Ettens

Ettens is a Westron term used for Ogres, Giants, Trolls, or other large, monster-like creatures.^[1]

The term is found in the names of the regions of the Ettenmoors and Ettendales, in eastern Eriador.^[2] Because these were infested by hill-trolls,^[3] it has been suggested that ettens could be identified with trolls specifically,^[4] in particular with the two-headed trolls fleetingly mentioned in The Hobbit.^[5] However, J.R.R. Tolkien never explained the nature of ettens.

Etymology[]

Tolkien explained that the stem of Ettenmoors and Ettendales was the obsolete English term eten, or ettin, in turn derived from Old English eōten, or ent, meaning "giant", "ogre" or "troll".^[1] Furthermore, Tolkien considered to call the Ettenmoors "Entish Lands" before he created the Ents.^[6]

In adaptations[]

Middle-earth: Shadow of War[]

In the video game Middle-earth: Shadow of War, the troll Az-Harto earned the nickname of "The Etten", interpreted as a two-headed troll.

Middle-earth Online[]

In Middle-earth Online, the race of Ettins was intended as a breed of trolls with two heads.

The Lord of the Rings Online[]

In The Lord of the Rings Online the ettens are a kind of trolls that wear animal-skin cloack that create the illusion of them being two-headed.

The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game[]

In The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game, Ettens were the result of an ancient experiment of Morgoth, who bred a race of two-headed hill-trolls.

References[]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, "Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings"
↑ The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book One, Ch. XII: "Flight to the Ford"
↑ The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, Annals of the Kings and Rulers, I. "The Númenórean Kings", v. "The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen"
↑ Michael D.C. Drout, An Anglo-Saxonist Gets his Fifteen Minutes
↑ The Hobbit, Chapter II: "Roast Mutton"
↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. VI: The Return of the Shadow, chapter XI: "From Weathertop to the Ford", Note on the Entish Lands

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[:0-1] 1.0 ^1.1 The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, "Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings"

[2] The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book One, Ch. XII: "Flight to the Ford"

[3] The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, Annals of the Kings and Rulers, I. "The Númenórean Kings", v. "The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen"

[4] Michael D.C. Drout, An Anglo-Saxonist Gets his Fifteen Minutes

[5] The Hobbit, Chapter II: "Roast Mutton"

[6] The History of Middle-earth, Vol. VI: The Return of the Shadow, chapter XI: "From Weathertop to the Ford", Note on the Entish Lands

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