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Loresilme
Valinor
Mar 26 2014, 2:35pm
Post #1 of 8
(597 views)
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Screencap of the Day: More Mumakil details
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Larger image here
Lots of mumakil screencaps in this section! This one caught my attention because although I remember the war paint and markings, I don't think I ever noticed that there was lettering on them too.
A few thoughts and questions ....
1. What do you think of the idea of lettering on the mumakil? What would you imagine it says?
2. Would you call these letters, or runes, or ... something else? Does anyone know if these are Tolkien-inspired or movie-invented?
3. Was I the only one who was saddened that the mumakil were being hurt and killed in these scenes? I began to feel sorry for them because they were turned to this use because of their keepers. I wished there had been a way to defeat the opponents without hurting these creatures.
4. The Rohirrim seemed to have never seen mumakil before. I wondered - would it mean they had never battled these opponents before or was it because no one had never used them in battle before? Or perhaps something else - any thoughts?
5. Do you think the opposing army considered themselves to be a superior force and almost invulnerable because they had the mumakil?
Thanks for visiting SCOD! Please feel free to share any comments or observations  !
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BlackFox
Half-elven
Mar 26 2014, 3:47pm
Post #2 of 8
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It's the official Műmakil week!
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1. What do you think of the idea of lettering on the mumakil? What would you imagine it says?
I too only caught this nice little detail quite recently (I think it was during my latest viewing of ROTK in December right before DOS came out). Anyways, I very much like it. I guess it could be some sort of a protective spell (or a destructive one directed at their opponents) or a motto of some kind. What exactly might it say? Hm... "Fear the wrath!"?
2. Would you call these letters, or runes, or ... something else? Does anyone know if these are Tolkien-inspired or movie-invented?
I'd say these are... letters. They remind me of the letters of the Georgian alphabet a tiny bit. Whether they're Tolkien-inspired or movie-invented, I have no glue.
3. Was I the only one who was saddened that the mumakil were being hurt and killed in these scenes? I began to feel sorry for them because they were turned to this use because of their keepers. I wished there had been a way to defeat the opponents without hurting these creatures.
Animals (even the fictional ones) have always been my soft spot, so I can't help but feel sorry for them. As in real life, it's the owners or the keepers who largely shape the animal's behaviour.
4. The Rohirrim seemed to have never seen mumakil before. I wondered - would it mean they had never battled these opponents before or was it because no one had never used them in battle before? Or perhaps something else - any thoughts?
As the know-all LOTR Wiki states: "To most cultures, the Műmakil were creatures of legend, as fearsome as dragons, and to them were ascribed all kinds of strange powers." So, yes, I think the Rohirrim had never faced these creatures in battle before.
5. Do you think the opposing army considered themselves to be a superior force and almost invulnerable because they had the mumakil?
They definitely come off as very confident when they arrive at the battlefield, do they not?
Thanks for another interesting screencap, Loresilme!
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Mar 26 2014, 7:54pm
Post #3 of 8
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1. The writing is pre-Arabic graffiti; it says "Ra's al Ghul was here!"
2. See above.
3. Not really. War is hell on CGI critters. But then, perhaps I was a bit irritated over how big Jackson made the oliphaunts.
4. I just assumed that the beasts had never been used against the Rohirrim before.
5. Could well be.
'There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world.' - Gandalf the Grey, The Fellowship of the Ring
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Meneldor
Valinor
Mar 26 2014, 9:16pm
Post #5 of 8
(455 views)
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They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep.
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Riven Delve
Tol Eressea
Mar 27 2014, 1:13am
Post #6 of 8
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I never noticed those markings before
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1. What do you think of the idea of lettering on the mumakil? What would you imagine it says?
Makes sense. I think it says "To advertise here, call 555-...."
2. Would you call these letters, or runes, or ... something else? Does anyone know if these are Tolkien-inspired or movie-invented?
They look vaguely Arabic. When Sam describes the mumakil/oliphaunt in Ithilien, he doesn't mention any markings, only the gold and scarlet trappings and the tower, but maybe he missed them at the speed the mumakil was going, like I did.  But as for the letters/runes, I don't know if those are Tolkien-inspired.
3. Was I the only one who was saddened that the mumakil were being hurt and killed in these scenes? I began to feel sorry for them because they were turned to this use because of their keepers. I wished there had been a way to defeat the opponents without hurting these creatures.
It did seem kind of a shame, but it also seemed kind of a shame that there was so much killing going on everywhere. Darn evil.  But yeah, the keepers definitely seemed cruel--or maybe it was just their war paint...
4. The Rohirrim seemed to have never seen mumakil before. I wondered - would it mean they had never battled these opponents before or was it because no one had never used them in battle before? Or perhaps something else - any thoughts.
I kind of get the impression that the Haradrim had not ventured into this part of the world in a very long time, if ever. So it makes sense that the Rohirrim had never seen the mumakil before, much less fought them. I thought they didn't seem as terrified of them as they should have...but on the other hand, these guys did live in Middle-earth. Maybe they had heard rumors of the fell beasts of Mordor, and had braced themselves to see strange creatures.
5. Do you think the opposing army considered themselves to be a superior force and almost invulnerable because they had the mumakil?
I would feel pretty darn powerful, if I had a mumakil I could march into battle! (They seem a little vulnerable at the legs, though. Didn't the Haradrim take a lesson from the At-At Walkers? Sheesh!)
I thought the critters were too big--about 2/3 the size would have been more "believable." But as we're talking about pure imagination here, what the heck. 
“Tollers,” Lewis said to Tolkien, “there is too little of what we really like in stories. I am afraid we shall have to try and write some ourselves.”
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sevilodorf
Tol Eressea
Mar 27 2014, 1:33am
Post #7 of 8
(450 views)
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If operated in an unsafe matter call....
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And practicalities always start nagging at me... can you imagine how much one of these eats? How difficult would the supply train be to maintain? Sauron clearly was not thinking ahead.
Fourth Age Adventures at the Inn of the Burping Troll http://burpingtroll.com
Home of TheOneRing.net Best FanFic stories of 2005 and 2006 "The Last Grey Ship" and "Ashes, East Wind, Hope That Rises" by Erin Rua
(Found in Mathoms, LOTR Tales Untold)
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Meneldor
Valinor
Mar 27 2014, 2:04am
Post #8 of 8
(476 views)
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They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep.
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