Like many mythical creatures, ogres have an origin shrouded in mystery.

It’s possible that the first conception of creatures like ogres came during a time in ancient history when Neanderthals coexisted with modern humans, and the two could have fought for resources and land.

As far as the etymology of the word “ogre” goes, one camp states that the term originated in the old historic traditions of the Norsemen. In ancient Norse mythology, the world and all of its various realms and lands make up the body of a giant tree called Yggdrasil. The folklore states that, through a series of events involving the tree, the Norse king of the gods Odin (also known as Yggr, based on his relationship with Yggdrasil) came to be known as the lord of death.

The folk stories evolved over time, as stories tend to do, and because of the general brutality of the ancient Norsemen and the human sacrifices made in Odin’s name, Odin became known as a terrible demon.

Because of his status as the Lord of Winds (in addition to his various other titles), Odin, or Yggr, became known as a devil living in the sky with a taste for human flesh. This is said to be the basis of the tale of Jack and the Beanstalk, in which Jack plants magical seeds and climbs a beanstalk to a bountiful land in the sky and meets an ogre who is bent on eating him.

However, another camp believes that the word ogre was coined much later by the French. They believe that the word is an adaptation of the Latin word orco, meaning demon, from one of the Roman gods of the underworld, Orcus.

Then again, Orcus was a name used to identify an originally Gaulish god, and the term orc was used to identify Norse raiders on English lands. So it could be that, in fact, there is a link between the two etymologies.

Regardless of their origins, ogres are undeniably part of a group of folklore creatures that exists in most mythical traditions. This group includes various types of humanoid creatures of great size and strength, who in general possess a dislike of humans, a taste for human flesh, and a lower than average intelligence. Others in this category include the Norse trolls (large, ugly, evil beings that turn to stone in the sunlight), the Greek Cyclopses (“circle eye,” a race of huge one-eyed men), and other giants.

Ogres were used in literature by the Italians and the French starting in the 16th century. They were categorized as large, strong and dim-witted. Since then, ogres have appeared in a variety of fairy tales and fantasy stories, including works by C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and more modern authors such as Piers Anthony.

The gaming world has not ignored these creatures oft-portrayed as foul brutes. Games such as Dungeons and Dragons, Final Fantasy, and Warcraft have used them in various capacities. In addition, Shrek, the hero of a recent series of DreamWorks movies, is probably one of the best-known (and best liked) modern ogres.