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#REDIRECT ] |
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In ]'s ] writings, '''Orcs''' or '''Orks''' are a race of creatures who are used as soldiers and henchmen by both the greater and lesser villains of '']'' and '']'' — ], ] and ]. The Orcs also work independently as the common antagonists in '']'', though in that work they are called ]s. |
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{{Rcat shell| |
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Although not dim-witted and even crafty, they are portrayed as miserable beings, hating everyone including themselves and their masters, whom they serve out of fear. They make no beautiful things, but rather design cunning devices made to hurt and destroy. |
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{{R ME to section}} |
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{{R with history}} |
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}} |
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] |
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==Tolkien's influences== |
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{{see also|Orc}} |
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''Orc'' is from ] ''orcneas'', which appears in the epic poem '']'' and refers to one of the races who are called the ''offspring of ]'' during the initial description of Grendel ("Þanon untydras ealle onwocon,/eotenas ond ylfe, ond orcneas," ll. 221-222) . In a letter of 1954 Tolkien gave ''orc'' as "demon" and claimed he used the word because of its "phonetic suitability" - its similarity to various equivalent terms in his ].<ref name = "#144">{{ME-ref|letters|#144}}</ref> In an essay on Elven languages, written in 1954, Tolkien gives meaning of 'orc' as "evil spirit or bogey" and goes on to state that the origin of the Old English word is the Latin name ] — god of the ].<ref>{{ME-ref|XI}}</ref> |
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About the goblins of ''The Hobbit'', Tolkien wrote: |
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<blockquote>They are not based on direct experience of mine; but owe, I suppose, a good deal to the goblin tradition ... especially as it appears in George MacDonald, except for the soft feet which I never believed in.<ref name = "#144" /></blockquote> |
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==Middle-earth terms for Orcs== |
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In the ] tongue ], the word for "Orc" was ''urko'', plural ''urqui'', meaning "bogey", or ], that is, something that provokes fear. In the ] tongue ], it was ''orch'', plural ''yrch''. In the ] tongue ], it was ''rukhs'', plural ''rakhâs''. In the language of the ] or Wild Men, it was ''gorgûn''. In the ] of ], the equivalent was ''Uruk'', as can be seen in '']'', "Orc-folk". ''Orc'' itself is strictly from ]<ref>"Orc is the form of the name that other races had for this foul people as it was in the language of Rohan." {{ME-ref|rotk|Appendix F: The Languages and Peoples of the Third Age}} </ref> and the ]-language,<ref name = "faq"> from the by Steuard Jensen. Brackets by eds.</ref> which shared linguistic roots. |
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''Uruk'' and ''Uruk-hai'' were reserved for the Uruks themselves, a special breed or breeds of Orc; they called smaller, weaker Orcs ''snaga'', "slave". The ] also referred to the Orcs as a whole as the ''Glamhoth'', "noisy horde".<ref>{{ME-ref|UT|"Of ] and his Coming to ]"}}</ref> The word "]" is used to represent the original Hobbit ''Orc''. In '']'' Tolkien writes about an Orc captain named '']''<ref>{{ME-ref|Lays|"]"}}</ref> but later specifies that ''Boldog'' may have been either a term or a title for ] instead of a personal name.<ref>{{ME-ref|MR|"Myths Transformed"}}</ref> |
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===Orcs, Goblins, and Uruks=== |
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<!-- Note: "Uruk-hai" is _plural_. "Uruks" is Anglicized and acceptable.--> |
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The earliest appearance of goblins in Tolkien's writings is the 1915 poem ''Goblin Feet'', also his first published work, which appeared in the annual volume of Oxford Poetry published by ]. It features quaint elfin creatures, and some 45 years later Tolkien was to dismiss it as juvenile. |
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In '']'' the names ''Orcs'' and ''goblin'' are given to creatures who enslave and war with the ]. Christopher Tolkien notes that whilst in the ''Tale of Tinúviel'' the author clearly differentiates between "goblins and Orcs", the two terms appear to be synonymous in the ''Tale of Turambar''. The word ''Gongs'' is also used on a few occasions and it appears both distinct from ''Orcs'',<ref>{{ME-ref|BOLT2|"The Nauglafring"}}</ref> and as a sub-type of Orc,<ref>{{ME-ref|BOLT2|"Gilfanon's Tale"}}</ref> Christoper Tolkien remarks that ''Gongs'' are "evil beings obscurely related to Orcs";<ref>{{ME-ref|BOLT2|"The History of Eriol or Aelfwine"}}</ref>. Both goblins and Orcs are occasionally mentioned as being "of ]" and also acting independently. Two Lexicons of elvish language also appear. The ''Quenta Lexicon'' from approximately 1915 defines ''Orc'' as meaning "], ]" , and the ''Gnomish Lexicon'' dated 1917, gives''Orc'' a definition of "]", alongside a definition of ''Gong'' as "one of a tribe of the Orcs, a goblin". Christopher Tolkien also notes, with interest, that in the Lexicon the word '']'' (later '']'') is an emendation from ''Goblin''. |
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In '']'', the inhabitants of the ] who capture the dwarves for trespassing, and later fight the Men, Elves and Dwarves at the ], are identified as '']s'', which is largely consistent with the use in ]. The term ''Orc'' does occur, in an instance where Gandalf is trying to scare Bilbo by mentioning creatures of the wilderness "goblins, ]s, and orcs of the worst description" where goblins are again differentiated from Orcs, and also in the Elvish name of Thorin's sword, '']''. |
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In ''The Lord of the Rings'', ''Orc'' is used predominantly, and ''goblin'' appears mostly in the ]s' speech. The second volume of the novel, ''The Two Towers'', contains passages where the more generic 'goblin' is used to describe Saruman's ] as being different from the usual 'Orc': |
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<blockquote>There were four goblin-soldiers of greater stature, swart, slant-eyed, with thick legs and large hands. They were armed with short broad-bladed swords, not with the curved scimitars usual with Orcs: and they had bows of yew, in length and shape like the bows of Men.<ref>{{ME-ref|ttt|"The Departure of Boromir"}}</ref></blockquote> |
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And: |
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<blockquote>Upon a stake in the middle was set a great goblin head; upon its shattered helm the white badge could still be seen.<ref>{{ME-ref|ttt|"The Riders of Rohan"}}</ref></blockquote> |
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The "white badge" mentioned in the latter passage makes it clear that the beheaded goblin was one of the Uruk-hai. Tolkien writes that these bore a white ] with the value of "]" on their helmets. |
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Tolkien also wrote the following note, appearing in some editions of ''The Hobbit'': |
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<blockquote>''Orc'' is not an ] word. It occurs in one or two places but is usually translated ''goblin'' (or ''hobgoblin'' for the larger kinds). ''Orc'' is the hobbits' form of the name given at that time to these creatures, and it is not connected at all with ''orc'', ''ork'', applied to sea-animals of dolphin-kind. <ref name = "faq" /></blockquote> |
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The original edition of ''The Hobbit'' and early drafts of ''The Lord of the Rings'' first used ''goblin'' everywhere and used '']'' for larger, more evil goblins. Whilst investigating possible sources for the words "Hobbit" Tolkien realised he had made a mistake in using "hob" — which is traditionally used to mean a 'smaller' entity, not a larger one. |
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In his later, post-''The Lord of the Rings'' writings (including '']'' and many essays published in ''])'', Tolkien preferred the spelling ''Ork'', evidently mainly to avoid the form ''Orcish'', which would be naturally pronounced with the c as /s/ instead of /k/ in English. Tolkien indeed used the adjective ''Orkish''.<ref>{{ME-ref|The Peoples of Middle-earth}}</ref> |
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==The physical appearance of Orcs== |
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Orcs are described as ugly and filthy fanged humanoids. The largest can reach human size, but they are usually significantly shorter. Many have long arms, like monkeys or apes. Along with that, many of them have crooked backs and legs. They have sour black blood, reminiscent of reanimated corpses. |
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Tolkien describes Orcs explicitly in one of his ''Letters'': |
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<blockquote>...they are (or were) squat, broad, flat-nosed, sallow-skinned, with wide mouths and slant eyes; in fact degraded and repulsive versions of the (to Europeans) least lovely Mongol-types.<ref>{{ME-ref|letters|#210}}</ref></blockquote> |
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In response to charges that the above comment is ], ] ] writes in his ''Tolkien Newsgroups FAQ'': |
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<blockquote>At first glance this looks blatantly racist, but the qualifier "'''to Europeans'''" casts it in a very different light: Tolkien explicitly recognized that different cultures have different standards of beauty, and that his impressions did not reflect any underlying superiority. Moreover, he made it clear that the Orcs were not in any sense actual "Mongol-types", but "degraded and repulsive versions" of humanoid stock.<ref name = "racist?"> from by Steuard Jensen. Bolding by editors</ref></blockquote>"Nevertheless," Jensen adds, " comment certainly falls short of modern standards of sensitivity."<ref name = "racist?"/> |
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Fellow Tolkienist ] argues in ''Parma Endorion'', his free ] guide to Middle-earth, that Tolkien |
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<blockquote> needed a human model which, when distorted beyond realistic appearance, might appear monstrous and corrupted. In fact, many Asian cultures represent demons and evil gods in a similar fashion. I feel Tolkien's choice was inspired by a broad understanding of mythology, and not by racism.<ref name = "mike"> </ref></blockquote> |
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Martinez also opines that Tolkien may have based the Orcs on the ], in the sense of their "historical context" within Middle-earth as enemy hordes and pillagers.<ref name = "mike" /> This should not be surprising since he based his writings on a Western viewpoint and the Mongol Empire did reach Europe. |
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Even so, some white supremacists interpret ''The Lord of the Rings'' as portraying white western European-types as "good" and ugly dark-skinned non-whites as "bad". Jensen says in his ''FAQ'' that this reading confuses "the symbolic conflict between 'darkness' and 'light' ... for a conflict between 'black' and 'white'," which is interpreted racially. Jensen asserts that "blackness", "whiteness", "lightness", "darkness" and skin color itself are not used in a clear-cut manner to distinguish good and evil, and that the actual "swarthy Men" serving Sauron (]) are implied to be "unwilling slaves, not evil at heart."<ref name = "racist?"/> |
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As Tolkien himself said of racism: |
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<blockquote>I should regret giving any colour to the notion that I subscribed to the wholly pernicious and unscientific race-doctrine.<ref>{{ME-ref|letters|#29}}</ref></blockquote> |
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==Types of Orcs== |
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There was much variation among Orcs. The most obvious examples are the ''Uruk-hai'', who were larger, more powerful and had black skin. Smaller and weaker Orcs than the Uruk-hai were called ''snaga'' ("slave") by the latter. There was also some variation in terms of function. Sauron apparently bred specialized types, such as the "super-soldier" Uruk-hai, and smaller, tracker Orcs or 'Snufflers' (one of which appears in ''The Return of the King'', paired with an Uruk of Mordor, searching for the hobbits). The Uruk-hai of Saruman were also physically different from the Uruk-hai of Sauron; they were taller and had more human-like proportions while the latter were shorter and had longer arms (as shown by Uglúk in ''The Two Towers''). In ''The History of Middle-earth'' Tolkien mentions ] incarnate in Orc-bodies called ''Boldogs'' (see below). |
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Saruman apparently bred his own modified orcs. Tolkien wrote of Saruman creating ''Men-orcs'' and ''Orc-men'' in "Myths Revisited" in '']''. There has been speculation that these Uruk-hai were cross-bred with ] of ], and these could withstand the sunlight. However, this has never been stated directly. The Orc-men, also called ''Half-orcs'' and ''goblin-men'', were definitely crossbreeds. |
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In terms of "political factions", the Orcs served ] in ] and subsequently ] in ]. By the time of the War of the Ring, some served ] in ]. However, as Sauron laid low after losing the Ring at the end of the ] (before returning to Mordor), some Orcs must have worked independently. Before and during the time when ''The Hobbit'' takes place, some Orcs had ] as their capital, the Orcs of the ] were apparently ruled by one "Great Goblin", the former Dwarf-realm of ] was held by Orcs under one ] and then his son Bolg, and one Golfimbul had led the Orcs of ] in a foray into the Shire. |
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==Orkish culture== |
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Tolkien does not elaborate much on Orc culture and customs. However, we do know that Orcs know some form of healing arts (as the Orc-band apply harsh Orkish medicine to Merry's injuries while in their captivity). We also know that their armour, though inferior to that of Elves and Dwarves, is serviceable enough. Also, they often use ]ed blades (as ] states as he inspects a wound of ]; the wound is fortunately not poisoned) and arrows (as they use such on ]). Also, they like to sing horrible songs (as in ''The Hobbit''). The goblins of the Misty Mountains were a smaller breed of Orc, and could also invent horrid machines used to torture and kill things. |
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===Orkish diet=== |
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In ''The Hobbit'', Tolkien indicates that Orcs are "always hungry", although given the demeanour of that book, it is not clear if this is an exaggeration or not. Orcs do eat all manner of flesh, including those of men and horses, except perhaps their own, although the implications of cannibalism among Orcs is alluded to quite frequently. In Chapter II of ''The Two Towers'', Grishnákh, leader of the Mordor Uruks, accuses the Uruks of Saruman (who look different from them) of ], which the latter angrily deny. Later ] of ] threatens to "eat" a disobedient '']'' (slave), although this could be simply an emotional or symbolic threat (prior to this, however, Shagrat indicates that Gorbag could be "for the pot" after suggesting that the envenomated Frodo should "go in the pot", itself indicating a stew or broth that the Orcs eat). In the film version of ''The Two Towers'', the Uruk Uglúk beheads a rebellious orc, then says, "Looks like meat's back on the menu, boys!" Immediately, the Uruks fall upon the dead corpse, and entrails are seen flying through the air as the orcs look on in dismay. |
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==Orkish language== |
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The Orcs had no language of their own; merely a piecemeal of corrupted versions of words derived from various languages. However, individual tribes developed dialects that were so widely different from each other that the Orkish tongue was of no use for communication between tribes; for this purpose, ] was used, albeit with a crude accent. The few words in common usage throughout Orc tribes extant in the text of ''The Lord of the Rings'' are from ]; some examples are ''ghâsh'', "fire", ''sharkǔ'', "old man" (referring to Saruman's nickname of "Sharkey" during The Scouring of the Shire), ''snaga'', "slave", and ''Uruk''. Another "Orkish" word is ''tark'', "man of Gondor", from Westron and ultimately Quenya ''tarkil'', "high man". |
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When Sauron returned to power in Mordor in the Third Age, ] was used by the captains of his armies and by his servants in Barad-dûr. |
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A substantial sample of debased Black Speech/Orkish can be found in ''The Two Towers'', where the Mordor Uruk Grishnákh curses the Isengard Uruk Uglúk: |
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:''Uglúk u bagronk sha pushdug Saruman-glob búbhosh skai!'' |
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In '']'', Tolkien gives the translation: "Uglúk to the cesspool, sha! the dungfilth; the great Saruman-fool, skai!". However, in a note published in the Tolkien scholarly linguistic journal '']'' this alternative translation is given: "Uglúk to the dung-pit with stinking Saruman-filth, pig-guts, gah!" |
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Some speculate that Tolkien may have drawn upon the language of the ancient ] and ] for his Black Speech/Orkish.<ref></ref> |
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==Orcs and Evil== |
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On the subject of Orkish tendencies to good and evil, '']'' states of the ] at the ] and the subsequent siege of ] that "All living things were divided in that day, and some of every kind, even of beasts and birds, were found in either host, save the Elves only. They alone were undivided and followed Gil-galad. Of the Dwarves, few fought upon either side; but the kindred of Durin of Moria fought against Sauron." ("]") Since the Elves alone were said to be undivided, this apparently implies that at least some Orcs fought ''against'' Sauron, though this may be an overliteral interpretation of the passage. Orcs are known to fight amongst themselves frequently, if not actually against Sauron. On the subject of orc redeemability Tolkien wrote in one of his letters "I nearly wrote 'irredeemably bad'; but that would be going too far. Because by accepting or tolerating their making — necessary to their actual existence — even Orcs would become part of the World, which is God's and ultimately good. That God would 'tolerate' that, seems no worse theology than the toleration of the calculated dehumanizing of Men by tyrants that goes on today." |
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To some extent Tolkien did not regard Orcs as inherently evil, or evil in their own right, but rather as tools and slaves of Morgoth and Sauron, hating themselves and their masters as they hated everyone else. He wrote once that "we were all orcs in ]".{{ME-fact|date=October 2007}} |
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==The origin of Orcs== |
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The origin of Orcs is an open question. In Tolkien's writings, evil is not capable of independent creation, making it unlikely that the ] ], who was obviously the first to produce them, could do that '']''. |
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Unlike the ''orc-néas'' ('orc-corpses') of Beowulf, no female Orcs are ever mentioned by Tolkien in any publication. However, in the published ''Silmarillion'' it is stated that Orcs "breed after the manner of Elves and Men", implying that there are; in ''The Hobbit'' the Orc Bolg is the son of one Azog, while Gollum is described as having eaten a young Orc child ("goblin-imp") shortly before he first met Bilbo. Tolkien confirms in a letter that female Orcs did exist<ref>Unpublished letter dated 21 October 1963 to Mrs Munby</ref>. |
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===Made from the earth=== |
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According to the oldest "theory" proposed by Tolkien (found in ''The Fall of ]'', from '']'', circa ] — the first tale of Middle-earth to be written in full), Orcs were made of stone and slime through the sorcery of ] (''"bred from the heats and slimes of the earth"'' — ''The Book of Lost Tales, Vol. 2''). |
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In the film version of the Books, some Uruk-Hai are seen being birthed full-grown from what appear to be sacs in muddy pits. |
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===Corrupted Elves=== |
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Tolkien later changed the legendarium so that Morgoth could no longer produce life on his own, and amended the origins to the "theory" that would eventually be published in '']'': that the Orcs were transformed from ] — the purest form of life on ] (the Earth) — by means of torture and mutilation; and this "theory" would then become the most popular. Moreover, if Orcs were in fact Elves at their core, this could perhaps mean that they were also ] — a fact which, if true, would seem inconsistent with J. R. R. Tolkien's treatment of Orcs, although the books do not openly confirm or deny it. If Orcs indeed were immortal, it holds no doubt that their ] would not be allowed reincarnation by ], if they even answered the calling. Most Orcs would probably fear the calling of Mandos, and therefore would see their ''fëar'' diminished to ] spirits. These may have been some of the evil spirits occasionally described in the books, such as the spirit which tempted ] of ]'s company, or the ]s. |
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There is some evidence for the immortality, or otherwise long life of Orcs in '']'': ] and ], during the conversation which ] overheard, mention the "Great Siege" of the ]. It is possible to interpret from the sentence that they were actually there and remembered it themselves: an event which lay millennia in the past. Another interpretation of this conversation is that this "Great Siege" could have instead been merely the current siege ongoing at ], or the siege of ]. They certainly did live for at the very least hundreds of years, since Bolg was the son of Azog and his death occurred over 140 years after the death of his father. This second theory is consistent with a statement made in the "Myths Transformed" essay of '']'' that the orcs had short lifespans in relation to the ]s. |
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Since this version of the origin of Orcs explicitly appears in the published ''Silmarillion'', many have accepted it at face value as Tolkien's final views on the matter. However, as can be seen, Tolkien wrote later differing accounts, which may reflect his final intentions (see ]). |
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This manner of the Orc's creation is referred to in ] by Saruman after creating the Uruk-hai. |
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===Fallen Maiar=== |
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There are hints in the '']'' series of books, (especially in '']'' in the section "Myths Transformed"), that some Orc leaders, such as the ]'s ], or the ] encountered by ] and the ], may in fact have been fallen ] which had taken Orc form: |
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<blockquote>Some of these things may have been delusions and phantoms but some were no doubt shapes taken by the servants of Melkor, mocking and degrading the very forms of the children. For Melkor had in his service great numbers of Maiar, who had the power, as their Master, of taking visible and tangible shape in Arda.<ref>''Morgoth's Ring'', "Myths transformed", text X</ref></blockquote> |
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<blockquote>Boldog (…) is a name that occurs many times in the tales of the War. But it is possible that Boldog was not a personal name, and either a title, or else the name of a kind of creature: the Orc-formed Maiar, only less formidable than the Balrogs <ref>Author's footnote to the text X</ref></blockquote> |
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<blockquote>Melkor had corrupted many spirits — some great as ], or less as Balrogs. The least could have been primitive Orcs.<ref>Author's note to text</ref></blockquote> |
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===Some cross-bred with Men=== |
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Tolkien also "suggested" that ] were cross-bred with Orcs under Morgoth's lieutenant, Sauron (and possibly under Morgoth himself). The ] are speculated to be created in this way. The process was later repeated during the ] by Saruman, enabling him to make his own hybrids. |
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<blockquote>There is no doubt that long afterwards, in the Third Age, Saruman rediscovered this, or learned of it in lore, and in his lust for mastery committed this, his wickedest deed: the interbreeding of Orcs and Men, producing both Men-orcs large and cunning, and Orc-men treacherous and vile.<ref>'']'', "Myths Transformed" - Text X</ref></blockquote> |
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While Tolkien at some point saw all Orcs as descended from tortured Elves, later comments of his indicate, according to ] in ''Morgoth's Ring'' ("Myths Transformed, text X"), that he began to feel uncomfortable with this theory. At about the same time he removed the references to the ], he also began searching for a new origin for the Orcs. The question of Orc origin may have been one of the problems Tolkien tried to solve by completely changing the ] and ] of Arda. By setting the origin of Men back to almost the same time as the Elves, he possibly allowed for Men to be the origin of Orcs all along. Tolkien died before he could complete this upheaval of the cosmology, however, so the Elf origin was adopted in the published version of '']''. |
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===Sentient beasts=== |
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Yet other of Tolkien's theories proposes that Orcs may have begun as animals of vaguely humanoid shapes, empowered by the ] of the ] (first Morgoth, later Sauron): |
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<blockquote>The Orcs were beasts of humanized shape .<ref>'Morgoth's Ring', "Myths transformed", text VIII'</ref></blockquote> |
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It is certain all Orcs were dependent on the Dark Lord in various ways: after their leader was defeated, the Orcs were confused and dismayed, and easily scattered by their enemies. In the millennia after Morgoth's defeat and banishment from ], they were without a leader, and degenerated to small, quarrelsome tribes hiding in the ]. Only when Sauron returned to power did they begin to reclaim some of their old power. The same happened after Sauron's defeat by the ]: only when Sauron returned as the Necromancer of ] did the Orcs become a real danger for Middle-earth again. |
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== Individual Orcs == |
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{{Main|List of Middle-earth Orcs}} |
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{{See also|List of original characters in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy}} ''for Orcs unique to the New Line films'' |
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==Influence on later fantasy== |
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Tolkien's Orcs are a major influence on fantasy fiction and games; they are the literary precursors of the Orcs (and similar races) of many different settings. The Orcs of '']'', '']'', '']'' and other games most often differ from Tolkien's Orcs in that they are taller and larger than humans and usually have green or greyish-green skin (in the case of the ''Warcraft'' Orcs, they even become the protagonists in the third game, redeeming themselves from the pact they made with the Burning Legion). |
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] may have inserted a nod to his friend's Orcs in '']''. When Aslan goes to his death on the Stone Table, the narrator mentions various evil creatures gathered around the White Witch — including "Orknies" (the name is also directly based on the above Old English term). |
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==Adaptations== |
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<center> |
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<gallery> |
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Image:Bakshi_Orcs.jpg|Orcs from the 1978 animated version of '']''. |
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Image:Ugluk_1.jpg|Uglúk the Uruk<!--singular--> in ]'s '']''. |
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Image:Sharku_2.jpg|Sharku, an original Orc in Jackson's ''The Two Towers''. |
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Image:STAGE_ORC.jpg|An Orc from the Cincinnati (2003) production of '']''. |
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</gallery> |
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</center> |
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Orcs have been featured in many adaptations of Tolkien's Middle-earth writings, from film to stage to video games. The Goblins in the ] were likened to the work of ].<ref>O'CONNOR, JOHN J. ''The Hobbit'' (review), ] November 25, 1977</ref> and are portrayed in exactly the same manner as the Orcs in the sequel '']''. |
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Some adaptations have made Goblins distinct from Orcs. This was implied in ]'s ] directed by ], and can be seen in the real-time strategy games '']'' and '']''. In the former, Goblins can be used alongside common Orcs and Uruk-hai, while in the latter Goblins get their own playable faction. |
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In '']'', an expansion pack for ''The Battle for Middle-earth II'', the Angmar faction uses "Gundabad Orcs" as ordinary foot soldiers, referring to their capital of Mount Gundabad. Like the Goblins of the ], they sometimes ride wolves in battle. |
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==Notes and references== |
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<div class="references-small"> |
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<references /> |
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</div> |
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==External links== |
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A more detailed and 'technical' approach to a problem of the origin of the Orcs can be found under the following link: |
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: |
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:The essay puts emphasis to different theories of the origin of the Orcs and their validity in the light of Tolkien's writings. |
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