The Ogre, a fascinating beast and a fantasy staple. In the modern age people have an idea in their head of the Ogre; it is a huge evil beast that adventurers have to face in their quests. From D&D to Shrek, you have the idea; a huge hulking beast, hated by society, and generally very stupid (Shrek being an obvious exception). The Ogre is a classic creature that has been used to great success and can often be very fun. However, people often ignore the many classic themes that Ogres have in older literature. The goal of this guide is not to say that the classic Ogre is bad, but rather the goal is to show some alternative thematic elements that Ogres have had that in the modern age have fallen out of use. To shed some light on how the Ogre can be used besides as the big beast..



(A classic Ogre: as done by Conceptopolis)

The Ogre as Evil Personified

Perhaps the best place to start when trying to find Ogre traditions is with the word Ogre. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary the two definitions of Ogre in English are; “an ugly giant in children’s stories that eats people” or “someone or something that is very frightening, cruel, or difficult to deal with”. The second definition is important. According to this definition an Ogre is not just a type of monster, but rather, the very word in English has come to mean something which is cruel, difficult, and downright bad. So this is the first hint that Ogres are not just a type of monster, they can be even more evil than that.

The cannibalism aspect mentioned in the first definition is very interesting. Throughout the world man-eaters have been demonized in stories. Many of these big creatures resemble Ogres at first, huge lumbering creatures, but one of the interesting differences is that many of these creatures were once human. The Chenoo of American mythology, which is often called an Ogre in English, was a corrupted human, as was the Wendigo. Similarly, some people believed that the Oni of Japanese mythology were the souls of evil humans (even if this was not a normal part of the myth). Therefore, we can see the connection between the Ogre and the fear people may have had of human cannibalism. More than just the fear of being eaten by a beast, the fear of another human eating humans is what inspired the Ogre in many cases. People have always been terrified by humans that eat other humans, and Ogre-like creatures carried the stigma against cannibalism.

(A picture of a Wendigo)

Then comes the origin of the word Ogre. The English word Ogre comes from the French word Ogre, which translates into English as, yes, Ogre. Obviously, this is not particularly helpful, however on closer inspection one can find that the French word originally comes from the Latin Orcus. A god of the underworld and of oaths, and also, a name for the underworld itself. The word Ogre comes from a being not of this earth, but rather a divine being, not just of evil, but rather of an underworld and law. A powerful being that humans are subject to, and often one which is portrayed negatively. In addition that word also evolved into the word Orco, meaning demon.

Orcus is also the origin of one of the most common fantasy staples in the modern age, the Orc. A creature that is generally portrayed as smaller than an Ogre, and have been commonly portrayed as being able to work in organized groups. In addition, Tolkien described the Orcs as being incapable of love. Meaning once again that the words derived from Orcus are intrinsically descriptive of evil beings.

(A classic Tolkien Orc)





And of course you can never forget the use of Orcus in pop culture, specifically D&D. In D&D, Orcus is no Ogre, but rather the demon lord of undeath. He is also rather iconic for D&D, as he has been detailed in every single edition. In D&D the demon lords are once again not simply cruel, but rather are innately evil in every sense of the word.

(Orcus in D&D)

From these we get our first take on the Ogre, that it is not so simply some big dumb brute, but rather evil personified. The worst part is that it is so human, so cruelly human. Whether it was once a human now corrupted, or is simply human-like, no one can deny that it’s cruelty is of a human variety. It kills and eats humans not because it finds joy in the eating, or that it needs it to live, but rather out of finding joy in watching those that loved it’s kill suffer. They love human pain, they torture, they maim, they destroy, they do whatever they can to cause pain. They can not even work together; their society is sustained by the raw evil power of some deity which wishes for humanity’s end. Yet, Ogres will never end humans. They find to much pleasure in torturing them.

The Ogre as the Wild Other

One theory as to the origin of Ogres and other similar creatures is human’s racial memories of Neanderthals. The idea makes sense, humans may have feared and loathed Neanderthals, and the stories may have been passed down into modern legend as mythologies most brutish monsters. Even if Neanderthals were not the savages we portray them as (they weren’t) this portrayal is ubiquitous. The heavy brows and slightly hunched posture of the Neanderthal can also be seen in many depictions of the Ogre.

One example that may work in a similar way is the Native American creature, often called an Ogre, known as the Chenoo. A being who once used to be human, yet it was changed into a being that is monstrous and evil. A cannibalistic creature who lives and the woods and had little empathy for human kind. In addition, the idea of a Wendigo, while not an Ogre, may be from the same primal idea. The fear of a being which is similar to ourselves, may once have been one of us, yet has a deep and evil wrong about them.

The Japanese have the legends of the Oni, wild creatures wearing nothing but loincloths and carrying heavy clubs. They share many features with European Ogres, they look mostly human but are much larger, and may have other inhuman features such as odd skin and horns which make them distinctly in-human. They are not bound by human customs, and bring with them death. They are also like Ogres known to consume human flesh.

(A mask meant to represent an Oni)

Another member of the same archetype that has occasionally been known as an Ogre is the being known as Grendel. Grendel’s motivations are not simply monstrous rage, but rather the fact that it hates the songs of God’s glory. It hates civilization and will do whatever it can to destroy it. Some believe that Grendel might have represented the horrors of other tribes and foreigners, portraying anything out of ones comfort zone as a monstrous cannibal who kills out of love of killing and hate of culture. Grendel does not just kill, he makes a mockery of your traditions and rules as he does so.

Even the idea of the huge apes found in modern cryptozoology may be an extension of the same archetype. huge lumbering vaguely human beasts which taunt us with their inability to be captured. At times they may act against humans and even kill us, such as with Florida’s Skunk-ape, yet most of the time they just taunt us, just out of our sight.

(An alleged picture of Bigfoot)

From these we get the idea of the Ogre as the other. A being that is not understandable to humanity. It is not bound by human logic or rules, but rather laughs at our attempts at civilization. It may be a corrupted human, or it may simply be our long lost cousin, but no matter what it is, it is not human. It both despises us and does not care about us, we are nothing but food, yet it also find pleasure in devouring us. No human can reason with it, no human can track it, it simply consumes. It may be able to talk, but when it does it feels no empathy for human kind, and deserves none in return. It simply kills.

The Magical Shapeshifter.

Many fairy tales that feature Ogres do portray them as cruel stupid brutes, yet some of them give interesting other additions. For example, both “Puss in Boots” and “The Arabian Nights” have stories which feature Ogres that have the ability to shapeshift (the original Arabian story did not call them Ogres, but the French translation did). Other stories portray Ogres as being capable of some level of human compassion, such as the wife in “Jack in the Beanstalk” and the Chenoo in “The Girl and the Chenoo”, both help the protagonist, and in the case of the Chenoo, the Ogre even turns into a human. The Ogier of the “Wheel of Time” are downright benevolent at times.

One common theme with this kind of magical Ogre when they are on the bad side is that they are outwitted. No matter how powerful they may be, their downfall is always the lack of intelligence. In “Puss in Boots”, Puss tricks an Ogre into changing into a form which is easily killed. In ” Hop-o;-My-Thumb” the main character tricks the Ogre into killing the Ogre’s own daughter. In both cases the hero is vastly less powerful than the Ogre, but by their intelligence they manage to defeat it.

(An illustration of the Ogre from “Puss in Boots” as done by Charles Perrault)

Another common use of the Ogre was as a boogeyman. Parents would tell their children that if they acted bad the Ogre would eat them. They would be a sort of tool used to police the behavior of children, much like Santa. However, much like Santa, one has to think about the actual meaning of the Ogre only targeting bad children. The Ogre in this case is no mindless monster but simply a policer to make sure children act well. Even if the Ogres methods are horrible, at least the end result is decent.

This kind of Ogre may come from a culture that has been known to do great cruelty to humans, but that is simply as a Master acts towards his lessors, to keep them in place. Trolls are a greatly magical race, and in their eyes they have to keep track of the lesser more stupid human race. They will often be antagonists, as they try to crush the will of their human charges, yet they are still capable of compassion. Sometimes one will realize that one of it’s kin is going too far and help humans, or it might try to save humans from extinction in the case of an apocalypse. The greatest power of these Ogres is the power to shape shift, they can turn from anything from a cat to a human, and they are possessors of many magical artifacts. Yet, no matter how powerful the Ogre may be, they grossly underestimate humanity, and will easily be tricked when acting as antagonists. They assume that no lesser being could even attempt to trick it, and as such they are very vulnerable to trickery.

The Ogre as Tyrant

One small characterization noticeable in older stories is the intelligence of many Ogres, and the fact that their power is more than just physical or magical. They, in many cases, had some sort of higher power, the power of the government.

In “Puss in Boots” the Ogre is no simple savage living in the woods, it is a rich Lord who lives in a grand manor. Even though the Ogre may indeed consume children, as many illustrations portray it doing, no one stops it until Puss comes around. This may seem strange at first, but it portrays how many peasants at the time may have perceived their Masters. No matter how corrupt the Masters are, they are also above the peasants and until a hero stops them they are in complete control.

Another case in which the character of the Ogre may have been representing a powerful landowner is within the story of “Jack and the Beanstalk”. Although the giant is indeed a giant, it is sometimes referred to as an Ogre and retains many Ogre traits. One of these traits is that it is, once again, greatly wealthy. It lives in a grand home above the clouds and posses many magical artifacts. It is also greatly cruel, wishing to eat Jack. And once again the hero, Jack, defeats the Ogre and takes it’s power and land.

(Mickey Mouse as Jack talking with the giant)

From this we get one idea of the Ogre, that of the tyrant. The tyrant Ogre is just as big and cruel as your normal Ogre, and they may even be as stupid. But the major difference is that the Ogre has power beyond the physical. Whether it be divine right such as with Orcus, or simply through hereditary, the Ogre has managed to get into a position of political power. Even if the heroes can vanquish it physically, the Ogre has the law on it’s side, and it knows how to use it. It can be found oppressing peasants and eating their babies when they can’t pay taxes, using the law to arrest any adventurers that may stop it, or simply bribing the police into ignoring the fact that it keeps eating people.

So, that is the guide to themes of the Ogre. Although you are free to keep on using the classic brute, hopefully this guide may give you some ideas on your next project.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/425894/ogre

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Ogre

http://www.storiestogrowby.com/stories/chenoo_native_american.html

http://www.abroadintheyard.com/evolution-of-neanderthals-over-last-100-years-says-more-about-us/

http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/ne/al/al50.htm

http://www.authorama.com/english-fairy-tales-15.html

http://bibliologicalbibblebabble.blogspot.com/2011/01/more-than-monster-symbolic-meaning-of.html

http://www.shmoop.com/beowulf/grendel.html

http://www.shrek.com/

http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Orcus

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCkQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mythologydictionary.com%2Forcus-mythology.html&ei=J0MgVfuuEoGMsAWltoGQDw&usg=AFQjCNF5u3vQvXYJsEBWD3o1OYDRmiqHQA&sig2=Nog_t485XIGqP_esiLqCpQ

https://www.nytimes.com/books/first/w/warner-bogeyman.html

https://japanesemythology.wordpress.com/oni-definitions-and-the-oni-perspective-in-yumemakura/