"Farmer Giles of Ham" (written in 1947, published in 1949) is a short story written by J. R. R. Tolkien. The story describes a series of encounters between Farmer Giles and a wily dragon named Chrysophylax. It is set in a fantasy Great Britain of long ago, which has mythical creatures, medieval knights, and primitive firearms. It is happily anachronistic, and is more like a folk-tale than the sweeping epics which Tolkien is better known for. 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... This article is in need of attention. ... John Ronald Reuel Tolkien CBE (January 3, 1892 – September 2, 1973) is best known as the author of The Hobbit and its sequel The Lord of the Rings. ... Saint George versus the dragon, Gustave Moreau, c. ... Chrysophylax Dives is the comically villainous Dragon in the classic story Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien. ... // For other meanings see Fantasy (disambiguation) Fantasy is a genre of art, literature, film, television, games and music that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of either plot, theme, setting, or all three. ...

The book was originally illustrated by Pauline Baynes. Pauline Baynes (born 1922, in Hove, Sussex) is an English book illustrator, whose work encompasses more than 100 books. ...

Farmer Giles (or Ægidius Ahenobarbus Julius Agricola de Hammo) was not a hero. He was fat and red-bearded and enjoyed a slow, comfortable life. One day a rather deaf and short-sighted giant blundered on to his land. Farmer Giles managed to scare him away with a blunderbuss shot in its general direction. The people of the village cheered: Farmer Giles was a hero. His reputation spread far and wide across the kingdom. Giles was rewarded by the King of the Middle Kingdom, with a sword named Caudimordax or "Tailbiter", a powerful weapon against dragons. The mythology and legends of many different cultures include mythological creatures of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. ... An English flintlock blunderbuss A blunderbuss is a muzzle-loading firearm with a flared, trumpet-like barrel. ...

The giant reports to its monstrous friends that there are no more knights, just stinging flies (actually scrap metal from Giles' blunderbuss), in the Middle Kingdom. This prompts a dragon, Chrysophylax Dives, to investigate the area — and everyone turns to the accidental hero Farmer Giles to deal with it.

The story makes light of the great dragon-slaying traditions. The knights who are supposed to do the job are useless fops more intent on "precedence and etiquette" than on noticing huge dragon footprints littering the landscape. "Giles" is also an interesting commentary on how people react to danger. Heroes aren't simply called for, they are demanded and hapless farmers can be forced to be heroes.

The Latin names and references imply that Giles is a Briton, a late generation remnant of the old empire after the decline of the western authority of the Romans. All the Giles place-names are supposed to occur relatively close to Oxford, along the Thames or on the route from London to Oxford. For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). ... Several places exist with the name Thames, and the word is also used as part of several brand and company names Most famous is the River Thames in England, on which the city of London stands Other Thames Rivers There is a Thames River in Canada There is a Thames... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England and is the most populous city in the European Union. ...

Among the jokes is a question put to "the four wise clerks of Oxenford"; Tolkien then quotes from the Oxford English Dictionary, on which he had worked. The phrase "wise clerk of Oxenford" is also a reference to Chaucer's Clerk. The Oxford English Dictionary print set The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a dictionary published by the Oxford University Press (OUP). ... Chaucer: Illustration from Cassells History of England, circa 1902 Chanticleer the rooster from an outdoor production of Chanticleer and the Fox at Ashby_de_la_Zouch castle Geoffrey Chaucer (ca. ... The Clerks Tale is the first tale of Group E in Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales. ...

"Farmer Giles of Ham" is sometimes published in an omnibus edition with "Smith of Wootton Major", another Tolkien novella with illustrations by Pauline Baynes. Smith of Wootton Major, first published in 1967, is a short story by J. R. R. Tolkien. ...