Post by artanaro on May 10, 2006 8:29:25 GMT -5
the Drúedain, also known as Drûgin (singular being Drug), Woses,
Wild Men of the Woods and Púkel-men, were a strange race of Men
which was counted amongst the Edain.
Tolkien got this term from the legendary Woodwoses.
The Drûgin lived among the Second House of Men, the Haladin, in the
First Age in the forest of Brethil. They were an alien folk to the
other Men: a bit like Dwarves in stature and endurance, stumpy,
clumsy-limbed (with short, thick legs, and fat, "gnarled" arms), had
broad chests, fat bellies, and heavy buttocks. According to the
Elves and other Men, they had "unlovely faces": wide, flat, and
expressionless with deep-set black eyes that glowed red when
angered. They had "horny" brows, flat noses, wide mouths, and
sparse, lanky hair. They had no hair lower than the eyebrows, except
for a few men who had a tail of black hair on the chin. They were
short lived
This matches the evidence found on Neanderthal man (not the pop
culture interpretation).
I have found some problems with the Neanderthal = Dwarf theory
mainly two things : the Dwarves were said to have deep booming
voices, and they were very long lived.
Neanderthal throat structure would have made them have higher
pitched voiced.
Heres my source :
"The theory that Neanderthals lacked complex language was widespread
until 1983, when a Neanderthal hyoid bone was found at the Kebara
Cave in Israel. The hyoid is a small bone that holds the root of the
tongue in place, a requirement to human speech and, therefore, its
presence seems to imply ability to speak. The bone that was found is
virtually identical to that of modern humans.
Many people believe that even without the hyoid bone evidence, it is
obvious that tools as advanced as those of the Mousterian Era,
attributed to Neanderthals, could not have been developed without
cognitive skills encompassing some form of spoken language.
A recent study conducted on the Neanderthal hyoid found that due to
the physical characteristics of Neanderthals and the fact that their
larynx would have been stouter than that of the modern human, the
average note emitted by Neanderthals would have been high pitched
and sharper than that of modern man, contrary to the media
stereotype of Neanderthals having ape-like grunts.
The base of the Neanderthal tongue was positioned higher in the
throat, crowding the mouth somewhat. As a result, Neanderthal speech
would most likely have been nasalized." from wikipedia.
Another problem with the Dwarf connection is the longevity of the
Dwarves. The Neanderthal lived a very short life in comparison with
homo sapiens. The same contrast is also present when comparing the
Druedain with the other Edain.
What do you think? Is there evidence to disprove or corroborate
this theory further?
Wild Men of the Woods and Púkel-men, were a strange race of Men
which was counted amongst the Edain.
Tolkien got this term from the legendary Woodwoses.
The Drûgin lived among the Second House of Men, the Haladin, in the
First Age in the forest of Brethil. They were an alien folk to the
other Men: a bit like Dwarves in stature and endurance, stumpy,
clumsy-limbed (with short, thick legs, and fat, "gnarled" arms), had
broad chests, fat bellies, and heavy buttocks. According to the
Elves and other Men, they had "unlovely faces": wide, flat, and
expressionless with deep-set black eyes that glowed red when
angered. They had "horny" brows, flat noses, wide mouths, and
sparse, lanky hair. They had no hair lower than the eyebrows, except
for a few men who had a tail of black hair on the chin. They were
short lived
This matches the evidence found on Neanderthal man (not the pop
culture interpretation).
I have found some problems with the Neanderthal = Dwarf theory
mainly two things : the Dwarves were said to have deep booming
voices, and they were very long lived.
Neanderthal throat structure would have made them have higher
pitched voiced.
Heres my source :
"The theory that Neanderthals lacked complex language was widespread
until 1983, when a Neanderthal hyoid bone was found at the Kebara
Cave in Israel. The hyoid is a small bone that holds the root of the
tongue in place, a requirement to human speech and, therefore, its
presence seems to imply ability to speak. The bone that was found is
virtually identical to that of modern humans.
Many people believe that even without the hyoid bone evidence, it is
obvious that tools as advanced as those of the Mousterian Era,
attributed to Neanderthals, could not have been developed without
cognitive skills encompassing some form of spoken language.
A recent study conducted on the Neanderthal hyoid found that due to
the physical characteristics of Neanderthals and the fact that their
larynx would have been stouter than that of the modern human, the
average note emitted by Neanderthals would have been high pitched
and sharper than that of modern man, contrary to the media
stereotype of Neanderthals having ape-like grunts.
The base of the Neanderthal tongue was positioned higher in the
throat, crowding the mouth somewhat. As a result, Neanderthal speech
would most likely have been nasalized." from wikipedia.
Another problem with the Dwarf connection is the longevity of the
Dwarves. The Neanderthal lived a very short life in comparison with
homo sapiens. The same contrast is also present when comparing the
Druedain with the other Edain.
What do you think? Is there evidence to disprove or corroborate
this theory further?