Tolkien's Absence of Insecta

[Ent]

Huh. I just recognized it's entirely possible Tolkien makes no mention whatsoever of the Insecta in his works.

Certainly he includes other of the flora and fauna, and even a token acknowledgement of the Arachnida in the spiders... but I cannot extract a single memory of mention of an insect.

Am I amiss? (more than usual, that is....)

 

[Glorfindel Goldtress]

...Do Beorn's bees count? 😁

 

[Ent]

YES.. absolutely. Bees belong to the order of insects called Hymenoptera.

Yay. They were not forgotten. Thank you for jarring my memory. @Glorfindel Goldtress ..!!!

 

[Glorfindel Goldtress]

Happy to be of service! 😄

 

[Ent]

Come to think of it, when somebody climbed way up to the top of the trees in Mirkwood, I believe there were insecta there too - moths.

 

[Glorfindel Goldtress]

I think such was speculated to be purple emperor butterflies, which look black. Forgot where I heard it from. I'm guessing it was the Prancing Pony Podcast quoting Douglas Anderson.

 

[Ent]

Hum.
More Insecta trivia: sometimes AI has a value. (And sometimes it doesn't.)

According to Tolkien's works,
both moths and butterflies are mentioned as being present in Mirkwood Forest.

• Butterflies: Bilbo Baggins observes "black emperor" butterflies in the treetops, described as dark, velvety black without markings.
• Moths: Thorin's company encounters large, dark-grey and black moths that are nearly as big as a person's hand, particularly at night when they try to light fires.

So the winged insects are well represented. I'll keep my eyes open and leaves on the alert for any others.

 

[Ent]

And for even more AI assistance, we have:

• Flies: Frodo and Sam encounter flies in Mordor, described as "tiresome flying insects" marked like Orcs. The Quenya name for a small fly is pī, and the Gnomish word for fly is sitha.
• Neekerbreekers: These were "abominable and evil cricket-like insects" that inhabited the Midgewater Marshes, according to Tolkien Gateway.
• Dumbledors: These were a legendary, "ferocious race of winged insects" mentioned in a Hobbit verse, according to Tolkien Gateway.
• Ants: Though not directly mentioned by name, their presence can be inferred from Merry's question to Pippin, "Are you lying on an ant-hill?", according to Tolkien Gateway. Orcs and other servants of Sauron are also compared to ants in several instances.
• Beetles: Though not mentioned directly, their existence is implied when Samwise speculates on Gollum's diet, including beetles, according to The Encyclopedia of Arda.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

Hum.
More Insecta trivia: sometimes AI has a value. (And sometimes it doesn't.)

According to Tolkien's works,
both moths and butterflies are mentioned as being present in Mirkwood Forest.

• Butterflies: Bilbo Baggins observes "black emperor" butterflies in the treetops, described as dark, velvety black without markings.
• Moths: Thorin's company encounters large, dark-grey and black moths that are nearly as big as a person's hand, particularly at night when they try to light fires.

So the winged insects are well represented. I'll keep my eyes open and leaves on the alert for any others.

They in fact appear in the chapter entitled "Flies and Spiders". Bilbo also sees "ordinary" spiders at the top of the tree he climbs.

In addition to the Neeker-breekers, there are the "clouds of tiny midges" after which the Midgewater Marshes are named, and "Flies began to torment them". So at least three different insects in "A Knife in the Dark".

 

[Ent]

And more:

1. Flies and Mosquitoes
   • The Hobbit, in Mirkwood, Bilbo and the dwarves encounter clouds of biting flies and midges, as well as black flies that sting.
   • Similarly, in The Lord of the Rings, the Dead Marshes are described as having midges and flies
2. Gnats, Midges, and Fleas
   • The Marish, a region in the Shire, is described as full of mosquitoes and midges.
   • There's mention of fleas, especially in the lighthearted and rustic descriptions of the Shire.

Implied or Symbolic Insects

1. Simile and Metaphor
   • Orcs and armies are sometimes compared to swarms, though the insect metaphor is not always explicit.
   • In The Silmarillion, Morgoth’s hosts are sometimes likened to buzzing swarms, implicitly evoking insects.
2. Songs and Poems
   • The whimsical Tom Bombadil references flies and other small creatures in his songs, though not always specifically by type.

 

[Ent]

"ordinary" spiders

But spiders aren't incects... though they're great representatives of the Arachnida.

Insecta - 6 legs, 3-segment body.
Arachnida - 8 legs, 2-segment body.

So Tolkien included both. (good for him..!!)

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

True. If you want to be that pedantic about it. 😄

 

[Ent]

True. If you want to be that pedantic about it. 😄

Being literal and being pedantic do often seem to equate unfortunately. Sad, but true.

 

[Ent]

I trust (and dare I say 'hope' though I hold it loosely) my post in the Trivia Thread about Spiders and Insects (Arachnida and Insecta) helps to point out the issue of 'accuracy' versus 'pedantry.'

In many ways, classifying spiders with insects is kinda like saying the sun and the moon are the same - or a lollipop on a stick is like an ice cream sandwich.

Just about the only thing arachnida and insecta have in common are they both have exoskeletons - yet even those are very different.

(This all fits directly into my book, too. It involves the 'affective responses' - and the historical/cultural conditioning. For many, at some point they were told spiders and insects were in the same class, or spiders were insects. Their Wonder and Curiosity never kicked in, and questions were never asked. Thus, they continue to call the Sun the Moon, and a lollipop an ice cream sandwich, without realizing it.)

And now.... yes now... you're free to tell me I'm being "pedantic..!!" 🤣

 

[Ellessor]

That makes me wonder if there are any references to non-edible fungi in Tolkien's works. Obviously the hobbits love mushrooms and seem to both forage and cultivate them. But I can't recall any other mention of fungi.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

There is mention of lichens, which are partly
fungi.

you're free to tell me I'm being "pedantic..!!" 🤣

Well, if we're really going to do a deep dive into questions of pedantry -- or "accuracy", if you prefer -- you'll note that, though I cited spiders in my post above about the "Flies and Spiders" chapter, I didn't claim they were insects.

 

[Server Room Gremlin]

That makes me wonder if there are any references to non-edible fungi in Tolkien's works. Obviously the hobbits love mushrooms and seem to both forage and cultivate them. But I can't recall any other mention of fungi.

I recall reading somewhere that Elves at first did not usually eat mushrooms, as it could be hard to tell which ones were good and which ones were poisonous. If this indeed existed somewhere in Tolkien's writings (and I didn't dream it or something 😂), it seems like the kind of thing he'd write down as a note, rather than include in a story. And I suppose the most this does is confirm that mushrooms toxic to humanoids existed.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

If you read The Peoples of Middle-earth, you didn't dream it. It was discussed in an unused note on the Drúedain, who had great plant-lore, and ate mushrooms and (apparently) various other fungi.

 

[Server Room Gremlin]

If you read The Peoples of Middle-earth, you didn't dream it. It was discussed in an unused note on the Drúedain, who had great plant-lore, and ate mushrooms and (apparently) various other fungi.

I probably read something online which referenced this.