oliphaunts

[krash8765]

Was the war of the ring the first time mumakil were used against gondor? Were they mentioned ever before?

 

[Maeglin]

It is never mentioned (that I know of) of them being used before. The other battles in which the Haradrim and Easterlings had fought against Gondor took place long in the past, so they probably had not yet figured out a way to tame the Oliphaunts in order to use them anyway.

 

[Gamil Zirak]

Sam knew something of Oliphaunts from a story, so it is possibly that they had been used against Gondor. It's just not stated one way or the other.

 

[Lantarion]

I don't think mûmakil are mentioned anywhere except in the Ithilien-chapters and the Siege of Gondor.. I have a feeling that the Haradrim had used these elephants perhaps as aids in building or farming or something equally practical, and that they were used in war only for extreme situations and epic battles. The Men of Ithilien knew them by name, so they must have seen them or heard of them before, though..
But the mûmakil were a natural species of animal, though they probably only existed in the far east and south of Arda (like our modern Elephants).