What is the origin of orcs in Tolkien’s universe?

JRR Tolkien’s works of Middle-earth and their live-action adaptations of Peter Jackson feature Orcs as an important part of their stories. However, none are able to explain their origins in all of Middle-earth history. So, let’s all dive into the details of these malevolent fantastical creatures from Tolkien’s world and try to figure out their origin.

1. What are Orcs?

Throughout Tolkien’s works (The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit books), Orcs are portrayed as a brutal, aggressive, ugly, and malevolent race of monsters. They are usually portrayed as contrasting with benevolence elves and are shown serving an evil power. They are cruel, sadistic, black-hearted and vicious creatures. Tolkien began the modern use of the English term “orc” to refer to a race of evil humanoid creatures. His early Elvish dictionaries include the entry ork or “monster”, “ogre”, “demon”, with orqindi and “ogress”. It even turned out that he sometimes used the plural form – Orqui in his first texts. He even mentioned at one point that his Orcs were inspired by Goblins at George MacDonald The Princess and the Goblin.

They are portrayed as ugly and dirty, with a taste for human flesh. They are revolting in their appearance and have fangs, arched legs and long arms. Most are small and avoid daylight. The orcs of Mordor speak the black speecha language invented for them by Sauronwhile those of Isengard speak other languages; to understand each other, they use Common Speech (Westron). Though messy and dirty in their own ways, Orcs can craft many clever types of machines, tools, and weapons. They can also dig tunnels and dig mines, as adept as any dwarf. Tolkien even states that Orcs have a wicked and violent nature and even tend to kill each other in bitter squabbles at times.

2. Origin of the Orcs?

Throughout the history of Middle-earth, the Orcs had an abiding contempt for all Elves, Dwarves and Men. Although they fought alongside wicked men under Morgoth and then Sauron in the first second, and Third Age, Orcs are also said to have made alliances with evil Dwarfs. The exact origin of the Orcs was never explicitly mentioned by Tolkien. He died without deciding on a final explanation, leaving the origin of the Orcs to become a popular debate among his fans. However, one can pick up the breadcrumbs left by him in his many texts to arrive at some of the most satisfying explanations.

Creation from stones

JRR Tolkien The book of lost tales makes it clear that Melko was the first person to create Orcs directly from Earth. Melko even twists another Gnome race called Noldoli and mixes them with the Orcs in order to confuse their origins.

Created from the Elves

In the Quenta Noldorinwa (1930) it is mentioned that Morgoth created the Orcs in Utumna, long before the Awakening of the Elves. It is said that “the hordes of Orcs he (Morgoth) made of stone, but their hearts of hatred“. However, in another of his works (The early annals of Beleriand), Tolkien states that Morgoth created Orcs after the flight of Silmarils.

Morgoth used to capture Elves who had ‘strayed too far’, brought them back Utumno, torture them, then turn them into orcs. This has been explored in more detail in Quenta Silmarilion (1937). He states that Morgoth created many different creatures among which were the Orcs. Quoting the book – “…yet the Orcs were not created until he looked upon the Elves, and he created them mocking the Children of Ilúvatar” – Quenta Silmarillion.

soulless creatures

In his other texts, Tolkien further attempted to change the origin of the Orcs. During several instances, some of the Orcs often rebelled against their masters like Morgoth and Sauron. They even criticized their ways of doing things. In Tolkien’s early essays it is clearly mentioned that only Eru is capable enough of granting free will to new creatures. This would indirectly imply that the Orcs pre-existed their masters and did not entirely control them. They had the ability to speak but did not possess rational souls.

corrupt men

In later texts by Tolkien, it is even proposed that the Orcs may have originated from a corrupt and twisted race of Men. When Melkor was still in Middle-earth, the The awakening of men past. The elves only met the orcs after Great March (the journey of the Elves from Cuivienen to Valinor). Tolkien goes so far as to state that – “…undoubtedly, Men might, under the dominion of Morgoth or his agents, be reduced in a few generations to almost the level of Orcs in spirit and habits; and then they would or could be made to mate with Orcs, producing new races, often larger and more cunning.

3. Morgoth to Sauron

Morgoth, while making Orcs, convinced them that the race of Elves and Men were cruel and deserved torture and death. However, when Morgoth left Arda, they scattered uncontrollably. No one was there to pull their strings unless Sauron showed up. As we can deduce from the many works of Tolkien, Melkor (or Morgoth) is the one who had the idea of ​​raising Orcs while making fun of Men. But only Sauron had the patience and cunning to accomplish this.