Category:Orcs

The Orcs (B.S.: Uruku; Q.: Orcor; S.: Yrch) or Uruks  were a warlike tribal race which dwelt in the Westlands of Middle-earth and other territories of Arda. Tales of their origins varied, though most accounts agreed that the fallen Vala Melkor and the Maia Sauron had some hand in their creation. Indeed, the disparate tribes all worshiped them as deities and the Orcs were also known as the Spawn of Melko and later as the Thrall-born of Sauron.

Orc society was rigidly divided into two castes - a slave castecomposed of common Orcs (or Snaga, pl. Snagai) and a warrior caste (or Uruk, pl. Uruki) composed of the socially privileged and physically strong. The appearance of Orcs varied considerably depending on their region of habitation, culture and caste, though most had sallow skin and were between three and six foot in height.

Origins
It was speculated in the Quenta Silmarillion that the Orcs were created by the fallen Vala Morgoth (originally known as Melkor) in The Great Darkness of the Elder Days by capturing and corrupting wild Elven kindreds who had refused to make the Great Journey westward. It is said that these Elves fled in terror at the sight of the Vala Oromë when he came to lead them from Cuiviénen, the birthplace of the Elven race, to the sanctuary of Valinor.

Orcs were widely believed to be the descendants of these corrupted Avari Elves, who became isolated from their kin and remained ignorant of the true deities of Arda, the Valar. They were therefore easily ensnared by the the Dark Lord, who made thralls of them.

It was also proposed in the Quenta Silmarillion that the Orcs were originally a kindred of Avari who had become hardened and savage due to long exposure to the inhospitable, untamed lands of Middle-earth.[5] An older theory had it that the Orcs were bred by Morgoth's then lieutenant Sauron "from the heats and slimes of the earth" and imbued with life through his sorcery. This theory was later disregarded, as the deity Ilúvatar was thought to be the only being capable of independently creating life.

Some regarded Orcs as being descended from Men who fell under the influence of Morgoth, in particular the tribal Drúedain or Drûgs. This theory, however, was most often propounded by those unfriendly to the Drúedain and those ignorant of their culture. The Elves, by contrast, affirmed the claim that Orcs were made from men, but not directly from the Drúedain, explaining that the Drúedain must have escaped the shadow of Morgoth, "for their laughter and the laughter of Orcs are as different as the light of Aman from the darkness of Angband". Further, the Orcs and the Drúedain each regarded the other as renegades, which may imply distant kinship, perhaps sharing the same ancestors, and thus they viewed each other as straying from the ways they were supposed to adhere to, but the Drúedain themselves are by no means likely to be the ancestors of Orcs, simply perhaps their distant cousins.

Others held that Orcs were the result of interbreeding between corrupt Men and fallen Avari.

There must have been various ways to breed Orcs, as Morgoth and later predominantly Sauron made such thralls in short time.

First Age
In the Quenta Silmarillion, it is said that the renegade Vala Morgoth subsided in a great fortress in the northernmost reaches of Middle-earth, until it was sacked by the Powers of the Arda at the end of the First Age of the Stars. Morgoth was then imprisoned with a great chain, and in the violence of this battle his creations, the Orcs, were scattered across the world.

No mention is again made of the Orcs in Elven texts until the Fourth Age of the Stars, when the Elves of Beleriand were overwhelmed by them and forced to seek the aid of their Dwarven allies in forging weapons. Equipped with Dwarven steel, the Elves defeated the invading hosts of Orcs, but in the Last Age of the Stars legions upon legions would issue from the Gates of Angband to assault the allied Elves and Dwarves. The Sindar and the Laiquendi, led by Thingol and Denethor, decimated the first of the three great Orc armies, the remnants being dispatched by the Dwarves. When the second army of Orcs failed to conquer the cities of the Falas, they joined forces with the third army in an attempt to ambush the Noldor, newly arrived in Mithrim. Led by Fëanor the Great, these powerful High Elves slaughtered their Orc assailants in great numbers and pursued them through Eredwethion into the plains of Bladorion. It is even said that the light of Valinor which shone in their eyes seared the flesh of the fleeing Orcs.

This battle is known as the Second Battle in the Wars of Beleriand, or the Battle Under the Stars (Dagor-os-Giliath), as it took place between the diminishing of the light of the Two Trees of Valinor and the first rising of the Sun and Moon. It was in this battle that Fëanor was slain by a host of Balrogs and met his end at the hand of their lord, Gothmog. A second army of Noldor, led by Fingolfin, arrived soon after the defeat of Fëanor. As their arrival was concurrent with the first rising on the Sun and Moon, they were greatly feared by the Orcs and many fled at their arrival into the depths of the earth.

Fëanor's son, Maedhros, then formed an uneasy alliance with Fingolfin, and soon the Orcs were driven into Bladorion, encircled and utterly decimated in the Glorious Battle (or Dagor Aglareb). The remaining Orcs were penned against the walls of Angband by the encircling Elves in a siege which lasted over 400 years. During this time, some Orcs did attempt the perilous journey through the snowy north. One such group arrived at the coast west of Eredlomin but were discovered by the vigilant Elves and driven into the sea near Drengist.

Within the walls of Angband, however, Morgoth began to secretly replenish his forces, breeding Dragons, Balrogs, Werewolves, Trolls and vast numbers of Orcs. In the Battle of Sudden Flame, the Dagor Bragollach, and the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, the strength of Elves and their allies, the Edain, was broken.

Morgoth was finally defeated in the War of Wrath and his armies vanquished, their remnants few and scattered across Middle-earth. Most of these Orc survivors fled to the Misty Mountains, making their own lesser cities and strongholds, but in truth they were a mere shadow of their former selves. Only when Sauron brought them all into his service did the Orcs become a threat once more.

Second Age and on
Sometime around SA 1000, Sauron reappeared in Middle-earth and made the land of Mordor his realm, and then started to build the foundations of Barad-Dûr. He began raising armies of Orcs, Trolls and other creatures as well as Men for his conquest of Arda. Ever since then, they were indoctrinated to abandon any faith to Melkor and hence forth serve Sauron. Under the Dark Lord, the Orcs from Mordor and the Misty Mountains joined forces and became a serious threat to the Free Peoples once more, even more organized than under Morgoth. During the War of the Elves and Sauron in SA 1700, the Orcs formed the main host of Sauron's power and faithfully served their master. Despite the immeasurable number of Orcs present, the battle was won by the Elves and the Numenoreans due to their united force and numbers and the servants of the Enemy were scattered. They again made the backbone of the Dark Lord's army in the War of the Last Alliance, which ended with Sauron's apparent defeat. Even during the Third Age, Sauron's influence had remained imbeded in the Orcs' minds and they began to rise once more. It was the Orcs from the Misty Mountains that attacked Prince Isildur to avenge their fallen master and these creatures would continue to trouble the Free Peoples once more. Great chieftains arose amidst them, leading them in raids upon Men of the woods and Dwarves, claiming Moria and Gundabad. Soon it was revealed, that Sauron had endured and was once again the mastermind behind his minions' more bold moves. During the War of the Ring, Orcs made up the bulk of the armies from Dol Guldur, Isengard and Mordor, but were once again scattered following their master's fall.

Culture
Orc society was divided into two large castes: the smaller, more numerous slave caste (or Snaga, pl. Snagae) and the larger, less numerous warrior caste (or Uruk, pl. Uruku).

Although there was some regional variation in the culture of Orc tribes, this hierarchical pattern was consistent to them all. For example, a northern tribe, known as the Hiisiis, who were quite isolated from their southerly dwelling kin, were also divided into greater and lesser Orcs. Even the secretive Fel, who resided in the distant deserts of Far-Harad, divided themselves in this way.

Young Orcs, referred to as "imps", were raised jointly by older females who were no longer capable of bearing children. Orcs were divided into one of the two castes at birth. The young Snagae subsisted within large, overcrowded "breeding pits", where craftiness, cunning and brute force alone assured a young Orc's survival. The considerably stronger Uruku were raised apart from the Snagae, which they would undoubtedly have slaughtered had they been raised together. The Uruku would then be educated in their superiority over the Snagae and trained to occupy the roles of officers, priests and healers or bodyguards (Hoerk) of their Orc or Ainu lord. A young Orc's upbringing emphasised the values of strength, aggressiveness, combat and heavy labour over and above more peaceful or nurturing values. The weakest of imps would be consumed by the stronger, which Orcs regarded as a way of relieving the community of "unnecessary burdens".

When a young male Orc reached the age of full maturity at nine years old, he was assigned to a regiment, or lurg, composed of ten to fifteen Orcs. Though most were relegated to general purpose lurgs (responsible for hunting, foraging, mining, or raiding as required), those who displayed a special aptitude in certain fields at an early age were assigned to more specialized lurgs. Among some clans there were castes of hunters (Gajutar), herdsmen (Grauga), chanters (Kangtar) and miners(Garmog). Some of the more civilized tribes even maintained a class of learned scribes and scholars, the Lamoshgongs. There also existed a small bloodline of Orcish sorcerers and sorceresses, the Dushi. Some tribes included a small caste of masterful craftsmen, organised within the Nazg-artha. Of this caste, smiths (or Tûtûli) were especially prized, as were engineers (or Zongoti).

The distinction between Uruk and Snaga should not, however, be confused with the distinction between Orcs in general and the Uruk-Hai of the late Third Age, which were bred and trained by the rulers of Mordor and Isengard with the purpose of conquering the Westlands. These Uruk-Hai, who first revealed themselves to the world with their assault on Ithilien in T.A. 2475, were believed to have all been destroyed by the time the War of the Ring had ended, while the common Orcs fled eastward or continued to dwell in secret beneath the Misty Mountains.

Society
Orcs lived in tribes, called Hai in Orcish. While some tribes had a strict militaristic hierarchy, others suffered from constant inner strife and chaos. Orcish tribes and clans were ruled by the strongest males and weaker members of the tribe were held as slaves.

From early childhood on, male Orcs were favored above female Orcs, who were reduced to the status of mere chattel. Gender roles were rigidly defined within Orcish society, with common female Orcs working exclusively within the confines of the tribe's territory, performing domestic duties such as weaving, preparing meals, mushroom-harvesting and child-rearing. Female Orcs were generally not trained in the use of arms. Females of the Uruk caste, on the other hand, enjoyed certain privileges, though they were still poorly treated in comparison with male Uruku. As a concubine of a powerful Orc lord, an Uruk female could enjoy some status and even exercise considerable influence through manipulation. Stronger females occasionally rose to higher ranks, even to second-in-command.

This was not the fated structure of all Orc tribes, however. Matriarchal tribes were also known to exist. In such tribes, the "breeding pits" associated with patriarchal tribes were replaced with male dormitories and males added child care to their list of duties, which also included hunting and raiding. The females occupied private chambers and engaged in all the activities usually reserved to males in patriarchal tribes. In either arrangement, paternal or maternal feelings were almost non-existent. Females would only nurse young Orcs because the suckling of their toothy jaws relieved the pain associated with swollen mammaries, while male Orcs would perform parental duties only when compelled by higher-ups or when it was acknowledged to be in the collective interest of the Hai. Snagae did not labour for pay or pleasure, but solely at the compulsion of their rulers, who would reward them with only the resources necessary to sustain them in their toil. In spite of this exploitative slave system, the Orcs were nonetheless capable of producing superior, if not especially beautiful, goods and weapons. Though not rewarded for good work, Snagae were severely punished for shoddy work.

Within Orcish society, material well-being was a direct function of rank. Looting was the main source of Orcish currency and treasure, and was distributed based on status; the majority of the treasure going to upper caste and the leavings given to the lower caste. Every Orc was entitled to a ration of food, clothing, and in the case of males, weapons and armor, though quality and quantity varied with social status. With what resources or currency a common Orc had, he or she could barter for meager pleasures, such as liquor. The upper caste enjoyed a much more varied range of pleasures, including superior drink, fine garments and herbal drugs.

Some tribes would gather large mushrooms, plants and fish in subterranean rivers and lakes, but most tribes herded animals such as pigs (Bûb), Orcish Kine and Black goats (Dagri). Orcs did not typically engage in agriculture, though a few tribes held plantations (Kuflags) tilled by foreign slaves. These non-Orc slaves held the lowest social position within the tribe and were often abused by even the lowliest Orc. Typically these slaves were clad in rags and lived on a subsistence diet. Although both Uruk and common Orc were entitled to care if injured, these non-Orc slaves were usually abandoned.[22]

Orc lords or chieftains surrounded themselves with loyal captains, lieutenants and sergeants who led the lesser groups. Orcish chieftains, princes and lords used titles which varied from tribe to tribe, such as Afûkhaush, Durub, Durba, Dûrohtar, Fha-Korlash, Goth, Great Goblin, Shakh and Zot. Greater Kings or High Kings seldom emerged and were usually no more than warlords who ruled for a brief time, although some succeeded in preserving the power of their bloodline over several generations. Such High Kings were known as Ashdurbuk or Gothsnaga. Lesser commanders, lieutenants, leaders, sergeants or small chiefs were variously called Drartul, Gottul, Hrizgthrakî, Krir, Kritar, Rroshatar, Slasher, Shirûk or Ujâk. Soldiers were known as Dogi, Daugi, Kragashi, Nadaki or Ushatar.

Orcs and other races
Orcs were virtually outlawed by any other culture, especially the Quendi and the Drûghu but also most Dwarvesand Men of the West. However, many Haradrim and Easterlings and even some Western Men as the Dunlendings, Hillmen and Angmarrim fought and lived side by side with Orcs, so both races had long periods of times where they virtually coexisted and Orcs walked more or less freely in Mannish territory and settlements. But still most Men of Darkness either disdained or feared the Orcs and there was never much true friendship and real trust between both races.

Westron
A heavily accented, guttural version of Westron was used by many Orcish tribes as a trade language. The Orcish inhabitants of Gundabad and the Misty Mountains adopted Westron as their native tongue.

Black Speech
The Black Speech was a language devised by Sauron during the Dark Years to be the sole language of all his servants, replacing the many different varieties of Orcish and other languages.

Orcish
Orcish was a collection of guttural tribal dialects spoken among the Orcs. There was great linguistic and grammatical variance between Orcish tongues and many of them were mutually unintelligible. Because of this, most Orc tribes used Westron as a lingua franca. By the middle Second Age and during the Third Age, Orcish-speakers had mostly combined elements of Black Speech with Orcish.

Faith and Worship
Orcs initially held the Vala Morgoth in fear and reverence as their creator and ruler. Morgoth's capacity to induce terror was considered a highly worshipful quality among the warlike Orcs. Later Orcs and those coerced under the banner of Sauron abandoned Melkorist ways and were adept Sauronites. The Dark Lord was worshiped as Ashdurbûk ("Sole Ruler") and Ashdeiavausan ("Sole Deity") by all Orcish tribes in the Second Age and the late Third Age, much as he was revered as a prophet of Morgoth and later as God-King by the inhabitants of Númenor in the Second Age.

Yet religious feeling among Orcs took on a very different character than that found among the other peoples of Arda. Orcs universally feared and reviled the object of their worship, regarding him as a great tyrant to be placated with sacrifices and offerings. It is also likely that the Orcs believed the godhead Ilúvatar to be a fiction devised by the Valar to keep them in chains - a belief that was also held by the Men of Númenor before the catastrophes recounted in the Akallabêth buried their island homeland beneath the sea.

Even the semi-independent Hais of the Misty Mountains practiced the Dark Worship, making rituals and offerings to Morgoth, Sauron and lesser evil spirits. In Gundabad there existed an ancient priesthood whose duty it was to placate the Dark Lord Sauron by conducting rituals, maintaining tribal records, chanting, human sacrifice and the burning of pyres. However, Orc faiths made no claims of an afterlife. The bodies of common Orcs were typically disposed of without ceremony, while Uruks were entombed within ritually prepared crypts.

Breeds
A great number of physically distinct Orc breeds existed.

see:Orc-Kind
 * Lesser Orcs
 * Desert Orcs
 * Gajirm, trackers
 * Lesser Ice-Orcs, Hiisis or Hiidet
 * Mucklings, a variety of deep Orc
 * Rûmarzgi, a variety of warrior Orc
 * Urgdug, a variety of slave Orc


 * Greater Orcs, or Uruks
 * Scara-Hai
 * Greater Ice-Orcs
 * Orcish mages and shamans, or Dush
 * Uruk-Hai


 * Other
 * Half-Orcs
 * Gusmûras, lesser Orc and Uruk crossbreeds
 * Orc-Demons

Tribes
A number of Orcish tribes are known to have dwelt in the Westlands and other regions of Arda.
 * Angbandrim
 * Free Tribes of the North or "Northerners":
 * Orcs of the Grey Mountains
 * Asharag
 * Kul-Uruk
 * Lor-Uruk-Shab
 * Uruk-Erag
 * Uruk-Tarkhnarb or Goblins of Goblin-Gate
 * Orcs of Gundabad, or Ghrazîm
 * Huvorgha
 * Burzath
 * Krach-Ul
 * Ilguz
 * Burzsnutu
 * Bollug in the northern Anduin Vales close to the Estaravi
 * Orcs of Rhûn
 * Ghnaznak of Rhovanion and Dorwinion
 * Gûlsnaga of Rhûn and Lotan
 * Orcs of the Uldona Spine
 * Uruk-marzguram of Rhûn
 * Larzoguhoth, near the Dale Lands
 * Uruk-Uraug, along the border of Angmar
 * Orcs of Angmar or Uruk-Engmair
 * Askhai
 * Bagronkuz
 * Blogmal
 * Durbalag
 * Faulgurum
 * Ghâsh-hai
 * Kurkurum
 * Larag-môsh
 * Lughoth
 * Skuthrugrai
 * Snagoth
 * Sulmog-Vras
 * Thopur-dorashk
 * Thrakburzum
 * Trûpalog
 * Ulogarûm
 * Uroth-Burm
 * Urughâsh
 * Uruk-kosh
 * Uruk-lûgât
 * Uruk-Uflag
 * Zêm-vîshturak
 * Orcs of Moria
 * Durbaghâsh
 * Snagahai
 * Uruk-Ungingurz, or Uruk-Unai
 * Orcs of the Eye
 * Kazgûmhoth, Orcs of Dol Guldur
 * Blogrum-Hai
 * Orcs of the Flame
 * Shirkag
 * Uruk-Harnak
 * Uruk-Thang
 * Uruk-Torg
 * Mordor Orcs
 * Orcs of the Ered Lithui
 * Uruk-marzguram
 * Orcs of Gorgoroth
 * Dâgûlhî
 * Uruk-Buzrik
 * Skuggá-Strígz
 * Thrakognir
 * Uruk-Snarka
 * Durghaz-Nar
 * Skuggák-Hai
 * Jarnkakog
 * Gorugoltur
 * Samundlugûth
 * Uruk-Burzmal or Orcs of the Ephel Duath
 * Duruk-burniz
 * Uruk-Rakshi
 * Urgdug
 * Snagaghâsh
 * Uruk-Hrizg
 * Uruk-Guniga
 * Drepa-Hai
 * Uruk-Rafshat
 * Uruk-Ongrum
 * Uruk-Ghâshavir
 * Uruk-Udûn
 * Scara-Hai
 * Homhurzig or Hâlraendir
 * Rûmarzgi
 * Uruk-Zôkon
 * Goth-Skrigûrz
 * Snaga-Ong
 * Uruk-Guniga
 * Zhavár-hai
 * Orcs of Núrn, or Uruk-Ghâshgîgak
 * Uruk-Morgûl
 * Orcs of The White Hand
 * Barz-Thrugrim
 * Byre Tor
 * Grishgúk
 * High Knolls
 * Hîs-urdan
 * Isendale Goblins
 * Mor-hai
 * Nâkhmau
 * Ninkoth
 * Rashat-hai
 * Shak-hai
 * Thrak-Burzum
 * Uruk-Sharak
 * Other
 * Orcs of Eriador
 * Hakknash's Band in Rhudaur
 * Moon Goblins of the Cracking Fells
 * The Mucklings of the Undermarsh
 * Orcs of Creb Durga
 * Orcs of Cape Vorn
 * the Wild Orcs of Rast Vorn, Cardolan and Enedhwaith
 * Wood Goblins of the Old Forest
 * Orcs of the Ered Nimrais
 * Orcs of the South
 * Arigagna of the Tûr Betark
 * Desert Orcs of the Haradwaith
 * Orcs of the Ered Harmal
 * Naga-Ûlurk
 * Ogurk-Bâsh
 * Orcs of the Far North
 * Ice Orcs of Kala Dulakurth
 * Orcs of Forochel
 * Split-Fang
 * Red Maw
 * Frozen Hand
 * Fallen Sun
 * Snow-Orcs of Angclax and Uab
 * Orcs of the Farthest east
 * Orcs of the Wind, eastern Orc tribes inhabiting the Wind Mountains
 * Other
 * Marshland Orcs

Azog
Azog, known also as Azog the Defiler or Azog the Desecrator was a great Orc who took the ancient Dwarven city of Khazad-dûm, which had become known Moria (Dw. "Black Pit") due to being inhabited by "monsters" and "Durin's Bane". As self-proclaimed lord, he captured King Thrór and had him tortured, before killing him. This led to a conflict between the Orcs of the Misty Mountains and the Dwarves of the Iron Hills and Erebor, which culminated with the Battle of Azanulbizar. During the skirmish, Azog dueled young Dáin II Ironfoot and was beheaded, resulting in the defeat of the Orcs.

Bolg I
Bolg I was the son of Azog, whom he succeeded as chieftain of the Orcs of Gundabad. Stylizing himself as "Lord of the North", he had his minions spread his influence among the Orc tribes of the Misty Mountains, but still paid homage to the "Necromancer" (Sauron). Bolg and his servants began hunting down the company of Thorin II Oakenshield, at his lord's command. In his mission, he was joined by the denizens of Goblin-Town, angry at the loss of the Great Goblin at the hands of Gandalf the Grey. Prevented by the skin-changer Beorn from fulfilling his task, he was summoned to Dol Guldur and sent by Sauron to rally the Orcs and Wargs under his banner. The Battle of the Five Armies resulted in Thorin's demise, much to the Gundabad chieftain's satisfaction, but also to Bolg's own demise, via being crushed by Beorn.

Golfimbul
Golfimbul was a huge Man-high chieftain from Mt. Gram. Guided by the "Necromancer" (Sauron), he rallied many of the Orcs of the Misty Mountains under his banner and grew in power. He eventually set out to conquer Eriador. Even the Rangers of the North were unable to stand against them, thus allowing these legions to storm upon Bree-land and Hobbiton, pillaging, burning and plundering. But the denizens of the Shire led by Bandobras "Bullroarer" Took resisted and charged against the Orcs, resulting in the defeat of the host from the Misty Mountains and the beheading of Golfimbul.