The Warg and Warg Rider Appreciation Thread

[One of the Nine]

Yes, cation is a virtue I don't like too much, but must be applied here. I have met my dear Warg again near his home, and he tells me much about his past rider. We together also must be careful because of the ever accusing people of the devious city I am shamed to call my own. Just this morning they accused a poor elderly woman of being in contact with a warg, when in fact, she had only scared one off with her many dogs. They take warg appreciation as treason, knowing a warg worse than treason, and riding a warg like terrorism. So, caution is good in my case here. Although, on a brighter outlook, I am learing some famed warg dances, and his wargliness says that he might be able to bring the warg that lives near a city not to far away here. So, for now, I'm happy with my warg findings.

[SamwiseGamgee]

Of recent times on this thread I feel that the great power of wargs has been forgotten. A warg is a creature more noble and honourable than we could ever trully appreciate. Here at the appreciation society we do the best we can to reflect and, well, generally appreciate wargs. However, another word of caution One of the Nine, this warg with which you claim to meet may be a treacherous warg. The haste with which he has befriended you suggests to me that he is tricking you. A warg of nobler spirit would be far more suspicious and less forthcoming, I feel.

I am no expert in warg psychology, though a vast amount of my time in Cambodia during the summer of 1981 was spent researching the field. I feel this is a case of 'Rohan Village Syndrome', that is where a warg befriends you and treats you as an ally only to betray you to a greater power at an opportune moment. Eomer has touched on it before, I believe. The best authority I have for this is in Unravelling The Paradox: A Study In Warg Psychology by Viscount Hughbert Bramble-Heath of Kent, Oxford University Press, 1834:

Wargs are prone to acts of dispicable treachery. It is unclear as to why they should act in such a fashion... but one thing seems clear: the trick is commonly used against unsuspecting humans and often even against warg-followers.
It was first observed in use against a village in Rohan as a servant of the Warg Rider... betrayed the trust of an entire village save one elderly lady for the purposes of his master.
As a result of this common trait wargs should always be held in some suspicion if their friendship is forthcoming.

There are other authorities, such as Wargs; Lovers, Murderers or Gods? by Albert Erekshon, Collins, 1946, which states quite simply:

Wargs should not be trusted.

This is a cynical view and I for one do not agree, but the sentiment would be well learned.

Eomer, I would be interested in your opinions on the matter.

[Sharkû]

Except for the word wargs, that was complete gibberish. Tolkien or closed, please.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Seriously, we at the Appreciation Thread know all too well that Tolkien wrote little of Wargs and the Warg Rider. That is why we take it upon ourselves to keep the ball in motion, so to speak.

[Fordim Hedgethistle]

Greetings Eomer and all Warg Lovers. This is Fordim, first time poster, long time listener to this thread.

While I do genuinely admire your determination to win for the mighty warg a more honourable place within the legendarium, I am afraid that I must nail the wolf skin to the door on this debate by turning to that source of all human knowledge (in English at least) – the Oxford English Dictionary.

‘Warg’ is simply an archaic word for wolf. So far, so good (if you’re a warg or a warg fan). But when we get into the etymology of the word we find that ‘warg’ comes from the Old English wear or wearh which means: “A felon, outlaw, villain.” The full etymology of the word is depressing reading if you are a subscriber to this thread:

OE. wear, wearh = OS. warag, OHG. warc, warch criminal, felon (whence Frankish Law Latin vargus outlaw), MHG. warc monster, ON. varg-r outlaw, hence wolf (Sw., Norw. varg, wolf, mod.Icel. vargur fox), Goth. *warg-s (attested by the compound launawargs unthankful person, and the derivatives ga-wargjan to condemn, wargia condemnation):OTeut. *waro-z.

Probable cognates outside Teut. are Lith. vârgas misery, vargti to be wretched, OPrussian wargs suffering (n.), evil, bad (adj.), Lettish wahrgs ill, OSl. vrag (Russian vrag) enemy.

As you can see, the root forms of the word are all grouped around ideas of criminality, outlawry and even outright monstrosity. Even the cognates are connected with conditions that are far from happy.

To be 'warg' is to be bad.

[SamwiseGamgee]

Greetings Fordim, and well met!
Your search to the very roots of the fairest language on this world is honourable, and I tip my hat to it, but I feel you miss the ironic stance that the good Professor took. To use a word such as warg, knowing as he would its full meaning, I believe he attempted to baffle and mislead academics and scholars. 'How so?' I hear you ask. Well, allow me to explain.
I feel that Tolkien was showing that by becoming too bogged down and concerned with detail one can often be misled even to the wrong conclusion. I think, and I'm pretty sure that on this thread I'd get plenty of agreement, that if one looks at the bigger picture then wargs are clearly heroic, noble and great (spot the tautology!) beasts worthy of our respect!

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

'Fairest language on this world'? I guess you're entitled to your opinion, Samwise.

Greetings Fordim and many thanks for presenting this information to the Thread. It was certainly a fascinating discovery for me to see the origins of the word warg.

However, I am inclined to believe that this is another example of Tolkien's subtle humour. Does not Gamgee literally mean 'half-wit'? Draw your own conclusions from that.