Giant Ape of Far Harad
Among the creatures of Middle-earth some of the most unique were the apes and monkeys, especially in Harad or southern Middle-earth as well as some of the Wild Lands of the East (especially the southeast but also in lands like Aegan). These animals, ancient and bestial though they were, bore a number of physical features which they shared with the Children of Eru, from some intelligence to fingered hands and even tool use. This led many scholars, especially in later Ages, to conclude that these creatures may, in fact, be akin to the first bestial ancestors of Men,or that Eru Iluvatar personally created them himself, shaping them into intelligent creatures. Amongst the Elves or Númenóreans however, the reverse was suggested: rather than being the ancestors of the Eruhini and speaking peoples of the earth, they may have been akin to corruptions of the speaking peoples bred by Morgoth in his malice from the stock of Elves and Men. This theory was somewhat supported by the physical similarities between some ape species and the race of the Orcs, who themselves were corrupted Eruhini, and the existence of strange ape-like races such as the Karku.Giant Ape-like beasts such as the Peikko also,often were believed to have been the base or bestial ancestors of the Trolls and possibly some giant races. Nonetheless, it is beyond scholarly doubt that apes are the closest-related of all beasts to the Speaking Peoples, and thus the Eruhini are included here as kin of apes. Apes were categorized by thescholars of the Westlands into lesser apes, great apes, and giant apes.
Known kindred of apes are:
- lesser Apes:
- the Winged Apes
- Great Apes:
- Giant Apes:
- the Giant Apes of the cape of Umbar
- Possible Troll-ancestors
- Peikko
- Hill-beasts