Moths
- "...thousands of dark-grey and black moths, some nearly as big as your hand"
- ― [1]
Moths were nocturnal insects of a kind closely related to butterflies. Thorin and Company saw them fluttering about at nightfall when they were trying to find the route to Rivendell.[2] Curiously, they are also mentioned as dwelling in Mirkwood, where the moths were black or dark grey, and grew to a huge size.[1]
Other names
In Gnomish, one of Tolkien's early conceptions of an Elven language, the word for "moth" is fufril.[3]
Other versions of the legendarium
In The Tale of Tinúviel, white moths flittered about the head of the dancing Tinúviel, as the evening fell. It is told that Tinúviel "being a fairy minded them not as many of the children of Men do, although she loved not beetles, and spiders will none of the Eldar touch because of Ungweliantë".[4]
Portrayal in adaptations
2001: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring:
- In Peter Jackson's movies, moths are somehow associated with the Eagles; while Gandalf is trapped on the summit of Orthanc, he catches a moth and whispers to it. Later, when confronted by Saruman, the moth reappears; an Eagle (supposedly Gwaihir) arrives and Gandalf escapes on its back.
2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King:
- Right before the Battle of the Morannon, Gandalf notices a moth flies near him. Then the Eagles appear and help the Free Peoples.
2012: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey:
- As Thorin and Company are trapped in a falling tree by the band of Azog and their Wargs, Gandalf uses a moth to summon the Eagles to their aid.
External links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "Flies and Spiders"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "A Short Rest"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "I-Lam na-Ngoldathon: The Grammar and Lexicon of the Gnomish Tongue", in Parma Eldalamberon XI (edited by Christopher Gilson, Arden R. Smith, and Patrick H. Wynne), p. 36
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, "I. The Tale of Tinúviel", pp. 10-11
