Let's see how this sentence is understood: at first glance, there are probably three translations. The first is to domesticate this pile of wild animals to fight; The second is to compare these beasts to the teachers of wolves and tigers; The third is to lead the tribes with these animals as totems.
However, this is an old story after all, so I think the third answer is the most likely.
I have browsed this anthology of historical records, and there is basically no story about this kind of wild animal entering the country.
It takes a lot of meat to raise large beasts, but under the ancient productivity, it is better to give people more meat.
In reality, almost all military riding animals are horses. But in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, there are various mounts. In addition to the horses that Budd and Legolas rode, Selandour, the elf king, rode a bighorn deer, Dane, the dwarf Lord, rode a pig, Sorin, the dwarf king, rode a sheep when he climbed the mountain, Azogue, the leader of the orcs, rode a wolf, and Ladaga, the brown robe, even pulled a rabbit sled. Why do these magical animal mounts disappear in reality?
Tolkien wrote a special kind of wolf called "Vogel". This word comes from the "vargr" wolf in Norse mythology, especially the giant wolf Fenrir and his sons. Its corresponding old English form is warg, so Tolkien used this writing directly.
In the original work, the wolf is huge in physique, far superior in intelligence and even has a certain language ability. They are not domestic animals domesticated by orcs, but allies of orcs, who actively let them ride on their backs to fight; They can also act independently with a purpose. In the first film of The Lord of the Rings, the nine-member team of the Lord of the Rings is attacked by wolves, and these wolves are not accompanied by orcs.
However, in Peter Jackson's films, sitting wolves are portrayed as creatures closer to hyenas or hyenas, with larger body and more ferocious personality. This may be because the image of wolves in the western world has gradually become positive in recent years, while hyenas have always been negative. The wolf set in the movie has a shoulder height of about 1.5m, which is slightly larger than Hyaenodon gigas.
While ordinary war horses can reach1.7m, and the ratio with human height is as follows:
According to this calculation, Wolf Cavalry (Azogue is a heroic unit, not counting) doesn't even have much advantage compared with infantry, and the height gap is significant compared with Luohan Cavalry. In those days, the Crusaders suffered a lot from the arrogant camel cavalry. Now the wolf cavalry is probably like this against the human cavalry on the battlefield:
However, the height difference is still a small problem. Anyway, there are not so many cavalry on the just side. The real problem of the wolf is that many of its biological characteristics make it unfit for fighting.
First of all, dogs can eat miscellaneous grains, herbivores can eat wherever they go, and bow their heads to the table; Wolves must eat meat. If there are not enough bodies, they will probably end up fighting the same ruthless orcs, and whoever dies will eat them, which is unacceptable for maintaining military strength.
Secondly, as an animal with high IQ, there may be calculation problems when getting cold feet. Historically, Arabian camels can indeed despise cavalry in the desert environment, but they have never rushed out of the desert to the world. An important reason is that camels are too smart and self-reliant. Compared with the silly charge horse, the camel is particularly active in thinking, not active in fighting and killing, and often ignores the manipulation of the reins; Wolves with high IQ are likely to have similar problems. Is it necessary to work hard? Who tastes better, elves or dwarves? After all, the orcs are only allies, not masters, and these problems are beyond their control. This feature allows wolves to act autonomously, but it can also make them lose their chains at critical moments.
Third, the wolf in the movie looks very unsuitable for riding: it runs like an inchworm, hunches its back, shrugs its shoulders, stretches repeatedly, rides on it and sits on a piston, which is not entirely the invention of the movie. In reality, the gait of herbivores and carnivores is different-herbivores are more stable and carnivores are more flexible.
A carnivore like a wolf, its forelimbs not only need to run, but also undertake the arduous task of killing and controlling prey when hunting. It is very flexible, with two bones in the forearm for easy torsion and a large number of fingers and claws at the end. But miscellaneous but not refined, which will definitely sacrifice the efficiency of running. Fortunately, when the wolf is running, its spine and even its whole body are as flexible as springs, so that every step can go further. But the wolf can do this because its small intestine is small-as a carnivorous omnivore, the wolf can effectively digest food without a long intestine, thus leaving considerable room for the expansion and contraction of the body. Cats have a higher meat content in their diet, so their bodies are more flexible than wolves and dogs, and their jumping skills depend largely on this. Of course, it consumes a lot of energy, and meat also provides protection for this.
In contrast, the limbs of herbivores are basically used for running, so they are stiff but more stable. There is only one bone left in their forearm, two fingers or one finger left, and hooves at the end. Horses and other creatures that are extremely suitable for running have almost turned their legs into mechanical devices-they don't rely much on muscles and nerves, and most tasks can be accomplished by bones and tendons. That's why horses look so thin below the calf. However, as a herbivore, horses have huge intestinal capacity, and there is basically no room for free expansion and contraction, so they can't run faster by relying on flexibility like wolves.
Obviously, stable herbivores are more suitable for riding. The bumpy wolf's back is not only unstable in riding a gun, but also inaccurate in riding a bow, and may be thrown off after a sharp turn. Although it is because of different reasons, in reality, camels often twist back and forth when running, and cavalry can't run fast if they want to sit still. As a result, camels on the battlefield can only run slowly, while camels on the field often throw their riders down and trample them to death. It seems that it is wise for human beings to choose horses instead of wolves.
The biggest advantage of wolves is their fierceness, cunning and agility as predators. The scene of the surprise attack on Lohan refugees in the second film of The Lord of the Rings is vividly displayed-but this advantage is meaningless in the battlefield where the army is against each other. On the contrary, if the horse is neat and fearless, the charge effect is better. The most suitable wolves are actually divided into small groups like the war mastiffs used by the ancient Roman army, and placed in front of the infantry line after being half hungry and half full; Or secretly put it behind the enemy's back, causing confusion and morale collapse. It is most effective to rely on other troops to annihilate it in one fell swoop (if Saruman does this, the Lord of the Rings is likely to end early). Unfortunately, the Roman war mastiff is manic and has a low reproductive rate. In the end, the species itself disappeared, which may also become the ultimate fate of wolves.
The sheep cavalry in the play may be Ovis canadensis, a gregarious, kind and herbivorous sheep ... it seems to meet the requirements. But wait, a gang fight in estrus? Need to mate in private places? Do you run when you meet a predator? One of the natural enemies is ... the wolf. How can this be banished? Decisive brush.
However, assuming that these difficulties can be overcome and domesticated as military riding, there is still some merit. Although sheep run slowly, they have good endurance and are very good at jumping up and down the mountain-the scene of sheep cavalry going up the mountain in Hobbit 3 impressed many people. Just as a camel that can't run fast is compensated by firearms after entering the era of hot weapons, it quickly becomes an excellent mount for marching and patrolling in desert and complex terrain, it seems to be cost-effective to form a mountain cavalry to guard against Saruman's harassment (Li Jing: I ran on the mountain for three days! )。
However, in the trailer of "The Battle of the Five Armies", we can see that the director told them to make full use of their strengths and avoid their weaknesses, picked up their spears and rushed to the plain (this paragraph did not appear in the cinema version, but it is likely to be added in the extended DVD version). Although it does have the advantage of broadening the front view-but the probability of being picked by the other side is also high, isn't it? Counting the weight of the rider and armor, even if the sheep can bear it, charging at less than half the speed of the war horse (20km/h) will increase the enemy's shooting time by two or three times, and the probability of the mount becoming an infantry halfway up the mountain is very high.
If there are sheep cavalry in Tolkien's world, it is only suitable for mountain troops fighting with long-range weapons such as crossbows, or transport teams transporting goods in mountainous areas. I can't see the sheep cavalry in the Lord of the Rings trilogy movie anymore, probably because it was all given to wolves this time.
Compared with the height of dwarves less than 1.5, it can be seen that the spear of sheep cavalry is much shorter than the standard spear of 2 ~ 3 meters for human beings. The cross structure behind the gun tip is used to prevent the thorn from being too deep to pull out.
But on earth, riding a sheep is real. The United States holds a children's mutton contest every year. Young riders see who sticks to the back of a sheep without any harness for a long time, usually to train cowboys and pommel horses.
Sus scrofa has heroic habits, flexible body, extremely high speed (45km/h), agility and rough skin. Although he is as short as a sheep, according to the setting of heavily armed cavalry in the play, he can form a heavy cavalry who is good at melee-just don't know if the pig's load-bearing ability is equally good.
However, the problem is that wild boar is very fierce when it is furious. Northeast folk proverbs are called "one pig, two bears and three tigers". Although it mainly refers to the threat to people rather than its own combat power, it also proves that it is not an idle generation. If it enters a state of violence on the battlefield, it may become disloyal and drag the rider to charge at will.
All the war elephants in history have encountered such problems. Elephants are huge, commanding and unstoppable, with superior offensive and defensive ability, but their character is not calm enough. It is easy to be frightened and trampled by accidents on the battlefield, so it gradually quits the battlefield. Ironically, when the Romans faced the African jungle elephants in Carthage, the first way was to scare the elephants with pigs (Pliny always said, "The slightest pig barking will scare the elephants"), and even painted the pigs with asphalt to ignite them and let them rush into the enemy line, similar to the fire bull array in Tiandan. And if you fight by wild boar, I'm afraid the situation will be reversed. ...
In addition to heroic mounts with their own auras, wild boar cavalry is the most suitable for death squads, fighting alone in the most dangerous places. But like wolves, they are actually not suitable for an army to meet the enemy head-on Because the personality problem determines the fate of the war pig.
As for domestic pigs ... Hehe, let's make accompanying rations honestly. It is not impossible in principle to cultivate a domesticated species with the spirit of domestic pigs and the body of wild boars, but at least there is no such scene in our world.
Next, the Elf King's deer. Although the deer's face is beautiful, it is connected with a big horn ... as far as life is concerned, I'm afraid there is only a moose. Real moose is very stupid. Don't search for pictures, you will be disillusioned. )
The height (2m) and weight (600~820kg) of the moose are similar to those of the horse, but its speed (32-56km/h) is faster and its endurance is excellent. Its huge Alces alces not affect its flexibility. Although he is nearsighted, his hearing and sense of smell are surprisingly developed, and the smelly orc troops can't take advantage of it at all. Moose has a brave personality. Its huge horns are generally used to dig food, and when necessary, they are real weapons. Few predators dare to face angry adults.
However, moose don't like to live in groups and fight as often as sheep in heat, which unfortunately limits its domestication process. In fact, estrus is a dead knot in the domestication of several species-the ancient Egyptians domesticated cheetahs for a long time, trying to get them to help hunt; However, cheetahs need huge space to chase for a long time when they are courting, and the feeding cost is high. In the end, they were not really domesticated.
But in any case, moose may be the best hero mount in Middle-earth. It is very scientific that only the Elf King rides it without a large group of cavalry-nonsense, if you form a moose cavalry phalanx, you will sweep half the people with a twist.
In contrast, reindeer is more widely used than moose. This docile animal has been domesticated for a long time, and the name of the Oroqen people in China means reindeer hunter. It can be used for riding horses and often for sledding. Reindeer are not tall and run fast. Because the large amount of air stored in the hair structure can not only keep warm, but also make them float on the water. When running, they will make a regular "click" sound because of the structure of their knees. It is an interesting amphibious animal.
But in fact, there is another possibility of riding a deer: Megaloceros giganteus. Look at its Latin name, starting with "Mega" and ending with "giganteus", and you will know that this is by no means an idle generation. And it is indeed one of the biggest deer in history, but unfortunately it disappeared 8000 years ago.
Although the common name is Irish bighorn deer, it is only because the best specimens are found in Irish peat pits. In fact, it is widely distributed in Europe, Asia and Africa, and even related fossils have been unearthed in China. Its shoulder height is 2. 1 m, which is enough to stand out among all the above animals, while the total length of male antlers can reach 3.6 meters, so there is no pressure to kill a row of orcs. ...
..... well, there is no pressure in the movie. The realistic bighorn deer is more of a show-off shelf. The total weight of this pair of antlers can reach 40 kilograms, but more than half of them are difficult to get effective nutrition supply, inconvenient to rotate, and their shapes are actually not suitable for fighting. The reason why it grows so big is not only because of the principle of allometric growth in development, but also to show it to girls in sexual selection and attract the opposite sex. The direct cause of its extinction is of course climate change, and this flashy horn is probably the cause of it.
horse
So, it's finally time to get a horse. Compared with these people, horses are simply perfect creatures for riding. (Ma: ...)
The first is its speed. The running speed of modern horses is about 40~48km/h, although it doesn't look as gorgeous as a cheetah, horses have strong endurance and are good at long-distance running. A cheetah can only run a few hundred meters at a time, while a horse can run ten thousand meters continuously. In modern durable horse racing, a horse carrying a rider can travel in 15 hours 160 kilometers.
The second is its flexibility. Even a running horse can easily change direction. The cavalry defeated the chariot by virtue of its flexible advantage, which was undoubtedly revealed in the Battle of Gaja Milla by Alexander the Great. The horses from Persia are strong and tall, so Macedonian heavy cavalry can use pike and javelin to fight more effectively, while the grassland riding and shooting of later generations are brought into full play.
The third is its height. Although the height of modern war horse is 1.7 meters, it is not comparable to that of camel, but the rider is enough to despise any infantry without formation.
The fourth is its character. The horse is calm and obedient. Even in modern wars, we can see the scene of the horse growling at the guns.
1854, Tennyson, the poet laureate, wrote his masterpiece "The Charge of the Qingqi Brigade", praising the story of a British cavalry who bravely charged without fear of gunfire in the Crimean War. In fact, the charge suffered heavy losses due to intelligence errors, with one-third of the casualties and more than half of the horses damaged-but it also proved how obedient the horses were.
By the way, humans have made great efforts to domesticate zebras, and some zebras have reached the point where they can pull carts, but the first zebra has a short back and is not suitable for riding; The second zebra is very violent, not only likes to bite, but also refuses to let go when biting. For various reasons, zebra finally failed to become a universally domesticated species.
The fifth is its burden. A well-equipped knight can exceed 100 kg, and the vest is heavier. Those who can carry them to charge still have to rely on horses.
Sixth, it has strong adaptability and wide distribution. Horses have traveled all over Eurasia and lived well in the New World, which makes them not confined to the desert like camels, but become real human mounts. Even the main Muslim cavalry like Mamluk rode Arabian horses (not camels) to conquer all directions.
In fact, in Tolkien's world, the horse is also the number one mount. Not to mention that humans are good riders, Luohan cavalry is famous, and elves like horses very much-Legolas in the movie shows inhuman riding skills, and Legolas in the book can also control horses without saddles and reins; In the movie, it was ailwyn on horseback who saved Frodo at the border of rivendell, while in the book, it was Glofindel, the elf Lord on horseback. Hobbits and mysterious bombers ride ponies, and Jiuhuan rides dark horses. Gandalf borrowed Shadow Disease from King Lohan, and even the main hunter, Valar Orom? Aldaron, has his own exclusive Nahar Mountain. The position of the horse is truly deserved.