The Warg and Warg Rider Appreciation Thread

[SamwiseGamgee]

I find it unlikely that they didn't live in groups, Eomer. The warg, after all, is a pack animal- highly sociable and intelligent. While the groups may not have been the huge collections that were once known in ME, I feel the groups would have been sizeable, perhaps about 12 adults.
I think it unlikely that wargs felt the War to be unimportant or not affecting them. The warg, after all, has the tremendous gift of foresight, and wargs are counted amongst the wise. However, the same could be said of Tom Bombadil or the eagles, I guess.
Perhaps it is fair to say that wargs were quite simply afraid of the consequences of the War, and thus decided to lie low. It may be slightly ignoble, but it seems reasonable.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

I only said that I thought they wouldn't live in large groups. Rather small well-organised groups.

Perhaps Wargs were involved in furious fighting away from the north-west of Middle-earth, and thus the stories are not told in The Lord Of The Rings. A shame I think. We could probably make some tales of the unsung heroes of the War of the Ring.

Pray tell readers, does anyone know how the Warg Rider met his doom? That is a tale I would love to hear. I wonder if he was present during the War of the Ring.

[SamwiseGamgee]

That's a question which has puzzled many a greater mind than mine. Few know, and they are reluctant to tell. It is with a great price that the true tale of the Warg Rider is learned, and I for my part have lost much.
The story of the Warg Rider's demise shall be told in this thread soon, but not yet. I shall go back and refresh my mind- though it shan't take much, the imagery is burned into my sub-concious- of the exact facts.
On an aside, Eomer, you may be interested that your foresight is as clear as ever as regards the maiden-folk. You know of what I speak.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Do I? In that case it must be burrowed deep in the nether regions of my cerebral cortex for I do not know what you speak of Samwise.

This tale of the Doom of the Warg Rider sounds spine-tingling. I can't wait to hear it. Please Samwise, take your time to compile the story and I'm sure it will be phenomenal.

I myself am compiling a happy little tale of Warg 'magic'. Men and Hobbits tend to call the strange arts of the Elves 'magic', and Wargs are quite similar to the Elves in that respect. Warg 'magic' is not really like Elf 'magic' however, and this makes me wonder whether Wargs and Elves have had much contact with each other throughout the ages. If not (as I am suggesting) it appears that Wargs were not around in Valinor when the Elves of Middle-earth were.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Apologies for the lengthy time I am taking to complete my promised tale. As I was compiling it, I took a sharp, unexpected turn into gloomier waters. So I'll try again, and perhaps I'll end up with two tales: one gloomy and the other happy.

Isn't it funny how those two traits intermingle when talking about Tolkien's works in general and particularly Wargs.

[Amariden Ravenhill]

Yes....it is indeed a most intriguing trait, Eomer.....I wouldn't have thought such had you never mentioned it.....Oh, and apologies for not answering Samwise's question earlier. I live in Number 44 Bagshot Row

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

On a time there lived a couple of Wargs called Hirbak and Goldak. They lived a quiet life in the Tower Hills and didn't know too much about Men. To amuse themselves (amongst other activities) they conjured up storms, not violent storms, just strong enough to make the trees sway and make a 'pretty picture', so to speak.

Now, we at the Appreciation thread may know that Wargs can control the weather in certain ways, but few Men of Middle-earth knew this. So imagine their surprise when a tribe of Men of the Tower Hills stumbled upon these Wargs. Hirbak and Goldak were wary of Men, so when they were discovered they conjured up a quite frightful storm to scare the Men. The Men retreated in terror.

Hirbak and Goldak were amused by this, so every time the Men returned they conjured up more weather-related monstrosities to scupper their plans. Snow, lightning, even a tornado (which actually killed several of the Men and isn't too funny to be honest with you) and the Men couldn't get near the Wargs. Eventually they gave up and the home of Hirbak and Goldak was known only as a place of magic and sorcery among Men forevermore.



Of course, it wasn't magic or sorcery or witchcraft or anything like that. It was just a trivial example of Warg art.

[Maeggaladiel]

Don't feel so bad, Eomer. Perhaps you were thinking of the legendary Sasqwarg, not the Silver Warg. The Sasqwarg, also known as Bigpaw, has been rumored to live deep in the forests of North America. In fact, there have been tales of Bigpaw living in my home state of Oregon! Imagine my excitement when I discovered that I was dwelling in Bigpaw territory!

True, there has been little hard evidence of this mysterious creature's existance; a fuzzy photo here, a wide-eyed camper's tale there. But stories of Bigpaw are numerous. Some say that Sasqwargs are the malicious spirits of wargs who were wrongfully slain by fearful pioneers crossing the country to Oregon Territory. Others claim that they are a Lazarus species; that is, they are living examples of the ancient mammoth wargs found in the fossil record of the late Cretaceous period. Under this theory, the Sasqwargs are the missing link between modern wolves and wargs. Still others say that they are fairylike spirits of the forest, protecting the trees and all creatures that dwell among them.

Many dismiss the claims of Sasqwarg existance as mere legend. After all, no scientist or hunter has ever captured a Sasqwarg. Stories and photographs are waved away as pure fabrication of the creature's existance.

I, however, believe otherwise. After reading up on the mysterious Sasqwarg, I have been led to believe that a pack or "tribe" of these strange beings have been inhabiting the woods around my house. I live in a relatively isolated area, between two mountains and a great forest. Sometimes, I feel as though someone is watching me. I turn around, but there is nothing but forest. Or is there? Many times at night I have heard strange sounds, like great creatures were performing a a dance outside my window. On full moons, I sometimes think I can see great dark shapes floating across the silvery landscape. Are they the Sasqwargs? If so, then I must disagree with any theory that these magestic creatures are evil spirits. I cannot explain why I feel this way, though I believe that if you happened to see the things I have seen, you would share my thoughts. Perhaps the Sasqwarg are indeed guardians of the forest, or ancient ancestors of the modern warg. I hope to continue my studies and deduce the true nature of these beings.

So please come out of the tree and starve yourself no longer, Lord Eomer. I do not know if beasts similar to the Sasqwarg roam Scotland, but I do not think a warg enthusiast such as yourself would miss the chance of finding that out. If they are indeed Lazarus species, perhaps some Sasqwargs crossed to present-day Scotland before Pangea could fully separate. Maybe some still survive. It would be a fascinating study, don't you think?