The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Location
Widely known in Middle-earth; specifically stated to have been kept in Bree
Species
About thirty different species of large waterfowl in the genera Anser and Branta
Meaning
From an ancient root-word *ghans-, thought to have been onomatopoeic (that is, representing the 'honk' of the goose)
Note
'Geese' is a plural; the singular form is 'goose'1

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About this entry:

  • Updated 27 April 2026
  • This entry is complete

Geese

"But we no longer speak of a dwarf as often as we do of a man, or even of a goose..."
The Lord of the Rings Appendix F II
On Translation

Various types of large farmyard birds related to ducks and swans, often fierce and aggressive in temperament. They were known to have been found in Bree, where they were alarmed - like all the animals of the town - by the visit of the Black Riders. It is evident that geese were widely known across Middle-earth, and certainly among the people of Rohan. Speaking of Gríma Wormtongue's influence in that land, Gandalf used the familiar phrase 'wildgoose chase' to describe a purposeless activity.2


Notes

1

'Geese' is one of only a handful of so-called 'strong' plurals in English that are formed, not by adding the usual '-s', but by modifying the vowel sound. So, singular goose becomes plural geese (rather than, following the conventional rule, 'gooses'). This will be familiar and obvious to English-speakers, but it is worth noting here because the same approach is commonly used in Sindarin Elvish, which modifies the vowels in a word to make a simple plural. So, for example, Sindarin orod 'mountain' becomes ered 'mountains', or Dúnadan (from 'dûn adan, Man of the West') becomes Dúnedain ('Men of the West').

2

In The Two Towers III 6, it's discovered that Gríma attempted to ban Éomer's pursuit of Orcs in northern Rohan on the grounds that it was a 'wildgoose chase', though in fact it turned out to be critical to victory in the War of the Ring.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 27 April 2026
  • This entry is complete

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