The Oliphaunt reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Oliphaunt

In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, an oliphaunt is an animal predecessor to the elephant, but much larger. It lived during the Third Age in the southern land of Harad. Evidently, they became extinct some time after the Battle of the Pelennor Fields on March 15th, 3019 of the Third Age.

Oliphaunt is also the title of a short comic poem about the beast quoted by Samwise Gamgee, probably written by a Hobbit who had never actually seen one.

The origin of the word as used by Tolkien is debated by etymologists as being either of Germanic or Greek origin.

Oliphaunts were called mûmakil (singular mûmak) by the Men of Gondor.

See also: war elephant

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