-folk | Mermaids | Sprites | Sylphs | White cow |
| Other: | Great beasts | Lintips | Mewlips | Nameless Things | Spectres |
| Individuals: | Man in the Moon | Tim |