Fictional depictions of worms

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The Lambton Worm Lambton Worm.jpg
The Lambton Worm

Worms have played major roles in world mythology and its associated literatures. [1] The word was often used to describe creatures now classified as snakes, lindworms, serpents and dragons. [1] Its symbolic meaning is divided between death and renewal. [1] They continue to play mixed roles in modern cultures.

Contents

The current usage of worm as a type of malicious Internet software is derived from John Brunner's 1975 science fiction novel The Shockwave Rider . [2] On Pink Floyd's album The Wall , worms were used as "symbols of negative forces within ourselves." [3] Some mythological and fantastic creatures descend from the Old English word "wyrm", a poetic term for a legless serpent or dragon (particularly in Germanic cultures).

Although more usually used in the context of earthworms, the English word "worm" derives from Old Norse orm and Old English wyrm, which could also mean "serpent" or "dragon". [4] The synonymous usage of worm and dragon in English lessened during the following centuries. Samuel Johnson's dictionary drew a distinction between worms and dragons (while retaining the word serpent as a definition of worm) and the last synonymous usage of worm and dragon as noted in the Oxford English Dictionary dates to the 17th century. [5]

Mythology and legends

Literature

Television, music, and film

Video games

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hope B. Werness (2004). The Continuum encyclopedia of animal symbolism in art. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 439. ISBN   978-0-8264-1525-7.
  2. Jose Nazario (2004). Defense and detection strategies against Internet worms. Artech House. p. 38. ISBN   978-1-58053-537-3.
  3. Waters, Roger and Jim Ladd. "An Explanation of The Wall" . Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  4. Brian Bates (2003), The real Middle-Earth: exploring the magic and mystery of the Middle Ages, J.R.R. Tolkien and "The Lord of the Rings, Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN   9781403963192
  5. Sayre N. Greenfield (1998). The ends of allegory . University of Delaware Press. p.  75. ISBN   978-0-87413-670-8. worm dragon oed.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Trent Walters (2005), "Snakes and Worms", The Greenwood encyclopedia of science fiction and fantasy, vol. 2, Greenwood Press, p. 729, ISBN   978-0-313-32950-0
  7. William Morris (1911). The collected works of William Morris, Volume 7. Longmans, Green and company. p. 328.
  8. Drout, Michael D. C. (2007). J.R.R. Tolkien encyclopedia: scholarship and critical assessment. CRC Press. p. 636. ISBN   978-0-415-96942-0.
  9. "What Are Were-Worms in The Hobbit? Earth Eaters Explained". 5 January 2023.
  10. Dilys Evans (2008). Show & tell: exploring the fine art of children's book illustration. Chronicle Books. p. 86. ISBN   978-0-8118-4971-5. Archived from the original on 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  11. Maas, Sarah J. (2015). A Court of Thorns and Roses. Bloomsbury. pp. 318–327.
  12. JediDictionary.com - Caysh - Word of the Week Vol. 2
  13. Marc Okrand (1992). The Klingon dictionary: English-Klingon, Klingon-English, Volume 1992, Part 2. Simon & Schuster. p. 149. ISBN   978-0-671-74559-2.
  14. "'Shazam!' Director Explains Those Post-Credits Scenes and What They Mean for the DCEU". 8 April 2019. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.