The Orgog

A Shop on the Edge of the Hills of Fairy Land by J.R.R. Tolkien
A Shop on the Edge of the Hills of Fairy Land by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Orgog is the title of an unfinished and unpublished children's tale written by J.R.R. Tolkien "around 1924" about "a strange creature traveling through a fantastic landscape".

Background

When the Tolkien family had moved in 1924 to 2 Darnley Road in Leeds, John Tolkien recalls that The Orgog was one of the tales read by his father to him, when he could not fall asleep. While most of these tales were not written down, The Orgog survives as an unfinished, typewritten manuscript. Not much is known of the story itself, except that it is a "strange, convoluted tale of an odd creature travelling through a fantastic landscape" and includes "blue mountains and an orange sun".

It has been suggested by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull that Tolkien's watercolour A Shop on the Edge of the Hills of Fairy Land (painted in 1924) is likely related to the tale, as the word "Gogs" appears on the depicted shop building, though there is no mention of such a shop in the tale. However, like The Orgog, it also has "blue mountains and an orange sun". The painting is dedicated to John. In September 1936, Christopher Tolkien accidentally tore it up, though Tolkien repaired it.

On 22 June 2025, Jason Fisher mentioned on his blog that he had been told that The Orgog "really isn’t in a state suitable for publication" in a private correspondence.

Etymology

The meaning of "orgog", and if the word has any connection to one of Tolkien's invented languages, is unknown. It was speculated by Jason Fisher on his blog that the word may

Inspiration

Although it might be a mere coincidence, the name Orgog is reminiscent of Orgoglio, the name of a giant appearing in Book I of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.

Referencias

1. Esta ficha se ha importado inicialmente de TolkienGateway.net el día 30/05/2026.

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