Pilkir

The Pilkir (Q. "Pygmies") were "creatures of the earth", encountered by Eärendil the Mariner and Voronwë Aranwion on their first voyage in the Dark regions and fire mountains along with tree-men and Sarqindi, a race of cannibal-Ogres.

See:

• Earthlings
• Lintips
• Pixies
• Spirits of Arda

Notes

Pygmies are only mentioned two other times, once as "Earth dwellers", by a member of the Notion Club quoting Paracelsus, another time as being "Earthlings", along with Taulir, Ulbandi, Dwarves and mermaids.

Pygmies are reminiscent of Woses and maybe even Hobbits, but their categorization as "Earthlings" seems to imply another origin, maybe similar to Ents or Dwarves.They clearly were intended to be different from the original Eruhini, that is Elves and Men.As Woses are primitive men and Hobbits a sub-species of man the paracelsian term makes it most likely the Pygmies were intended to be some sort of earth-elemental beings.

Greek Pygmaios is supposed to mean "as large as a fist", so the Pilkir may have been a really small race, even smaller than both Hobbits and Dwarves and maybe similar to Lintips or Pixies.The exact meaning of "Pilkir" is unclear, it may be related to Quenya Pil- "steal" and primitive elvish kir, "pass swiftly through, slip along, glide quickly ".This would be fitting if the Pilkir were a thievish, quick and stealthy folk like the prank-playing Lintips who however seem to be creatures of the light of the night-sky rather than the element earth.