Old fairy tales and myths are gradually being transformed into new stories. A similar thing happened with ogres and orcs: these creatures now and then appear in books, games and cartoons. But how to understand where is the ogre and where is the orc? Is Shrek an ogre? How to distinguish one from the other? Read about it in the article.
Who is an ogre?
Ogres belong to Celtic mythology and are most often found in old fairy tales. They were described as "moving mountains" because the average ogre could easily reach a height of four meters. His whole body was disproportionate and disgusting: a huge inflated belly, too long arms, a massive jaw on a small head and wide palms.
Ogres were considered the first creatures who were able to pacify the fire and begin processing iron, which spoke of their outstanding intelligence. For some reason, they began to prey on humans, human meat was on the list of their favorite ingredients. Perhaps it was the eating of human flesh that caused the rapid degradation of these creatures.
Ogres have degenerated into intelligent animals over time. At the same time, they abandoned agriculture and lefttheir settlements, preferring to live alone. This was probably due to a lack of food: it is much easier for one or two monsters to find a meal for themselves than for two dozen.
In fairy tales, ogres are presented as extremely stupid, but very strong creatures. They love the meat of human children and neglect hygiene, which is why the approach of the ogre can be felt long before it appears on the horizon.
Also, the ogres were weakly affected by magic and were not taken by conventional weapons. They were formidable foes who, alas, proved to be easy to defeat with their wits.
Differences between an ogre and an orc
Ogres and orcs are often confused. Perhaps this happened due to computer games: in them, orcs are massive creatures, which contradicts mythology.
Orcs prefer to live in packs, they are good inventors and are infantry troops in the army of evil.
Orcs are the result of a curse that fell on beautiful elves, while ogres are a subspecies of giants. While orcs can have different looks depending on their tribe, ogres are always huge and smell disgusting.
Shrek: Ogre or Orc?
What do we know about the famous swamp dweller? In the cartoon, Shrek is an ogre whose weight and height are not named.
Shrek is believed to weigh 190 kilograms and is 220 centimeters tall. This giant lived in seclusion before the beginning of the adventure and did not like when someone visited his swamps.
He has a well-equipped life, there are very complex mechanisms that Shrek probably built himself. If you countBroadway musical canon, then at the age of seven, Shrek's parents gave him a leather vest and kicked him out of the house to look for "his place".
All of this bears little resemblance to the description of orcs. First of all, orcs do not live alone, which is not the case with ogres. This is beautifully shown in legends and myths: orcs are depicted in them as pack creatures.
However, the ability to make complex mechanisms is rather inherent in orcs. Ogres have extremely low intelligence and are not too accustomed to living in comfort. Orcs are more inclined towards beautifying the places they inhabit.
According to the cartoons, Shrek left his children around him, which is not typical for ogres: as mentioned above, Shrek's parents kicked him out of the house. Was it Fiona's influence, or did Shrek himself not look like mythical creatures?
So Shrek is still an ogre, albeit an unusual one. First of all, this is expressed in low aggression and the desire for a quiet and peaceful life. Judging by the third cartoon, where Shrek enters an alternative universe, his differences from the ogres are visible to the naked eye.
Ogre Family
Shrek Ogre, Fiona Ogriha? Or an ogre? Or even an ogre? You can find many variations of the female name of the ogre. This is quite understandable: there is no generally accepted classification, and the legends mostly feature male ogres. The women seemed to be less intimidating.
The most popular female ogre names are:
- ogriha;
- ogre.
Both variants are supposedly derived from the analogy: orc - orc (sometimes -orca).
Since there are no exact naming conventions, you can use whatever you like best. It is noticed that in games "ogre" is more common, while in films and books - ogre.
What about the kids? Ogre? Ogreki? Ogretenki? There is also no information about them. The most common descriptions are "little ogre" or "baby ogre", but there is no special name for such children.