Gundabad Orcs

In Middle Earth, the Gundabad Orcs were the inhabitants of Mount Gundabad situated at the northern end of the Misty Mountains. They invaded the mountain and conquered it from the grasp of Dwarves of Durin who were originally inhabiting there. Before that, the Gundabad Orcs served under the Witch-king of Angmar. After the fall of Angmar, Mount Gundabad became the stronghold of all the Orcs who battled in the Battle of Five Armies.

In the second age, Orcs wandered to the far north of Middle-earth in search of a new home. This was when they attacked Mount Gundabad from the northern end of the Misty Mountains. By the Third Age, they had officially declared Mount Gundabad as their fortress leaving the dwarves seething with hatred against them. [1] Mount Gundabad remained the fortress of the Orcs until the War of the Dwarves and Orcs plowed down the mountain. However, during the events of The Hobbit, it is widely believed that a few Orcs came back to the mountain to defend it and started new construction works, in turn harming the wilderness of Mirkwood yet again. It was from this place the goblins came to the Battle of the Five Armies in huge numbers. The Orcs were led by Bolg, son of Azog as the supreme commander. He led them through the northern side of the Misty Mountains, more specifically Mount Gundabad. He was eventually slain by Beorn, the skin-changer. The Orcs army carried orcish scimitar, spears, and axes in the battle. Another theory related to the Orcs is that the Longbeards could have possibly taken back their ancestral homeland from the clutches of the Orcs since they had won back Khazad-dûm and the Reunited Kingdom in the Fourth Age.

Peter Jackson directed The Hobbit film trilogy featured Gundabad Orcs that looked very different from the Orcs that were shown in other films. The orcs in this movie were dark-skinned, having fangs in their teeth, claws, and little amount of hair. Some of the lighter armed orcs wore brown and white fur coats as armor. The coats were sewn by the threads of the beast's teeth and had a wooden shield in the front which featured the Eye of Sauron. Similar to the rest of the Orcs, they also used the Persian sword, scimitars as a weapon to slay their enemies.

This movie showcased a band of orcs guided by Azog's subordinates, Yazneg, and his lieutenant Fimbul. This group consisted of Orcs that belonged to different tribes. However, most of them mainly hailed from Gundabad and Moria.

In this movie, Azog sends his son Bolg to lead the army of the Gundabad Orcs. The movie showed two types of Gundabad Orcs - the shoulder with armor and the Berserkers. The Berserker was white-skinned almost resembling the whiteness of snow, and they were mightier in build than the other Gundabad Orcs. [2] They had deep-set eyes and outstretched hands like the apes. They were versatile with weaponry and handled swords as well as massive weapons with significant effect. They served as Bolg's main army. [3] The movie follows the Sindarin Elves Legolas and Tauriel as they visit Mount Gundabad in search of Bolg. In the night, Bolg orders the army of Gundabad to march ahead. The army of Gundabad Orcs along with other evil creatures are shown leaving through the pass of Angmar behind their leader on his way to Erebor. Later, the same army of Gundabad Orcs is seen entering the battlefield near Ravenhill. However, as soon as they entered, they were quickly tackled by Beorn and the Great Eagles led by Radagast which ended in their forces getting annihilated. The rest of the Orcs were shown to have fled into the mountains.

1. ^How Exactly Did Orcs Come About?
2. ^Why Are The Orcs of Gundabad So Much More Powerful?
3. ^Gundabad Tactics.