The Mewlips were a strange and secretive race, known only from a reference in a poem of the Hobbits of the Shire. Their identity is mysterious and indeed they may not exist at all; or they may represent a distant folk-memory of the Hobbits. They were said to be dangerous creatures, dwelling in the dark and feasting on unwary travellers who sought them out. Though it's uncertain exactly what kind of beings they were, they do seem to have been at least somewhat Man-like in form and may represent a confused recollection of Orcs or Troll.