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Ogre

An ogre (feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children.[1] Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the world. They appear in many classic works of literature, and are most often associated in fairy tales and legend with a taste for infants.

Puss in Boots before the ogre. One of the platters on the table serves human babies (illustrated by Gustave Doré).

In mythology, ogres are often depicted as inhumanly large, tall, and having a disproportionately large head, abundant hair, unusually colored skin, a voracious appetite, and a strong body. Ogres are closely linked with giants and with human cannibals in mythology. In both folklore and fiction, giants are often given ogrish traits (such as the giants in "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Jack the Giant Killer", the Giant Despair in The Pilgrim's Progress, and the Jötunn of Norse mythology); while ogres may be given giant-like traits.

Famous examples of ogres in folklore include the ogre in "Puss in Boots" and the ogre in "Hop-o'-My-Thumb". Other characters sometimes described as ogres include the title character from "Bluebeard", the Beast from Beauty and the Beast, Humbaba from the Epic of Gilgamesh, Grendel from Beowulf, Polyphemus the Cyclops from Homer's Odyssey, the man-eating giant in "Sinbad the Sailor", the oni of Japanese folklore and the ghouls of pre-Islamic Arabian religion.

Etymology

 
Puss in Boots before the ogre (illustrated by Walter Crane).

The word ogre is of French origin, originally derived from the Etruscan god Orcus, who fed on human flesh. Its earliest attestation is in Chrétien de Troyes' late 12th-century verse romance Perceval, li contes del graal, which contains the lines:

Et s'est escrit que il ert ancore
que toz li reaumes de Logres,
qui jadis fu la terre as ogres,
ert destruite par cele lance.

"And it is written that he will come again,
to all the realms of Logres,
which was formerly land of ogres,
and destroy them with that lance."

The ogres in this rhyme may refer to the ogres who were, in the pseudohistorical work History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth, the inhabitants of Britain prior to human settlement. The Italian author Giambattista Basile (1575–1632) used the related Neapolitan word uerco, or in standard Italian, orco in some of his tales. This word is documented[2] in earlier Italian works (Fazio degli Uberti, 14th century; Luigi Pulci, 15th century; Ludovico Ariosto, 15th–16th centuries) and has even older cognates with the Latin orcus and the Old English orcnēas found in Beowulf lines 112–113, which inspired J.R.R. Tolkien's Orc.[3] All these words may derive from a shared Indo-European mythological concept (as Tolkien himself speculated, as cited by Tom Shippey, The Road to Middle-earth, 45). The Dictionary of the Academy of France alternatively states that the name is derived from the word Hongrois, which means Hungarian, as of western cultures referred to Hungarians as a kind of monstrosity.[4] Ogre could possibly also derive[citation needed] from the biblical Og, last of the giants (or from the Greek river god Oiagros, father of Orpheus).

The word ogre came into wider usage in the works of Charles Perrault (1628–1703) or Marie-Catherine Jumelle de Berneville, Comtesse d' Aulnoy (1650–1705), both of whom were French authors. The first appearance of the word ogre in Perrault's work occurred in his Histoires ou Contes du temps Passé (1696). It later appeared in several of his other fairy tales, many of which were based on the Neapolitan tales of Basile. The first example of a female ogre being referred to as an ogress is found in his version of Sleeping Beauty, where it is spelled ogresse. Madame d'Aulnoy first employed the word ogre in her story L'Orangier et l'Abeille (1698), and was the first to use the word ogree to refer to the creature's offspring.

Fairy tales that feature ogres

 
Hop-o'-My-Thumb steals the ogre's seven-league boots (illustrated by Gustave Doré, 1862).

Gallery

In illustration

In sculpture

See also

References

  • Rose, Carol. Giants, Monsters, & Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2001. ISBN 0-393-32211-4
  • Shippey, Tom. The Road to Middle-earth. London: HarperCollins, 1992 (rev.). ISBN 0-261-10275-3
  • South, Malcolm, ed. Mythical and Fabulous Creatures: A Source Book and Research Guide. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1987. Reprint, New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 1988. ISBN 0-87226-208-1
  • Kathrine Mary Briggs The Fairies in Tradition and Literature
  • "Ogre." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 15 May 2006, search.eb.com

Notes

  1. ^ Warner, Marina. Why do Ogres Eat Babies?. SpringerLink. doi:10.1007/978-1-349-13816-6_18.
  2. ^ Vocabolario Degli Accademici Della Crusca 2007-10-13 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Beowulf". Humanities.mcmaster.ca. Retrieved 2012-03-28.
  4. ^ Dictionnaire de l'Académie française (1932–35)

External links

  •   Media related to Ogre at Wikimedia Commons

ogre, this, article, about, mythological, creature, other, uses, disambiguation, redirects, here, heraldic, term, roundel, heraldry, confused, with, orge, ogre, feminine, ogress, legendary, monster, depicted, large, hideous, like, being, that, eats, ordinary, . This article is about the mythological creature For other uses see Ogre disambiguation Ogress redirects here For the heraldic term see Roundel heraldry Not to be confused with Orge An ogre feminine ogress is a legendary monster depicted as a large hideous man like being that eats ordinary human beings especially infants and children 1 Ogres frequently feature in mythology folklore and fiction throughout the world They appear in many classic works of literature and are most often associated in fairy tales and legend with a taste for infants Puss in Boots before the ogre One of the platters on the table serves human babies illustrated by Gustave Dore In mythology ogres are often depicted as inhumanly large tall and having a disproportionately large head abundant hair unusually colored skin a voracious appetite and a strong body Ogres are closely linked with giants and with human cannibals in mythology In both folklore and fiction giants are often given ogrish traits such as the giants in Jack and the Beanstalk and Jack the Giant Killer the Giant Despair in The Pilgrim s Progress and the Jotunn of Norse mythology while ogres may be given giant like traits Famous examples of ogres in folklore include the ogre in Puss in Boots and the ogre in Hop o My Thumb Other characters sometimes described as ogres include the title character from Bluebeard the Beast from Beauty and the Beast Humbaba from the Epic of Gilgamesh Grendel from Beowulf Polyphemus the Cyclops from Homer s Odyssey the man eating giant in Sinbad the Sailor the oni of Japanese folklore and the ghouls of pre Islamic Arabian religion Contents 1 Etymology 2 Fairy tales that feature ogres 3 Gallery 3 1 In illustration 3 2 In sculpture 4 See also 5 References 5 1 Notes 6 External linksEtymology Edit Puss in Boots before the ogre illustrated by Walter Crane The word ogre is of French origin originally derived from the Etruscan god Orcus who fed on human flesh Its earliest attestation is in Chretien de Troyes late 12th century verse romance Perceval li contes del graal which contains the lines Et s est escrit que il ert ancore que toz li reaumes de Logres qui jadis fu la terre as ogres ert destruite par cele lance And it is written that he will come again to all the realms of Logres which was formerly land of ogres and destroy them with that lance The ogres in this rhyme may refer to the ogres who were in the pseudohistorical work History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth the inhabitants of Britain prior to human settlement The Italian author Giambattista Basile 1575 1632 used the related Neapolitan word uerco or in standard Italian orco in some of his tales This word is documented 2 in earlier Italian works Fazio degli Uberti 14th century Luigi Pulci 15th century Ludovico Ariosto 15th 16th centuries and has even older cognates with the Latin orcus and the Old English orcneas found in Beowulf lines 112 113 which inspired J R R Tolkien s Orc 3 All these words may derive from a shared Indo European mythological concept as Tolkien himself speculated as cited by Tom Shippey The Road to Middle earth 45 The Dictionary of the Academy of France alternatively states that the name is derived from the word Hongrois which means Hungarian as of western cultures referred to Hungarians as a kind of monstrosity 4 Ogre could possibly also derive citation needed from the biblical Og last of the giants or from the Greek river god Oiagros father of Orpheus The word ogre came into wider usage in the works of Charles Perrault 1628 1703 or Marie Catherine Jumelle de Berneville Comtesse d Aulnoy 1650 1705 both of whom were French authors The first appearance of the word ogre in Perrault s work occurred in his Histoires ou Contes du temps Passe 1696 It later appeared in several of his other fairy tales many of which were based on the Neapolitan tales of Basile The first example of a female ogre being referred to as an ogress is found in his version of Sleeping Beauty where it is spelled ogresse Madame d Aulnoy first employed the word ogre in her story L Orangier et l Abeille 1698 and was the first to use the word ogree to refer to the creature s offspring Fairy tales that feature ogres Edit Hop o My Thumb steals the ogre s seven league boots illustrated by Gustave Dore 1862 Hop o My Thumb Puss in Boots Sleeping Beauty The Bee and the Orange Tree Finette Cendron or Cunning Cinders Bearskin Tale of the Ogre The Flea The Enchanted Doe Violet The Dove Corvetto The Three Crowns Liisa and the Prince The Selfish Giant GarulfoGallery EditIn illustration Edit Giovanni Lanfranco Norandino and Lucina Discovered by the Ogre oil on canvas c 1624 Gustave Dore 1832 1883 Bluebeard woodcut from an 1862 edition of Histoires ou contes du temps passe Gustave Dore Illustration for Le Petit Poucet 1862 Gustave Dore Illustration for Le Petit Poucet 1862 Alexander Zick 1845 1907 Illustration for Der kleine Daumling The ogre and his wife illustration for Hop o My Thumb from a late 19th century German fairy tale book An oni in pilgrim s clothing Kawanabe Kyōsai 1831 1889 An oni in wandering Buddhist priest s robes 1864 Katsushika Hokusai 1760 1849 An oni being chased away by scattered beans detail of a print Political cartoon from 1900 depicting Australia as an ogre and referencing its origins as a penal colonyIn sculpture Edit The ogre from Hop o My Thumb at Efteling Netherlands An ogre king represented at Mandalay Hill Myanmar The ogress Sanda Muhki represented at Mandalay Hill A Japanese oni An oni in Beppu Kyushu Ogre Fountain lit Child Eater Fountain at Corn House Square Bern Switzerland See also EditBuggane Cyclopes Darkspawn Daeva Fictional ogres category Giant Goliath Humbaba Jinn Ghoul Jotunn Ke let Mapinguari Oni Orc Rakshasa Shrek Stallo Troll WendigoReferences EditRose Carol Giants Monsters amp Dragons An Encyclopedia of Folklore Legend and Myth New York W W Norton amp Company 2001 ISBN 0 393 32211 4 Shippey Tom The Road to Middle earth London HarperCollins 1992 rev ISBN 0 261 10275 3 South Malcolm ed Mythical and Fabulous Creatures A Source Book and Research Guide Westport CT Greenwood Press 1987 Reprint New York Peter Bedrick Books 1988 ISBN 0 87226 208 1 Kathrine Mary Briggs The Fairies in Tradition and Literature Ogre Encyclopaedia Britannica 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica Online 15 May 2006 search eb comNotes Edit Warner Marina Why do Ogres Eat Babies SpringerLink doi 10 1007 978 1 349 13816 6 18 Vocabolario Degli Accademici Della Crusca Archived 2007 10 13 at the Wayback Machine Beowulf Humanities mcmaster ca Retrieved 2012 03 28 Dictionnaire de l Academie francaise 1932 35 External links Edit Look up ogre in Wiktionary the free dictionary Media related to Ogre at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ogre amp oldid 1139756644, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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