| Slithy Tove | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Illustrated by John Tenniel. | |||
| Naming | |||
| Binomen | N/A | ||
| Morphology | |||
| Body type | Reptomammal | ||
| Intelligence | |||
| Sentience | Sentient | ||
| Sapience | Non-Sapient | ||
| Ecology | |||
| Place of origin | Looking-Glass Land | ||
| Habitat | Fields around sundials | ||
| Diet | Cheese | ||
| Locomotion | Quadrupedal | ||
| Status | DD | ||
| Behind the Scenes | |||
| Universe | Alice's Adventures | ||
| Created by | Lewis Carroll | ||
| Designed by | John Tenniel | ||
| “ | 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe. |
” |
— "Jabberwocky" poem, first stanza
| ||
Slithy Toves (or possibly just Toves) are mysterious creatures mentioned in the first and last stanza of the poem "Jabberwocky", which Alice found in a book in the land beyond the looking-glass.
The poem contains a large number of nonsensical words, the meaning of which is unknown to Alice, although she later got help from Humpty Dumpty, who explained the meanings of the words in the first stanza. However, Humpty himself proudly admits that he habitually makes up the meanings of words, putting his explanations in questionable light at best.
According to Humpty Dumpty, "slithy" is a portmanteau of "lithe" and "slimy"; and a "tove" is a creature that combines aspects of a badger, a lizard and a corkscrew. They make their nests under sundials and feed on cheese. In the poem, it's mentioned that they "did gyre and gimble". According to Humpty, to "gyre" and to "gimble" means to "go round and round like a gyroscope" and "make holes like a gimlet", respectively. The word "brillig" is identified by him as about four o'clock in the afternoon, thus indicating the time in which these animals are active; and the "wabe" where they're located is identified as meaning "the grass-plot round a sundial", as correctly guessed by Alice.
Appearances[]
- Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, by Lewis Carroll (1871)
Gallery[]
