Ogre

An ogre (feminine ogress) is a being usually depicted as a large, hideous, manlike monster that eats human beings. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the world. They appear in many classic works of literature, and are most often described in fairy tales and folklore as eating babies.

In mythology, ogres are often depicted as inhumanly large and tall and having a disproportionately large head, abundant hair, unusually colored skin, a voracious appetite, and a strong body. Ogres are closely linked with giants and with human cannibals in mythology. In both folklore and fiction, giants are often given ogrish traits (such as the giants in "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Jack the Giant Killer", the Giant Despair in The Pilgrim's Progress, and the jötnar of Norse mythology); while ogres may be given giantish traits.

Famous examples of ogres in folklore include the ogre in Puss and Boots and the ogre in "Hop-o'-My-Thumb"; and in fiction, Shrek and Fiona from Shrek. Other characters sometimes described as ogres include the title character from "Bluebeard", the Beast from "Beauty and the Beast", Grendel from "Beowulf", Polyphemus the Cyclops from Homer's Odyssey, the cyclops in "Sinbad the Sailor", and the oni of Japanese folklore.

Ogre (DC Comics)

Ogre is a fictional supervillain that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The Ogre is primarily an enemy of Batman.

Publication history

The Ogre debuted in Batman #535, published in October 1996.

While that is their only appearance in the mainstream DC Universe continuity, a version of the Ogre later appeared in a story arc in the non-canon series Batman Confidential.

Fictional character biography

The Ogre was once Michael Adams, a homeless man who volunteered for a scientific experiment, dubbed "Project Mirakle", in return for money. Five doctors, led by endocrinologist Dr. Winston Belmont, performed cruel experiments upon Adams' body and mind in order to turn him into a devolved "missing link", with the ultimate goal of enhancing man's evolutionary process. The doctors used Adams and an ape as guinea pigs, dramatically increasing Adams' strength and the ape's intelligence. Adams was the 23rd subject the doctors experimented upon - the other 22 died during testing. Adams escaped with his ape "brother", and vowed revenge.

Ogre (river)

The Ogre is a river in Latvia that is 188 kilometers long. It is a tributary of Daugava River. In 13th century river was called Wogen or Woga.

See also

Coordinates: 56°48′39″N 24°36′06″E / 56.8108°N 24.6017°E / 56.8108; 24.6017

Ogre (2008 film)

Ogre is a 2008 American television horror film directed by Steven R. Monroe. In the story, a town is struck by a terrible plague. The only means of preventing the plague seems to be to sacrifice one person every year to a vicious beast known as the Ogre.

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Ogre (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, ogres are a lesser race of giants. An aquatic subrace of ogres is known as "merrow". D&D ogres are also closely related to the race of ogre magi, a more intelligent race with blue skin and great magical abilities. Typically Ogres stand between nine and ten feet tall and can weigh up to 650 lbs. Ogres are closely related to trolls, and are distantly related to the various races of giants.

Publication history

Ogres have a long history within the Dungeons & Dragons game.

Dungeons & Dragons (1974–1976)

The ogre was one of the first monsters introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in the Dungeons & Dragons "white box" set (1974). They are described simply as large and fearsome monsters.

Ogre variants appeared in Supplement IV: Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes (1976).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977–1988)

The ogre appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977), where they are described as ugly-tempered and voracious creatures sometimes found as mercenaries.

Ogre (video game)

Ogre is a 1986 computer game based on the Ogre miniatures wargame.

Release

A computer adaptation of Ogre was the 1986 release by Origin Systems, Inc. for Apple II, Amiga, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, and Macintosh.

Gameplay

The video game is based on the miniatures wargame rules.

Reception

inCider in 1986 rated the game with three stars out of four.Computer Gaming World rated it three stars out of five in a 1992 survey of science fiction games, and ranked it #130 in the magazine's 1996 list of 150 Best Games of All Time.

References