Board Thread:Suggestions forum/@comment-43783253-20200115121717/@comment-25931200-20200209234214

I am pretty sure that in the books Stone giants were really just a metaphor for bad weather, granted Gandalf's comment that he should find some half decent giant and plug the new Goblin entrance kinda goes against it but it's quite clear that Tolkien didn't yet have the world of ME fully cristalized when he was writing Hobbit. This is quite clear especially when one reads about Bilbo's first encounter with Elves in Rivendel, who at that point are presented more as mischievous fey of European legend then tall ubermensch they would eventually evolve into. Even Gandalf can't think of any better response to a pack of Wargs ambushing them then to light a bunch of conifers on fire and throw it at them. Humorous, sure, but hardly in line with his character later on in the LOTR. In that light i think we can consider Stone Giants just another relic of this early development period.