Honey, I Forgot to Kill the Dragon

[davem]

Of course, Garm in Norse mythology is the name of the hound who guarded the realm of Hel (the Underworld), & slays Tyr, the one-handed god, at Ragnarok. Surely this is an ironic 'echo' of the conflict between Beren & Carcharoth. The original Garm is a terrifying, fearless monster, while Giles' dog is a cowardly cur. Giles as a personal name comes from the latin Aegidius, (from aegis)

"protection," 1793, from L. ægis, from Gk. Aigis, the shield of Zeus, said by Herodotus to be related to aix (gen. aigos) "goat," from PIE *aig- "goat" (cf. Skt. ajah, Lith. ozys "he-goat"), as the shield was of goatskin. Athene's aigis was a short goat-skin cloak, covered with scales, set with a gorgon's head, and fringed with snakes.

So Giles is the 'shield' of his people.

I note in passing that 'Farmer Giles' is rhyming slang for piles, which may explain his bad temper & desire to avoid fighting......