Orc (Middle-earth)
In Tolkien'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 The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings — Morgoth, Sauron and Saruman. The Orcs, here called goblins, also work independently as the common antagonists in The Hobbit.
Although not dim-witted, they are portrayed as dull and miserable beings, who corrupt words (an insult to a philologist like Tolkien) and are only able to destroy, not to create. They have sour black blood, suggestive of reanimated corpses.
In Tolkien's Sindarin language, "Orc" is orch, plural yrch. In his later, post-Lord of the Rings writings (including The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and many essays published in The Peoples of Middle-earth), he 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, although Orcish continues to be used in Warcraft and other Orc-related contexts. The original sense of the word seems to be "bogey", "bogeyman", that is, something that provokes fear, as seen in the Quenya cognate urko, pl. urqui.
Tolkien's influences
"Orc" or "Ork" is an Old English word which appears in the epic Beowulf and refers to the undead monsters of Grendel's race (orc-néas "orc-corpses" ). For the origin of the word and its usage in other fantasy works, see Orc. If we treat Tolkien's writings as translations of material from the Red Book of Westmarch, the word was selected for its "convenient similarity" to the actual Quenya and Sindarin words, and could represent a Westron rendering.
Tolkien stated that the goblins of The Hobbit were heavily influenced by The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald, a story he liked very much.
Orcs, goblins, and Uruk-hai
In The Hobbit, Tolkien used the word "goblins" for Orcs, because he had not yet identified the world of The Hobbit with Middle-earth (which predated The Hobbit by several decades, in early writings which would later become The Silmarillion). Fortunately Tolkien did include some references to his mythology in the Hobbit, which later allowed him to identify the lands of the Hobbit with his Middle-earth. The term "Orc" does occur, but only in an instance where Gandalf is trying to scare Bilbo by mentioning creatures of the wilderness and in the name of Thorin's sword, 'Orc-rist' ('goblin-cleaver').
In The Lord of the Rings, "Orc" is used predominantly, and "goblin" mostly in the Hobbits' speech.
As an example, a passage where the terms are used interchangeably goes:
"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."
"The Departure of Boromir", from The Two Towers. The goblins described are Saruman's Uruk-hai.
This change can be seen either as a part of the shift towards the use of Elvish words that occurred during the period between the writing of The Hobbit and the writing of The Lord of the Rings, or a translation of the Hobbits' more colloquial manner (if we "accept" the books' authenticity and regard Tolkien merely as a translator). So essentially the race is more formally named "Orc", and "goblin" is a colloquial term for Orcs used by Hobbits and sometimes picked up by Men and Elves.
The original edition of The Hobbit and early drafts of The Lord of the Rings first used "goblin" everywhere and used "hobgoblin" for larger, more evil goblins: when "goblin" and "goblins" were replaced with "Orc" and "Orcs", Tolkien invented the terms "Uruks" and "Uruk-hai" for his stronger Orcs.
In brief, all goblins are Orcs, and all Uruks are goblins/Orcs, but not all goblins/Orcs are Uruks.
The Czech translation still uses the word "skřet" (goblin) even in The Lord of the Rings, going against usual translations.
It is possible that "goblin" refers to the those of the orcish race who are not under the control of Sauron (or Morgoth), whereas using "orc" directly would refer to servants of (whichever) Dark Lord, but this is only readers' conjecture. Tolkien did mention several times that orcs were not inherently evil, something this theory would partly emphasise.
The physical appearance of Orcs
Orcs are described as ugly and filthy humanoids. Their height varies from human-sized to shorter. Many have long arms, like monkeys. Along with that, many of them have crooked backs and legs.
Tolkien describes Orcs explicitly in one of his Letters:
...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.
— The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, #210.
Tolkien's above comment is not necessarily racist, if one examines it closely. To clarify this comment, Tolkienist Steuard Jensen writes in his Tolkien Newsgroups FAQ ([1]) :
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. (Nevertheless, his comment certainly falls short of modern standards of sensitivity.) (Bolding made by editors)
Fellow Tolkienist Michael Martinez writes in Parma Endorion, his guide to Middle-earth, that he feels that Tolkien may have based the Orcs on the Huns, in the sense of their "historical context" within Middle-earth. This should not be surprising since he based his writings on a Western viewpoint and it is true that the Mongol Empire did reach Europe.
Even so, many white supremacists praise The Lord of the Rings for portraying white western Europeans as "good" and ugly dark-skinned non-whites as "bad". (See [2]) However, this is based on a superficial misreading of the book; it is more complex than that. Jensen continues in his FAQ:
Finally, a few people have mistaken the symbolic conflict between "darkness" and "light" in the books for a conflict between "black" and "white", which they then interpret racially (which is already a stretch). They seem to overlook the ghastly white corpse-light of Minas Morgul, the White Hand of Saruman, and Isildur's black Stone of Erech, to name a few exceptions.
As for specific claims that Tolkien linked skin color to good and evil, there are simply too many exceptions for that to hold up. Light skinned characters who did evil things include Saruman, Grima, Gollum, Boromir, Denethor, and the Numenoreans as mentioned above. And it is notable that Tolkien described Forlong's people of Gondor and even the men of Bree as "swarthy", the same term he used for example of the Southrons who were ambushed by Faramir (though to be fair, he may have imagined different degrees of "swarthiness" for those groups). For that matter, Sam's flash of empathy for the fallen Southron he saw during the ambush (in The Two Towers — eds.) indicates that many of Sauron's soldiers were likely unwilling slaves, not evil at heart.
In short, while there are racially "suspicious" elements to be found in Tolkien's writings if one hunts for them, closer examination typically reveals the attitude behind them to be benign.That doesn't mean that he was perfect, but it certainly doesn't seem that he should be condemned for intolerance.
Tolkien himself does not share the beliefs of his white supremacist readers. As he says about Nazism and by extension, white supremacy in general:
"I should regret giving any colour to the notion that I subscribed to the wholly pernicious and unscientific race-doctrine." (Bolding made by editors)
— The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, #29.
For more coverage on the issue, see Tolkien and racism.
The origin of Orcs
The origin of Orcs is an open question. In Tolkien's writings, evil is not capable of independent creation, making it unlikely that the Vala Morgoth, who was obviously the first to produce them, could do that ex nihilo. Unlike the orc-néas ('orc-corpses') of Beowulf, no female Orcs are ever mentioned by Tolkien, however Peter Jackson's films showed only one Orc as female. Presumably, an all male race would be incapable of sexual reproduction. However, one of Tolkien's theories possibly contradicts this (see below).
Made from the earth
According to the oldest "theory" proposed by Tolkien (found in The Fall of Gondolin, from The Book of Lost Tales, circa 1917 — the first tale of Middle-earth to be written in full), Orcs were made of stone and slime through the sorcery of Morgoth ("bred from the heats and slimes of the earth" — The Book of Lost Tales, Vol. 2).
Corrupted Elves
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 The Silmarillion: that the Orcs were transformed from Elves — the purest form of life on Arda (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 immortal — a fact which, if true, would seem inconsistent with 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 fëar would not be allowed reincarnation by Mandos, if they even answered the calling. Most Orcs would probably fear the calling of Mandos, and therefore would see their fëar diminished to evil spirits. These may have been some of the evil spirits occasionally described in the books, such as the spirit which tempted Gorlim of Barahir's company, or the Barrow-wights. There is some evidence for the immortality, or otherwise long life of Orcs in The Two Towers: Gorbag and Shagrat, during the conversation which Sam overheard, mention the "Great Siege" of the Last Alliance. 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 Minas Tirith, or the siege of Minas Morgul. This is consistent with a statement made in the "Myths Transformed" essay of Morgoth's Ring that the orcs had short lifespans in relation to the Númenóreans. The Silmarillion states also that the orcs reproduce after the manner of the Children of Illuvatar (i.e. Men and Elves).
Fallen Maiar
There are hints in the History of Middle-earth series of books, (especially in Morgoth's Ring in the section "Myths Transformed"), that some Orc leaders, such as the First Age's Boldog, or the Great Goblin encountered by Bilbo and the Dwarves, may in fact have been fallen Maiar which had taken Orc form:
- 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. (Morgoth's Ring, "Myths transformed", text X)
- 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 (Author's footnote to the text X)
- Melkor had corrupted many spirits - some great as Sauron, or less as Balrogs. The least could have been primitive Orcs. (Author's note to text)
Some cross-bred with Men
Tolkien also "suggested" that Men were cross-bred with Orcs under Morgoth's lieutenant, Sauron (and possibly under Morgoth himself). The fierce Orcs known as Uruk-hai were created in this way. The process was later repeated during the War of the Ring by Saruman, enabling him to make his own Uruks.
- 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. (Morgoth's Ring, "Myths Transformed" - Text X)
This could suggest either that there were female orcs, or else that the Orcs were still only male but capable of breeding with human women (much like Narnian dwarves in C. S. Lewis' works). This also provides support for the explanation given in the Silmarillion, as Elves can inter-breed with humans.
While Tolkien at some point saw all Orcs as descended from tortured Elves, later comments of his indicate, according to Christopher Tolkien 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 Thrall-Ñoldorin, 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 cosmology and prehistory 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 The Silmarillion.
Sentient beasts
Yet other of Tolkien's theories proposes that Orcs may have begun as animals of vaguely humanoid shapes, empowered by the will of the Dark Lord (first Morgoth, later Sauron):
- The Orcs were beasts of humanized shape (…). ('Morgoth's Ring', "Myths transformed", text VIII')
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 Arda, they were without a leader, and degenerated to small, quarrelsome tribes hiding in the Misty Mountains. 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 Last Alliance of Elves and Men: only when Sauron returned as the Necromancer of Mirkwood did the Orcs become a real danger for Middle-earth again.
Historical Notes
On the subject of orcish tendencies to good and evil, it is interesting to note that page 364 of The Silmarillion states 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." This refers to the Last Alliance at the Battle of Dagorlad and the subsequent siege of Barad-dûr and for some, would seemingly imply that at least some orcs fought against Sauron.
To some extent Tolkien did not regard Orcs as evil in their own right, but as tools of Morgoth and Sauron. He wrote once that "we were all orcs in the Great War".
Peter Jackson's movie version shows only men and elves on the side of the Last Alliance, though since we only see distance shots and close-ups this may not definitely be the case.
Orkish culture
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 Orkish medicine to Merry's injuries). We also know that their armour, though inferior to that of Elves and Dwarves, is serviceable enough (Beleg had no blade that could penetrate their armour, so Thingol gave him the black sword Anglachel, which would later take his life). Also, they often use poisoned blades and possibly other poisoned weapons (as Aragorn states as he inspects a wound of Sam; the wound is fortunately unpoisoned). Also, they like to sing horrible songs (like in The Hobbit).
In regards to Orc ecology, orcs are highly xenophobic, and will quickly attempt to kill anyone who enters their territory. Their leaders are not fools, however, and will lay in wait, observing an enemy before striking. This is particularly shown in the films.
Orkish diet
Orcs eat all manner of flesh, including those of men and horses, except perhaps their own. In Chapter II of Lord of the Rings, Uglúk, leader of the Isengard Uruk battallion, accuses the Orcs of Mordor of eating Orc-flesh, which the latter angrily deny. However, later Shagrat of Cirith Ungol threatens to "eat" a disobedient Snaga, although this could be simply an emotional threat.
Rather than simply being hinted, however, Orkish cannibalism is displayed outright in the Peter Jackson interpretation, when Uglúk kills a disobedient Orc (who wanted to eat Pippin and Merry against the order of Saruman) and announces: "Looks like meat's back on the menu, boys!".
The Orkish language
The language of the Orcs is 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, Westron 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 Black Speech; some examples are ghâsh, "fire", snaga, "slave", and Uruk. Another "Orkish" word is tark, "man of Gondor", from Westron and ultimately Quenya tarkil, "high man".
When Sauron returned to power in Mordor in the Third Age, Black Speech was used by the captains of his armies and by his servants in Barad-dûr.
Individual orcs
Azog
Azog was the name of an Orc chieftain who lived in Moria from about 2480 to 2799 Third Age.
He started the War of the Dwarves and Orcs in 2790 T.A. by killing Thrór, who came to revisit the ruins of Khazad-dûm.
In the following years, he was the common enemy of all Dwarves, and the war he started climaxed in the Battle of Azanulbizar, where he killed Náin, only to be himself slain by Náin's son Dáin.
His son, Bolg, inherited the rulership in Moria and continued it for another 150 years.
Boldog
The name Boldog was used by several Orc chieftains during the First Age. It is probable that Boldog was actually a title, given to lesser Maiar, servants of Morgoth, who had taken an orcish hröa. Several Orc leaders, such as the Great Goblin from The Hobbit, might have been Boldogs.
Bolg
Bolg was an Orc chieftain, the son of Azog, who came to power in Moria after Azog was killed in the war with Dwarves.
Bolg ruled Moria for some 150 years and led an army of orcs in the Battle of Five Armies. He was killed by Beorn.
Golfimbul
Golfimbul was a chieftain of the Orcs of Mount Gram, who led his band in an invasion of the Shire. He was defeated at the Battle of Greenfields by a force led by Bandobras "Bullroarer" Took; the battle was only the first of two which were ever fought within the borders of the Shire (the second was the Battle of Bywater, the last battle of the War of the Ring, where his descendant Pippin fought). Bullroarer knocked off Golfimbul's head with a club and it soared into the air, finally falling into a rabbit hole. According to Hobbit folklore, this inspired the game of golf, which takes its name from the Orc. Golfimbul's name was probably specifically constructed for this pun.
The Orc incursion in the northern Shire occurred during the reign of Arassuil as Chieftain of the Dúnedain, and the Orcs led by Golfimbul were but the most western pack of Orcs which had left the Hithaeglir. The only reason Golfimbul could make it all the way to the Shire was that the Rangers at the time were fighting many battles with Orcs, preventing them from settling all of Eriador.
Gorbag
Gorbag was a vicious Uruk-hai, but in the films he appears as a common Orc. He is the captain of an Orc troop of Minas Morgul. He served the Nazgûl who dwelled in the Dead City but he found them disturbing so he moved his operations to Cirith Ungol and started an independent operation with Shagrat.
After Frodo was paralyzed by Shelob, an orc-patrol led by Gorbag and Shagrat came across his webbed body while crossing through Shelob's lair. The foul creatures took Frodo back to Cirith Ungol.
After the capture of Frodo, a dispute broke out between Gorbag and Shagrat over Frodo's mithril vest. The fight eventually led to the death of Gorbag.
In Peter Jackson's film version, the Uruks are found only in Saruman's forces and Gorbag is a smaller Orc. In the movie he is also killed by Sam rather than Shagrat, during Frodo's rescue.
Gorgol
Gorgol was an Orc chieftain, also called the Butcher, who lived in Middle-earth during the First Age. He was slain by Beren.
Gothmog
Sharing his name with the Lord of Balrogs in the First Age, Gothmog is the lieutenant of Minas Morgul. Tolkien never states whether he was an Orc or a Man. If he was an Orc, he could have been a Boldog, one of the Maiar spirits incarnate in Orc form. If he was a Man, he could have even been one of the Ringwraiths, and/or a Black Númenórean like the Mouth of Sauron.
While in the books his race is unknown, in the movie trilogy Gothmog is a hideously deformed, vaguely porcine Orc. He served as the top Orc commander during the taking of Osgiliath, where he killed Faramir's lieutenant, Madril, and at the siege of Minas Tirith, directing the use of catapults and siege towers as well as the battering ram Grond. However, he was caught up in the retreat when the Riders of Rohan fell upon the Orc army.
In the Extended cut, Gothmog is seen attempting to kill Éowyn at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, but he is killed by Aragorn and Gimli.
"Gothmog" is also the name of one of the playable characters in the CRPG Dungeon Master.
Great Goblin
The Great Goblin was an Orc leader who lived in the Misty Mountains during the Third Age, as recounted in The Hobbit. His followers captured Thorin, Bilbo and company during the quest of Erebor, the Lonely Mountain, and took them to their underground stronghold, Goblin Town. He was slain by Gandalf. David Day's Tolkien guides suggest that he, along with Azog and Bolg, was an Uruk, but there is nothing to support for or against the issue.
Grishnákh
An Orc captain from the ashen wastes of Mordor, Grishnákh was part of a group of Orc hunters under Sauron's dominion that joined Uglúk's Uruk-hai troop on the plains of Rohan. Grishnákh's plans for the troops' captives, Merry and Pippin, were in conflict with Uglúk's orders to deliver them to Saruman. Grishnákh was present at the torture and interrogation of Gollum so he not only knew about the Ring, but suspected Merry and Pippin might have it after hearing them imitate Gollum's trademark throat noise. After he tried to steal the Hobbits away from the Uruk-hai in order to take what they had for himself; eventually leading to his death by a Rider's spear.
In Peter Jackson's movies, Grishnákh is killed by Treebeard, who steps on him. His name is never actually spoken in the movie.
In Sierra Entertainment's War of the Ring real-time strategy game, he is a playable hero.
Varg Vikernes of the Norwegian black metal band Burzum whose music has borrowed heavily from both Tolkien's writing and Norse mythology took the moniker Count Grishnackh for a period of time.
Lagduf
Lagduf was an Orc of the tower of Cirith Ungol under the command of Shagrat; he and Muzgash were killed by Gorbag's Orcs in the battle over Frodo's mithril-shirt.
Lugdush
He was one of Saruman's Uruk-hai, and appears to be a trusted subordinate of Uglúk.
Lurtz
Lurtz does not appear in the book. He is a character created specifically for Peter Jackson's film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. He was played by New Zealand actor Lawrence Makoare.
Lurtz was the first of Saruman's Uruk-hai to be bred, and led them into battle against the Fellowship of the Ring at Amon Hen. Lurtz also appeared to be the largest Uruk-hai. In the book, Boromir is slain by an unnamed orc or orcs; he is described as having been "pierced by many arrows". In the movie he is mortally wounded by Lurtz, who shoots him three times. Aragorn then intervenes, and after a brief fight decapitates him. In the book Uglúk was the leader of the orc-band from the beginning.
The name "Lurtz" may have been derived by Jackson and his co-writers from the style of Tolkien's Orkish language, specifically the name Lugbúrz.
Lurtz's name is never spoken aloud in the film, and is only known from the franchise and credits. Despite some initial fears that he was an entirely new character, he turned out to be not much different from other Orc leaders already present in the book.
The character of Lurtz is one of the playable "heroes" in the computer game The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth.
Mauhúr
An Orc of Isengard, Mauhúr may have been an Uruk. On the night of February 28-29, 3019, Mauhúr led a company of reinforcements through the eaves of Fangorn Forest to come to the aid of Uglúk. Uglúk's company had been surrounded by a group of Rohirrim led by Éomer. When Mauhúr's company attacked, some of the Rohirrim rode to meet them while the others closed in around Uglúk's camp. Uglúk's captives, Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took, found themselves outside the circle and were able to escape into Fangorn Forest. Mauhúr and his company were killed or driven off by the Rohirrim.
Muzgash
Muzgash was an Orc of the tower of Cirith Ungol under the command of Shagrat; he and Lagduf were killed by Gorbag's Orcs in the battle over Frodo's mithril-shirt.
Radbug
Radbug was an Orc, probably of the tower of Cirith Ungol, who was killed by Shagrat in the battle over Frodo's mithril-shirt (apparently by strangulation).
Shagrat
Shagrat was the Uruk captain in command of the common Orcs and Uruk-hai at the tower of Cirith Ungol, which guarded a pass into Mordor.
After the discovery of the unconscious Frodo in Shelob's Lair, Shagrat and Gorbag had Frodo put into the highest room of the tower. While the two Uruks were searching through Frodo's things, a dispute erupted over the highly valuable mithril vest. The quarrel led to a battle among the Orcs in the tower; nearly all were killed.
Shagrat was one of the only two survivors. He took the mithril shirt, as well as Frodo's Elven cloak, to the Barad-dûr. These were used by the Mouth of Sauron as evidence of Frodo's capture.
Sharku
Appearing only in the film adaptation of The Two Towers, Sharku is the captain of Saruman's Warg Riders. He and his fellow riders were unleashed by Saruman to attack the Rohirrim of Edoras while they were journeying to Helm's Deep.
His attack was deadly yet unsuccesful. Though many Rohirrim were slain, so too was Sharku. However, Aragorn plunges over a cliff along with Sharku's Warg, and is presumed dead.
Sharku means "old man" in the language of Saruman's servants and may be a designation that he is an old Orc. However, in the book Sharku refers to Saruman himself. It is modified to "Sharkey" by his minions when they take over the Shire.
Snaga
Snaga, translated as "slave" in the Appendixes, is a term used by Uruks to describe smaller, less powerful (normal) Orcs. It is used to refer to:
- A scout in the band of Orcs that captured Merry and Pippin in The Two Towers.
- The only surviving subordinate of Shagrat after battle in the tower of Cirith Ungol (who subsequently died when he fell through the trap-door during Sam's rescue of Frodo).
In Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Snaga appears to be the proper name of an Orc who wants to eat Merry and Pippin. However, Uglúk kills him and he is cannibalized instead (see above image).
Ufthak
Ufthak was in the service of the Tower of Cirith Ungol, under the command of Shagrat. He was captured, poisoned, and then forgotten by Shelob. Nonetheless, his fellow Orcs who discovered him made no attempt to rescue him, for they were amused at his predicament and because they didn't want to interfere with Shelob.
Uglúk
Uglúk was the captain of Saruman's Uruk-hai who attacked the Fellowship at Amon Hen and captured Merry and Pippin. He and his fellow Uruks claimed responsibility for killing Boromir, haranguing the common Orcs who shied away from him in battle.
Though they were serving different masters, he and Grishnákh both defended Merry and Pippin from Orcs who wanted to eat them, saying that it was against orders. He and his band were tracked by the Rohirrim on their way to Isengard until under the eaves of Fangorn Forest were utterly destroyed in an ambush.
Uglúk is slain by Éomer who, in uncommon fashion for the Rohirrim, dismounts to fight the orc in single combat.
In Peter Jackson's movie adaptation of The Two Towers, Uglúk is played by Nathaniel Lees. Here, Grishnákh also wants to eat the hobbits, but Uglúk stops them. He kills Snaga, whose body is cannibalized.
In the film version of The Fellowship of the Ring the initial leader of the Orc-band was Lurtz, who was slain by Aragorn at Amon Hen. Uglúk apparently takes command of the band after Lurtz's death.
Influence on later fantasy
Tolkien's Orcs have undisputably been a major influence on fantasy fiction and games; they are the literary precursors of the Orcs (and similar races) of many different settings like Forgotten Realms and Warcraft.
C. S. Lewis may have inserted a nod to his friend's Orcs in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. 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).
External links
- A more detailed and 'technical' approach to a problem of the origin of the Orcs can be found under the following links:
- The essay puts emphasis to different theories of the origin of the Orcs and their validity in the light of Tolkien's writings.