The Ferocious Ogres of Folklore and Myth

Various Locations—According to folklore, Ogres are, in fact, not like onions. That is, while they actually do have layers, they are far more terrifying than their portrayals in media. For instance, ogres come in many shapes and sizes. This includes their description in famous literature, to their awesome power in roleplaying games.

History and Interpretations of Ogres

Ogres are often described as “hideous giants” that eat humans and come from folkloric stories passed through communities. As such, there are many depictions of the ogre monster. For example, the giants in Homer’s Odyssey and the giants in Jack and the Beanstalk.

However, their title comes from French or Italian etymology, and seems to relate to orgo or orco (“demon”). There is also some relation to mythological figures, such as Orcus. Moreover, there is a connection to the “cyclops of myth and heroic literature.” They share many of the same physical traits: large, carnivorous, and violent. These attributes define the modern view of the ogre. It also seems to set it apart from, say, your run-of-the-mill cyclops or giant.

Ogres Appearances in Folklore

Meanwhile, we see various interpretations of the ogre in Tales of Mother Goose. Specifically in the stories “Tom Thumb,” “Hansel and Gretel,” and “Little Red Riding Hood.” In the latter, the ogre-like wolf attempts to consume the heroine of the story.

As Cambridge Dictionary states (and others), ogres are “a large frightening character in children’s stories who eats children” (Cambridge). The cannibalistic or at least flesh-eating inclinations of the ogre seem to steer it toward a more taboo-breaking creature, as a giant (say from “Jack and the Beanstalk”) doesn’t necessarily want to eat people, but would rather stay in its high castle.

Furthermore, the fairytale “Puss in Boots,” the protagonist, Master Puss, embarks on an adventure and encounters a castle that was under the ownership of an ogre.

“He was the richest ogre that had ever been known, for all the lands through which the king had passed were part of the castle domain,” the story states. The ogre allows Master Puss to come into the castle and reveals that he can shape change into many different animals. Master Puss tricks the ogre into changing into a mouse, and he then gobbles up the ogre in his hubris.

Ogres Appearances in Modern Media

Likewise, the terrifying ogre of Dungeons and Dragons fame is described as a “hulking giant” that is “notorious for (its) quick temper.” An ogre “lashes out in a frustrated tantrum until it runs out of objects or creatures to smash” (D&D). If you’ve ever fought one of these pea-brained monster in Dungeons and Dragons, then you know they are difficult combatants. They have a lot of hit points, and the ability to smash your character into a pink mist.

Lastly, and as hinted at, the most well-known modern interpretation comes in the classic kids-film Shrek, where the ogre is a big, green, and soft-hearted monster who lives in a swamp. Shrek stands in contrast to what we know of the ogre–for the most part–as it seems as though his monstrous personality is just a front to keep villagers away from his home.

Conclusion

Ogres, as with most monsters of folklore, aren’t just one thing. Think about vampires. How many stories are there that characterize vampires in different lights? From the viscous Vlad the Impaler to the sensual Lestat de Lioncourt from Anne Rice’s 1976 novel Interview with the Vampire, to the horrifying nightmare child in John Ajvide Lindqvist’s 2004 novel Let the Right One In.

Much in the same way, we find overlap in the ogres’ stories with that of other monsters, from the werewolf’s often lumbering persona to a zombie’s insatiable bloodlust. All of this to say: maybe ogres really are more complicated than we acknowledge.

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