Gorcrows
From Tolkien Gateway
File:Gorcrows.jpg
Excerpt from illustration by Alan Lee
Gorcrows were a legendary species of birds, only mentioned in passing in Hobbit verse. These foul crows, who croaked in their sleep, are said to have lived in the same damp marshes as the fearsome Mewlips.[1]
Etymology
Gorcrow, "gore crow", is an old English name for carrion crow.[2]
Portrayal in adaptations
- Gorcrows are said to have 4 ft. wingspan and to be smaller cousins of the crebain.[3] The northern gorcrow, living in Forodwaith, is described as a larger version of the common gorcrow. The Lossoth are said to regard the norhern gorcrows as birds of ill-omen.[4]
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, "The Mewlips"
- ↑ Patrick J. Cassidy, ed. (1913), Webster Dictionary
- ↑ Ruth Sochard Pitt, Jeff O'Hare, Peter C. Fenlon, Jr. (1994), Creatures of Middle-earth (2nd edition) (#2012)
- ↑ Randy Maxwell (1997), The Northern Waste (#2025)
