  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 visual art, 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 jÃ¶tnar of norse mythology); while ogres may be given giantish traits. famous examples of ogres in folklore include the ogre in "puss in 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. ==etymology==  the word ogre is of french origin, originally derived from the name of the etruscan god orcus, who fed on human flesh. its earliest attestation is in chrÃ©tien de troyes' late 12th-century verse romance perceval, li contes del graal, which contains the lines:  the ogres in this rhyme may refer to the ogres who, in the pseudohistorical work history of the kings of britain by geoffrey of monmouth, were the inhabitants of britain prior to human settlement. ogre could possibly derive from the biblical og, last of the giants (or from the greek river god oiagros, father of orpheus). [[file:poucet11.jpg|250px|left|thumb|hop-o'-my-thumb steals the ogre's seven-league boots. 
English_legendary_creatures European_legendary_creatures Medieval_European_legendary_creatures Monsters Mythic_humanoids Ogres Supernatural_legends