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Mewlips

English translation: Mewlips

07:01 Sep 26, 2002
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary
English term or phrase: Mewlips
Following is a poem by J.R.R Tolkien:
----------------------------
THE MEWLIPS
The shadows where the Mewlips dwell
Are dark and wet as ink,
And slow and softly rings their bell,
As in the slime you sink.

You sink into the slime, who dare
To knock upon their door,
While down the grinning gargoyles stare
And noisome waters pour.

Beside the rotting river-strand
The drooping willows weep,
And gloomily the gorcrows stand
Croaking in their sleep.

Over the Merlock Mountains a long and weary way,
In a mouldy valley where the trees are grey,
By a dark pool's borders without wind or tide,
Moonless and sunless, the Mewlips hide.

The cellars where the Mewlips sit
Are deep and dank and cold
With single sickly candle lit;
And there they count their gold.

Their walls are wet, their ceilings drip;
Their feet upon the floor
Go softly with a squish-flap-flip,
As they sidle to the door.

They peep out slyly; through a crack
Their feeling fingers creep,
And when they've finished, in a sack
Your bones they lake to keep.

Beyond the Merlock Mountains, a long and lonely road.
Through the spider-shadows and the marsh of Tode,
And through the wood of hanging trees and the gallows-weed,
You go to find the Mewlips — and the Mewlips feed.
----------------------------
I'm curious about the word Mewlips. Can anyone explain its meaning? I guess the word is "Mew" and "lips" merged, but I do not understand its intendment.
Thank you :-)
ident
Selected answer:Mewlips
Explanation:
Mewlips are a fictional creature, described as follows:

According to the lore of hobbits, an evil race of cannibal spirits called the mewlips settled in certain marshlands of Middle-earth. Hoarding phantoms very like the dreaded barrow-wights they seemed, but they made their homes in foul and dank swamps. Travellers in their lands always walked in peril, for many were said to be waylaid by these beings.

But if you're asking about the associations of the word, I'd say they don't sound that evil! The word conjures up mewing (noise made by a kitten) and muling (noise made by a baby - often associated with puking). Neither of which is particularly frightening.

HTH

Mary

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-09-26 10:10:24 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

You live and learn:

Just checked the OED for mew, which gives, among others:
†a. A coop or cage in which animals, esp. fowls, were confined for fattening. Also without article in phr. in mew, cooped up. Obs. b. Now dial. a breeding-cage.

c. A secret place, a place of concealment or retirement; a den. Sometimes without article in †to mew. Now rare.

I\'ve never come across these meanings, and would venture to suggest that the feline \'mew\' is more widely known. But this may have been Tolkien\'s source. I think it\'s a case where the ensuing description is so vivid that the initial impressions from the word itself become less important.

As for the lips, I suspect it\'s just an ending, and is unlikely to mean anything in it\'s own right.

FWIW
Selected response from:

Mary Worby
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:11
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
3 +6Mewlips
Mary Worby
3re: note added
jerrie
2just wanted to add this:
Björn Houben


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


31 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +6
Mewlips


Explanation:
Mewlips are a fictional creature, described as follows:

According to the lore of hobbits, an evil race of cannibal spirits called the mewlips settled in certain marshlands of Middle-earth. Hoarding phantoms very like the dreaded barrow-wights they seemed, but they made their homes in foul and dank swamps. Travellers in their lands always walked in peril, for many were said to be waylaid by these beings.

But if you're asking about the associations of the word, I'd say they don't sound that evil! The word conjures up mewing (noise made by a kitten) and muling (noise made by a baby - often associated with puking). Neither of which is particularly frightening.

HTH

Mary

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-09-26 10:10:24 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

You live and learn:

Just checked the OED for mew, which gives, among others:
†a. A coop or cage in which animals, esp. fowls, were confined for fattening. Also without article in phr. in mew, cooped up. Obs. b. Now dial. a breeding-cage.

c. A secret place, a place of concealment or retirement; a den. Sometimes without article in †to mew. Now rare.

I\'ve never come across these meanings, and would venture to suggest that the feline \'mew\' is more widely known. But this may have been Tolkien\'s source. I think it\'s a case where the ensuing description is so vivid that the initial impressions from the word itself become less important.

As for the lips, I suspect it\'s just an ending, and is unlikely to mean anything in it\'s own right.

FWIW

Mary Worby
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:11
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 164

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  estenger
31 mins
agree  Attila Piróth
50 mins
agree  Libero_Lang_Lab
1 hr
agree  airmailrpl: And when they've finished, in a sack Your bones they l(i)ke to keep.
1 hr
agree  Irina Schwab
2 hrs
agree  Christopher Crockett: Tolkein's world is thoroughly inhabited by imaginary creatures, races, beings, etc. He was a specialist in medieval literature and had a very, very active imagination.
9 hrs
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
just wanted to add this:


Explanation:
I found this on a role play site:

Mewlips are creatures of nightmare, cannibalistic spirits that haunt mortals, feeding on their flesh and blood. Commonly found near graveyards, battlefields, swamps and other unpleasant areas, they lurk in the shadows, waiting for victims. Mewlips appear human at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they can be seen to have horribly hunched backs, slanted eyes, sharp claws and teeth, glistening brownish-gray skin.
Blood Drain (Ex): If a mewlip scores a bite hit, it will latch on to its victim, and drain 1d3 Con points per round, until the victim is dead, or the creature is driven away.

Create Spawn (Su): If a mewlip drains all of the Con from its victim, he will rise again as a mewlip in 4d6 hours

I don't know if they came up with these 'abilities' themselves, but in a way, the word could have both meanings previously mentioned. ie: they produce a strange kind of wailing sound + if they bite you, they can 'capture' you and make you into one of them.


Björn Houben
Belgium
Local time: 01:11
Native speaker of: Native in FlemishFlemish, Native in DutchDutch
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6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
re: note added


Explanation:
It could be 'lips' in that the key characteristic of these creatures is the distinctive sound they make, and the fact that they are known mainly for their blood sucking cannibalistic tendencies (think Hannibal Lector ... any 'impersonation' usually involves Chianti and the 'smacking' of lips').

So the 'lips' is to accentuate/conjure up the image of the evilness and vileness of their feeding pattern, the image of their smacking lips as they are sucking bones.

Combined with mew meaning both an evil keening sound echoing from the depths of secret dark place where the victims will be locked away and fed upon.

Perhaps! Maybe!
hth

jerrie
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:11
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 773
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