Giants & Stone-Giants of Middle Earth | Tolkien Explained

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  • Опубликовано: 9 фев 2025
  • 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

Комментарии • 398

  • @Holammer
    @Holammer 9 месяцев назад +372

    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 9 месяцев назад +30

      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 9 месяцев назад

      Grendel?

    • @mokarokas-1727
      @mokarokas-1727 9 месяцев назад +8

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

    • @mokarokas-1727
      @mokarokas-1727 9 месяцев назад +8

      @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 9 месяцев назад +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.

  • @RobbyBurney
    @RobbyBurney 9 месяцев назад +182

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

    • @themole4369
      @themole4369 9 месяцев назад +17

      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 9 месяцев назад +1

      Cart before the horse.

    • @marcekessen8003
      @marcekessen8003 9 месяцев назад +3

      I loved that game

    • @bruceyuchuanyu
      @bruceyuchuanyu 7 месяцев назад +2

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

    • @moscanaveia
      @moscanaveia 3 месяца назад

      ​@@themole4369 Every faction in BofME needs something they're good at. Goblin ground units suck all around, so they needed something going their way 😂

  • @ArawnsFire
    @ArawnsFire 9 месяцев назад +210

    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 8 месяцев назад +5

      Vampires and werewolves are present in middle earth?😮😮

    • @fant2sy
      @fant2sy 8 месяцев назад +23

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

    • @gomongio
      @gomongio 7 месяцев назад +13

      @@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.

    • @JoMagic-ny8zu
      @JoMagic-ny8zu 3 месяца назад

      ​@@gomongioWow sounds like the Lord of the rings board game . 😂

    • @vaclavsoukup7302
      @vaclavsoukup7302 3 месяца назад

      @@cojanemanuel8319 Not as you imagine them. We got one example of a Vampire, Thuringwethil, and she is pretty much an evil spirit in the form of a really big bat. Werewolves are the same, but in wolf bodies. They still have a rivalry though, as Werewolves consider Vampires "rats with wings" and Vampires see them as bullies.

  • @SvengelskaBlondie
    @SvengelskaBlondie 9 месяцев назад +75

    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 9 месяцев назад +1

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

    • @SvengelskaBlondie
      @SvengelskaBlondie 9 месяцев назад

      @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 9 месяцев назад

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

    • @oughtsmuggler2187
      @oughtsmuggler2187 9 дней назад

      It's spelled "ruins."

    • @SvengelskaBlondie
      @SvengelskaBlondie 9 дней назад

      @ no it's spelt
      Deez nuts 😁

  • @saintskutt
    @saintskutt 8 месяцев назад +25

    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.

  • @RforRex
    @RforRex 9 месяцев назад +38

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

    • @RforRex
      @RforRex 8 месяцев назад

      Whats it called

  • @WooogaTooga
    @WooogaTooga 9 месяцев назад +110

    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 9 месяцев назад +31

      Enta is Anglo-Saxon for giant.

    • @WooogaTooga
      @WooogaTooga 9 месяцев назад +10

      @@peterjay3257 exactly

    • @FlorentPlacide
      @FlorentPlacide 9 месяцев назад +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 9 месяцев назад +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 9 месяцев назад +4

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

  • @juanchoguerrero9143
    @juanchoguerrero9143 9 месяцев назад +321

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

    • @Hi-fd4cw
      @Hi-fd4cw 9 месяцев назад +21

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

    • @clancyjames585
      @clancyjames585 9 месяцев назад +7

      It's a special thunder operation...

    • @charlesgibson4906
      @charlesgibson4906 7 месяцев назад +2

      @@clancyjames585 A quick three-day special thunder operation

  • @justindurfee9375
    @justindurfee9375 9 месяцев назад +42

    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 9 месяцев назад +7

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

    • @justindurfee9375
      @justindurfee9375 9 месяцев назад +3

      @@valentinkambushev4968 Very true.

    • @rcrawford42
      @rcrawford42 9 месяцев назад +5

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

    • @Lodrik18
      @Lodrik18 8 месяцев назад

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

    • @justindurfee9375
      @justindurfee9375 8 месяцев назад

      @@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).

  • @DagorBragollach
    @DagorBragollach 9 месяцев назад +26

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

  • @VGGPTA
    @VGGPTA 9 месяцев назад +16

    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

  • @metzdupcounselor
    @metzdupcounselor 7 месяцев назад +4

    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.

  • @DrForrester87
    @DrForrester87 9 месяцев назад +30

    Aw yeah, more Nerd of the Rings!

  • @CartoonHero1986
    @CartoonHero1986 9 месяцев назад +85

    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 9 месяцев назад +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 9 месяцев назад +5

      Giants makes more sense

    • @FinrodFelagundTheFair
      @FinrodFelagundTheFair 9 месяцев назад +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 9 месяцев назад +2

      @@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 9 месяцев назад +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.

  • @michaelwilliams949
    @michaelwilliams949 9 месяцев назад +27

    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 7 месяцев назад +1

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

    • @kirbyculp3449
      @kirbyculp3449 4 месяца назад +1

      Watch the norwegian movie Troll Hunter!!

  • @newworldastrology1102
    @newworldastrology1102 9 месяцев назад +22

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

  • @jsimeoneafc2370
    @jsimeoneafc2370 9 месяцев назад +36

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

    • @DarthRevan2.0117
      @DarthRevan2.0117 9 месяцев назад +1

      It's not that simple, he gets corrupted.

    • @Gongall
      @Gongall 8 месяцев назад +1

      @@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.

  • @andrewthielmann5342
    @andrewthielmann5342 9 месяцев назад +3

    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.

  • @BasedDad
    @BasedDad 9 месяцев назад +16

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

    • @t.kersten7695
      @t.kersten7695 9 месяцев назад +3

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

    • @bighand1530
      @bighand1530 9 месяцев назад

      Same.

    • @oldylad
      @oldylad 7 месяцев назад

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

  • @ASu-yw3tf
    @ASu-yw3tf 9 месяцев назад +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.

  • @JBBTolkien
    @JBBTolkien 9 месяцев назад +5

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

    • @madjimjaspers7603
      @madjimjaspers7603 9 месяцев назад +1

      “You have my sword”🗡️

    • @madjimjaspers7603
      @madjimjaspers7603 9 месяцев назад

      @LordofFireBlood yessssss it’s happening, yussssss.

  • @kylelavelle8082
    @kylelavelle8082 9 месяцев назад +5

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

  • @nunyabidness-y2r
    @nunyabidness-y2r 9 месяцев назад +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!

  • @Kellethorn
    @Kellethorn 3 месяца назад +2

    Tolkien: "Giants exist, and here's multiple examples."
    Weird people: "well I don't like that so I'm going to ignore it."

  • @FinrodFelagundTheFair
    @FinrodFelagundTheFair 9 месяцев назад +10

    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.

  • @moscanaveia
    @moscanaveia 3 месяца назад

    I loved the art from the mountain giants from Battle of Middle-earth 2. That's a whimsical fun game and the whole goblin arc takes the cake for weirdest

  • @mattpburgess
    @mattpburgess 9 месяцев назад +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).

  • @lilgrublet
    @lilgrublet 9 месяцев назад +1

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

  • @DougguoD
    @DougguoD Месяц назад

    2:42 I do appreciate what Jackson did with the stone giants here - giants of stone 🗿 that's what I saw in my head while reading the book long long ago 📖

  • @BigSwede58
    @BigSwede58 9 месяцев назад +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!

  • @davepowder4020
    @davepowder4020 9 месяцев назад +2

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

  • @TarMody
    @TarMody 9 месяцев назад +2

    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.

  • @soniaromero11
    @soniaromero11 9 месяцев назад +24

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

  • @aaronmillam9838
    @aaronmillam9838 9 месяцев назад

    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 🤌

  • @stormstrider1990
    @stormstrider1990 9 месяцев назад +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.

  • @witext
    @witext 9 месяцев назад +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 9 месяцев назад +1

      I prefer Middle Earth over Norse Mythology.

  • @captivatednightshade1432
    @captivatednightshade1432 9 месяцев назад +4

    Great video, Matt! ❤

  • @annaroselarsen4218
    @annaroselarsen4218 9 месяцев назад +20

    Yes I love this!

  • @LongThom422
    @LongThom422 9 месяцев назад +1

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

  • @TheHoneyBadger-yh5vj
    @TheHoneyBadger-yh5vj 9 месяцев назад +13

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

  • @bdonaghu
    @bdonaghu 9 месяцев назад +13

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

  • @alexandertkachenko1432
    @alexandertkachenko1432 4 месяца назад

    Nothing gives me the chills more than Bofur saying "Giants! Stone Giants!"

  • @3mmdm32
    @3mmdm32 9 месяцев назад +27

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

    • @w.martin2108
      @w.martin2108 9 месяцев назад +6

      He mentions that in the video

  • @jasonsinn9237
    @jasonsinn9237 9 месяцев назад +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.

  • @Beryllahawk
    @Beryllahawk 9 месяцев назад +1

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

  • @colinbaldwin313
    @colinbaldwin313 9 месяцев назад +21

    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 9 месяцев назад +6

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

    • @colinbaldwin313
      @colinbaldwin313 9 месяцев назад

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

    • @The_Tradie_Trainer
      @The_Tradie_Trainer 9 месяцев назад +6

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

    • @colinbaldwin313
      @colinbaldwin313 9 месяцев назад +3

      @@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 9 месяцев назад +4

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

  • @James-semaJ
    @James-semaJ 4 месяца назад

    All your videos are brilliant.

  • @perskarva123
    @perskarva123 9 месяцев назад +21

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

    • @LozPlaya
      @LozPlaya 9 месяцев назад

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

    • @jayyrod1
      @jayyrod1 8 месяцев назад +1

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

    • @JV-ll1cu
      @JV-ll1cu 7 месяцев назад

      Mitä suotta. Hyvin luettu löytyy jo englanniks

  • @Ben-eo4fu
    @Ben-eo4fu 9 месяцев назад

    YESSS FINALLY IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOR FOREVER

  • @theshadowstrike6
    @theshadowstrike6 9 месяцев назад +5

    Awesome!

  • @BrianEthridge-wg6ko
    @BrianEthridge-wg6ko Месяц назад

    My phone is spying on me this is the exact scene that I'm watching in the movie right now and then this pops up on my phone! This was the first recommended video and I'm watching the Giants scene in The Hobbit movie right now. There's no way this is a coincidence

  • @ManthonyHiggs
    @ManthonyHiggs 9 месяцев назад +2

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

  • @zacharycampbell5626
    @zacharycampbell5626 9 месяцев назад

    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 7 месяцев назад

    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.

  • @istari0
    @istari0 9 месяцев назад +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 9 месяцев назад +1

      Maybe giants were the inspiration for the Argonath.🤔

  • @OnlyGhostMusic
    @OnlyGhostMusic 9 месяцев назад +1

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

  • @MaxFleye
    @MaxFleye 8 месяцев назад

    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 9 месяцев назад

    Keep up the good work I looove lotr lore videos

  • @GloriousRAT
    @GloriousRAT 9 месяцев назад +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.

  • @robertsimpson7424
    @robertsimpson7424 9 месяцев назад +1

    Always loved giant lore, even better from Tolkien.

    • @bighand1530
      @bighand1530 9 месяцев назад +1

      Genesis 6 talks about giants too.

  • @Satire-Gaming
    @Satire-Gaming 7 месяцев назад +3

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

  • @smelisi
    @smelisi 9 месяцев назад +1

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

  • @kristenrosales2919
    @kristenrosales2919 9 месяцев назад +3

    Bless my soul! The legends are true!

  • @jack1235ify
    @jack1235ify 9 месяцев назад +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 9 месяцев назад

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

  • @mikegardner107
    @mikegardner107 9 месяцев назад +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  9 месяцев назад +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 9 месяцев назад +2

      😍✅

    • @mikegardner107
      @mikegardner107 9 месяцев назад +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.

  • @alexsmith7313
    @alexsmith7313 9 месяцев назад

    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.

  • @ConnerMacKenzie
    @ConnerMacKenzie 3 месяца назад

    When I read the book as a kid I pictured the giants more like large trolls throwing rocks at each other. The movies portraying them as actual mountains was kinda goofy to me

  • @nkosig4995
    @nkosig4995 5 месяцев назад

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

  • @DrXanatos
    @DrXanatos 4 месяца назад

    In Finnish mythology Kaleva and his sons are giants of which one built a castle in an area called Paltamo. In history there are quite a few people from Paltamo that grew to be taller than most. Coincidence? I think not.

  • @born2biscuit
    @born2biscuit 8 месяцев назад

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

  • @timelordvictorious
    @timelordvictorious 3 месяца назад

    Reminds me of Dartmoor with the stone giant tors that are In the shape of giants.also the illustrator Alan lee has been inspired by them in Devon.

  • @pamelah6431
    @pamelah6431 9 месяцев назад

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

  • @Firenutz
    @Firenutz 9 месяцев назад

    “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?"'

  • @valentinkambushev4968
    @valentinkambushev4968 9 месяцев назад +531

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

    • @TheGeneralGrievous19
      @TheGeneralGrievous19 9 месяцев назад +15

      Didn't You read The Hobbit?

    • @valentinkambushev4968
      @valentinkambushev4968 9 месяцев назад +74

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

    • @madjimjaspers7603
      @madjimjaspers7603 9 месяцев назад +12

      When you have lotta big rocks in your backyard. 🪨

    • @KororaPenguin
      @KororaPenguin 9 месяцев назад +10

      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 9 месяцев назад +3

      He meant for the movies

  • @kylepessell1350
    @kylepessell1350 9 месяцев назад

    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.

  • @robertclark5936
    @robertclark5936 7 месяцев назад

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

  • @barukkazhad8998
    @barukkazhad8998 9 месяцев назад

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

  • @teamermia7741
    @teamermia7741 7 месяцев назад

    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.

  • @Fanelan053
    @Fanelan053 9 месяцев назад +2

    Pretty cool

  • @michaeljebbett160
    @michaeljebbett160 9 месяцев назад +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 9 месяцев назад

      "The phone is circular metal banding!"

  • @xix94
    @xix94 9 месяцев назад +1

    do a video on Beorn

  • @CounciloftheRings
    @CounciloftheRings 9 месяцев назад +5

    Damn didn't expect to be the second comment! Right on time then!

    • @Enerdhil
      @Enerdhil 9 месяцев назад

      Get back to work on a video!! 😅

  • @bman3794
    @bman3794 5 месяцев назад

    Do a video about Narsil/Anduril

  • @devinreese1397
    @devinreese1397 9 месяцев назад +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 9 месяцев назад

      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.

  • @superhaven3647
    @superhaven3647 9 месяцев назад

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

  • @Kappa....
    @Kappa.... 9 месяцев назад

    Good vid ;D

  • @jonasscherman9522
    @jonasscherman9522 3 месяца назад +1

    The gigants in Tolkiens mythology is just a part of the saga. If Tolkien needed to pimp up his historys with gigants or Bombadills or whatever, who have nothing to do with the story, it's okay with me. Everything haven't to be specific in whole time. Tolkien want us to use our imagination and fantasy to build a special world in our heads.

  • @gandalf4751
    @gandalf4751 9 месяцев назад +4

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

    • @Enerdhil
      @Enerdhil 9 месяцев назад

      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.

  • @erikbender1967
    @erikbender1967 9 месяцев назад

    Til next Saturday!

    • @bighand1530
      @bighand1530 9 месяцев назад

      Currently May 1st 2024.

  • @graemehyndman394
    @graemehyndman394 6 месяцев назад

    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.

  • @unclerojelio6320
    @unclerojelio6320 9 месяцев назад +4

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

    • @Lodrik18
      @Lodrik18 8 месяцев назад

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

  • @Arturoperezp
    @Arturoperezp 9 месяцев назад +5

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

  • @null-4699
    @null-4699 9 месяцев назад

    Interesting comments about Minas Tirith being carved by giants. It's worth remembering that many of the anglo saxons, who existed among the ruins of a far more advanced civilisation, the Romans, (exactly how later men existed among numenorean ruins) thought Roman ruins were the work of a race of giants. Enta Geweorc was the term for this (Ent or Ettin being an old english word for giant). Being a scholar of ancient languages and a lover of old english legends, maybe this inspired Tolkien?

  • @starscreamjan6155
    @starscreamjan6155 9 месяцев назад

    You shoukd do lotr readings i love Listening to you

  • @HughbertMornstien-x2q
    @HughbertMornstien-x2q 2 месяца назад

    So cool

  • @shanexhall
    @shanexhall 9 месяцев назад

    Finally!!!

  • @Darkgeran7
    @Darkgeran7 9 месяцев назад

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

  • @weezact7
    @weezact7 4 месяца назад

    If the giants did build the mountains, is it possible they were Maiar? Maybe those that had remained in a physical form for too long. Or at least descended form the Maiar. It would make sense that the Maiar might be tasked with shaping and rebuilding Middle-Earth. Especially after the War of Wrath.

  • @cofpaddy
    @cofpaddy 9 месяцев назад

    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.

  • @pnut2552
    @pnut2552 9 месяцев назад +1

    Idk, you are probably right, and this is probably dumb, lol, but it doesn't make sense to me that the giants were called "stone giants" because of hurling stones... We wouldn't call an elf throwing stones a "stone elf", it would probably still just be an elf that threw stones... So it makes more sense to me that referring to them as "stone giants" would be insinuating that particular race of giants were made of stone... 🤔🤷‍♂️ Idk man..lol great stories either way!! 😁