Who Is Your Favorite 🧌Orc?

[Maedhros_Nelyafinwë]

hhmmmm....
Yes, a good target. But I think Maedhroses take pleasure in the "challenge" of the contest as well.
Not much challenge in this particular Orc.
Ents take their pleasure from the stomp event alone, and this would be a juicy one..

That is true. I do prefer a more refined, skilled challenger. It would still be satisfying to make that Orc pop like a tick, though!

 

[Ent]

We must be cautious here, as we do not want our Orc contingent to feel unwelcome in any way.
We really do love them.

 

[Erestor Arcamen]

We must be cautious here, as we do not want our Orc contingent to feel unwelcome in any way.
We really do love them.

Do we though...

 

[Ent]

Do we though...

Well, I love them... the ones we have here are exemplary examples of orc-kind, as are our elves, hobbits, Southerners, and even cats.
(I can't speak for the trolls or dragons, as I don't recall seeing any posts from them lately.)

 

[Erestor Arcamen]

Well, I love them... the ones we have here are exemplary examples of orc-kind, as are our elves, hobbits, Southerners, and even cats.
(I can't speak for the trolls or dragons, as I don't recall seeing any posts from them lately.)

Completely fair I was more referring to those in the books. But orcs on this site are cool and I'm happy they're here. I should have been more clear.

 

[Ent]

I was more referring to those in the books.

Aha. Yes, a bit of clarity is good for the perspective. Even with the book Orcs, I think there is room for a certain amount of leeway - as we only meet a very few of them in the big scheme of things.
And I can point to a few who just seem to be making the very best they can out of a very bad situation.
They weren't, after all, handed a very nice set of circumstances to live under - and one must wonder about their ability to 'escape their situation.'

One circumstance Tolkien never speaks to in his works, is an Orc coming forward pleading for mercy from the Free Peoples, in an effort to escape the cruel environment under which it was born and raised.

Much speculation could be levied, thinking on such an event. We've had threads related to 'racism in Tolkien's works' - and some feel 'there is none.' But is that exactly true?

Anyway, probably best not to get me going on this, as it's a subject I've put considerable thoght into.

(Though I'm still not opposed to joking about a good orc-stomping from time to time - even if I believe orc-stompings are strictly a PJ Film thing, nowhere to be found in Tolkien's writing itself.)

 

[Elthir]

One circumstance Tolkien never speaks to in his works, is an Orc coming forward pleading for mercy from the Free Peoples, in an effort to escape the cruel environment under which it was born and raised.

A bit different from your scenario here good Ent (Orks simply coming to the "Freeples" or
Free Peoples to escape their icky lives), but just so I can post something today, Tolkien once mentioned that if any Orks surrendered and asked for mercy, they must be granted it, even
at a cost.

And a footnote here reveals that few Orks ever did in the Elder Days, and at no time would
any Ork treat with an Elf > "for one thing Morgoth had achieved was to convince the Orks beyond refutation that the Elves were crueler than themselves, taking captives only for "amusement", or to eat them (as the Orks would do at need.)"

JRRT, The History of Middle-Earth Volume Ten, Morgoth's Ring, Myths Transformed, Text X, page 419, Houghton Mifflin Company First Edition, Hardback, Elthir's Bookshelf, Second Row Down From The Top

 

[Ent]

AHA. @Elthir to the rescue - so Tolkien DID speak to it - though not in SIL, TH or LoTR. (if I read the cat's claw marks right)
Do we know where he "once mentioned" this?
Is it also in HOME 10 ?? (I can check when I get home.)

At least it was a possibility in his mind, and it seems he would have made provision for it in the published works and SIL had the story required it.

And his comment "convince...beyond refutation" speaks to his full grasp of the power of brainwashing.

Yay Tolkien.

 

[Maedhros_Nelyafinwë]

for one thing Morgoth had achieved was to convince the Orks beyond refutation that the Elves were crueler than themselves, taking captives only for "amusement", or to eat them (as the Orks would do at need

This is so ironic because it is literally what Morgoth and the Orcs do, not the Elves.

 

[Halasían]

My favorite Orc comes from a scene in PJ's films.
An unnamed Orc, he's in just one scene, just shortly before the demise of Boromir.
A group of Orcs is running down the hill Among them is this rather chubby-looking orc, trundling apace, looking something like a duck... waddling back and forth a bit in his Orc-garb. Looks like he's quite uncomfortable about the whole thing.

I remember chuckling at PorkyOrc when I first watched the film. 😆

As for my favourite orc ... it's still Shagrat... love he and Gorbag's exchange in the books, and the name alone is priceless! 😆

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

It does evoke an image, doesn't it?

But then, so does "Gorbag"! 😁

 

[Ent]

PorkyOrc

Thank you...! With your permission, I will borrow this and apply it every time I watch and think of him in the future..!

 

[Elthir]

Do we know where he "once mentioned" this? Is it also in HOME 10?? (I can check when I get home.)

Apologies O Ent! I should have made it clearer that all that info came from the same text in Morgoth's Ring.

Also, the reason I said it was a bit different from your scenario is 'cause the larger context here appears to be about battle (not simply Orks coming forward to escape their unfortunate lives).
So, for example, the text also relates that captive Orks must not be dealt with in their own terms
of cruelty and treachery > they must not be tormented, not even to discover information for the defence of the homes of Elves and Men. And as I already noted above, if any Orks surrendered and asked for mercy, they must be granted it, even at a cost.

The text further notes that this was the teaching of the Wise, but in the horror of the War it was not always heeded.

🐾

 

[Ent]

all that info came from the same text in Morgoth's Ring.

I am now information steeped.
I shall proceed to the source of all things Ork in Morgoth's Ring, and drink deeply of Tolkien's brew there.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

Let us know how it tastes.

 

[Friend of Durin]

My favourite Orc would definitely be Lurtz!

He is pretty badass considering his huge physique! I have to hand it to him, he kicked Aragorn's @ss for the first 15 seconds of his encounter and the way Lurtz threw his shield, which locked Aragorn to the tree, was pretty awesome. I don't recall another Orc giving Aragorn, Legolas or Gimli a run for their money!

 

[Saint the Mother of Orcs]

Completely fair I was more referring to those in the books. But orcs on this site are cool and I'm happy they're here. I should have been more clear.

The ones in the books did nothing wrong either. Completely loveable, morally stable lil' swines with decent skin and hair care routines and cuisine.

 

[Deimos]

When I read the books, there were no movies! 😄

When I read LOTR for the first time the movies had been made but not released.
So around October 2001 I thought: Better get those books read before the movies premier.
And I did. Read the entire LOTR twice before mid December.

 

[Elthir]

When I read LOTR for the first time the movies had been made but not released.

After I first read The Lord of the Rings, I patiently waited for a book called The Silmarillion to be published.

Movies? This came along. . .

. . . and sitting in the theater, we somehow had not been warned
that the film was going to end before the story did. The movie e
nded, the lights came on. . . and we wondered if there was more.

There wasn't

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

Until this came along:

And we wondered what new abomination of Sauron was assaulting our eyes and ears. 😳