Among the Orcs, the use of the word 'ape' was an insult recorded more than once, and so the Orcs evidently knew of the existence of these creatures, despite the fact that apes do not seem to have been known in the more northerly lands of Middle-earth. Rather, we're told that they lived among the deep dark forests of the distant South of Middle-earth (that is, somewhere within, or even beyond, Far Harad). Perhaps the Orcs, then, acquired knowledge of them from the Haradrim, who were historical allies of Mordor, and within the further reaches of whose lands apes were to be found.
Notes
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The use of the term 'ape' is only very approximately used as a simile, and so it is hard to narrow down exactly what kind of ape is intended. There are numerous possibilites, and indeed it is conceivable that the word is used in its older, broader sense to mean an ape-like creature or monkey of any kind.
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- Updated 9 August 2026
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