Moth

The Moth as depicted in Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring

"There were moths fluttering about, and the light became very dim, for the moon had not risen."

—The Hobbit, "A Short Rest"

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. Later, when traveling through Mirkwood, Thorin and Company attempted to light watch-fires at night, which attracted the attention of "thousands of dark-grey and black moths" capable of growing to nearly the size of a hand. After vanishing during his Farewell Birthday Party and returning to Bag End, Bilbo Baggins tidied up his things before taking "an old cloak and hood" that smelled of moth-balls "from a locked drawer". Shortly after Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli made camp upon entering Fangorn Forest, Gimli suggested that they light a fire as a consequence of having only "one blanket apiece", even if such a fire would attract Orcs "as thick as summer-moths round a candle".

In other versions

In Tolkien's early conceptions of Elvish languages, the words for "moth" are malo (pl. malwi) in Qenya and fufril in Gnomish.

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".

In adaptations

"The Moth" is the name given to a non-canonical, small moth that comes to Gandalf occasionally in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and The Hobbit film trilogy, forewarning that Eagles are coming, or used by him to summon them. It is believed to be a male Opodiphthera eucalypti.^{[citation needed]} The moth does not appear in the books, although it is possible that it indirectly appears, as Radagast the Brown says to Gandalf in The Fellowship of the Ring that he would send any messengers for help.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

In Peter Jackson's 2001 film, when Gandalf is imprisoned by Saruman on the pinnacle of the Tower of Orthanc, with no possible escape, during the night, a moth appears and when it flies close to Gandalf he grabs it and whispers to it. Later, when confronted by Saruman, the moth reappears; an Eagle (supposedly Gwaihir) arrives and Gandalf escapes on its back.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

In The Return of the King film, Gandalf notices the same moth flying near him during the Battle of the Black Gate at exactly at the same time at which the Nazgûl are to attack Gondor's and Rohan's armies. The Eagles then appear and help the Free Peoples of the World.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

At the end of Peter Jackson's 2012 film, during the ambush of Azog and his Orcs, Thorin and Company become stranded on uprooted cliff-side trees. Thorin, Fíli, Kíli, Dwalin, and Bilbo rush in to a fight against the Orcs, leaving the rest of the company behind, hanging over a cliff, in attempt to save them. Gandalf, barely hanging on, notices the moth fly by his face. Shortly after, two Dwarves fall from the tree and are caught by eagles, and the eagles take the company safely to the Carrock.