OHG olbenta is a word of old Germanic origin cf. The French word owes something to both Old High German olbenta "camel", and to Latin elephantus "elephant", a word of Greek origin. It appears in Middle English as olifant or olifaunt, and was borrowed from Medieval French olifanz. The word Oliphaunt is a variant spelling of the archaic word oliphant meaning "elephant", "ivory", "elephant-tusk", "musical horn made of an elephant tusk", or "a musical instrument resembling such a horn". Mûmakil featured on the book cover of Tolkien's World: A Fantasy Coloring Book Their elevated position gave arrows and spears a greater range for those riding in the tower. Presumably, Mûmakil could be coerced to kneel or lie down so that a tower could be hauled into place, and tied from under the belly. In the films they are depicted with four tusks, similar to the prehistoric elephant Stegotetrabelodon. Their most defining feature was their vast size, allowing the armies of Mordor to erect war towers on their backs. Mûmakil had an appearance akin to that of an elephant, sporting thick, arrow-resistant skin, and sharp tusks. When blinded they went into a rage of pain, often destroying masters and foes alike in their rampages. These thick-skinned beasts were almost invulnerable to arrows their eyes were vulnerable, however, as Mûmakil could be blinded or even killed by arrows released with great force. In war, they would frequently stand as towers that could not be captured shield walls broke before them and armies were routed around them. They could not be fought effectively by mounted men, for horses refused to go near them, nor by footmen, who were quickly crushed or shot from above. With their trunks they struck down many foes, and their tusks were red with the blood of their enemies. They had a natural blood-lust, and many foes were crushed beneath their feet. The Mûmakil that the Haradrim brought to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields were harnessed with red banners, bands and trappings of gold and brass, and on their backs great war towers from which archers and spearmen fought. In the years of the War of the Ring, the fierce warriors of Harad came north to Gondor at the call of Sauron, and with their legions they brought the great Mûmakil, which they used as beasts of war. According to the Red Book, they were bigger than a house. In southern Harad during the Third Age, there lived beasts of vast bulk thought to be ancestors of elephants, which would be much smaller in size. Oliphaunts charging towards the Rohirrim at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields
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