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Petty-dwarves

2015-03-02T12:11:28Z

SUM EGO: /* Names */

[[File:Angus McBride - Petty dwarves.jpg|thumb|[[Angus McBride]] - ''Petty-dwarves'']]

The '''Petty-dwarves''' were a diminutive race of [[Dwarves]].
==History==
The Petty-dwarves were Dwarves of [presumably] several [[Fathers of the Dwarves|houses]], which had been exiled from eastern Dwarf cities for unclear reasons. They were the first to cross the [[Ered Luin]] in the [[First Age]], and established strongholds in [[Beleriand]] before the [[Elves]] arrived, at [[Nulukkizdîn]] and [[Sharbhund]] (also known as ''Bar-en-Nibin-noeg'', the "House of the Petty Dwarves"). In Beleriand they diminished in physical stature and in smith-craft.<ref name="Of Túrin Turambar1">{{S|21}}</ref>

The [[Sindar]], not acquainted with Dwarves yet, saw the Petty-dwarves as little more than bothersome animals, and hunted them. Not until the Dwarves of [[Belegost]] and [[Nogrod]] established contact with the Sindar did they realize what the "animals" were and named them ''Noegyth Nibin''; Petty-dwarves.

Afterwards they were mostly left alone, but the Petty-dwarves already came to hate all Elves with a passion<ref name="Of Túrin Turambar1"/> and by the time of [[the War of the Jewels]], after the return of the [[Noldor]], the Petty-dwarves had nearly died out. The last remnant of their people were [[Mîm]] and his two sons Ibun and Khîm, who lived at Amon Rûdh.<ref name="Of Túrin Turambar1"/>

Petty-dwarves differed from normal Dwarves in various ways: they were smaller, far more unsociable, and they freely gave away their names: other Dwarves kept their [[Khuzdul]] names and language a secret. This may have been one of the reasons they were exiled.

==Names==

A name among the [[Eldar]] for the Petty-dwarves was '''''Levain tad-[[tal|dail]]''''', or simply ''Tad-dail''.<ref>{{WJ|AB}}, p. 388</ref> Another name, used among the [[Sindar]], was '''''Noegyth Nibin''''' or '''''Nibin-Noeg''''' or '''''Nibin-Nogrim'''''.

{{references}}

{{dwarvenclans}}

[[Category:Dwarves]]
[[de:Kleinzwerge]]
[[fr:encyclo/peuples/nains/petits-nains]]
[[fi:Vähäkääpiöt]]

Dwarf-women

2014-04-27T01:58:15Z

SUM EGO:

{{disambig-two|a concept of the [[legendarium]]|film scene by [[Peter Jackson]]|[[Dwarf Women]]}}
[[File:Gregor Roffalski - Dís.jpg|thumb|Dís, Thráin's daughter]]
'''Dwarf-women''' were few among the [[Dwarves]], kept in secret, and were seldom seen by other races.
==Role in society==
Dwarves wanted their women to be protected from other races and they usually kept them concealed inside their mountain halls. They seldom traveled in the outside world, only in great need, and when they did, they were dressed as men; with similar voice and appearance as male dwarves, even when they are rarely seen they are usually mistaken for a male. All Dwarves had beards from the beginning of their lives<ref>{{WJ|Dwarves}}; a similar statement was made in [[The_Making_of_Appendix_A#Durin's_Folk]]</ref>.
===Family and fertility===
Women joined their husbands' families. Women were seldom named in genealogies but if a son is seen to be 110 years younger than his father, this usually indicates an elder daughter. [[Thorin]]'s sister [[Dís]] was named simply because of the gallant death of her sons [[Fíli]] and [[Kíli]].<ref name="WoD">{{PM|Aiv}}</ref>

[[Gimli]] stated that only approximately one-third of their population consisted of women, which was the reason for the slow increase in population of the race. Moreover, while Dwarf-men outnumbered Dwarf-women two to one, less than half of Dwarf-men actually married: many preferred to spend their time with their crafts instead. Meanwhile, many Dwarf-women never took a husband either: some desire none, or desired one who could not or would not marry them, in which case they would have no other.

==Misconceptions==
Because of the scarcity of Dwarf-women, their secrecy and similarity in appearance to males, and their lack of mention, many [[Men]] failed to recognize their existence. They believed that the Dwarves' population was only of men, and a legend said therefore that they were 'born' by growing out of stone.

== Portrayal in Adaptations ==
[[File:David T. Wenzel - Dwarf-woman.jpg|thumb]]'''1989: ''[[The Hobbit (comic book)]]'':'''
:During Thorin's and [[Gandalf]]'s narration about [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]] and [[Smaug]], a flashback panel shows the exodus of the [[Dwarves of Erebor]]. Among them, a woman can be seen, since she has no beard and is wearing woman's clothes.
'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]'':'''
:Dwarf women are mentioned in the Extended Edition only, during [[Gimli]]'s rant to [[Éowyn]] concerning Dwarven culture. The dialogue actually reproduces some of the information seen in [[Appendix A]]: Durin's Folk. On his mention that Men believe that there are no female Dwarves, [[Aragorn]] whispers a tongue-in-cheek explanation "''It's the beard!''" causing Éowyn to laugh.
'''2012: ''[[The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey]]'':'''
:Some Dwarf women can be seen briefly in the beginning of the film, when the story of the destruction of Erebor is told. Some women have beards, whilst some have sideburns of varying length.

==External links==
*[http://tolkien.slimy.com/faq/Creatures.html#DwarfBeards Did Dwarf women have beards?] by Steuard Jensen

{{References}}
*{{App|Durin}}

[[Category:Dwarves]]
[[de:Zwerge#Zwergenfrauen]]
[[fi:Kääpiöt#Kääpiönaisista]]

Narsil

2013-12-15T02:37:49Z

SUM EGO: /* History */ Estelmo is the one who's mentioned as "Elendur's esquire", not Ohtar "esquire of Isildur" AFAIK

[[Image:John Howe - Narsil.jpg|thumb|''Narsil'' by [[John Howe]].]]
'''Narsil''' was the sword of King [[Elendil]] of the [[Dúnedain]]. It was later known as '''[[Andúril]]'''.

==History==
The sword was forged during the [[First Age]] by the famed Dwarven-smith [[Telchar]]. The blade presumably was given to one of the [[Sons of Fëanor]], possibly [[Curufin]], who also held [[Angrist]]. It eventually came to [[Maglor]], who likely gave it to [[Elros]].

In the [[Second Age]], Narsil was an heirloom of the descendants of Elros, the first [[King of Númenor]]. Although nothing is said of Narsil during this period, it eventually came into the hands of [[Elendil]], a distant descendant, towards the close of the Second Age.

Elendil carried Narsil in the [[Siege of Barad-dûr]], but [[Sauron]] killed him and the sword broke into two pieces under him as he fell. Elendil's son [[Isildur]] took up the sword and used its shard to cut [[the One Ring]] from the hand of Sauron. Isildur took the shards home with him. Shortly before Isildur was killed in the second year of the [[Third Age]] in the [[Disaster of the Gladden Fields]], the shards were rescued by [[Ohtar]], esquire of Isildur<ref>{{FR|Council}}</ref>. He took them to [[Rivendell]], where Isildur's youngest son [[Valandil (King of Arnor)|Valandil]] was fostered.

The '''Shards of Narsil''' were one of the heirlooms of the [[Kings of Arnor]], and after the Northern Kingdom was destroyed they remained an heirloom of the [[Rangers of the North]]. It was not reforged until the [[War of the Ring]] at the end of the Third Age in Rivendell as '''[[Andúril]]''', the "Flame of the West", for [[Aragorn]], who was by that time the [[Chieftains of the Dúnedain|Chieftain of the Dúnedain]] and heir of Isildur.

He carried the sword during his journey south as part of the [[Fellowship of the Ring]], and fought with it in many instances. He referred to it as the "Sword That Was Broken" or "The Sword Reforged".

== Etymology ==
''Narsil'' is a [[Quenya]] name meaning "red and white flame".<ref>{{HM|UI}}, p. 231</ref><ref>{{PE|17}}, p. 29</ref> The name is said to consist of the [[Sundocarme|stems]] NAR ("fire"; cf. ''[[Nár (Quenya)|nár]]'' "fire") + THIL ("white light"). It was a symbolic name, pointing to the [[Sun]] and the [[Moon]], the "''chief heavenly lights, as enemies of darkness''".<ref>{{L|347}}, p. 425</ref>

==Portrayal in adaptations==
'''2001: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''
:Narsil was not broken in two but in several parts, which were kept at Rivendell, and by Sauron stepping on it instead of it breaking as Elendil fell. The sword is not reforged into Andúril until the [[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King|third film]], when [[Arwen]] persuades [[Elrond]] to have [[Elves|Elven]] smiths reforge it from the shards and bring to Aragorn.

:In the books, he actually wears the broken blade and shows it to the [[Hobbits]] when they meet at the [[Prancing Pony]] in [[Bree]], and its reforging prior to the departure of the [[Fellowship of the Ring|Fellowship]] is a decisive move toward kingship.

'''2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:The reforging of Narsil is experienced by the player in the quest arc called "The Blade that was Broken". The player sets out to find the last of the Silithair, shining adamants crafted by Elves of the house of [[Fëanor]] in days of old, in order for the Elf-smiths of [[Rivendell|Imladris]] to reforge the sword.<ref>[http://lorebook.lotro.com/wiki/Quest_Arc:The_Blade_That_Was_Broken Quest Arc: The Blade That Was Broken], Lorebook, lotro.com</ref>

'''2012-14: [[The Hobbit (film series)|''The Hobbit'' (film series)]]:'''
:The shards of Narsil appear in [[Rivendell]].

==See also==
* [[Shards of Narsil]]

{{references}}

{{weapons}}
[[Category:Quenya names]]
[[Category:Swords]]
[[de:Narsil]]
[[fr:encyclo/artefacts/armes/narsil]]
[[fi:Narsil]]

Narsil

2013-12-15T02:25:16Z

SUM EGO: /* History */

[[Image:John Howe - Narsil.jpg|thumb|''Narsil'' by [[John Howe]].]]
'''Narsil''' was the sword of King [[Elendil]] of the [[Dúnedain]]. It was later known as '''[[Andúril]]'''.

==History==
The sword was forged during the [[First Age]] by the famed Dwarven-smith [[Telchar]]. The blade presumably was given to one of the [[Sons of Fëanor]], possibly [[Curufin]], who also held [[Angrist]]. It eventually came to [[Maglor]], who likely gave it to [[Elros]].

In the [[Second Age]], Narsil was an heirloom of the descendants of Elros, the first [[King of Númenor]]. Although nothing is said of Narsil during this period, it eventually came into the hands of [[Elendil]], a distant descendant, towards the close of the Second Age.

Elendil carried Narsil in the [[Siege of Barad-dûr]], but [[Sauron]] killed him and the sword broke into two pieces under him as he fell. Elendil's son [[Isildur]] took up the sword and used its shard to cut [[the One Ring]] from the hand of Sauron. Isildur took the shards home with him. Shortly before Isildur was killed in the second year of the [[Third Age]] in the [[Disaster of the Gladden Fields]], the shards were rescued by [[Ohtar]], squire of Isildur's oldest son{{fact}}. He took them to [[Rivendell]], where Isildur's youngest son [[Valandil (King of Arnor)|Valandil]] was fostered.

The '''Shards of Narsil''' were one of the heirlooms of the [[Kings of Arnor]], and after the Northern Kingdom was destroyed they remained an heirloom of the [[Rangers of the North]]. It was not reforged until the [[War of the Ring]] at the end of the Third Age in Rivendell as '''[[Andúril]]''', the "Flame of the West", for [[Aragorn]], who was by that time the [[Chieftains of the Dúnedain|Chieftain of the Dúnedain]] and heir of Isildur.

He carried the sword during his journey south as part of the [[Fellowship of the Ring]], and fought with it in many instances. He referred to it as the "Sword That Was Broken" or "The Sword Reforged".

== Etymology ==
''Narsil'' is a [[Quenya]] name meaning "red and white flame".<ref>{{HM|UI}}, p. 231</ref><ref>{{PE|17}}, p. 29</ref> The name is said to consist of the [[Sundocarme|stems]] NAR ("fire"; cf. ''[[Nár (Quenya)|nár]]'' "fire") + THIL ("white light"). It was a symbolic name, pointing to the [[Sun]] and the [[Moon]], the "''chief heavenly lights, as enemies of darkness''".<ref>{{L|347}}, p. 425</ref>

==Portrayal in adaptations==
'''2001: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''
:Narsil was not broken in two but in several parts, which were kept at Rivendell, and by Sauron stepping on it instead of it breaking as Elendil fell. The sword is not reforged into Andúril until the [[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King|third film]], when [[Arwen]] persuades [[Elrond]] to have [[Elves|Elven]] smiths reforge it from the shards and bring to Aragorn.

:In the books, he actually wears the broken blade and shows it to the [[Hobbits]] when they meet at the [[Prancing Pony]] in [[Bree]], and its reforging prior to the departure of the [[Fellowship of the Ring|Fellowship]] is a decisive move toward kingship.

'''2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:The reforging of Narsil is experienced by the player in the quest arc called "The Blade that was Broken". The player sets out to find the last of the Silithair, shining adamants crafted by Elves of the house of [[Fëanor]] in days of old, in order for the Elf-smiths of [[Rivendell|Imladris]] to reforge the sword.<ref>[http://lorebook.lotro.com/wiki/Quest_Arc:The_Blade_That_Was_Broken Quest Arc: The Blade That Was Broken], Lorebook, lotro.com</ref>

'''2012-14: [[The Hobbit (film series)|''The Hobbit'' (film series)]]:'''
:The shards of Narsil appear in [[Rivendell]].

==See also==
* [[Shards of Narsil]]

{{references}}

{{weapons}}
[[Category:Quenya names]]
[[Category:Swords]]
[[de:Narsil]]
[[fr:encyclo/artefacts/armes/narsil]]
[[fi:Narsil]]

Círdan

2013-11-21T01:14:56Z

SUM EGO: /* Foundation and Return of the Noldor */

{{teleri infobox
| image=[[File:Jef Murray - Cirdan.jpg|250px]]
| name=Círdan
| othernames=Nowë
| titles=
| position=Shipwright
| location=[[Falas]] [[Isle of Balar|Balar]] [[Mithlond]]
| affiliation=[[Last Alliance of Elves and Men]]
| language=
| birth=During [[Years of the Trees]]
| birthlocation=[[Middle-earth]]
| rule=
| sailedwest=[[Fourth Age]]
| sailedfrom=[[Grey Havens]]
| age=
| house=
| parentage=
| siblings=
| spouse=
| children=
| gender=Male
| height=Very tall<ref name="Havens" />
| hair=Silver, bearded in old age<ref name="Havens" />
| eyes=
| clothing=
| weapons=
| steed=
}}
{{quote|As they came to the gates Círdan the Shipwright came forth to greet them. Very tall he was, and his beard was long, and he was grey and old, save that his eyes were keen as stars; and he looked at them and bowed, and said 'All is now ready.'|[[The Lord of the Rings]], ''[[The Grey Havens]]''}}
'''Círdan''' ([[Sindarin|S]], pron. {{IPA|[ˈkiːrdan]}}) was a [[Sindar|Sinda]], and Lord of the [[Falathrim]] during the First Age. He was one of the wisest and most foresighted of the [[Elves]], and by the [[Second Age]] the oldest known [[Elves|elf]] in [[Middle-earth]], to remain so throughout that age and the [[Third Age]]. He was also awarded [[Narya]], one of the [[Three Rings]], until he surrendered it to [[Gandalf]]. He was one of the last elves in Middle-earth, sailing West at last probably sometime in the [[Fourth Age]].

The [[Quenya]] form of Círdan's name is '''[[Ciryatan]]''' (pron. {{IPA|[ˈkirʲatan]}}).

==History==
===Early History===

Círdan, born '''[[Nowë]]'''<ref name="LastWritingsN">{{PM|Last}}, "Círdan", note 30</ref> ([[Quenya|Q]], pron. {{IPA|[ˈnowe]}}), was kin of both [[Elwë]] and [[Olwë]], a lord in the host of the former. During the push westward, seeking to go to [[Valinor]], Nowë and his followers kept going where most of his kin fell away throughout the journey. Despite Nowë's great eagerness to see the light of Valinor (his "greatest desire"),<ref name="LastWritings">{{PM|Last}}, "Círdan"</ref> he loyally searched for Elwë upon his disappearance. Because of this the [[Teleri]] missed the first trip on [[Tol Eressëa]] to [[Valinor]], on which went their close friends the [[Noldor]] and the [[Vanyar]]. They took for their king [[Olwë]], and while waiting for [[Ulmo]] to return for them, Nowë headed the art of making and sailing ships, growing impatient. From this profession he took the name '''Círdan''' which means "shipwright" in [[Sindarin]]. The Teleri also developed a great friendship with [[Ossë]]. At the same time, although most of the Teleri had given up, Círdan sought Elwë longer and harder than most of his kin, partly because of his love for him and his allegiance.

Because of this, Círdan came to the shores too late during the second embarking of Eressëa. He came to the sands to find them departed, and as he stood forlorn he saw far-off a glimmer of light upon Eressëa as it vanished into the West over [[Belegaer]]. Then he cried aloud:
{{quote|I will follow that light, alone if none will come with me, for the ship that I have been building is now almost ready.|Círdan, ''[[Last Writings]]''}}
But into his heart came a message from the [[Valar]] which warned him that his ship could not endure the voyage, nor would any ship for many years: "''Abide now that time, for when it comes then will your work be of utmost worth, and it will be remembered in song for many ages after.''" Círdan answered "''I obey''", and saw a vision of [[Vingilot|a ship]].

===Foundation and Return of the Noldor===
Círdan therefore remained with those Teleri who had chosen to stay east of the Sea for love of Ossë, and became their lord. The folk became known as the [[Falathrim]], "''people of the foaming shore''", and dwelt in the [[Falas]] by the sea. There they built many ships, and the cities [[Eglarest]] and [[Brithombar]], and found pearls which they sent to their overlord, King [[Thingol]] of [[Doriath]], who was once Elwë.<ref name="Sindar">{{S|Sindar}}</ref>

When [[Morgoth|Belegurth]] broke forth in the [[First Battle of Beleriand]] in [[Years of the Trees 1497|Y.T. 1497]], Círdan was cut off and unable to come to Thingol’s aid. Further, although Thingol conquered with the help of the [[Laiquendi]], the Falathrim were driven to the very edge of the sea, where they were besieged for some months, until the [[Return of the Noldor]], when [[Fëanor]] struck [[Morgoth]] from the north. The siege of the Falas was abandoned as the [[Orcs]] were ordered northward to help their master, where they were all destroyed by [[Celegorm]]. The Falas were saved.

Círdan attended the [[Mereth Aderthad]] with many of his people, where he swore oaths of friendship with the Noldor, and quite possibly met and befriended his later neighbors and friends [[Turgon]] and [[Finrod]]. Although Turgon eventually moved from [[Vinyamar]] to faraway [[Gondolin]], Círdan’s friendship with Finrod was lasting,<ref name="Belerian">{{S|Beleriand}}</ref> and Círdan became a close advisor to the Noldo. Círdan was, after all, a relative of his, being related (probably quite closely) to Olwë, Finrod’s grandfather.

===Early First Age===

When the tales began spreading (sown by [[Belegurth]]) of the [[Kinslaying of Alqualondë]], Círdan, being very wise even at that time, was greatly troubled, feeling that these rumors sprouted from great malice. Knowing the jealousy and dissention among the Noldor, he guessed that the malice was that of the kinslayers. Therefore he dutifully sent messages to his overlord Thingol, telling him all that he had heard. This resulted in the banishment of [[Quenya]], and greater strife between the Sindar and the Noldor.

Círdan may have assisted in the [[Dagor Aglareb]], but this is unknown. Nevertheless he did not take part in the [[Dagor Bragollach]], as he was far away and not directly attacked, if even he had time to come to the aid of his allies. Nevertheless Círdan made up for his lack of participation in the [[Second Assault on Hithlum]], coming to the timely aid of [[Fingon]] when he was most needed. They sailed up the [[Firth of Drengist]], then struck the unsuspecting [[orcs]] from the west, giving victory to the elves.<ref name="Fingolfin">{{S|Fingolfin}}</ref>

After the [[Nirnaeth Arnoediad]], many fugitives came for shelter in the Falas. The Falathrim mariners harassed the orcs in guerilla attacks from the sea. But it was only a matter of time before [[Morgoth]] attacked. Then came the disastrous [[Fall of the Falas]]. Though both [[Brithombar]] and [[Eglarest]] were strong, with mighty walls, both fell one at a time due to the impressive array of siege-masters Morgoth had in his train. The elves fought valiantly, but the walls were broken and most of the Falathrim killed or enslaved. [[Barad Nimras]] was cast down, and the Falas laid to waste. But Círdan and some of his followers escaped by sea, and he took with him [[Gil-galad]], one of the last of the princes of the Noldor. They came to the [[Isle of Balar]] and founded a new kingdom, but kept a foothold at the [[Mouths of Sirion]], keeping ships hidden in the reeds there, making a refuge for all who fled there.<ref name="Fifth">{{S|Fifth}}</ref>

===Lord of Balar===

Turgon, receiving the dreadful news, requested that Círdan send mariners to seek [[Valinor]] and the aid of the [[Valar]]. Círdan built seven swift ships, and sent them westward. None returned, save for only one mariner of the [[Gondolindrim]]. The way to the West was closed.<ref name="Fifth"/>{{Pronounce|Cirdan.mp3|Ardamir}}

Eventually Círdan served as messenger, when [[Ulmo]] delivered him a message for [[Orodreth]], warning of the doom of [[Nargothrond]], and ordering him to shut his gates and cast down the bridge. The warning went unheeded, resulting of the [[Fall of Nargothrond]].

After news came to Balar of the [[Fall of Gondolin]], [[Gil-galad]] was proclaimed [[High King of the Noldor]]. Círdan soon after became a fast friend of the young half-elf [[Eärendil]] son of [[Tuor]] and [[Idril]], who had grown up essentially under his shadow, and was apprenticed to him. Círdan aided Eärendil in building the ship [[Vingilot]], giving him advice and help. Círdan doubtless remembered his vision, and this ship was indeed a fulfillment of it.<ref name="LastWritings"/>

Círdan and Gil-galad came with their armies from the Isle of Balar too late to prevent the disastrous [[Third Kinslaying]], when the [[Mouths of Sirion|Havens of Sirion]] were ambushed and many fell. But Eärendil was not there, rather on a voyage, and the [[Silmaril]] of [[Beren]] and [[Lúthien]] had been spirited away by [[Elwing]] his wife. Thus, wielding the Silmaril, Eärendil came to [[Valinor]] and found the forgiveness of the [[Valar]].<ref name="Earendil">{{S|Earendil}}</ref> From that time on, Círdan was given foresight surpassing that of any of the elves,<ref name="LastWritings"/> perhaps some special grace of the Valar for his deeds in this world-changing episode (like the return of [[Glorfindel]], who also contributed significantly). After the [[War of Wrath]], Círdan, heeding the bidding of the Valar long ago, once more obediently abstained from finding his heart’s desire and going West, but with a small following remained in [[Middle-earth]].

===Second Age===

The continents were shifted, but Círdan still took up his abode by the sea, in [[Harlindon]] with [[Celeborn]] and [[Galadriel]].<ref name="Galadriel">{{UT|Galadriel}}</ref> Harlindon was located south of the [[Gulf of Lune]], to the north of which was [[Forlindon]], where [[Gil-galad]] and [[Elrond]] dwelt. There he welcomed the friendly and then-unfallen [[Númenóreans]], making friends with [[Vëantur]], chief of the mariners of [[Tar-Elendil]], and later teaching [[Tar-Aldarion|Aldarion]] his grandson of ships (both management and construction) and seaside architecture,<ref name="Wife">{{UT|Wife}}</ref> doubtless being the foremost authority on both. At some point he moved to [[Mithlond]].

Círdan advised against the creation of the [[Rings of Power]] when [[Sauron|Annatar]] came, but, like Galadriel, his counsel went unheeded in the midst of the joy and enthusiasm of the [[Eregion]]-elves, and especially [[Celebrimbor]]. Nevertheless, when the [[Three Rings]] escaped the [[Sack of Eregion]], Celebrimbor had appointed him to inherit one of them. He received [[Narya]], the Ring of Fire.<ref name="Rings">{{S|Rings}}</ref> [[Sauron]], having revealed himself in the destruction of Eregion and empowered by [[the One Ring]] he had forged, [[sack of Eregion|invaded]] [[Eriador]] in the same blow. Nevertheless, though he killed many elves, he dared not attempt to take Mithlond or Lindon, feeling they were too strong and because they had the help of the Númenóreans. Indeed, they were his bane in that chapter of history, for the Númenóreans came and pushed him back beyond the [[Misty Mountains]], ending the [[Black Years]].<ref name="Rings"/>

Eventually there came the [[Akallabêth|Fall of Númenor]], when the great man-isle of Númenor was overturned and [[Aman]] removed from the circles of the world. But [[Elendil]] escaped with his sons to [[Middle-earth]] and founded the [[Two Kingdoms]] over a vast space of land, on both sides of the Misty Mountains.<ref name="Akallabeth">{{S|Akallabeth}}</ref> This new kingdom of men profoundly impacted the lives of the elves of Lindon, as is seen in the [[War of the Last Alliance]].

Círdan joined the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men|alliance]], and fought steadily beside his friends and comrades. Many fell there, including [[Gil-galad]] and [[Elendil]]. Yet again Círdan outlived those around him, and survived the battle. With Elrond he urged [[Isildur]], Elendil’s first-born, to throw the captured One Ring into [[Orodruin]], where it would be unmade.<ref name="Rings"/><ref name="Council">{{FR|Council}}</ref> But Isildur refused.

===Third Age===
The early years of the [[Third Age]] were, for Círdan and the elves, mostly a time to catch their breaths after the fall of Sauron in the War of the Alliance. For more than a thousand years they went undisturbed,<ref name="AppB2">{{App|B2}}</ref> but at around {{TA|1050}} a shadow began to lengthen. Though many deemed that Sauron was defeated forever, for the first time in many centuries some evil was stirring, and awake. It was at this time the [[Istari]], sent by the [[Valar]], came. Though the [[Blue Wizards]] and [[Glorfindel]] may have come earlier during the [[Second Age]], and Círdan most probably greeted them in [[Mithlond]], it is known for sure that he met [[Gandalf]] there. Círdan was one of the few of the [[Wise]] left; of the other ancient elves, only Celeborn, Galadriel, Glorfindel (who was resurrected), and Elrond remained. He was the most foresighted of all of them, and alone knew the true purpose of the Istari. He also saw deep into the future of Gandalf, and gave him [[Narya]], his greatest possession and one of the most secret and sought-after treasures in the world.
{{quote|Take this ring, Master… for your labours will be heavy; but it will support you in the weariness that you have taken upon yourself. For this is the Ring of Fire, and with it you may rekindle hearts in a world that grows chill. But as for me, my heart is with the [[Belegaer|Sea]], and I will dwell by the grey shores until the last ship sails. I will await you.|Círdan, ''[[Appendix B]]''}}

In {{TA|1409}}, Círdan aided King [[Araphor]] of [[Arnor]] in battle against [[Angmar]] during the [[Fall of Rhudaur]], after [[Weathertop]] was burned. With Círdan’s help, young Araphor drove the wraith’s armies from [[Fornost]] and the [[North Downs]].<ref name="Gondor">{{App|Gondor}}</ref> The second time Círdan came to the aid of men was four and a half centuries later, in {{TA|1975}}, when Círdan sent a ship north to [[Forochel]] to rescue the lost [[Arnor]]ian king [[Arvedui]]. The crew endured a perilous journey, but found Arvedui. Yet Arvedui rashly attempted to return that winter, and all aboard perished.<ref name="Gondor"/> The next year Círdan mustered the elves to join with the [[Dúnedain]] in the victorious [[Battle of Fornost]]. Later Círdan took control of the abandoned [[palantíri|Elendil Stone]] on [[Emyn Beraid]], which could gaze into the [[Tol Eressëa|lost west]] and was without link to the other palantíri.<ref name="Palantiri">{{UT|Palantiri}}</ref>

Círdan was invited onto the [[White Council]] when it was formed in {{TA|2463}} in response to the rise of the [[Necromancer]], whose identity was at that point concealed. Throughout all the recorded history of the White Council, his actions go unrecorded. His role may have only been passive; as an advisor rather than a planner. At any rate, nothing more is mentioned of his actions until the [[War of the Ring]] in {{TA|3018}} and later {{TA|3021}}. [[Galdor of the Havens|Galdor]] was his messenger to [[Rivendell]], though for reasons unknown. It may be that he, too, felt the growing shadow, even as his friend [[Gandalf]] did. Sent by Círdan "on errand", Galdor attended the [[Council of Elrond]], speaking with authority on his lord’s behalf.<ref name="Council"/>

[[File:Decipher - Círdan.jpg|left|thumb|''Círdan'' depicted by [[Decipher]]]]The last mention of Círdan came with the end of the Third Age. When the Ringbearers came to Mithlond, Círdan greeted them before the gates. Although [[Gandalf]], [[Galadriel]], and [[Elrond]] passed west on the ship he had built for them, Círdan seems to have remained for a time. Eventually, however, he passed west on the last ship, fulfilling his heart’s desire that had waited so long.

==Characteristics and Impact==
Círdan appeared very old save for his eyes which "''were keen as stars''", wearing a long beard.<ref name="Havens">{{RK|Havens}}</ref> Likely, he had grown a beard since having reached his [[Elven Life cycle#"Cycles of life" and aging|third cycle of life]].<ref>{{VT|41b}}, p. 9</ref>

Círdan had a profound effect upon the course of Middle-earth history. He was a loyal servant and friend of [[Elwë]], sacrificing his heart’s desire in search of him.<ref name="LastWritings"/> This loyalty and sense of duty shows up numerous times over the course of history, including his second sacrifice in his submission to the [[Valar]],<ref name="LastWritings"/> and his sending of troubling and potentially destructive rumors to his overlord Thingol. He was also the most foresighted of the elves, a gift from the Valar.<ref name="AppB2"/><ref name="LastWritings"/> He conceivably saved Elven civilization with the founding of the havens at the [[Mouths of Sirion]],<ref name="Fifth"/> and with the fostering of both [[Gil-galad]] and [[Eärendil]].<ref name="Earendil"/> His precious gift of [[Narya]] to [[Gandalf]] was also timely and valuable.<ref name="AppB2"/> He was clearly favored by [[Ulmo]], seen by the number messages passed through him.

==Portrayal in Adaptions==
[[Image:SBG - Cirdan.jpeg|thumb|'''Círdan''' as visualized by the [[Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]]]

'''2001: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''
:His role as lieutenant of Gil-galad is given to [[Elrond]] instead (Elrond was Gil-galad's herald in the books). He does, however, appear very briefly in Galadriel's Monologue at the start of the movie, in the very brief shot of the three elven ringbearers.

'''2003: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]'':'''
:Círdan briefly appears as Frodo and Bilbo make their trip to the lands of the West.

==See also==
*[[:Category:Images of Círdan|Images of Círdan]]

{{References}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cirdan}}
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]
[[Category:Characters in The Silmarillion]]
[[Category:Sindar]]
[[Category:Sindarin names]]
[[de:Círdan]]
[[fa:کیردان]]
[[fr:encyclo:personnages:elfes:teleri:sindar:cirdan]]
[[fi:Círdan]]

Orcrist

2013-09-15T13:21:24Z

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{{disambig-two|Thorin's sword|journal|[[Orcrist (journal)]]}}
[[File:Audrey Corman - Orcrist.jpg|thumb|''Orcrist'' by [[Audrey Corman]]]]
'''Orcrist''' was the sword of the leader of [[Durin's folk]], [[Thorin]]. It had a fancy scabbard and a jeweled hilt. Thorin obtained the weapon when he and his company searched the [[Troll's Cave|trolls' cave]] early in the quest of [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]].<ref>{{H|Mutton}}</ref>

Goblins called the blade '''Biter'''.<ref>{{H|Hill}}</ref> It had been crafted by the [[Elves]], who not only made it a valuable weapon, but also a feared one, particularly among traditional enemies of the Elves: Orcs and other evil creatures of Middle-earth.<ref>{{H|Rest}}</ref> Like [[Glamdring]] and [[Sting]], the blade could detect the presence of Orcs and warn its bearer by glowing blue.

Thorin was mortally wounded at the [[Battle of Five Armies]]. After his death Orcrist was placed upon Thorin's tomb and it "gleamed ever in the dark if foes approached".<ref>{{H|Return}}</ref>

==Possession==
[[File:The Hobbit (film series) - Thorin and Orcrist.jpg|thumb|left|Orcrist in [[The Hobbit (film series)|''The Hobbit'' (film series)]]]]
As the "mate" to King [[Turgon]]'s sword Glamdring, Orcrist was likely borne by a high ranking lord in the King's entourage.

Since [[Maeglin]] presumably still had his father's sword, [[Anguirel]], it was not his. [[Duilin of Gondolin|Duilin]] bore a bow, while [[Galdor of the Tree|Galdor]] carried a club and [[Rog]] a mace. [[Tuor]] seems to have come to [[Gondolin]] after Glamdring had been forged, and if this was the mate it should have been forged before his arrival as well. In any case, Tuor bore an axe, not a sword.[[Glorfindel of Gondolin|Glorfindel]] died outside of the city; [[Egalmoth]] wielded a curved-blade, most likely a falchion; in any case, Orcist was not curved and [[Egalmoth]] survived during the [[Fall of Gondolin]]. [[Salgant]] was a lesser lord and was feeble and subservient to Maeglin. [[Ecthelion|Ecthelion of the Fountain]] perished in Gondolin as he slew [[Gothmog (balrog)|Gothmog]], even though he fell into the [[Fountain of the King]], his hands were greatly wounded before meeting [[Gothmog]] and sword dropped, so Orcrist might be left in the city and picked up by one of the enemies possibly by a dragon.
Another possibility is [[Penlod]], however, who's house ([[House of the Tower of Snow]]) was lesser in status than Ecthelion's ([[House of the Fountain]]).

As described in [[the Hobbit]], Orcrist "had killed hundreds of goblins in its time, when the fair elves of Gondolin hunted them in the hills or did battle before their walls". Only [[Rog]], [[Duilin]], [[Egalmoth]], [[Tuor]] and [[Ecthelion]]'s houses defended at the gates before the walls, and none of them except [[Ecthelion]] bore a sword. Thus, the most probable assumption is that Orcrist belonged to [[Ecthelion]], but this is never stated explicitly in any of Tolkien's writings.
In the [[Fall of Gondolin]], it is stated that [[Ecthelion]] led a charge that resulted in the deaths of thousands of [[orcs]], which made his name a terror to their race – the fact that the orcs were angry upon finding that [[Thorin]] wielded Orcrist may be an echo of this carnage. It is interesting that if Orcrist did belong to [[Ecthelion]], the two swords were both used to fight the two most famous balrogs, Orcrist to fight [[Gothmog]] and [[Glamdring]] to fight [[Durin's Bane]].

==Etymology==
In [[Sindarin]] Orcrist means "Goblin-cleaver" (probably ''[[Orch]]'' "orc" + ''[[crist]]'' "a cleaver, sword"<ref>{{LR|Etymologies}}, entry KIRIS</ref>).{{Fact}}

{{Weapons}}
{{References}}
[[Category:Weapons]]
[[Category:Swords]]
[[Category:Sindarin names]]

[[de:Orcrist]]
[[fi:Orkrist]]
[[fr:encyclo/artefacts/armes/orcrist]]

Reunited Kingdom

2013-08-31T10:02:52Z

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{{Sources}}
{{kingdom
| image = [[Image:Reunited.png|250px]]
| name = Reunited Kingdom, Two Kingdoms
| meaning =
| type = Monarchy/Stewardship
| hidep=yes
| headofstate = [[High King of the Dúnedain|High King]]
| executive = [[Council of Gondor]]{{fact}}
| legislative =
| judicial =
| capital = [[Annúminas]]/[[Minas Tirith]]
| language = [[Westron]]
| location = Almost all of former lands of both Gondor and Arnor
| populace= Mostly [[Men]]
| currency = [[tharni]], [[castar]]<ref>{{PM|Languages}}</ref>
| religious =
| holiday = Perhaps [[Cormarë]]
| anthem =
| formed = [[Gondor]], the remnants of [[Arnor]] and the released enemy lands of the [[War of the Ring]]
| established = {{TA|3019}}
| reorganized =
| fragmented =
| dissolved =
| restored =
}}
The '''Reunited Kingdom''' (also called the '''Two Kingdoms'''<ref>{{VT|42a}}, p. 6</ref>) was the restored kingdom of [[Arnor]] and [[Gondor]], the twin kingdoms founded at the end of the [[Second Age]] by [[Elendil]] and his sons [[Isildur]] and [[Anárion]]. In the beginning, Elendil was [[High King of the Dúnedain|High King]] of both realms, but the two were divided after the deaths of his sons. Over 3,000 years later [[Aragorn|Aragorn Elessar]] reunited the kingdoms and ruled as [[High King of the Dúnedain|High King]] of the [[Reunited Kingdom]].

The fate of the kingdoms, especially that of Gondor, would come to dominate the history of the [[Third Age]].
==Background==
At the end of the [[Second Age]], [[Elendil]] and his sons established two great kingdoms in [[Middle-earth]]: [[Arnor]] in the north and [[Gondor]] in the south. These Kingdoms of the [[Dúnedain]] were united under a single [[High King of the Dúnedain|High King]], Elendil himself, who ruled the [[Arnor|North-kingdom]] while his sons reigned jointly over the [[South-kingdom]] of Gondor.

In the first years of the [[Third Age]], this union failed. After the loss of [[Isildur]] at the [[Disaster of the Gladden Fields]], his nephew [[Meneldil]] took up the kingship of Gondor, and that country remained independent from the North-kingdom through most of the Third Age.
===Dissolutions===
In the north, the realm of Arnor fell into troubled times. It broke into three separate kingdoms, and in time these too were lost, so that the Dúnedain of the North-kingdom of Elendil were reduced to a wandering people led by a [[Chieftain of the Dúnedain|Chieftain]]. Nonetheless, they were able to maintain Isildur's line in unbroken descent.

However this failed in Gondor, and [[Eärnur]] was lost without heirs. Its rule was taken up by the [[Stewards]].

There were two attempts to reunite the kingdoms. The first of these occurred in III 1944, when [[Arvedui]] of [[Arthedain]] claimed the High Kingship of the Two Kingdoms. His claim was rejected by Steward [[Pelendur]] and the [[Council of Gondor]], who elected to maintain their independence.

==Reunification==
More than a thousand years later, after the [[War of the Ring]], Arvedui's direct descendant [[Aragorn]] came forward to make the same claim. This time, the people of Gondor accepted a High King, and the Two Kingdoms were reunited at last.

Like his ancestor Elendil before him, Aragorn took up his rule from the North-kingdom, but he travelled throughout his wide lands. [[The Shire]] was an exception to this, and though it lay within the [[Reunited Kingdom]], Aragorn made a law that Men should not enter it, a law that he observed himself. Though his seat was in the north, [[Minas Tirith]] and the South-kingdom remained important, to the extent that he travelled there at the end of his life, and his tomb was among the [[houses of the dead]] beneath Mount [[Mindolluin]]. After Aragorn's death, his son [[Eldarion]] took up the High Kingship, and the Reunited Kingdom endured for many years under the new King and his descendants.
{{references}}
[[category:Gondor]]
[[category:Arnor]]
[[Category:Mannish realms]]

[[de:Wiedervereinigtes Königreich]]
[[fr:encyclo/geographie/royaumes/royaume_reunifie]]
[[fi:Jällen yhdistetty Valtakunta]]

Battle of the Pelennor Fields

2013-08-31T09:47:37Z

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{{disambig-more|Battle of the Pelennor Fields|[[Battle of the Pelennor Fields (disambiguation)]]}}
{{cleanup}}{{sources}}
{{battle|
image=[[File:Per Sjögren - The Battle of the Pelennor Fields.jpg|300px]]|
name=Battle of the Pelennor Fields|
conflict=[[War of the Ring]]|
date=15 March {{TA|3019}}|
place=[[Minas Tirith]] and fields of [[Pelennor]], [[Gondor]]|
result= Victory of Gondor and Rohan|
side1=[[Gondor]], [[Rohan]]|
side2= [[Mordor]], [[Harad]], [[Rhûn]], [[Khand]]|
commanders1=*[[Denethor]] †
*[[Gandalf]]
*[[Forlong]] †
*[[Imrahil]]
*[[Hirluin]]†
*[[Théoden]] †
*[[Grimbold]]†
*[[Aragorn]]
*[[Éomer]]
| commanders2=*The [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]] †
*[[Gothmog (Lieutenant of Morgul)|Gothmog]]
| forces1=In [[Minas Tirith]]: Minas Tirith Garrison (strength unknown); possibly around 4000+ troops. Around 1000+ survivors from Osgiliath and Causeway Forts. Approx. 3,000+ auxiliary troops from Southern Gondor in Minas Tirth.{{fact}} 6000+ Rohirrim cavalry<ref name="Muster">{{RK|Muster}}; quote from [[Théoden]], "''Yet six thousands at the least shall ride behind me.''"</ref> Unknown number of Men of Southern Gondor under Aragorn arriving from the south (possibly 2-4,000)
| forces2=Unknown total strength, but vast numerical superiority to Gondor's forces in Minas Tirith; possibly over 75,000. Forces consisting of [[Orcs]], [[Trolls]], [[Wargs]], [[Oliphaunts]], the [[Nazgûl]], 18000+ [[Haradrim]]<ref>{{RK|Battle}}; "''the Rohirrim at their onset were thrice outnumbered by the Haradrim alone.''"</ref>, and thousands of [[Easterlings]] (Men of Rhûn, Variags of Khand, etc.)
| casual1=Heavy
| casual2=Almost Complete destruction of attacking force
}}{{wotr}}
The '''Battle of the Pelennor Fields''' was the greatest battle of the [[War of the Ring]], and indeed the largest of the entire [[Third Age]].

==History==
===Prelude===
{{seealso|Siege of Gondor}}
After the fall of [[Osgiliath]] there was no longer a barrier against the forces of [[Mordor]], which moved on the [[Pelennor Fields]] before the city on [[15 March]] {{TA|3019}} as the [[Great Darkness]] blotted out the sun.

===Opposing Forces===
Mordor's troops consisted of more than 30,000 [[Easterlings]] and [[Haradrim]],{{fact}} numerous [[mûmakil|oliphaunts]], and tens of thousands of [[Orcs]];
The defenders' numbers were considerably less. the city's garrison likely was no more than 2,000, the survivors from Osgiliath probably numbered around 1,000 (One third of that garrison were killed), there were about 2,800 men from southern [[Gondor]] who arrived just before the siege commenced.

===Battle===
The attackers used catapults not only to attack the city, through bombardment and flames, but also to fire the heads of slain men from Osgiliath and other places Mordor's armies had passed through into it.{{fact}} Later on, the great battering ram [[Grond (battering-ram)|Grond]] (named after [[Morgoth]]'s weapon from the First Age) was put into action.

Before dawn Grond was used to break the city's main gate, and the [[Witch-king]] rode into the city unchallenged, save by [[Gandalf]]. Before Gandalf's strength was put to the test, however, the cock crowed and the horns of [[Rohan]] were heard as around 6,000 of their riders joined the battle. Mordor's strategy for keeping Rohan out of the battle had failed twice, both through the defeat at Helm's Deep and the blockade in Anorien. So the Witch-king was forced to ride out and attack them instead of fighting Gandalf and destroying the city.

King Théoden's charge drove the Mordor forces from the northern half of the field, and charging the Haradrim cavalry he slew the Southron chieftain, the [[Black Serpent]], and cut down his standardbearer.
[[File:Laurent Alquier - Éowyn's Stand in the Pelennor Fields.jpg|thumb|left|Éowyn ([[Dernhelm]]) and the [[Dwimmerlaik]].]]
When the Witch-king's fell beast attacked King [[Théoden]] of Rohan, the king's horse [[Snowmane]] lost control, and was hit by an arrow. Snowmane fell with the king atop him, and the horse landed on him, which proved fatal. The warrior [[Dernhelm]], defending the king's body, slew the fell beast and challenged its rider. The Witch-king mocked him, telling him that no living man might slay him, but the [[hobbits|Hobbit]] [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]] wounded him with a sword that had been forged centuries before during the war between [[Arnor]] and [[Angmar]] and which contained spells against the Witch-king. The spells finally found their target, for the Witch-king was distracted and possibly seriously weakened. He was then slain by Dernhelm, now revealed as Théoden's niece [[Éowyn]] and thus no ''man'' at all. The [[Black Breath]] caused both Merry and Éowyn to become gravely ill, and they were sent to the [[Houses of Healing]] in the city. Command of the Rohirrim then passed to Théoden's nephew and heir, Third Marshall Éomer.

At the same time, [[Faramir]], son of [[Denethor]], Steward of Gondor, was also gravely wounded. Despairing at the visions of defeat that [[Sauron]] had sent him via his ''[[palantíri|palantír]]'', and believing Faramir to be beyond aid, Denethor prepared to burn himself and his son upon a funeral pyre. Only the intervention of [[Peregrin Took]] and Gandalf saved Faramir, but Denethor immolated himself before they could prevent him.

Meanwhile, the battle turned against the Rohirrim. The Southrons charged with their Mûmakil and wherever they went horses went wild with fear or were trampled underfoot, and the forces of Mordor rallied around them like islands of defense that the Rohirrim cavalry could not overtake. Éomer, grim after the death of Théoden but shocked by the unexpected (seeming) death of his sister Éowyn, the last living member of his family, flew into a [[berserker]] rage and charged his cavalry headlong into the larger enemy forces. So great was the wrath of the outnumbered Rohirrim at the death of their King that they broke through the superior Mordor forces, hammering deep wedges into the Mordor legions' front lines. However, this soon turned against Éomer: his cavalry had pierced the Enemy front lines so quickly that his company was now cut off from the other two, and surrounded between Mordor's front lines and their reserves. Fighting their way to the docks near the Harlond south of the city, Éomer desperately circled up his men on a hill and prepared to fight to the death, when he saw enemy reinforcements sailing up the River [[Anduin]], and let out a defiant cry at his approaching end.
[[File:Anke Eißmann - The Black Serpent founders.jpg|right|thumb|300px|''The Black Serpent founders'' by [[Anke Eißmann]]]]
One of the visions that Denethor had seen was of a fleet of enemy ships with black sails arriving at the landings to the south of the Pelennor in the Rammas, but what he had not seen was that they were actually manned by [[Aragorn]] and other [[Rangers of the North]], [[Gimli]], [[Legolas]], [[Elladan]], [[Elrohir]] and many reinforcements from southern fiefdoms of Gondor. As Aragorn's army drove north a great part of Mordor's forces were pinned between Aragorn and Éomer's cavalry, and were "caught between the hammer and the anvil". Aragorn's army then linked with Éomer's, and with their aid the tide of battle was finally turned, and a brief respite was won until the [[Battle of the Morannon|final battle]] before the [[Morannon|Black Gate]].

=== Aftermath ===

There is no clearly stated final death toll for the Battle of Pelennor Fields. There is a definite figure for the cavalry of the Rohirrim that came to Gondor's defence; it consisted of 6,000 riders, and a full 2,000 were killed in the battle, including Théoden. Of the 5 to 6 thousand Gondorian defenders of Minas Tirith, and the large relief force of Gondor's southern provinces led by Aragorn, no definite figure remains. Two days after the battle, Aragorn led an army out to attack the Black Gate that consisted of 7,000 men (When he reached the Black Gate he had less than 6,000); 2,000 Rohirrim and 5,000 Gondorians. The size of Aragorn's relief force may have been over 5,000 or as little as 1,000, it is never stated. However, even a conservative estimate would place total Gondorian losses at 3,000, and more probably 5,000.

As for enemy losses, again, the size of Sauron's great army is not definitely known. There were at the very least 60,000, and this is almost surely an overconservative estimation. In [[Peter Jackson]]'s movie adaptation, the enemy numbered over 200,000, and this may be accurate with the number present in the text. It is known that there were some 18,000 [[Haradrim]]. (The Rohirrim, consisting of 6,000 riders, were "thrice outnumbered by the Haradrim alone".) The Enemy's army was utterly destroyed on the field: all War [[Mûmakil]] were killed, the Lord of the Nazgûl was slain, numerous Trolls, and perhaps all of the Orcs (which composed the majority of the army) were killed, those that retreated drowning in the River Anduin. Many Easterlings and Haradrim proudly fought to the death when the tide turned, even as the Orcs were cowardly running away, with few escaping to send news of the power and wrath of Gondor to lands east and south.

Although a great and almost miraculous victory, at the subsequent Last Debate, Gandalf counseled that militarily, Sauron would still defeat them. The Free Peoples had managed to destroy an army outnumbering them at least 10 to 1, but lost almost a third of their own forces. Sauron had suffered a defeat, but he still had other legions and the force that attacked Minas Tirith, while substantial, was but a fraction of his total strength. Rohan and Gondor had been able to secure their flanks, eliminating the threat of Isengard and the Corsairs on the southern coasts, but Gandalf counseled that even with all of their forces concentrated in the main front near Minas Tirith, it would simply be enduring wave after wave of siege like a sandcastle being worn down by the ocean. Thus, it was agreed that it was impossible to achieve a conventional military victory through strength of arms, and instead to risk all on a last throw of the dice by Aragorn leading a diversionary attack on the Black Gate, to aid Frodo's passage in Mordor.

==Portrayal in Adaptations==
'''2003: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]'':'''
:The battle is the major centrepiece of the last film, although some of the events described above are simplified or altered for cinematic purposes. The Gondorian forces from the kingdom's fiefs are absent, replaced only by the Rohirrim. These are joined by Aragorn leading the "[[Oathbreakers|Army of the Dead]]" (instead of the Gondorian reinforcements) at the very end of the battle. Importance is given to the charge of the Mûmakil, the death of Théoden and the Witch-king's demise at the hands of Éowyn.

:The battle begins with [[Sauron]]'s forces marching on the city and firing a volley of severed [[Gondorians|Gondorian]] heads over the walls (as in the book). Seeing [[Mordor]]'s overwhelming army, [[Denethor]] despairs and Gandalf assumes command of the defenders. Both Sauron's army and the defenders of Minas Tirith exchange fire by way of catapults and trebuchets: many orcs, and a few dozen Gondorian soldiers, were killed whilst some catapults and siege towers were destroyed. Then the [[Nazgûl|Ringwraiths]], mounted on top of their fell-beasts, descended from the skies, spreading fear throughout the city and destroying many catapults. Meanwhile trolls bring forth the siege towers and engage the Gondorian troops and [[Gandalf]] in combat throughout the night. As the battle wages continues in the dark the [[orcs]] bring forth a giant battering ram named [[Grond (battering ram)|Grond]] and with it the [[Great Gate of Minas Tirith]] are shattered allowing the orcs, [[trolls]] and [[wargs]] to invade the city. In the book the populace was almost entirely evacuated before the battle. In the movie, the women and children remained, and many were slaughtered in the lower levels.

:By morning the Gondorian soldiers had taken heavy casualties and retreated to the higher levels of Minas Tirith, there Gandalf helps them to hold out until [[Théoden]] and six thousand [[Rohirrim]] arrive, decimating the invading orcs and routing the Witch-king's right flank; however, Sauron's reserves soon arrive with several [[Oliphaunts]], commanded by the [[Haradrim]], who turn the tide against the Rohirrim. Fortunately, [[Aragorn]] arrives with the [[Oathbreakers|Army of the Dead]] (see [[Paths of the Dead]]), who crush Sauron's forces.

{{references}}
[[Category:Conflicts of the War of the Ring]]
[[de:Schlacht auf dem Pelennor]]
[[fr:encyclo:evenements:3a:guerres:bataille_des_champs_du_pelennor]]
[[fi:Pelennorin kenttien taistelu]]

Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin

2012-06-29T13:40:13Z

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[[Image:Alan Lee - The Dragon Helm of Dor-lomin.jpg|thumb|right|Illustration of the Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin produced by [[Alan Lee]] for the front cover of [[The Children of Húrin]].]]
The '''Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin''', also known as the '''Helm of Hador''', was a visored steel helm, embossed and embellished with gold, that bore as its crest the head of [[Glaurung]] the [[Dragons|Dragon]]. It was forged sometime between [[First Age]] 260 and 300 by the [[Dwarves|dwarf]]-smith [[Telchar]] for his lord [[Azaghâl]], who then gave it as a gift to [[Maedhros]]. He in turn passed it on to his cousin [[Fingon]]. In 423 [[Fingolfin]], the [[High King of the Noldor]], created the fiefdom of [[Dor-lómin]] and made [[Hador]] the first [[Lord of Dor-lómin]]. To celebrate the event Fingon presented Hador with the helm.

The Dragon-helm was crafted for a Dwarf and was too large and heavy for an [[Elves|Elf]]. Even [[Men]] found the helm was too massive, and only Hador had the strength to wear it. It passed through Hador's descendants until [[Túrin|Túrin Turambar]] finally bore it to battle.
Túrin was monstrous in war and took one of his many titles from it: [[Gorthol]], the "Dread Helm". The last clear record of the Dragon-helm is at the [[Battle of Tumhalad]], where Túrin is known to have worn it. Beyond this, he may have taken it with him to the [[Forest of Brethil]], and perhaps even wore it at the slaying of Glaurung himself. After Túrin's death the great heirloom of the [[House of Hador]] was lost to history.

A description of the Helm is given in [[Unfinished Tales]]:

"That helm was made of grey steel adorned with gold, and on it were graven runes of victory. A power was in it that guarded any who wore it from wound or death, for the sword that hewed it was broken, and the dart that smote it sprang aside.
It had a visor (after the manner of those that the Dwarves used in their forges for the shielding of their eyes), and the face of one that wore it struck fear into the hearts of all beholders, but was itself guarded from dart and fire. Upon its crest was set in defiance a gilded image of the head of Glaurung the dragon; for it had been made soon after he first issued from the gates of Morgoth."

== Later History ==

While it is uncertain what ultimately became of the Dragon-helm, Tolkien presented several versions. One, noted in the [[Wanderings of Húrin]] says that Húrin was returned the Dragon-helm during his time in Brethil but as with many subjects in Tolkien's earlier age the truth will never be known

== See also ==
* [[:Category:Images of the Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin|Images of the Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin]]

[[Category:Armor]]
[[de:Hadors Helm]]
[[fr:encyclo/artefacts/heaume_du_dragon]]
[[fi:Dor-lóminin lohikäärmekypäri]]

Talk:Orcs

2011-12-14T03:01:41Z

SUM EGO: /* Orc - Rohirric or Westron */

The following external links no longer work:

The Origin of the Orcs (htm version)
The Origin of the Orcs (doc version)
The Origin of the Orcs (pdf version)

I got: The webpage cannot be found {{unsigned|71.173.181.175}}

:I solved the problem by deleting it :). It was inappropriate anyway, and the whole article needs to be rewritten. -- {{User:Ederchil/sig}} 10:51, 26 March 2009 (UTC)
::Which article? [[User:Sage|Sage]] 12:25, 26 March 2009 (UTC)
:::Oh this article. Too much work to be done by 1.5 persons (= I am doing 0.4 of your work and the rest 0.1 belongs to occasional contributors) [[User:Sage|Sage]] 12:27, 26 March 2009 (UTC)
::::I won't be doing much either. Just got an angry email that there was a deadline last week. So I got to focus on that first -- {{User:Ederchil/sig}} 12:51, 26 March 2009 (UTC)
:::::That's my point... where can we find more contributors? :) [[User:Sage|Sage]] 17:55, 26 March 2009 (UTC)

I edited the "Orcs and Goblins" section heavily to remove unfounded comments about "goblins" being a Hobbitish term when it is, in fact, an English word. I also cut down on some unfounded claims in the "Controversy" section. [[User:Eldorion|Eldorion]]

There needs to be a serious section in this article about the culture and ethics of Orcs, and whether Orcs are ultimately free to choose good or evil. I've seen other wikis touch on this issue, but this article barely does. A lot of people (myself included) have never been thrilled about the whole "evil race" concept played completely straight. 
As an entirely personal belief (not something I would expect to put in the article), I think Orcs have the ability to live as good [[Avari]], and that it's the established traditions of Orc culture that inspire evil, and that Elves who do evil and ill-inspired acts (such as [[Fëanor]] and [[Sons of Fëanor|his sons]] along with [[Eöl]] and [[Maeglin]]) essentially make themselves Orcs, and that the difference of appearance between Elves and Orcs ("fair" vs. "ugly") is ultimately meaningless. The [[Silmarils]] knew the difference, and they burned evil and corruption when it touched them. I'm not sure Tolkien would completely disagree, as he once said, "We were all Orcs in the Great War." But I digress... - [[User:Gilgamesh|Gilgamesh]] 12:12, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

:I just (4/5/2011) summarized Letter 153 (a very long summary) for the Tolkien Gateway, wherein Tolkien dug very deeply into the metaphysics of Middle-earth. On the subject of Orcs, innate Free Will, their "evil race" status, and such, this letter probably gives Tolkien's "clearest" answers. -- Gamling 01:07, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

== Origin ==

I just would like to ask an question in regards to the origin of the orcs. First off I have no preferance either way, be it men or elves, but I would like to raise the point of time. Men awoke at the rising of the sun, so wouldn't this then pose a problem for Melkor when he made the orcs in the first war in Beleriand, for the sake of the elves.? Unless he can time shift and or travel. So then we are left with a rather interesting situation, any thoughts? {{unsigned|GaiusMarius}}

:Sorry, you've lost me? Do you mean that as Melkor created orcs in opposition to elves he had no "opposite" to men? --{{User:Mith/sig}} 14:09, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

==Etymology and Names==

JRRT notes the Nandorin word for orcs in PE17 (p. 54) '''''ūriƒ'''''. However, I'm uncertain about how to the render the last letter in the word - the original form of the letter is similar, but does not carry the small horizontal line. Is this a letter of its own, or merely a variant rendering of ƒ? --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 01:24, 3 July 2011 (UTC)

:There is the "[[wikipedia:Long s|long s]]" ''ſ'' (and [[wikipedia:Esh (letter)|the similar Esh]] ''ʃ''). Do these seem likely? --{{User:Mith/sig}} 09:41, 3 July 2011 (UTC)

::Many thanks, Mith! It's the Esh (''ʃ'') - could you please add it to the insert box? --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 09:43, 3 July 2011 (UTC)

:::Added both.--{{User:Mith/sig}} 10:07, 3 July 2011 (UTC)

== Orc - Rohirric or Westron ==

Quote: "This '''spelling''' was taken from Old English. The word seemed, in itself, very suitable to the creatures that I had in mind. But the Old English orc in meaning - so far as that is known - is not suitable. Also the spelling of what, in the later more organized linguistic situation, must have been a '''Common Speech''' form of a word or group of similar words should be ork."

Quote: "Orc. This is supposed to be the '''Common Speech''' name of these creatures at that time; it should therefore according to the system be translated into English, or the language of translation. It was translated 'goblin' in The Hobbit, except in one place; but this word, and other words of similar sense in other European languages (as far as I know), are not really suitable. The orc in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, though of course partly made out of traditional features, is not really comparable in supposed origin, functions, and relation to the Elves. In any case orc seemed to me, and seems, in sound a good name for these creatures. It should be '''retained'''."

Orc, or rather, the spelling of Orc is '''FROM''' Old English in reality, and the word itself was Westron in Middle-earth, '''NOT''' Rohirric, so I conclude.

It´s not like the other OE-for-Rohirric words in the LotR. Tolkien just '''retained''' this word from Westron, and where he did translate this 3rd age word, he translated it into Modern English.--[[User:SUM EGO|SUM EGO]] 06:37, 23 November 2011 (UTC)

:I just found the quote for orc being (also?) Rohirric, "Orc is the form of the name that other races had for this foul people as it was in the language of Rohan."
:I undid my previous edit, and I'm sorry for it, but still I think the '''Orcs and Goblins''' section need to be improved.--[[User:SUM EGO|SUM EGO]] 07:25, 23 November 2011 (UTC)

::OK, good.--{{User:KingAragorn/sig}} 13:01, 23 November 2011 (UTC)

Seems like I have to put more source to support my argument.

"Orc is not an English word. It occurs in one or two places but is usually translated goblin ... Orc is the hobbits' form of the name given at that time to these creatures, and it is not connected at all with our orc, ork..." --- The Hobbit

Still no one try to rewrite the '''Orcs and Goblins''' section?

User talk:Ederchil

2011-12-14T02:39:27Z

SUM EGO: /* Concerning the _orcs_ */

{{usertalk}}

{| align="right"
| __TOC__
|}
<center>
=Archive=
'''[[User talk:Ederchil/2008|January 12, 2008 - December 19, 2008]]''' 
'''[[User talk:Ederchil/2009|January 9, 2009 - December 23, 2009]]''' 
'''[[User talk:Ederchil/2010|January 9, 2010 - November 19, 2010]]'''
=2011=
</center>


== My User Page ==

Hey Ederchil, I'm having some trouble coding a couple things on my user page and I wanted to know if you could help me out and let me know how I can fix them? So, I'm trying to get the picture of Eärendil centered under Legolas' quote, and also, how could I get the quote to the left of the image? Lastly, how can I get Aragorn's quote on Gondor to stay below the picture without using so many "br" codes for spacing (if there is a way)? Thank you!! --{{User:Breragor/sig}} 19:31, 14 February 2011 (UTC)

Also, I'm trying to make a heading for my "Userboxes" area. I'd like it to go beneath that with the titles "Code" and "Userbox." How can I make that and post userboxes beneath each column with their code also displayed? Thanks again!! --{{User:Breragor/sig}} 20:04, 14 February 2011 (UTC)

:Better? -- {{User:Ederchil/sig}} 07:31, 15 February 2011 (UTC)

::Yeah, that helped a lot, thanks! But what of the userbox header? --{{User:Breragor/sig}} 21:46, 15 February 2011 (UTC)

== [[Eriador]] ==

Hey Ederchil, it has been over a year now since our last Featured Article change and [[Eriador]] has received four positive votes. Maybe you could vote on the article and with a bit of luck we have five votes then ;) -- [[User:Eldarion Telcontar|Eldarion Telcontar]] 19:58, 27 February 2011 (UTC)

==Meeting==
Hi Ederchil! Welcome to join the meeting which is taking place right now, if you have a chance. --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 20:54, 6 March 2011 (UTC)

==Congrats==

:(Just saw you've become 25. I know it's a bit late, but ''beter laat dan nooit''.)
:Congratulations, Ederchil, with your 25th birthday. I hope you had a nice birthday.

:Was April 17. I don't really feel 25, though. -- {{User:Ederchil/sig}} 18:01, 13 May 2011 (UTC)

== Elendur ==

[http://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Elendur_%28son_of_Isildur%29&diff=81900&oldid=81894 Where did you find the hair and eye colour] for [[Elendur (son of Isildur)]]? --{{User:Mith/sig}} 14:58, 15 July 2011 (UTC)

:Probably conjecture based on their Númenorean heritage. 2009... those were the sourceless days. --{{User:Ederchil/sig}} 16:10, 15 July 2011 (UTC)

== New letters to insert box ==

Could you please add the "tilde" letters to the insert box?

Ãã Ẽẽ Ĩĩ Ññ Õõ Ũũ Ṽṽ Ỹỹ

Thank you. --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 12:54, 20 July 2011 (UTC)

== Nick Clegg ==

[[U:KingAragorn|KingAragorn]] is helping me test the [http://tolkiengateway.net/beta Beta wiki]. He got the wrong one! (You can help too: just go around doing stuff - the sooner it's tested, the sooner it'll be here.) --{{User:Mith/sig}} 18:06, 5 August 2011 (UTC)
==Deleted Proto-Quendian elements==
Hi there. I had started some articles with analyses on PQ elements and affixes, like the article on [[-rô]] and possibly others. Yesterday I found that you deleted it, and it's only content was <nowiki>{{delete}}</nowiki>. I never realized that it was a candidate for deletion, nor the reason, although I can guess (red links, original research, triviality etc). However since I had put quite some effort writing them, would it be possible to salvage the latest version so that I can copy it to some personal space? Thanks [[User:Sage|Sage]] 09:05, 8 August 2011 (UTC)

:I probably deleted them as part of a batch when I was going through To Be Deleted. I restored them, just tag them for deletion again when you're done with them. -- {{User:Ederchil/sig}} 15:26, 8 August 2011 (UTC)

== RE: Images ==

I'll be sure to next time! --[[User:Icarus|'''Icarus''']] ([[User talk:Icarus|Son of Daedalus]]) 09:19, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

== Article ==

hmm Hello, I am working on the elves project and I just finished editing [[Amroth]] when I found out that you mentioned that it needed more resourcing. May I ask why ? While editing, I had as only source The Unfinished Tales, the other one (Etymology) I left it as it was. What part exactly needs sourcing ? Is there something more about Amroth in the HoME ? Thank you. [[User:Arwen.lb|Arwen.lb]] 12:03, 12 August 2011 (UTC)

:The Other versions in the legendarium section needs some specific sources. You might want to check [[Help:References]] on how to include notes, and the Citation templates (like [[:Template:UT]]) are easier than writing it out in full too. --{{User:Ederchil/sig}} 12:21, 12 August 2011 (UTC)

::Ah Okay I'll check that again thanks :) [[User:Arwen.lb|Arwen.lb]] 12:25, 12 August 2011 (UTC)

== why ==

===this does'nt make sense===
dear
ederchil
why where my additions deleated???????

:Because we have standards. Your edits are far below those. If you type "sauruman" and "hobbeton", and use no punctuation, you shouldn't be surprised we get rid of it. --{{User:Ederchil/sig}} 19:20, 8 September 2011 (UTC)

== Orcs WP clean-up ==

If you're short on time, I could have a look on cleaning up/adapting the WP copy on "Orcs". --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 19:39, 8 October 2011 (UTC)
:Nope. See his talk in a sec. --{{User:Ederchil/sig}} 19:43, 8 October 2011 (UTC)

== Concerning the _orcs_ ==

So, why was my edit undid. Any good reason for removing the 'being Westron' stuff? I'd like to know. Would you mind to comment to my discussion there? Suilad! [[User:SUM EGO|SUM EGO]] 01:32, 13 December 2011 (UTC)

:For one, [[Template:HM|sourcing]]. Explanations and direct quotes go in the text, only the source goes in the refs.
:It's never said to be Westron in the source you gave - it's CS (the entry Orcs in [[Nomenclature]]. In the intro, JRRT mentions that isn't actual CS, but the English used to represent it.
:Appendix F, Of Other Races, Orcs and the Black Speech, first line: "Orc in the form of the name that other races had for this foul people as it was in the language of Rohan."
:[[Parma Eldalamberon 17|PE17]]:47 gives the Westron word "orka" for Orc.
:Either way, the section, and the entire article, needs an extensive rewrite. --{{User:Ederchil/sig}} 08:18, 13 December 2011 (UTC)

::See, I know it's not easy to tell when CS refers to the actual W. But if orc's English, why does it need to be TRANSLATED Goblin?
_orc_ is kind of an exception. It's genuine W, but unlike any other W words (eg. Karningul, totally replaced by Rivendell) Tolkien retained the SOUND of it along with the English equivalent Goblin. That's what I get from the source I gave and ...

Quote: "Orc is '''not an English''' word. It occurs in one or two places but is usually '''translated''' goblin ... Orc is the hobbits' form of the name given at that time to these creatures, and it is not connected at all with our orc, ork..." --- The Hobbit.
[[User:SUM EGO|SUM EGO]] 17:43, 13 December 2011 (UTC)

:Like I said, it needs a rewrite. The current version is not accurate, but neither is yours. --{{User:Ederchil/sig}} 18:31, 13 December 2011 (UTC)

I would agree, if you were rewriting, or about to rewrite, knowing _orc_ is "not" English, nor mere Old English.
PE17 gives "orka", yes, Tolkien's ideas are ever changing. [[User:SUM EGO|SUM EGO]] 02:39, 14 December 2011 (UTC)

User talk:Ederchil

2011-12-13T17:46:26Z

SUM EGO: /* Concerning the _orcs_ */

User talk:Ederchil

2011-12-13T17:44:51Z

SUM EGO: /* Concerning the _orcs_ */

{{usertalk}}

{| align="right"
| __TOC__
|}
<center>
=Archive=
'''[[User talk:Ederchil/2008|January 12, 2008 - December 19, 2008]]''' 
'''[[User talk:Ederchil/2009|January 9, 2009 - December 23, 2009]]''' 
'''[[User talk:Ederchil/2010|January 9, 2010 - November 19, 2010]]'''
=2011=
</center>


== My User Page ==

Hey Ederchil, I'm having some trouble coding a couple things on my user page and I wanted to know if you could help me out and let me know how I can fix them? So, I'm trying to get the picture of Eärendil centered under Legolas' quote, and also, how could I get the quote to the left of the image? Lastly, how can I get Aragorn's quote on Gondor to stay below the picture without using so many "br" codes for spacing (if there is a way)? Thank you!! --{{User:Breragor/sig}} 19:31, 14 February 2011 (UTC)

Also, I'm trying to make a heading for my "Userboxes" area. I'd like it to go beneath that with the titles "Code" and "Userbox." How can I make that and post userboxes beneath each column with their code also displayed? Thanks again!! --{{User:Breragor/sig}} 20:04, 14 February 2011 (UTC)

:Better? -- {{User:Ederchil/sig}} 07:31, 15 February 2011 (UTC)

::Yeah, that helped a lot, thanks! But what of the userbox header? --{{User:Breragor/sig}} 21:46, 15 February 2011 (UTC)

== [[Eriador]] ==

Hey Ederchil, it has been over a year now since our last Featured Article change and [[Eriador]] has received four positive votes. Maybe you could vote on the article and with a bit of luck we have five votes then ;) -- [[User:Eldarion Telcontar|Eldarion Telcontar]] 19:58, 27 February 2011 (UTC)

==Meeting==
Hi Ederchil! Welcome to join the meeting which is taking place right now, if you have a chance. --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 20:54, 6 March 2011 (UTC)

==Congrats==

:(Just saw you've become 25. I know it's a bit late, but ''beter laat dan nooit''.)
:Congratulations, Ederchil, with your 25th birthday. I hope you had a nice birthday.

:Was April 17. I don't really feel 25, though. -- {{User:Ederchil/sig}} 18:01, 13 May 2011 (UTC)

== Elendur ==

[http://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Elendur_%28son_of_Isildur%29&diff=81900&oldid=81894 Where did you find the hair and eye colour] for [[Elendur (son of Isildur)]]? --{{User:Mith/sig}} 14:58, 15 July 2011 (UTC)

:Probably conjecture based on their Númenorean heritage. 2009... those were the sourceless days. --{{User:Ederchil/sig}} 16:10, 15 July 2011 (UTC)

== New letters to insert box ==

Could you please add the "tilde" letters to the insert box?

Ãã Ẽẽ Ĩĩ Ññ Õõ Ũũ Ṽṽ Ỹỹ

Thank you. --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 12:54, 20 July 2011 (UTC)

== Nick Clegg ==

[[U:KingAragorn|KingAragorn]] is helping me test the [http://tolkiengateway.net/beta Beta wiki]. He got the wrong one! (You can help too: just go around doing stuff - the sooner it's tested, the sooner it'll be here.) --{{User:Mith/sig}} 18:06, 5 August 2011 (UTC)
==Deleted Proto-Quendian elements==
Hi there. I had started some articles with analyses on PQ elements and affixes, like the article on [[-rô]] and possibly others. Yesterday I found that you deleted it, and it's only content was <nowiki>{{delete}}</nowiki>. I never realized that it was a candidate for deletion, nor the reason, although I can guess (red links, original research, triviality etc). However since I had put quite some effort writing them, would it be possible to salvage the latest version so that I can copy it to some personal space? Thanks [[User:Sage|Sage]] 09:05, 8 August 2011 (UTC)

:I probably deleted them as part of a batch when I was going through To Be Deleted. I restored them, just tag them for deletion again when you're done with them. -- {{User:Ederchil/sig}} 15:26, 8 August 2011 (UTC)

== RE: Images ==

I'll be sure to next time! --[[User:Icarus|'''Icarus''']] ([[User talk:Icarus|Son of Daedalus]]) 09:19, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

== Article ==

hmm Hello, I am working on the elves project and I just finished editing [[Amroth]] when I found out that you mentioned that it needed more resourcing. May I ask why ? While editing, I had as only source The Unfinished Tales, the other one (Etymology) I left it as it was. What part exactly needs sourcing ? Is there something more about Amroth in the HoME ? Thank you. [[User:Arwen.lb|Arwen.lb]] 12:03, 12 August 2011 (UTC)

:The Other versions in the legendarium section needs some specific sources. You might want to check [[Help:References]] on how to include notes, and the Citation templates (like [[:Template:UT]]) are easier than writing it out in full too. --{{User:Ederchil/sig}} 12:21, 12 August 2011 (UTC)

::Ah Okay I'll check that again thanks :) [[User:Arwen.lb|Arwen.lb]] 12:25, 12 August 2011 (UTC)

== why ==

===this does'nt make sense===
dear
ederchil
why where my additions deleated???????

:Because we have standards. Your edits are far below those. If you type "sauruman" and "hobbeton", and use no punctuation, you shouldn't be surprised we get rid of it. --{{User:Ederchil/sig}} 19:20, 8 September 2011 (UTC)

== Orcs WP clean-up ==

If you're short on time, I could have a look on cleaning up/adapting the WP copy on "Orcs". --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 19:39, 8 October 2011 (UTC)
:Nope. See his talk in a sec. --{{User:Ederchil/sig}} 19:43, 8 October 2011 (UTC)

== Concerning the _orcs_ ==

So, why was my edit undid. Any good reason for removing the 'being Westron' stuff? I'd like to know. Would you mind to comment to my discussion there? Suilad! [[User:SUM EGO|SUM EGO]] 01:32, 13 December 2011 (UTC)

:For one, [[Template:HM|sourcing]]. Explanations and direct quotes go in the text, only the source goes in the refs.
:It's never said to be Westron in the source you gave - it's CS (the entry Orcs in [[Nomenclature]]. In the intro, JRRT mentions that isn't actual CS, but the English used to represent it.
:Appendix F, Of Other Races, Orcs and the Black Speech, first line: "Orc in the form of the name that other races had for this foul people as it was in the language of Rohan."
:[[Parma Eldalamberon 17|PE17]]:47 gives the Westron word "orka" for Orc.
:Either way, the section, and the entire article, needs an extensive rewrite. --{{User:Ederchil/sig}} 08:18, 13 December 2011 (UTC)

::See, I know it's not easy to tell when CS refers to the actual W. But if orc's English, why does it need to be TRANSLATED Goblin?
_orc_ is kind of an exception. It's genuine W, but unlike any other W words (eg. Karningul, totally replaced by Rivendell) Tolkien retained the SOUND of it along with the English equivalent Goblin. That's what I get from the source I gave and ...

Quote: "Orc is '''not an English''' word. It occurs in one or two places but is usually translated goblin ... Orc is the hobbits' form of the name given at that time to these creatures, and it is not connected at all with our orc, ork..." --- The Hobbit.
[[User:SUM EGO|SUM EGO]] 17:43, 13 December 2011 (UTC)

User talk:Ederchil

2011-12-13T17:44:19Z

SUM EGO: /* Concerning the _orcs_ */

{{usertalk}}

{| align="right"
| __TOC__
|}
<center>
=Archive=
'''[[User talk:Ederchil/2008|January 12, 2008 - December 19, 2008]]''' 
'''[[User talk:Ederchil/2009|January 9, 2009 - December 23, 2009]]''' 
'''[[User talk:Ederchil/2010|January 9, 2010 - November 19, 2010]]'''
=2011=
</center>


== My User Page ==

Hey Ederchil, I'm having some trouble coding a couple things on my user page and I wanted to know if you could help me out and let me know how I can fix them? So, I'm trying to get the picture of Eärendil centered under Legolas' quote, and also, how could I get the quote to the left of the image? Lastly, how can I get Aragorn's quote on Gondor to stay below the picture without using so many "br" codes for spacing (if there is a way)? Thank you!! --{{User:Breragor/sig}} 19:31, 14 February 2011 (UTC)

Also, I'm trying to make a heading for my "Userboxes" area. I'd like it to go beneath that with the titles "Code" and "Userbox." How can I make that and post userboxes beneath each column with their code also displayed? Thanks again!! --{{User:Breragor/sig}} 20:04, 14 February 2011 (UTC)

:Better? -- {{User:Ederchil/sig}} 07:31, 15 February 2011 (UTC)

::Yeah, that helped a lot, thanks! But what of the userbox header? --{{User:Breragor/sig}} 21:46, 15 February 2011 (UTC)

== [[Eriador]] ==

Hey Ederchil, it has been over a year now since our last Featured Article change and [[Eriador]] has received four positive votes. Maybe you could vote on the article and with a bit of luck we have five votes then ;) -- [[User:Eldarion Telcontar|Eldarion Telcontar]] 19:58, 27 February 2011 (UTC)

==Meeting==
Hi Ederchil! Welcome to join the meeting which is taking place right now, if you have a chance. --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 20:54, 6 March 2011 (UTC)

==Congrats==

:(Just saw you've become 25. I know it's a bit late, but ''beter laat dan nooit''.)
:Congratulations, Ederchil, with your 25th birthday. I hope you had a nice birthday.

:Was April 17. I don't really feel 25, though. -- {{User:Ederchil/sig}} 18:01, 13 May 2011 (UTC)

== Elendur ==

[http://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Elendur_%28son_of_Isildur%29&diff=81900&oldid=81894 Where did you find the hair and eye colour] for [[Elendur (son of Isildur)]]? --{{User:Mith/sig}} 14:58, 15 July 2011 (UTC)

:Probably conjecture based on their Númenorean heritage. 2009... those were the sourceless days. --{{User:Ederchil/sig}} 16:10, 15 July 2011 (UTC)

== New letters to insert box ==

Could you please add the "tilde" letters to the insert box?

Ãã Ẽẽ Ĩĩ Ññ Õõ Ũũ Ṽṽ Ỹỹ

Thank you. --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 12:54, 20 July 2011 (UTC)

== Nick Clegg ==

[[U:KingAragorn|KingAragorn]] is helping me test the [http://tolkiengateway.net/beta Beta wiki]. He got the wrong one! (You can help too: just go around doing stuff - the sooner it's tested, the sooner it'll be here.) --{{User:Mith/sig}} 18:06, 5 August 2011 (UTC)
==Deleted Proto-Quendian elements==
Hi there. I had started some articles with analyses on PQ elements and affixes, like the article on [[-rô]] and possibly others. Yesterday I found that you deleted it, and it's only content was <nowiki>{{delete}}</nowiki>. I never realized that it was a candidate for deletion, nor the reason, although I can guess (red links, original research, triviality etc). However since I had put quite some effort writing them, would it be possible to salvage the latest version so that I can copy it to some personal space? Thanks [[User:Sage|Sage]] 09:05, 8 August 2011 (UTC)

:I probably deleted them as part of a batch when I was going through To Be Deleted. I restored them, just tag them for deletion again when you're done with them. -- {{User:Ederchil/sig}} 15:26, 8 August 2011 (UTC)

== RE: Images ==

I'll be sure to next time! --[[User:Icarus|'''Icarus''']] ([[User talk:Icarus|Son of Daedalus]]) 09:19, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

== Article ==

hmm Hello, I am working on the elves project and I just finished editing [[Amroth]] when I found out that you mentioned that it needed more resourcing. May I ask why ? While editing, I had as only source The Unfinished Tales, the other one (Etymology) I left it as it was. What part exactly needs sourcing ? Is there something more about Amroth in the HoME ? Thank you. [[User:Arwen.lb|Arwen.lb]] 12:03, 12 August 2011 (UTC)

:The Other versions in the legendarium section needs some specific sources. You might want to check [[Help:References]] on how to include notes, and the Citation templates (like [[:Template:UT]]) are easier than writing it out in full too. --{{User:Ederchil/sig}} 12:21, 12 August 2011 (UTC)

::Ah Okay I'll check that again thanks :) [[User:Arwen.lb|Arwen.lb]] 12:25, 12 August 2011 (UTC)

== why ==

===this does'nt make sense===
dear
ederchil
why where my additions deleated???????

:Because we have standards. Your edits are far below those. If you type "sauruman" and "hobbeton", and use no punctuation, you shouldn't be surprised we get rid of it. --{{User:Ederchil/sig}} 19:20, 8 September 2011 (UTC)

== Orcs WP clean-up ==

If you're short on time, I could have a look on cleaning up/adapting the WP copy on "Orcs". --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 19:39, 8 October 2011 (UTC)
:Nope. See his talk in a sec. --{{User:Ederchil/sig}} 19:43, 8 October 2011 (UTC)

== Concerning the _orcs_ ==

So, why was my edit undid. Any good reason for removing the 'being Westron' stuff? I'd like to know. Would you mind to comment to my discussion there? Suilad! [[User:SUM EGO|SUM EGO]] 01:32, 13 December 2011 (UTC)

:For one, [[Template:HM|sourcing]]. Explanations and direct quotes go in the text, only the source goes in the refs.
:It's never said to be Westron in the source you gave - it's CS (the entry Orcs in [[Nomenclature]]. In the intro, JRRT mentions that isn't actual CS, but the English used to represent it.
:Appendix F, Of Other Races, Orcs and the Black Speech, first line: "Orc in the form of the name that other races had for this foul people as it was in the language of Rohan."
:[[Parma Eldalamberon 17|PE17]]:47 gives the Westron word "orka" for Orc.
:Either way, the section, and the entire article, needs an extensive rewrite. --{{User:Ederchil/sig}} 08:18, 13 December 2011 (UTC)

::See, I know it's not easy to tell when CS refers to the actual W. But if orc's English, why does it need to be TRANSLATED Goblin?
_orc_ is kind of an exception. It's genuine W, but unlike any other W words (eg. Karningul, totally replaced by Rivendell) Tolkien retained the SOUND of it along with the English equivalent Goblin. That's what I get from the source I gave and ...

Quote: "Orc is not an English word. It occurs in one or two places but is usually translated goblin ... Orc is the hobbits' form of the name given at that time to these creatures, and it is not connected at all with our orc, ork..." --- The Hobbit.
[[User:SUM EGO|SUM EGO]] 17:43, 13 December 2011 (UTC)

User talk:Ederchil

2011-12-13T17:43:25Z

SUM EGO: /* Concerning the _orcs_ */

{{usertalk}}

{| align="right"
| __TOC__
|}
<center>
=Archive=
'''[[User talk:Ederchil/2008|January 12, 2008 - December 19, 2008]]''' 
'''[[User talk:Ederchil/2009|January 9, 2009 - December 23, 2009]]''' 
'''[[User talk:Ederchil/2010|January 9, 2010 - November 19, 2010]]'''
=2011=
</center>


== My User Page ==

Hey Ederchil, I'm having some trouble coding a couple things on my user page and I wanted to know if you could help me out and let me know how I can fix them? So, I'm trying to get the picture of Eärendil centered under Legolas' quote, and also, how could I get the quote to the left of the image? Lastly, how can I get Aragorn's quote on Gondor to stay below the picture without using so many "br" codes for spacing (if there is a way)? Thank you!! --{{User:Breragor/sig}} 19:31, 14 February 2011 (UTC)

Also, I'm trying to make a heading for my "Userboxes" area. I'd like it to go beneath that with the titles "Code" and "Userbox." How can I make that and post userboxes beneath each column with their code also displayed? Thanks again!! --{{User:Breragor/sig}} 20:04, 14 February 2011 (UTC)

:Better? -- {{User:Ederchil/sig}} 07:31, 15 February 2011 (UTC)

::Yeah, that helped a lot, thanks! But what of the userbox header? --{{User:Breragor/sig}} 21:46, 15 February 2011 (UTC)

== [[Eriador]] ==

Hey Ederchil, it has been over a year now since our last Featured Article change and [[Eriador]] has received four positive votes. Maybe you could vote on the article and with a bit of luck we have five votes then ;) -- [[User:Eldarion Telcontar|Eldarion Telcontar]] 19:58, 27 February 2011 (UTC)

==Meeting==
Hi Ederchil! Welcome to join the meeting which is taking place right now, if you have a chance. --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 20:54, 6 March 2011 (UTC)

==Congrats==

:(Just saw you've become 25. I know it's a bit late, but ''beter laat dan nooit''.)
:Congratulations, Ederchil, with your 25th birthday. I hope you had a nice birthday.

:Was April 17. I don't really feel 25, though. -- {{User:Ederchil/sig}} 18:01, 13 May 2011 (UTC)

== Elendur ==

[http://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Elendur_%28son_of_Isildur%29&diff=81900&oldid=81894 Where did you find the hair and eye colour] for [[Elendur (son of Isildur)]]? --{{User:Mith/sig}} 14:58, 15 July 2011 (UTC)

:Probably conjecture based on their Númenorean heritage. 2009... those were the sourceless days. --{{User:Ederchil/sig}} 16:10, 15 July 2011 (UTC)

== New letters to insert box ==

Could you please add the "tilde" letters to the insert box?

Ãã Ẽẽ Ĩĩ Ññ Õõ Ũũ Ṽṽ Ỹỹ

Thank you. --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 12:54, 20 July 2011 (UTC)

== Nick Clegg ==

[[U:KingAragorn|KingAragorn]] is helping me test the [http://tolkiengateway.net/beta Beta wiki]. He got the wrong one! (You can help too: just go around doing stuff - the sooner it's tested, the sooner it'll be here.) --{{User:Mith/sig}} 18:06, 5 August 2011 (UTC)
==Deleted Proto-Quendian elements==
Hi there. I had started some articles with analyses on PQ elements and affixes, like the article on [[-rô]] and possibly others. Yesterday I found that you deleted it, and it's only content was <nowiki>{{delete}}</nowiki>. I never realized that it was a candidate for deletion, nor the reason, although I can guess (red links, original research, triviality etc). However since I had put quite some effort writing them, would it be possible to salvage the latest version so that I can copy it to some personal space? Thanks [[User:Sage|Sage]] 09:05, 8 August 2011 (UTC)

:I probably deleted them as part of a batch when I was going through To Be Deleted. I restored them, just tag them for deletion again when you're done with them. -- {{User:Ederchil/sig}} 15:26, 8 August 2011 (UTC)

== RE: Images ==

I'll be sure to next time! --[[User:Icarus|'''Icarus''']] ([[User talk:Icarus|Son of Daedalus]]) 09:19, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

== Article ==

hmm Hello, I am working on the elves project and I just finished editing [[Amroth]] when I found out that you mentioned that it needed more resourcing. May I ask why ? While editing, I had as only source The Unfinished Tales, the other one (Etymology) I left it as it was. What part exactly needs sourcing ? Is there something more about Amroth in the HoME ? Thank you. [[User:Arwen.lb|Arwen.lb]] 12:03, 12 August 2011 (UTC)

:The Other versions in the legendarium section needs some specific sources. You might want to check [[Help:References]] on how to include notes, and the Citation templates (like [[:Template:UT]]) are easier than writing it out in full too. --{{User:Ederchil/sig}} 12:21, 12 August 2011 (UTC)

::Ah Okay I'll check that again thanks :) [[User:Arwen.lb|Arwen.lb]] 12:25, 12 August 2011 (UTC)

== why ==

===this does'nt make sense===
dear
ederchil
why where my additions deleated???????

:Because we have standards. Your edits are far below those. If you type "sauruman" and "hobbeton", and use no punctuation, you shouldn't be surprised we get rid of it. --{{User:Ederchil/sig}} 19:20, 8 September 2011 (UTC)

== Orcs WP clean-up ==

If you're short on time, I could have a look on cleaning up/adapting the WP copy on "Orcs". --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 19:39, 8 October 2011 (UTC)
:Nope. See his talk in a sec. --{{User:Ederchil/sig}} 19:43, 8 October 2011 (UTC)

== Concerning the _orcs_ ==

So, why was my edit undid. Any good reason for removing the 'being Westron' stuff? I'd like to know. Would you mind to comment to my discussion there? Suilad! [[User:SUM EGO|SUM EGO]] 01:32, 13 December 2011 (UTC)

:For one, [[Template:HM|sourcing]]. Explanations and direct quotes go in the text, only the source goes in the refs.
:It's never said to be Westron in the source you gave - it's CS (the entry Orcs in [[Nomenclature]]. In the intro, JRRT mentions that isn't actual CS, but the English used to represent it.
:Appendix F, Of Other Races, Orcs and the Black Speech, first line: "Orc in the form of the name that other races had for this foul people as it was in the language of Rohan."
:[[Parma Eldalamberon 17|PE17]]:47 gives the Westron word "orka" for Orc.
:Either way, the section, and the entire article, needs an extensive rewrite. --{{User:Ederchil/sig}} 08:18, 13 December 2011 (UTC)

::See, I know it's not easy to tell when CS refers to the actual W. But if orc's English, why does it need to be TRANSLATED Goblin?
_orc_ is kind of an exception. It's genuine W, but unlike any other W words (eg. Karningul, totally replaced by Rivendell) Tolkien retained the SOUND of it along with the English equivalent Goblin. That's what I get from the source I gave and ...

Quote: "Orc is not an English word. It occurs in one or two places but is usually translated goblin ... Orc is the hobbits' form of the name given at that time to these creatures, and it is not connected at all with our orc, ork..." The Hobbit
[[User:SUM EGO|SUM EGO]] 17:43, 13 December 2011 (UTC)

User talk:Ederchil

2011-12-13T01:32:41Z

SUM EGO: /* Concerning the _orcs_ */ new section

Talk:Orcs

2011-11-23T07:25:56Z

SUM EGO: /* Orc - Rohirric or Westron */

The following external links no longer work:

The Origin of the Orcs (htm version)
The Origin of the Orcs (doc version)
The Origin of the Orcs (pdf version)

I got: The webpage cannot be found {{unsigned|71.173.181.175}}

:I solved the problem by deleting it :). It was inappropriate anyway, and the whole article needs to be rewritten. -- {{User:Ederchil/sig}} 10:51, 26 March 2009 (UTC)
::Which article? [[User:Sage|Sage]] 12:25, 26 March 2009 (UTC)
:::Oh this article. Too much work to be done by 1.5 persons (= I am doing 0.4 of your work and the rest 0.1 belongs to occasional contributors) [[User:Sage|Sage]] 12:27, 26 March 2009 (UTC)
::::I won't be doing much either. Just got an angry email that there was a deadline last week. So I got to focus on that first -- {{User:Ederchil/sig}} 12:51, 26 March 2009 (UTC)
:::::That's my point... where can we find more contributors? :) [[User:Sage|Sage]] 17:55, 26 March 2009 (UTC)

I edited the "Orcs and Goblins" section heavily to remove unfounded comments about "goblins" being a Hobbitish term when it is, in fact, an English word. I also cut down on some unfounded claims in the "Controversy" section. [[User:Eldorion|Eldorion]]

There needs to be a serious section in this article about the culture and ethics of Orcs, and whether Orcs are ultimately free to choose good or evil. I've seen other wikis touch on this issue, but this article barely does. A lot of people (myself included) have never been thrilled about the whole "evil race" concept played completely straight. 
As an entirely personal belief (not something I would expect to put in the article), I think Orcs have the ability to live as good [[Avari]], and that it's the established traditions of Orc culture that inspire evil, and that Elves who do evil and ill-inspired acts (such as [[Fëanor]] and [[Sons of Fëanor|his sons]] along with [[Eöl]] and [[Maeglin]]) essentially make themselves Orcs, and that the difference of appearance between Elves and Orcs ("fair" vs. "ugly") is ultimately meaningless. The [[Silmarils]] knew the difference, and they burned evil and corruption when it touched them. I'm not sure Tolkien would completely disagree, as he once said, "We were all Orcs in the Great War." But I digress... - [[User:Gilgamesh|Gilgamesh]] 12:12, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

:I just (4/5/2011) summarized Letter 153 (a very long summary) for the Tolkien Gateway, wherein Tolkien dug very deeply into the metaphysics of Middle-earth. On the subject of Orcs, innate Free Will, their "evil race" status, and such, this letter probably gives Tolkien's "clearest" answers. -- Gamling 01:07, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

== Origin ==

I just would like to ask an question in regards to the origin of the orcs. First off I have no preferance either way, be it men or elves, but I would like to raise the point of time. Men awoke at the rising of the sun, so wouldn't this then pose a problem for Melkor when he made the orcs in the first war in Beleriand, for the sake of the elves.? Unless he can time shift and or travel. So then we are left with a rather interesting situation, any thoughts? {{unsigned|GaiusMarius}}

:Sorry, you've lost me? Do you mean that as Melkor created orcs in opposition to elves he had no "opposite" to men? --{{User:Mith/sig}} 14:09, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

==Etymology and Names==

JRRT notes the Nandorin word for orcs in PE17 (p. 54) '''''ūriƒ'''''. However, I'm uncertain about how to the render the last letter in the word - the original form of the letter is similar, but does not carry the small horizontal line. Is this a letter of its own, or merely a variant rendering of ƒ? --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 01:24, 3 July 2011 (UTC)

:There is the "[[wikipedia:Long s|long s]]" ''ſ'' (and [[wikipedia:Esh (letter)|the similar Esh]] ''ʃ''). Do these seem likely? --{{User:Mith/sig}} 09:41, 3 July 2011 (UTC)

::Many thanks, Mith! It's the Esh (''ʃ'') - could you please add it to the insert box? --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 09:43, 3 July 2011 (UTC)

:::Added both.--{{User:Mith/sig}} 10:07, 3 July 2011 (UTC)

== Orc - Rohirric or Westron ==

Quote: "This '''spelling''' was taken from Old English. The word seemed, in itself, very suitable to the creatures that I had in mind. But the Old English orc in meaning - so far as that is known - is not suitable. Also the spelling of what, in the later more organized linguistic situation, must have been a '''Common Speech''' form of a word or group of similar words should be ork."

Quote: "Orc. This is supposed to be the '''Common Speech''' name of these creatures at that time; it should therefore according to the system be translated into English, or the language of translation. It was translated 'goblin' in The Hobbit, except in one place; but this word, and other words of similar sense in other European languages (as far as I know), are not really suitable. The orc in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, though of course partly made out of traditional features, is not really comparable in supposed origin, functions, and relation to the Elves. In any case orc seemed to me, and seems, in sound a good name for these creatures. It should be '''retained'''."

Orc, or rather, the spelling of Orc is '''FROM''' Old English in reality, and the word itself was Westron in Middle-earth, '''NOT''' Rohirric, so I conclude.

It´s not like the other OE-for-Rohirric words in the LotR. Tolkien just '''retained''' this word from Westron, and where he did translate this 3rd age word, he translated it into Modern English.
[[User:SUM EGO|SUM EGO]] 06:37, 23 November 2011 (UTC)

I just found the quote for orc being (also?) Rohirric, "Orc is the form of the name that other races had for this foul people as it was in the language of Rohan."
I undid my previous edit, and I'm sorry for it, but still I think the '''Orcs and Goblins''' sections need to be improved.
[[User:SUM EGO|SUM EGO]] 07:25, 23 November 2011 (UTC)

Orcs

2011-11-23T07:08:42Z

SUM EGO: Undo revision 175780 by SUM EGO (talk)

{{rewrite}}{{sources}}
{{race
| image=[[Image:John Howe - In Mordor.jpg|250px]]
| name= Orcs
| dominions=[[Mordor]], [[Angband]], [[Misty Mountains]], [[Mount Gundabad]], [[Angmar]], [[Utumno]]
| languages= [[Black Speech]]; numerous [[Orkish]] languages of their own
| height= probably just above 5'{{fact}}
| length=
| skincolor= Sallow, Green, Brown, Grey
| haircolor=
| feathers=
| distinctions= Short, sallow
| lifespan=
| members= [[Gothmog, Lieutenant of Morgul|Gothmog]], [[Othrod]], [[Azog]], [[Gorbag]]
|}}
'''Orcs''' (also called '''[[Orcs#Orcs and Goblins|Goblins]]''') were the footsoldiers of evil overlords - [[Morgoth]], [[Sauron]] and the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]].

==History==
===Origins and early Years===

The Orcs were bred by [[Morgoth|Melkor]] in mockery of the [[Elves]], sometime during the [[The Darkness#The Great Darkness|Great Darkness]].<ref>{{S|3}}</ref><ref>{{TT|III4}}</ref>

[[Image:Warren Mahy-Orc Archer.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Orc by [[Warren Mahy]]]]

It is unclear when exactly Orcs were created, but it certainly happened before the [[War for Sake of the Elves]] in his stronghold of Utumno. If the Orcs where at this time a capable fighting force against the host of Valinor is not known. But at least some of them survived this war, probably hidden in the deep vaults of [[Angband]] and multiplied, waiting for their master.

When Melkor (now known as [[Morgoth]]) returned to Middle-earth he created new hordes of Orcs and invaded [[Beleriand]], where the [[First Battle of Beleriand]] took place. Orcs fought also in [[Dagor-nuin-Giliath]].

===First Age===
Orcs appear in the [[First Age]] as the core force of [[Morgoth]]. Hundreds of thousands of Orcs were bred in [[Angband]] to participate in the [[Battles of Beleriand]], which lasted 587 years.

Orcs first appear in the [[First Age]] in the [[Battle of the Lammoth]], where they were defeated by [[Fingolfin]] and his [[Noldor]]. Orcs participated in battles such as the [[Dagor Aglareb]], [[Dagor Bragollach]], [[Nirnaeth Arnoediad]], [[Fall of the Falas]], and finally in the [[War of Wrath]], were they were almost extinguished. Those that survived the defeat fled eastwards and hid probably in the Mountains of [[Angmar]] and the [[Ered Mithrin]].

===Second Age===
At around the year thousand Sauron reappeared, took the land of [[Mordor]] as his realm and started the construction of [[Barad-dûr]]. It is likely that most of his servants where Orcs at this time that he had gathered under his command. Still for a long time Sauron's foul servants did not play an important role, for the Dark Lord had chosen a more subtle way to overthrow the free people by creating the [[Rings of Power]].

During the [[War of the Elves and Sauron]], in [[Second Age 1700|S.A.1700]] Orcs formed the main power of Sauron's host. Despite the immeasurable number of Orcs, Sauron was defeated by the united hosts of Elves and [[Númenóreans]]. Still Sauron was powerful east of the [[Misty Mountains]] and the inlands and the Orcs that inhabited the mountains multiplied.

The [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]] started a war against the [[Dwarves]], resulting in the [[First Sack of Gundabad]] and its occupation by the Orcs. Finally, Orcs were the core force of [[Sauron]] during the [[War of the Last Alliance]], and fought in great battles such as the [[Battle of Dagorlad]] and the [[Siege of Barad-dûr]].

===Third Age===
During the [[Third Age]], Orcs were the standard troops of the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]] and [[Sauron]] (both in [[Mordor]] and in [[Dol Guldur]]).

In [[Angmar]], Orcs fought in the [[Angmar War]]. Years later, they invaded [[Eriador]] under the leadership of the [[Necromancer]].

The [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]], one of the few (more or less) independent Orcish societies, and their leader [[Azog]] started out the [[War of the Dwarves and Orcs]], and after their defeat they retreated in their caves. They appeared again in [[Third Age 2941|T.A. 2941]], when the [[Battle of Five Armies]] took place.

The [[Orcs of Mordor]] fought in major battles during the [[War of the Ring]], such as the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], but the entire [[Mordor]] force was destroyed in the [[Battle of the Morannon]].

The Orcs in [[Dol Guldur]] remained in [[Mirkwood]] until the [[Fall of Dol Guldur]], one of the last battles of the War of the Ring.

===Fourth Age and beyond===
Although the entire force of [[Sauron]] was destroyed after the [[War of the Ring]], it is assumed that many Orcs continued to live beneath the [[Misty Mountains]] and caused little trouble.{{fact}}

==Characteristics==

===Culture===

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 they 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.

It is interesting to note that to an extent, Tolkien did not regard Orcs as evil in their own right, but only as tools of Melkor and Sauron. He wrote once that "we were all orcs in the [[World War I|Great War]]".{{fact}}

===Lifespan===

It is unknown if the Orcs were immortal like the Elves. There is, in any case, a hint for a long livespan in the story of two of the most famous Orc-chieftains: [[Azog]] and [[Bolg]]. Bolg, being the son of Azog, was the chieftain of the Orcs who attacked Erebor in the Battle of Five Armies in {{TA|2941}}. Azog himself was killed in the Battle of Azanulbizar in {{TA|2799}}, so Bolg was aproximately 150 years old.

===Appearance===

In Tolkien's writing, Orcs are described as humanoid, roughly human-sized, ugly and filthy. Although not dim-witted, they are portrayed as dull and miserable beings, who corrupt words and are only able to destroy, not to create. They had sour black blood.{{fact}}

===Kinds of Orcs===

Tolkien loosely implies that there are actually several different breeds of Orcs, not simply in the wide variety in clans, but strains of Orc that were specifically bred for certain tasks.

The Fellowship usually encounters the large soldier-Orcs bred for war, and sometimes the "snaga" variety which were more geared towards being labourers. However, a strong hint at the variety of Orc breeds is when Frodo and Sam are in Mordor, and realize that they are being followed by two Orcs, then hide to observe them. One of the Orcs is a normal soldier-Orc, but the other is described as a "Snuffler", a breed specifically geared towards being a tracker. This tracker-Orc was, compared to the soldier-Orc, physically unimposing, but had vastly overdeveloped sensory organs, particularly a single giant nostril. While physically weak compared to the soldier-Orc, the "snuffler" was able to skilfully kill the soldier-orc when they got into a disagreement.

*[[Snaga]]
*[[Orcs of Mordor]]
*[[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]]
*[[Half-Orcs]] (and [[Goblin-men]])
*[[Uruk-hai]]
*[[Hobgoblins]]

===Orcs and Goblins===

The term ''goblin'' was used primarily in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' but also in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' where it is used synonymously with "Orc".<ref>{{TT|III1}}</ref><ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. 24</ref>

"Goblin" is an English word, whereas "Orcs" is Old English, the language used by Tolkien to represent Rohirric.<ref>{{App|F1iv}}</ref> Thus, there is no difference between Orcs and Goblins, and the two names of different languages have much the same relationship as ''dog'' (English) and ''hund'' (German).

The original edition of ''The Hobbit'' and early drafts of ''The Lord of the Rings'' first used "goblin" everywhere and used "[[Hobgoblins|hobgoblin]]" for larger, more evil goblins: when goblins were replaced with Orcs Tolkien invented the term Uruk-hai for his more evil Orcs.

==Etymology==
===Orc===
The word '''''Orc''''' is said to be the "''form of the name that other races had for this foul people as it was in the [[Rohirric|language of Rohan]]''".<ref name=App|F1iv/>

In his late, post-''Lord of the Rings'' writings, Tolkien preferred the spelling '''''Ork'''''.<ref>{{HM|PM}}</ref> This was evidently mainly to avoid the form ''Orcish'', which would be naturally pronounced with the c as /s/ instead of /k/. (In [[Languages|Tolkien's languages]] the letter ''c'' was always pronounced /k/.) It is also possible that the word is a Common Tongue Version of 'orch', the [[Sindarin]] word for Orc. 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''.{{fact}}

Tolkien derived the word ''orc'' from [[Old English]] believing it refers to a kind of evil spirits,<ref name=L144/><ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "[[Gene Wolfe 7 November 1966]]" (letter)</ref> which in turn derives from Latin ''Orcus'' "Hades". He also thought it survives in the modern language for sea-beasts,<ref>{{HM|N}}, p. 762</ref> such as the [[Wikipedia:Orca Whale|Orca Whale]].

''Orc'' is an [[Old English]] word that refers mainly to a kind of metal cup (from Latin ''Urceus'').<ref group="note">The word ''Orc'' occurs twice in ''[[Beowulf]]''.</ref> However, in a 11th century glossary, this entry was conflated with another entry which refers to evil giants such as ''[[Wikipedia:Jötunn|þyrs]]'' and other monsters, also glossed in Latin as ''Orcus''. This merge of the two entries made many philologists of the previous centuries, like Tolkien, to believe that ''Orc'' was an actual Old English word that refers to any kind of evil creature from the underworld.<ref>Bosworth and Toller's ''An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary'' (1898), corrected in later editions</ref>

The word ''Orcnéas'' is once found only in ''[[Beowulf]]'' (lines 112-113) and is cited as an example of the word "Orc" in Old English text. Actually its meaning is not clear, and it is thought to refer to corpses (''néas'') from the Underworld.

However, it is also mentioned that the word ''Orc'' is Anglo-Saxon for "Foreigner, Monster, Demon" and was used to refer to the Normans invading the Anglish in 1066.<ref>"[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1329539/ 1066 The Battle for Middle Earth]" 2009 (documentary)</ref>
==="Orcs" in Tolkien's languages===
Tolkien said that one of the reason of choosing "Orc" over "Goblin" was the similarity with his fictional languages.<ref name=WJAC>{{WJ|AC}}, pp. 389-91</ref> Indeed most [[Elvish]], [[Mannish]] and other words for Orc, are similar to the English word.

The basic [[Primitive Quendian]] [[Sundocarme|root]], from which the words for Orc derive, is [[RUKU]] (said to refer to any "bogey" that scared the Elves)<ref name=WJAC/>:

*[[Quenya]] '''''orco'''''<ref name=PE17_47/> (pl. '''''Orkor'''''<ref>{{GA|27}}, p. 12</ref><ref>{{HM|MR}}, pp. 74, 194</ref>); [[Exilic Quenya]] '''''urko''''' (pl. '''''orkor''''' and '''''orqui''''')<ref name=WJAC/>
*[[Sindarin]]: '''''orch'''''/'''''Orch''''' (pl. '''''yrch'''''/'''''Yrch''''', class pl. '''''Orchoth'''''/'''''orchoth'''''<ref group="note">''Orchoth'' is likely a compound of ''orch'' + ''[[hoth]]''.</ref>)<ref name=WJAC/><ref name=L144/><ref name=PE17_52-4/><ref name=PE17_47/><ref name=App|F1iv/>; '''''[[glamhoth]]'''''
*[[Nandorin]]: '''''ūriʃ'''''<ref name=PE17_52-4>{{PE|17}}, pp. 52-4</ref>

*[[Adûnaic]]: '''''urku''''', '''''urkhu'''''<ref name=WJAC/>
*[[Westron]]: '''''orka'''''<ref name=PE17_47>{{PE|17}}, p. 47</ref>
*[[Black Speech]]: '''''[[Uruk-hai#Etymology|uruk]]'''''<ref name=App|F1iv>{{App|F1iv}}</ref><ref name=WJAC/><ref name=L144>{{L|144}}</ref><ref name=PE17_47/>
*[[Khuzdul]]: '''''Rukhs''''' (pl. '''''Rakhās'''''), possibly derived from an unknown [[Avarin]] word of the same meaning<ref name=WJAC/><ref group="note">''Rukhs'' appears to contain the radical R-Kh-S.</ref>
*[[Drúadan language]]: '''''gorgûn''''' ("orc-folk"; the form ''gorgûn'' is perhaps plural of an unknown singular form)<ref name=PE17_99>{{PE|17}}, p. 99</ref><ref>{{RK|V5}}</ref><ref name=WJAC/>

In the earliest versions of [[Qenya]], Tolkien had words such as "'''Ork (orq-)''' pl. '''Orqi''' and fem. "'''orqindi'''".{{fact}}

In [[Noldorin]], the earlier version of Sindarin, the word for Orc is the same: ''orch'' (pl ''yrch'').<ref name=LR379>{{LR|Etymologies}}, p. 379 (entry for ÓROK)</ref><ref>{{MR|P3I7}}, p. 195</ref><ref>{{MC|Secret}}, p. 217</ref> The [[Gnomish]] word for "one of a tribe of the orcs. a goblin" is said to be '''''Gong'''''.<ref>{{PE|11}}, p. 41</ref>

*''See also: [[Entish]] ''[[burárum]]''
===Goblin===
''[[Wiktionary:Goblin|Goblin]]'' is a folk word which according to ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English'' is probably derived from the Anglo-French ''[[Wiktionary:gobelin|gobelin]]'' a diminutive of ''gobel'' (cf. ''[[Wiktionary:kobold|kobold]]''). William D.B. Loos notes that ''goblin'' is a Romance-derived word, unlike other Germanic words preferred by [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]].<ref>William D.B. Loos, [http://tolkien.slimy.com/tfaq/EnemyMisc.html#Orcs Enemies and Miscellaneous: What was the relationship between Orcs and Goblins?] at [http://tolkien.slimy.com/tfaq/ The Tolkien Frequently Asked Questions List] (accessed 3 July 2011)</ref>

==="Goblin" in Tolkien's languages===

In the [[The Etymologies|''Etymologies'']], the Elvish names used to translate "goblin" derive from root [[RUKU#Other versions|ÓROK]] and are:<ref name=LR379>{{LR|Etymologies}}, p. 379 (entry for ÓROK)</ref>

*[[Quenya]]: '''''orko''''' (pl. '''''orqi''''')
*[[Noldorin]]: ''orch'' (pl ''yrch'', archaic ''yrchy''<ref>{{VT|46a}}, p. 7</ref>)
*[[Nandorin|Danian]]: '''''urc''''' (pl. '''''yrc''''')
*[[Doriathrin]]: '''''urch''''' (pl. '''''urchin''''')

In an early linguistic writing, Tolkien translated the [[Gnomish]] word ''Gong'' as "one of a tribe of the orcs. a goblin."<ref>{{PE|11}}, p. 41</ref>

==Other Versions of the Lengendarium==
===Origin===
According to the oldest "theory" proposed by Tolkien, Orcs were made of stone and slime through the sorcery of Morgoth. But, Tolkien later changed the legendarium so that Morgoth could no longer produce life on his own.

While Tolkien originally 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 the theory that orcs were descending from Elves. However, Tolkien died before he could complete his upheaval of the cosmology, and in the published version of ''The Silmarillion'', the Elf origin of Orcs was adopted. It does not appear that the elder Tolkien ever decided on a definitive answer.

The origin of Orcs is an open question. In Tolkien's writings, evil is not capable of independent creation, making it unlikely that the [[Valar|Vala]] [[Morgoth|Melkor]], who was obviously the first to produce them, could do that ''ex nihilo''. In the ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' is mentioned 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. There are hints in the ''[[The History of Middle-earth|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 Baggins|Bilbo]] and the Dwarves, may in fact have been fallen [[Maiar]] which had taken Orc form.

Yet other Orcs may have begun as animals of vaguely humanoid shapes, empowered by the will of the Dark Lord (first [[Morgoth]], later Sauron): this may explain the references to their "beaks and feathers"{{fact}} in Tolkien's writings.

: ''The Orcs were beasts of humanized shape (…).'' ('Morgoth's Ring', "Myths transformed", text VIII')

==Controversy==
Tolkien's Orcs have ''allegedly'' been a subject of criticism of [[racism]]. Tolkien described Orcs as "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".<ref>{{L|210}}</ref>
==Other writings==
In ''[[The Letters of Father Christmas]]'', goblins appear as the enemies of [[Father Christmas]] and the [[Red Elves]].
==Portrayal in Adaptations==
===Orcs===
{{stub}}
'''2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:Orc-kind is a genus that include the species of Orc, Goblins, [[Half-orcs]], [[Boggarts]], [[Bugans]] and [[Uruk-hai]].

:Orcs are very common in Middle-earth. They are about the size of a man with a hunchback.

===Goblins===
'''2003: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring]]'':'''
:Goblins have been made clearly distinct from Orcs.

'''2006: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II]]'':'''
:Goblins have been made clearly distinct from Orcs.

'''2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:Goblins are a separate race and can be found in [[Evendim]], [[the Shire]], [[Ered Luin]], [[Bree-land]], [[Lone-lands|Lone lands]], [[North Downs]], [[Misty Mountains]], [[Angmar]] and [[Moria]]. They are small in stature; a little shorter than [[Hobbits]]. In contrast, Orcs are about the size of [[Men]]. Goblins are also weaker than the orcs.

==See also==
*[[:Category:Images of Orcs|Images of Orcs]]
*[[:Category:Images of Goblins|Images of Goblins]]

{{references|note}}
[[Category:Orcs| ]]
[[Category:Races]]
[[de:Orks]]
[[fr:encyclo/peuples/orques/orques]]
[[fi:Örkit]]

Talk:Orcs

2011-11-23T06:54:33Z

SUM EGO: /* Orc - Rohirric or Westron */

The following external links no longer work:

The Origin of the Orcs (htm version)
The Origin of the Orcs (doc version)
The Origin of the Orcs (pdf version)

I got: The webpage cannot be found {{unsigned|71.173.181.175}}

:I solved the problem by deleting it :). It was inappropriate anyway, and the whole article needs to be rewritten. -- {{User:Ederchil/sig}} 10:51, 26 March 2009 (UTC)
::Which article? [[User:Sage|Sage]] 12:25, 26 March 2009 (UTC)
:::Oh this article. Too much work to be done by 1.5 persons (= I am doing 0.4 of your work and the rest 0.1 belongs to occasional contributors) [[User:Sage|Sage]] 12:27, 26 March 2009 (UTC)
::::I won't be doing much either. Just got an angry email that there was a deadline last week. So I got to focus on that first -- {{User:Ederchil/sig}} 12:51, 26 March 2009 (UTC)
:::::That's my point... where can we find more contributors? :) [[User:Sage|Sage]] 17:55, 26 March 2009 (UTC)

I edited the "Orcs and Goblins" section heavily to remove unfounded comments about "goblins" being a Hobbitish term when it is, in fact, an English word. I also cut down on some unfounded claims in the "Controversy" section. [[User:Eldorion|Eldorion]]

There needs to be a serious section in this article about the culture and ethics of Orcs, and whether Orcs are ultimately free to choose good or evil. I've seen other wikis touch on this issue, but this article barely does. A lot of people (myself included) have never been thrilled about the whole "evil race" concept played completely straight. 
As an entirely personal belief (not something I would expect to put in the article), I think Orcs have the ability to live as good [[Avari]], and that it's the established traditions of Orc culture that inspire evil, and that Elves who do evil and ill-inspired acts (such as [[Fëanor]] and [[Sons of Fëanor|his sons]] along with [[Eöl]] and [[Maeglin]]) essentially make themselves Orcs, and that the difference of appearance between Elves and Orcs ("fair" vs. "ugly") is ultimately meaningless. The [[Silmarils]] knew the difference, and they burned evil and corruption when it touched them. I'm not sure Tolkien would completely disagree, as he once said, "We were all Orcs in the Great War." But I digress... - [[User:Gilgamesh|Gilgamesh]] 12:12, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

:I just (4/5/2011) summarized Letter 153 (a very long summary) for the Tolkien Gateway, wherein Tolkien dug very deeply into the metaphysics of Middle-earth. On the subject of Orcs, innate Free Will, their "evil race" status, and such, this letter probably gives Tolkien's "clearest" answers. -- Gamling 01:07, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

== Origin ==

I just would like to ask an question in regards to the origin of the orcs. First off I have no preferance either way, be it men or elves, but I would like to raise the point of time. Men awoke at the rising of the sun, so wouldn't this then pose a problem for Melkor when he made the orcs in the first war in Beleriand, for the sake of the elves.? Unless he can time shift and or travel. So then we are left with a rather interesting situation, any thoughts? {{unsigned|GaiusMarius}}

:Sorry, you've lost me? Do you mean that as Melkor created orcs in opposition to elves he had no "opposite" to men? --{{User:Mith/sig}} 14:09, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

==Etymology and Names==

JRRT notes the Nandorin word for orcs in PE17 (p. 54) '''''ūriƒ'''''. However, I'm uncertain about how to the render the last letter in the word - the original form of the letter is similar, but does not carry the small horizontal line. Is this a letter of its own, or merely a variant rendering of ƒ? --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 01:24, 3 July 2011 (UTC)

:There is the "[[wikipedia:Long s|long s]]" ''ſ'' (and [[wikipedia:Esh (letter)|the similar Esh]] ''ʃ''). Do these seem likely? --{{User:Mith/sig}} 09:41, 3 July 2011 (UTC)

::Many thanks, Mith! It's the Esh (''ʃ'') - could you please add it to the insert box? --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 09:43, 3 July 2011 (UTC)

:::Added both.--{{User:Mith/sig}} 10:07, 3 July 2011 (UTC)

== Orc - Rohirric or Westron ==

Quote: "This '''spelling''' was taken from Old English. The word seemed, in itself, very suitable to the creatures that I had in mind. But the Old English orc in meaning - so far as that is known - is not suitable. Also the spelling of what, in the later more organized linguistic situation, must have been a '''Common Speech''' form of a word or group of similar words should be ork."

Quote: "Orc. This is supposed to be the '''Common Speech''' name of these creatures at that time; it should therefore according to the system be translated into English, or the language of translation. It was translated 'goblin' in The Hobbit, except in one place; but this word, and other words of similar sense in other European languages (as far as I know), are not really suitable. The orc in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, though of course partly made out of traditional features, is not really comparable in supposed origin, functions, and relation to the Elves. In any case orc seemed to me, and seems, in sound a good name for these creatures. It should be '''retained'''."

Orc, or rather, the spelling of Orc is '''FROM''' Old English in reality, and the word itself was Westron in Middle-earth, '''NOT''' Rohirric, so I conclude.

It´s not like the other OE-for-Rohirric words in the LotR. Tolkien just '''retained''' this word from Westron, and where he did translate this 3rd age word, he translated it into Modern English.
[[User:SUM EGO|SUM EGO]] 06:37, 23 November 2011 (UTC)

User:SUM EGO

2011-11-23T06:42:03Z

SUM EGO: Created page with "<div style="text-align: center;"> Cuio i Ennorath anann! Long live Middle-earth! </div>"

<div style="text-align: center;">
Cuio i Ennorath anann!
Long live Middle-earth!
</div>

Talk:Orcs

2011-11-23T06:37:17Z

SUM EGO: /* Orc - Rohirric or Westron */ new section

The following external links no longer work:

The Origin of the Orcs (htm version)
The Origin of the Orcs (doc version)
The Origin of the Orcs (pdf version)

I got: The webpage cannot be found {{unsigned|71.173.181.175}}

:I solved the problem by deleting it :). It was inappropriate anyway, and the whole article needs to be rewritten. -- {{User:Ederchil/sig}} 10:51, 26 March 2009 (UTC)
::Which article? [[User:Sage|Sage]] 12:25, 26 March 2009 (UTC)
:::Oh this article. Too much work to be done by 1.5 persons (= I am doing 0.4 of your work and the rest 0.1 belongs to occasional contributors) [[User:Sage|Sage]] 12:27, 26 March 2009 (UTC)
::::I won't be doing much either. Just got an angry email that there was a deadline last week. So I got to focus on that first -- {{User:Ederchil/sig}} 12:51, 26 March 2009 (UTC)
:::::That's my point... where can we find more contributors? :) [[User:Sage|Sage]] 17:55, 26 March 2009 (UTC)

I edited the "Orcs and Goblins" section heavily to remove unfounded comments about "goblins" being a Hobbitish term when it is, in fact, an English word. I also cut down on some unfounded claims in the "Controversy" section. [[User:Eldorion|Eldorion]]

There needs to be a serious section in this article about the culture and ethics of Orcs, and whether Orcs are ultimately free to choose good or evil. I've seen other wikis touch on this issue, but this article barely does. A lot of people (myself included) have never been thrilled about the whole "evil race" concept played completely straight. 
As an entirely personal belief (not something I would expect to put in the article), I think Orcs have the ability to live as good [[Avari]], and that it's the established traditions of Orc culture that inspire evil, and that Elves who do evil and ill-inspired acts (such as [[Fëanor]] and [[Sons of Fëanor|his sons]] along with [[Eöl]] and [[Maeglin]]) essentially make themselves Orcs, and that the difference of appearance between Elves and Orcs ("fair" vs. "ugly") is ultimately meaningless. The [[Silmarils]] knew the difference, and they burned evil and corruption when it touched them. I'm not sure Tolkien would completely disagree, as he once said, "We were all Orcs in the Great War." But I digress... - [[User:Gilgamesh|Gilgamesh]] 12:12, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

:I just (4/5/2011) summarized Letter 153 (a very long summary) for the Tolkien Gateway, wherein Tolkien dug very deeply into the metaphysics of Middle-earth. On the subject of Orcs, innate Free Will, their "evil race" status, and such, this letter probably gives Tolkien's "clearest" answers. -- Gamling 01:07, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

== Origin ==

I just would like to ask an question in regards to the origin of the orcs. First off I have no preferance either way, be it men or elves, but I would like to raise the point of time. Men awoke at the rising of the sun, so wouldn't this then pose a problem for Melkor when he made the orcs in the first war in Beleriand, for the sake of the elves.? Unless he can time shift and or travel. So then we are left with a rather interesting situation, any thoughts? {{unsigned|GaiusMarius}}

:Sorry, you've lost me? Do you mean that as Melkor created orcs in opposition to elves he had no "opposite" to men? --{{User:Mith/sig}} 14:09, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

==Etymology and Names==

JRRT notes the Nandorin word for orcs in PE17 (p. 54) '''''ūriƒ'''''. However, I'm uncertain about how to the render the last letter in the word - the original form of the letter is similar, but does not carry the small horizontal line. Is this a letter of its own, or merely a variant rendering of ƒ? --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 01:24, 3 July 2011 (UTC)

:There is the "[[wikipedia:Long s|long s]]" ''ſ'' (and [[wikipedia:Esh (letter)|the similar Esh]] ''ʃ''). Do these seem likely? --{{User:Mith/sig}} 09:41, 3 July 2011 (UTC)

::Many thanks, Mith! It's the Esh (''ʃ'') - could you please add it to the insert box? --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 09:43, 3 July 2011 (UTC)

:::Added both.--{{User:Mith/sig}} 10:07, 3 July 2011 (UTC)

== Orc - Rohirric or Westron ==

Quote: "This spelling was taken from Old English. The word seemed, in itself, very suitable to the creatures that I had in mind. But the Old English orc in meaning - so far as that is known - is not suitable. Also the spelling of what, in the later more organized linguistic situation, must have been a '''Common Speech''' form of a word or group of similar words should be ork."

Quote: "Orc. This is supposed to be the '''Common Speech''' name of these creatures at that time; it should therefore according to the system be translated into English, or the language of translation. It was translated 'goblin' in The Hobbit, except in one place; but this word, and other words of similar sense in other European languages (as far as I know), are not really suitable. The orc in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, though of course partly made out of traditional features, is not really comparable in supposed origin, functions, and relation to the Elves. In any case orc seemed to me, and seems, in sound a good name for these creatures. It should be '''retained'''."

Orc is '''FROM''' Old English in reality, and Westron in Middle-earth, '''NOT''' Rohirric, so I conclude.

It´s not like the other '''OE''' words in the LotR. Tolkien just '''retained''' this word from Westron, and where he did translate this 3rd age word, he translated it into '''ME'''.
[[User:SUM EGO|SUM EGO]] 06:37, 23 November 2011 (UTC)

Orcs

2011-11-23T06:06:57Z

SUM EGO: Undo revision 175676 by Ederchil (talk)

{{rewrite}}{{sources}}
{{race
| image=[[Image:John Howe - In Mordor.jpg|250px]]
| name= Orcs
| dominions=[[Mordor]], [[Angband]], [[Misty Mountains]], [[Mount Gundabad]], [[Angmar]], [[Utumno]]
| languages= [[Black Speech]]; numerous [[Orkish]] languages of their own
| height= probably just above 5'{{fact}}
| length=
| skincolor= Sallow, Green, Brown, Grey
| haircolor=
| feathers=
| distinctions= Short, sallow
| lifespan=
| members= [[Gothmog, Lieutenant of Morgul|Gothmog]], [[Othrod]], [[Azog]], [[Gorbag]]
|}}
'''Orcs''' (also called '''[[Orcs#Orcs and Goblins|Goblins]]''') were the footsoldiers of evil overlords - [[Morgoth]], [[Sauron]] and the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]].

==History==
===Origins and early Years===

The Orcs were bred by [[Morgoth|Melkor]] in mockery of the [[Elves]], sometime during the [[The Darkness#The Great Darkness|Great Darkness]].<ref>{{S|3}}</ref><ref>{{TT|III4}}</ref>

[[Image:Warren Mahy-Orc Archer.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Orc by [[Warren Mahy]]]]

It is unclear when exactly Orcs were created, but it certainly happened before the [[War for Sake of the Elves]] in his stronghold of Utumno. If the Orcs where at this time a capable fighting force against the host of Valinor is not known. But at least some of them survived this war, probably hidden in the deep vaults of [[Angband]] and multiplied, waiting for their master.

When Melkor (now known as [[Morgoth]]) returned to Middle-earth he created new hordes of Orcs and invaded [[Beleriand]], where the [[First Battle of Beleriand]] took place. Orcs fought also in [[Dagor-nuin-Giliath]].

===First Age===
Orcs appear in the [[First Age]] as the core force of [[Morgoth]]. Hundreds of thousands of Orcs were bred in [[Angband]] to participate in the [[Battles of Beleriand]], which lasted 587 years.

Orcs first appear in the [[First Age]] in the [[Battle of the Lammoth]], where they were defeated by [[Fingolfin]] and his [[Noldor]]. Orcs participated in battles such as the [[Dagor Aglareb]], [[Dagor Bragollach]], [[Nirnaeth Arnoediad]], [[Fall of the Falas]], and finally in the [[War of Wrath]], were they were almost extinguished. Those that survived the defeat fled eastwards and hid probably in the Mountains of [[Angmar]] and the [[Ered Mithrin]].

===Second Age===
At around the year thousand Sauron reappeared, took the land of [[Mordor]] as his realm and started the construction of [[Barad-dûr]]. It is likely that most of his servants where Orcs at this time that he had gathered under his command. Still for a long time Sauron's foul servants did not play an important role, for the Dark Lord had chosen a more subtle way to overthrow the free people by creating the [[Rings of Power]].

During the [[War of the Elves and Sauron]], in [[Second Age 1700|S.A.1700]] Orcs formed the main power of Sauron's host. Despite the immeasurable number of Orcs, Sauron was defeated by the united hosts of Elves and [[Númenóreans]]. Still Sauron was powerful east of the [[Misty Mountains]] and the inlands and the Orcs that inhabited the mountains multiplied.

The [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]] started a war against the [[Dwarves]], resulting in the [[First Sack of Gundabad]] and its occupation by the Orcs. Finally, Orcs were the core force of [[Sauron]] during the [[War of the Last Alliance]], and fought in great battles such as the [[Battle of Dagorlad]] and the [[Siege of Barad-dûr]].

===Third Age===
During the [[Third Age]], Orcs were the standard troops of the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]] and [[Sauron]] (both in [[Mordor]] and in [[Dol Guldur]]).

In [[Angmar]], Orcs fought in the [[Angmar War]]. Years later, they invaded [[Eriador]] under the leadership of the [[Necromancer]].

The [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]], one of the few (more or less) independent Orcish societies, and their leader [[Azog]] started out the [[War of the Dwarves and Orcs]], and after their defeat they retreated in their caves. They appeared again in [[Third Age 2941|T.A. 2941]], when the [[Battle of Five Armies]] took place.

The [[Orcs of Mordor]] fought in major battles during the [[War of the Ring]], such as the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], but the entire [[Mordor]] force was destroyed in the [[Battle of the Morannon]].

The Orcs in [[Dol Guldur]] remained in [[Mirkwood]] until the [[Fall of Dol Guldur]], one of the last battles of the War of the Ring.

===Fourth Age and beyond===
Although the entire force of [[Sauron]] was destroyed after the [[War of the Ring]], it is assumed that many Orcs continued to live beneath the [[Misty Mountains]] and caused little trouble.{{fact}}

==Characteristics==

===Culture===

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 they 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.

It is interesting to note that to an extent, Tolkien did not regard Orcs as evil in their own right, but only as tools of Melkor and Sauron. He wrote once that "we were all orcs in the [[World War I|Great War]]".{{fact}}

===Lifespan===

It is unknown if the Orcs were immortal like the Elves. There is, in any case, a hint for a long livespan in the story of two of the most famous Orc-chieftains: [[Azog]] and [[Bolg]]. Bolg, being the son of Azog, was the chieftain of the Orcs who attacked Erebor in the Battle of Five Armies in {{TA|2941}}. Azog himself was killed in the Battle of Azanulbizar in {{TA|2799}}, so Bolg was aproximately 150 years old.

===Appearance===

In Tolkien's writing, Orcs are described as humanoid, roughly human-sized, ugly and filthy. Although not dim-witted, they are portrayed as dull and miserable beings, who corrupt words and are only able to destroy, not to create. They had sour black blood.{{fact}}

===Kinds of Orcs===

Tolkien loosely implies that there are actually several different breeds of Orcs, not simply in the wide variety in clans, but strains of Orc that were specifically bred for certain tasks.

The Fellowship usually encounters the large soldier-Orcs bred for war, and sometimes the "snaga" variety which were more geared towards being labourers. However, a strong hint at the variety of Orc breeds is when Frodo and Sam are in Mordor, and realize that they are being followed by two Orcs, then hide to observe them. One of the Orcs is a normal soldier-Orc, but the other is described as a "Snuffler", a breed specifically geared towards being a tracker. This tracker-Orc was, compared to the soldier-Orc, physically unimposing, but had vastly overdeveloped sensory organs, particularly a single giant nostril. While physically weak compared to the soldier-Orc, the "snuffler" was able to skilfully kill the soldier-orc when they got into a disagreement.

*[[Snaga]]
*[[Orcs of Mordor]]
*[[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]]
*[[Half-Orcs]] (and [[Goblin-men]])
*[[Uruk-hai]]
*[[Hobgoblins]]

===Orcs and Goblins===

The term ''goblin'' was used primarily in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' but also in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' where it is used synonymously with "Orc".<ref>{{TT|III1}}</ref><ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. 24</ref>

"Goblin" is an English word, whereas "Orc" was drawn from Old English but meant to be [[Westron]]<ref>"This is supposed to be the Common Speech name of these creatures at that time ... It was translated 'goblin' in The Hobbit" - Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien</ref>.

The original edition of ''The Hobbit'' and early drafts of ''The Lord of the Rings'' first used "goblin" everywhere and used "[[Hobgoblins|hobgoblin]]" for larger, more evil goblins: when goblins were replaced with Orcs Tolkien invented the term Uruk-hai for his more evil Orcs.

==Etymology==
===Orc===
The word '''''Orc''''' is said to be the "''form of the name that other races had for this foul people as it was in the [[Rohirric|language of Rohan]]''".<ref name=App|F1iv/>

In his late, post-''Lord of the Rings'' writings, Tolkien preferred the spelling '''''Ork'''''.<ref>{{HM|PM}}</ref> This was evidently mainly to avoid the form ''Orcish'', which would be naturally pronounced with the c as /s/ instead of /k/. (In [[Languages|Tolkien's languages]] the letter ''c'' was always pronounced /k/.) It is also possible that the word is a Common Tongue Version of 'orch', the [[Sindarin]] word for Orc. 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''.{{fact}}

Tolkien derived the word ''orc'' from [[Old English]] believing it refers to a kind of evil spirits,<ref name=L144/><ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "[[Gene Wolfe 7 November 1966]]" (letter)</ref> which in turn derives from Latin ''Orcus'' "Hades". He also thought it survives in the modern language for sea-beasts,<ref>{{HM|N}}, p. 762</ref> such as the [[Wikipedia:Orca Whale|Orca Whale]].

''Orc'' is an [[Old English]] word that refers mainly to a kind of metal cup (from Latin ''Urceus'').<ref group="note">The word ''Orc'' occurs twice in ''[[Beowulf]]''.</ref> However, in a 11th century glossary, this entry was conflated with another entry which refers to evil giants such as ''[[Wikipedia:Jötunn|þyrs]]'' and other monsters, also glossed in Latin as ''Orcus''. This merge of the two entries made many philologists of the previous centuries, like Tolkien, to believe that ''Orc'' was an actual Old English word that refers to any kind of evil creature from the underworld.<ref>Bosworth and Toller's ''An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary'' (1898), corrected in later editions</ref>

The word ''Orcnéas'' is once found only in ''[[Beowulf]]'' (lines 112-113) and is cited as an example of the word "Orc" in Old English text. Actually its meaning is not clear, and it is thought to refer to corpses (''néas'') from the Underworld.

However, it is also mentioned that the word ''Orc'' is Anglo-Saxon for "Foreigner, Monster, Demon" and was used to refer to the Normans invading the Anglish in 1066.<ref>"[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1329539/ 1066 The Battle for Middle Earth]" 2009 (documentary)</ref>
==="Orcs" in Tolkien's languages===
Tolkien said that one of the reason of choosing "Orc" over "Goblin" was the similarity with his fictional languages.<ref name=WJAC>{{WJ|AC}}, pp. 389-91</ref> Indeed most [[Elvish]], [[Mannish]] and other words for Orc, are similar to the English word.

The basic [[Primitive Quendian]] [[Sundocarme|root]], from which the words for Orc derive, is [[RUKU]] (said to refer to any "bogey" that scared the Elves)<ref name=WJAC/>:

*[[Quenya]] '''''orco'''''<ref name=PE17_47/> (pl. '''''Orkor'''''<ref>{{GA|27}}, p. 12</ref><ref>{{HM|MR}}, pp. 74, 194</ref>); [[Exilic Quenya]] '''''urko''''' (pl. '''''orkor''''' and '''''orqui''''')<ref name=WJAC/>
*[[Sindarin]]: '''''orch'''''/'''''Orch''''' (pl. '''''yrch'''''/'''''Yrch''''', class pl. '''''Orchoth'''''/'''''orchoth'''''<ref group="note">''Orchoth'' is likely a compound of ''orch'' + ''[[hoth]]''.</ref>)<ref name=WJAC/><ref name=L144/><ref name=PE17_52-4/><ref name=PE17_47/><ref name=App|F1iv/>; '''''[[glamhoth]]'''''
*[[Nandorin]]: '''''ūriʃ'''''<ref name=PE17_52-4>{{PE|17}}, pp. 52-4</ref>

*[[Adûnaic]]: '''''urku''''', '''''urkhu'''''<ref name=WJAC/>
*[[Westron]]: '''''orka'''''<ref name=PE17_47>{{PE|17}}, p. 47</ref>
*[[Black Speech]]: '''''[[Uruk-hai#Etymology|uruk]]'''''<ref name=App|F1iv>{{App|F1iv}}</ref><ref name=WJAC/><ref name=L144>{{L|144}}</ref><ref name=PE17_47/>
*[[Khuzdul]]: '''''Rukhs''''' (pl. '''''Rakhās'''''), possibly derived from an unknown [[Avarin]] word of the same meaning<ref name=WJAC/><ref group="note">''Rukhs'' appears to contain the radical R-Kh-S.</ref>
*[[Drúadan language]]: '''''gorgûn''''' ("orc-folk"; the form ''gorgûn'' is perhaps plural of an unknown singular form)<ref name=PE17_99>{{PE|17}}, p. 99</ref><ref>{{RK|V5}}</ref><ref name=WJAC/>

In the earliest versions of [[Qenya]], Tolkien had words such as "'''Ork (orq-)''' pl. '''Orqi''' and fem. "'''orqindi'''".{{fact}}

In [[Noldorin]], the earlier version of Sindarin, the word for Orc is the same: ''orch'' (pl ''yrch'').<ref name=LR379>{{LR|Etymologies}}, p. 379 (entry for ÓROK)</ref><ref>{{MR|P3I7}}, p. 195</ref><ref>{{MC|Secret}}, p. 217</ref> The [[Gnomish]] word for "one of a tribe of the orcs. a goblin" is said to be '''''Gong'''''.<ref>{{PE|11}}, p. 41</ref>

*''See also: [[Entish]] ''[[burárum]]''
===Goblin===
''[[Wiktionary:Goblin|Goblin]]'' is a folk word which according to ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English'' is probably derived from the Anglo-French ''[[Wiktionary:gobelin|gobelin]]'' a diminutive of ''gobel'' (cf. ''[[Wiktionary:kobold|kobold]]''). William D.B. Loos notes that ''goblin'' is a Romance-derived word, unlike other Germanic words preferred by [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]].<ref>William D.B. Loos, [http://tolkien.slimy.com/tfaq/EnemyMisc.html#Orcs Enemies and Miscellaneous: What was the relationship between Orcs and Goblins?] at [http://tolkien.slimy.com/tfaq/ The Tolkien Frequently Asked Questions List] (accessed 3 July 2011)</ref>

==="Goblin" in Tolkien's languages===

In the [[The Etymologies|''Etymologies'']], the Elvish names used to translate "goblin" derive from root [[RUKU#Other versions|ÓROK]] and are:<ref name=LR379>{{LR|Etymologies}}, p. 379 (entry for ÓROK)</ref>

*[[Quenya]]: '''''orko''''' (pl. '''''orqi''''')
*[[Noldorin]]: ''orch'' (pl ''yrch'', archaic ''yrchy''<ref>{{VT|46a}}, p. 7</ref>)
*[[Nandorin|Danian]]: '''''urc''''' (pl. '''''yrc''''')
*[[Doriathrin]]: '''''urch''''' (pl. '''''urchin''''')

In an early linguistic writing, Tolkien translated the [[Gnomish]] word ''Gong'' as "one of a tribe of the orcs. a goblin."<ref>{{PE|11}}, p. 41</ref>

==Other Versions of the Lengendarium==
===Origin===
According to the oldest "theory" proposed by Tolkien, Orcs were made of stone and slime through the sorcery of Morgoth. But, Tolkien later changed the legendarium so that Morgoth could no longer produce life on his own.

While Tolkien originally 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 the theory that orcs were descending from Elves. However, Tolkien died before he could complete his upheaval of the cosmology, and in the published version of ''The Silmarillion'', the Elf origin of Orcs was adopted. It does not appear that the elder Tolkien ever decided on a definitive answer.

The origin of Orcs is an open question. In Tolkien's writings, evil is not capable of independent creation, making it unlikely that the [[Valar|Vala]] [[Morgoth|Melkor]], who was obviously the first to produce them, could do that ''ex nihilo''. In the ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' is mentioned 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. There are hints in the ''[[The History of Middle-earth|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 Baggins|Bilbo]] and the Dwarves, may in fact have been fallen [[Maiar]] which had taken Orc form.

Yet other Orcs may have begun as animals of vaguely humanoid shapes, empowered by the will of the Dark Lord (first [[Morgoth]], later Sauron): this may explain the references to their "beaks and feathers"{{fact}} in Tolkien's writings.

: ''The Orcs were beasts of humanized shape (…).'' ('Morgoth's Ring', "Myths transformed", text VIII')

==Controversy==
Tolkien's Orcs have ''allegedly'' been a subject of criticism of [[racism]]. Tolkien described Orcs as "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".<ref>{{L|210}}</ref>
==Other writings==
In ''[[The Letters of Father Christmas]]'', goblins appear as the enemies of [[Father Christmas]] and the [[Red Elves]].
==Portrayal in Adaptations==
===Orcs===
{{stub}}
'''2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:Orc-kind is a genus that include the species of Orc, Goblins, [[Half-orcs]], [[Boggarts]], [[Bugans]] and [[Uruk-hai]].

:Orcs are very common in Middle-earth. They are about the size of a man with a hunchback.

===Goblins===
'''2003: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring]]'':'''
:Goblins have been made clearly distinct from Orcs.

'''2006: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II]]'':'''
:Goblins have been made clearly distinct from Orcs.

'''2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:Goblins are a separate race and can be found in [[Evendim]], [[the Shire]], [[Ered Luin]], [[Bree-land]], [[Lone-lands|Lone lands]], [[North Downs]], [[Misty Mountains]], [[Angmar]] and [[Moria]]. They are small in stature; a little shorter than [[Hobbits]]. In contrast, Orcs are about the size of [[Men]]. Goblins are also weaker than the orcs.

==See also==
*[[:Category:Images of Orcs|Images of Orcs]]
*[[:Category:Images of Goblins|Images of Goblins]]

{{references|note}}
[[Category:Orcs| ]]
[[Category:Races]]
[[de:Orks]]
[[fr:encyclo/peuples/orques/orques]]
[[fi:Örkit]]

Orcs

2011-11-21T05:23:17Z

SUM EGO: /* Orcs and Goblins */

{{rewrite}}{{sources}}
{{race
| image=[[Image:John Howe - In Mordor.jpg|250px]]
| name= Orcs
| dominions=[[Mordor]], [[Angband]], [[Misty Mountains]], [[Mount Gundabad]], [[Angmar]], [[Utumno]]
| languages= [[Black Speech]]; numerous [[Orkish]] languages of their own
| height= probably just above 5'{{fact}}
| length=
| skincolor= Sallow, Green, Brown, Grey
| haircolor=
| feathers=
| distinctions= Short, sallow
| lifespan=
| members= [[Gothmog, Lieutenant of Morgul|Gothmog]], [[Othrod]], [[Azog]], [[Gorbag]]
|}}
'''Orcs''' (also called '''[[Orcs#Orcs and Goblins|Goblins]]''') were the footsoldiers of evil overlords - [[Morgoth]], [[Sauron]] and the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]].

==History==
===Origins and early Years===

The Orcs were bred by [[Morgoth|Melkor]] in mockery of the [[Elves]], sometime during the [[The Darkness#The Great Darkness|Great Darkness]].<ref>{{S|3}}</ref><ref>{{TT|III4}}</ref>

[[Image:Warren Mahy-Orc Archer.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Orc by [[Warren Mahy]]]]

It is unclear when exactly Orcs were created, but it certainly happened before the [[War for Sake of the Elves]] in his stronghold of Utumno. If the Orcs where at this time a capable fighting force against the host of Valinor is not known. But at least some of them survived this war, probably hidden in the deep vaults of [[Angband]] and multiplied, waiting for their master.

When Melkor (now known as [[Morgoth]]) returned to Middle-earth he created new hordes of Orcs and invaded [[Beleriand]], where the [[First Battle of Beleriand]] took place. Orcs fought also in [[Dagor-nuin-Giliath]].

===First Age===
Orcs appear in the [[First Age]] as the core force of [[Morgoth]]. Hundreds of thousands of Orcs were bred in [[Angband]] to participate in the [[Battles of Beleriand]], which lasted 587 years.

Orcs first appear in the [[First Age]] in the [[Battle of the Lammoth]], where they were defeated by [[Fingolfin]] and his [[Noldor]]. Orcs participated in battles such as the [[Dagor Aglareb]], [[Dagor Bragollach]], [[Nirnaeth Arnoediad]], [[Fall of the Falas]], and finally in the [[War of Wrath]], were they were almost extinguished. Those that survived the defeat fled eastwards and hid probably in the Mountains of [[Angmar]] and the [[Ered Mithrin]].

===Second Age===
At around the year thousand Sauron reappeared, took the land of [[Mordor]] as his realm and started the construction of [[Barad-dûr]]. It is likely that most of his servants where Orcs at this time that he had gathered under his command. Still for a long time Sauron's foul servants did not play an important role, for the Dark Lord had chosen a more subtle way to overthrow the free people by creating the [[Rings of Power]].

During the [[War of the Elves and Sauron]], in [[Second Age 1700|S.A.1700]] Orcs formed the main power of Sauron's host. Despite the immeasurable number of Orcs, Sauron was defeated by the united hosts of Elves and [[Númenóreans]]. Still Sauron was powerful east of the [[Misty Mountains]] and the inlands and the Orcs that inhabited the mountains multiplied.

The [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]] started a war against the [[Dwarves]], resulting in the [[First Sack of Gundabad]] and its occupation by the Orcs. Finally, Orcs were the core force of [[Sauron]] during the [[War of the Last Alliance]], and fought in great battles such as the [[Battle of Dagorlad]] and the [[Siege of Barad-dûr]].

===Third Age===
During the [[Third Age]], Orcs were the standard troops of the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]] and [[Sauron]] (both in [[Mordor]] and in [[Dol Guldur]]).

In [[Angmar]], Orcs fought in the [[Angmar War]]. Years later, they invaded [[Eriador]] under the leadership of the [[Necromancer]].

The [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]], one of the few (more or less) independent Orcish societies, and their leader [[Azog]] started out the [[War of the Dwarves and Orcs]], and after their defeat they retreated in their caves. They appeared again in [[Third Age 2941|T.A. 2941]], when the [[Battle of Five Armies]] took place.

The [[Orcs of Mordor]] fought in major battles during the [[War of the Ring]], such as the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], but the entire [[Mordor]] force was destroyed in the [[Battle of the Morannon]].

The Orcs in [[Dol Guldur]] remained in [[Mirkwood]] until the [[Fall of Dol Guldur]], one of the last battles of the War of the Ring.

===Fourth Age and beyond===
Although the entire force of [[Sauron]] was destroyed after the [[War of the Ring]], it is assumed that many Orcs continued to live beneath the [[Misty Mountains]] and caused little trouble.{{fact}}

==Characteristics==

===Culture===

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 they 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.

It is interesting to note that to an extent, Tolkien did not regard Orcs as evil in their own right, but only as tools of Melkor and Sauron. He wrote once that "we were all orcs in the [[World War I|Great War]]".{{fact}}

===Lifespan===

It is unknown if the Orcs were immortal like the Elves. There is, in any case, a hint for a long livespan in the story of two of the most famous Orc-chieftains: [[Azog]] and [[Bolg]]. Bolg, being the son of Azog, was the chieftain of the Orcs who attacked Erebor in the Battle of Five Armies in {{TA|2941}}. Azog himself was killed in the Battle of Azanulbizar in {{TA|2799}}, so Bolg was aproximately 150 years old.

===Appearance===

In Tolkien's writing, Orcs are described as humanoid, roughly human-sized, ugly and filthy. Although not dim-witted, they are portrayed as dull and miserable beings, who corrupt words and are only able to destroy, not to create. They had sour black blood.{{fact}}

===Kinds of Orcs===

Tolkien loosely implies that there are actually several different breeds of Orcs, not simply in the wide variety in clans, but strains of Orc that were specifically bred for certain tasks.

The Fellowship usually encounters the large soldier-Orcs bred for war, and sometimes the "snaga" variety which were more geared towards being labourers. However, a strong hint at the variety of Orc breeds is when Frodo and Sam are in Mordor, and realize that they are being followed by two Orcs, then hide to observe them. One of the Orcs is a normal soldier-Orc, but the other is described as a "Snuffler", a breed specifically geared towards being a tracker. This tracker-Orc was, compared to the soldier-Orc, physically unimposing, but had vastly overdeveloped sensory organs, particularly a single giant nostril. While physically weak compared to the soldier-Orc, the "snuffler" was able to skilfully kill the soldier-orc when they got into a disagreement.

*[[Snaga]]
*[[Orcs of Mordor]]
*[[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]]
*[[Half-Orcs]] (and [[Goblin-men]])
*[[Uruk-hai]]
*[[Hobgoblins]]

===Orcs and Goblins===

The term ''goblin'' was used primarily in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' but also in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' where it is used synonymously with "Orc".<ref>{{TT|III1}}</ref><ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. 24</ref>

"Goblin" is an English word, whereas "Orc" was drawn from Old English but meant to be [[Westron]]<ref>"This is supposed to be the Common Speech name of these creatures at that time ... It was translated 'goblin' in The Hobbit" - Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien</ref>.

The original edition of ''The Hobbit'' and early drafts of ''The Lord of the Rings'' first used "goblin" everywhere and used "[[Hobgoblins|hobgoblin]]" for larger, more evil goblins: when goblins were replaced with Orcs Tolkien invented the term Uruk-hai for his more evil Orcs.

==Etymology==
===Orc===
The word '''''Orc''''' is said to be the "''form of the name that other races had for this foul people as it was in the [[Rohirric|language of Rohan]]''".<ref name=App|F1iv/>

In his late, post-''Lord of the Rings'' writings, Tolkien preferred the spelling '''''Ork'''''.<ref>{{HM|PM}}</ref> This was evidently mainly to avoid the form ''Orcish'', which would be naturally pronounced with the c as /s/ instead of /k/. (In [[Languages|Tolkien's languages]] the letter ''c'' was always pronounced /k/.) It is also possible that the word is a Common Tongue Version of 'orch', the [[Sindarin]] word for Orc. 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''.{{fact}}

Tolkien derived the word ''orc'' from [[Old English]] believing it refers to a kind of evil spirits,<ref name=L144/><ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "[[Gene Wolfe 7 November 1966]]" (letter)</ref> which in turn derives from Latin ''Orcus'' "Hades". He also thought it survives in the modern language for sea-beasts,<ref>{{HM|N}}, p. 762</ref> such as the [[Wikipedia:Orca Whale|Orca Whale]].

''Orc'' is an [[Old English]] word that refers mainly to a kind of metal cup (from Latin ''Urceus'').<ref group="note">The word ''Orc'' occurs twice in ''[[Beowulf]]''.</ref> However, in a 11th century glossary, this entry was conflated with another entry which refers to evil giants such as ''[[Wikipedia:Jötunn|þyrs]]'' and other monsters, also glossed in Latin as ''Orcus''. This merge of the two entries made many philologists of the previous centuries, like Tolkien, to believe that ''Orc'' was an actual Old English word that refers to any kind of evil creature from the underworld.<ref>Bosworth and Toller's ''An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary'' (1898), corrected in later editions</ref>

The word ''Orcnéas'' is once found only in ''[[Beowulf]]'' (lines 112-113) and is cited as an example of the word "Orc" in Old English text. Actually its meaning is not clear, and it is thought to refer to corpses (''néas'') from the Underworld.

However, it is also mentioned that the word ''Orc'' is Anglo-Saxon for "Foreigner, Monster, Demon" and was used to refer to the Normans invading the Anglish in 1066.<ref>"[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1329539/ 1066 The Battle for Middle Earth]" 2009 (documentary)</ref>
==="Orcs" in Tolkien's languages===
Tolkien said that one of the reason of choosing "Orc" over "Goblin" was the similarity with his fictional languages.<ref name=WJAC>{{WJ|AC}}, pp. 389-91</ref> Indeed most [[Elvish]], [[Mannish]] and other words for Orc, are similar to the English word.

The basic [[Primitive Quendian]] [[Sundocarme|root]], from which the words for Orc derive, is [[RUKU]] (said to refer to any "bogey" that scared the Elves)<ref name=WJAC/>:

*[[Quenya]] '''''orco'''''<ref name=PE17_47/> (pl. '''''Orkor'''''<ref>{{GA|27}}, p. 12</ref><ref>{{HM|MR}}, pp. 74, 194</ref>); [[Exilic Quenya]] '''''urko''''' (pl. '''''orkor''''' and '''''orqui''''')<ref name=WJAC/>
*[[Sindarin]]: '''''orch'''''/'''''Orch''''' (pl. '''''yrch'''''/'''''Yrch''''', class pl. '''''Orchoth'''''/'''''orchoth'''''<ref group="note">''Orchoth'' is likely a compound of ''orch'' + ''[[hoth]]''.</ref>)<ref name=WJAC/><ref name=L144/><ref name=PE17_52-4/><ref name=PE17_47/><ref name=App|F1iv/>; '''''[[glamhoth]]'''''
*[[Nandorin]]: '''''ūriʃ'''''<ref name=PE17_52-4>{{PE|17}}, pp. 52-4</ref>

*[[Adûnaic]]: '''''urku''''', '''''urkhu'''''<ref name=WJAC/>
*[[Westron]]: '''''orka'''''<ref name=PE17_47>{{PE|17}}, p. 47</ref>
*[[Black Speech]]: '''''[[Uruk-hai#Etymology|uruk]]'''''<ref name=App|F1iv>{{App|F1iv}}</ref><ref name=WJAC/><ref name=L144>{{L|144}}</ref><ref name=PE17_47/>
*[[Khuzdul]]: '''''Rukhs''''' (pl. '''''Rakhās'''''), possibly derived from an unknown [[Avarin]] word of the same meaning<ref name=WJAC/><ref group="note">''Rukhs'' appears to contain the radical R-Kh-S.</ref>
*[[Drúadan language]]: '''''gorgûn''''' ("orc-folk"; the form ''gorgûn'' is perhaps plural of an unknown singular form)<ref name=PE17_99>{{PE|17}}, p. 99</ref><ref>{{RK|V5}}</ref><ref name=WJAC/>

In the earliest versions of [[Qenya]], Tolkien had words such as "'''Ork (orq-)''' pl. '''Orqi''' and fem. "'''orqindi'''".{{fact}}

In [[Noldorin]], the earlier version of Sindarin, the word for Orc is the same: ''orch'' (pl ''yrch'').<ref name=LR379>{{LR|Etymologies}}, p. 379 (entry for ÓROK)</ref><ref>{{MR|P3I7}}, p. 195</ref><ref>{{MC|Secret}}, p. 217</ref> The [[Gnomish]] word for "one of a tribe of the orcs. a goblin" is said to be '''''Gong'''''.<ref>{{PE|11}}, p. 41</ref>

*''See also: [[Entish]] ''[[burárum]]''
===Goblin===
''[[Wiktionary:Goblin|Goblin]]'' is a folk word which according to ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English'' is probably derived from the Anglo-French ''[[Wiktionary:gobelin|gobelin]]'' a diminutive of ''gobel'' (cf. ''[[Wiktionary:kobold|kobold]]''). William D.B. Loos notes that ''goblin'' is a Romance-derived word, unlike other Germanic words preferred by [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]].<ref>William D.B. Loos, [http://tolkien.slimy.com/tfaq/EnemyMisc.html#Orcs Enemies and Miscellaneous: What was the relationship between Orcs and Goblins?] at [http://tolkien.slimy.com/tfaq/ The Tolkien Frequently Asked Questions List] (accessed 3 July 2011)</ref>

==="Goblin" in Tolkien's languages===

In the [[The Etymologies|''Etymologies'']], the Elvish names used to translate "goblin" derive from root [[RUKU#Other versions|ÓROK]] and are:<ref name=LR379>{{LR|Etymologies}}, p. 379 (entry for ÓROK)</ref>

*[[Quenya]]: '''''orko''''' (pl. '''''orqi''''')
*[[Noldorin]]: ''orch'' (pl ''yrch'', archaic ''yrchy''<ref>{{VT|46a}}, p. 7</ref>)
*[[Nandorin|Danian]]: '''''urc''''' (pl. '''''yrc''''')
*[[Doriathrin]]: '''''urch''''' (pl. '''''urchin''''')

In an early linguistic writing, Tolkien translated the [[Gnomish]] word ''Gong'' as "one of a tribe of the orcs. a goblin."<ref>{{PE|11}}, p. 41</ref>

==Other Versions of the Lengendarium==
===Origin===
According to the oldest "theory" proposed by Tolkien, Orcs were made of stone and slime through the sorcery of Morgoth. But, Tolkien later changed the legendarium so that Morgoth could no longer produce life on his own.

While Tolkien originally 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 the theory that orcs were descending from Elves. However, Tolkien died before he could complete his upheaval of the cosmology, and in the published version of ''The Silmarillion'', the Elf origin of Orcs was adopted. It does not appear that the elder Tolkien ever decided on a definitive answer.

The origin of Orcs is an open question. In Tolkien's writings, evil is not capable of independent creation, making it unlikely that the [[Valar|Vala]] [[Morgoth|Melkor]], who was obviously the first to produce them, could do that ''ex nihilo''. In the ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' is mentioned 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. There are hints in the ''[[The History of Middle-earth|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 Baggins|Bilbo]] and the Dwarves, may in fact have been fallen [[Maiar]] which had taken Orc form.

Yet other Orcs may have begun as animals of vaguely humanoid shapes, empowered by the will of the Dark Lord (first [[Morgoth]], later Sauron): this may explain the references to their "beaks and feathers"{{fact}} in Tolkien's writings.

: ''The Orcs were beasts of humanized shape (…).'' ('Morgoth's Ring', "Myths transformed", text VIII')

==Controversy==
Tolkien's Orcs have ''allegedly'' been a subject of criticism of [[racism]]. Tolkien described Orcs as "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".<ref>{{L|210}}</ref>
==Other writings==
In ''[[The Letters of Father Christmas]]'', goblins appear as the enemies of [[Father Christmas]] and the [[Red Elves]].
==Portrayal in Adaptations==
===Orcs===
{{stub}}
'''2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:Orc-kind is a genus that include the species of Orc, Goblins, [[Half-orcs]], [[Boggarts]], [[Bugans]] and [[Uruk-hai]].

:Orcs are very common in Middle-earth. They are about the size of a man with a hunchback.

===Goblins===
'''2003: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring]]'':'''
:Goblins have been made clearly distinct from Orcs.

'''2006: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II]]'':'''
:Goblins have been made clearly distinct from Orcs.

'''2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:Goblins are a separate race and can be found in [[Evendim]], [[the Shire]], [[Ered Luin]], [[Bree-land]], [[Lone-lands|Lone lands]], [[North Downs]], [[Misty Mountains]], [[Angmar]] and [[Moria]]. They are small in stature; a little shorter than [[Hobbits]]. In contrast, Orcs are about the size of [[Men]]. Goblins are also weaker than the orcs.

==See also==
*[[:Category:Images of Orcs|Images of Orcs]]
*[[:Category:Images of Goblins|Images of Goblins]]

{{references|note}}
[[Category:Orcs| ]]
[[Category:Races]]
[[de:Orks]]
[[fr:encyclo/peuples/orques/orques]]
[[fi:Örkit]]

Orcs

2011-11-21T05:22:39Z

SUM EGO: /* Orcs and Goblins */ Orc is no Rohirric as far as I know.

{{rewrite}}{{sources}}
{{race
| image=[[Image:John Howe - In Mordor.jpg|250px]]
| name= Orcs
| dominions=[[Mordor]], [[Angband]], [[Misty Mountains]], [[Mount Gundabad]], [[Angmar]], [[Utumno]]
| languages= [[Black Speech]]; numerous [[Orkish]] languages of their own
| height= probably just above 5'{{fact}}
| length=
| skincolor= Sallow, Green, Brown, Grey
| haircolor=
| feathers=
| distinctions= Short, sallow
| lifespan=
| members= [[Gothmog, Lieutenant of Morgul|Gothmog]], [[Othrod]], [[Azog]], [[Gorbag]]
|}}
'''Orcs''' (also called '''[[Orcs#Orcs and Goblins|Goblins]]''') were the footsoldiers of evil overlords - [[Morgoth]], [[Sauron]] and the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]].

==History==
===Origins and early Years===

The Orcs were bred by [[Morgoth|Melkor]] in mockery of the [[Elves]], sometime during the [[The Darkness#The Great Darkness|Great Darkness]].<ref>{{S|3}}</ref><ref>{{TT|III4}}</ref>

[[Image:Warren Mahy-Orc Archer.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Orc by [[Warren Mahy]]]]

It is unclear when exactly Orcs were created, but it certainly happened before the [[War for Sake of the Elves]] in his stronghold of Utumno. If the Orcs where at this time a capable fighting force against the host of Valinor is not known. But at least some of them survived this war, probably hidden in the deep vaults of [[Angband]] and multiplied, waiting for their master.

When Melkor (now known as [[Morgoth]]) returned to Middle-earth he created new hordes of Orcs and invaded [[Beleriand]], where the [[First Battle of Beleriand]] took place. Orcs fought also in [[Dagor-nuin-Giliath]].

===First Age===
Orcs appear in the [[First Age]] as the core force of [[Morgoth]]. Hundreds of thousands of Orcs were bred in [[Angband]] to participate in the [[Battles of Beleriand]], which lasted 587 years.

Orcs first appear in the [[First Age]] in the [[Battle of the Lammoth]], where they were defeated by [[Fingolfin]] and his [[Noldor]]. Orcs participated in battles such as the [[Dagor Aglareb]], [[Dagor Bragollach]], [[Nirnaeth Arnoediad]], [[Fall of the Falas]], and finally in the [[War of Wrath]], were they were almost extinguished. Those that survived the defeat fled eastwards and hid probably in the Mountains of [[Angmar]] and the [[Ered Mithrin]].

===Second Age===
At around the year thousand Sauron reappeared, took the land of [[Mordor]] as his realm and started the construction of [[Barad-dûr]]. It is likely that most of his servants where Orcs at this time that he had gathered under his command. Still for a long time Sauron's foul servants did not play an important role, for the Dark Lord had chosen a more subtle way to overthrow the free people by creating the [[Rings of Power]].

During the [[War of the Elves and Sauron]], in [[Second Age 1700|S.A.1700]] Orcs formed the main power of Sauron's host. Despite the immeasurable number of Orcs, Sauron was defeated by the united hosts of Elves and [[Númenóreans]]. Still Sauron was powerful east of the [[Misty Mountains]] and the inlands and the Orcs that inhabited the mountains multiplied.

The [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]] started a war against the [[Dwarves]], resulting in the [[First Sack of Gundabad]] and its occupation by the Orcs. Finally, Orcs were the core force of [[Sauron]] during the [[War of the Last Alliance]], and fought in great battles such as the [[Battle of Dagorlad]] and the [[Siege of Barad-dûr]].

===Third Age===
During the [[Third Age]], Orcs were the standard troops of the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]] and [[Sauron]] (both in [[Mordor]] and in [[Dol Guldur]]).

In [[Angmar]], Orcs fought in the [[Angmar War]]. Years later, they invaded [[Eriador]] under the leadership of the [[Necromancer]].

The [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]], one of the few (more or less) independent Orcish societies, and their leader [[Azog]] started out the [[War of the Dwarves and Orcs]], and after their defeat they retreated in their caves. They appeared again in [[Third Age 2941|T.A. 2941]], when the [[Battle of Five Armies]] took place.

The [[Orcs of Mordor]] fought in major battles during the [[War of the Ring]], such as the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], but the entire [[Mordor]] force was destroyed in the [[Battle of the Morannon]].

The Orcs in [[Dol Guldur]] remained in [[Mirkwood]] until the [[Fall of Dol Guldur]], one of the last battles of the War of the Ring.

===Fourth Age and beyond===
Although the entire force of [[Sauron]] was destroyed after the [[War of the Ring]], it is assumed that many Orcs continued to live beneath the [[Misty Mountains]] and caused little trouble.{{fact}}

==Characteristics==

===Culture===

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 they 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.

It is interesting to note that to an extent, Tolkien did not regard Orcs as evil in their own right, but only as tools of Melkor and Sauron. He wrote once that "we were all orcs in the [[World War I|Great War]]".{{fact}}

===Lifespan===

It is unknown if the Orcs were immortal like the Elves. There is, in any case, a hint for a long livespan in the story of two of the most famous Orc-chieftains: [[Azog]] and [[Bolg]]. Bolg, being the son of Azog, was the chieftain of the Orcs who attacked Erebor in the Battle of Five Armies in {{TA|2941}}. Azog himself was killed in the Battle of Azanulbizar in {{TA|2799}}, so Bolg was aproximately 150 years old.

===Appearance===

In Tolkien's writing, Orcs are described as humanoid, roughly human-sized, ugly and filthy. Although not dim-witted, they are portrayed as dull and miserable beings, who corrupt words and are only able to destroy, not to create. They had sour black blood.{{fact}}

===Kinds of Orcs===

Tolkien loosely implies that there are actually several different breeds of Orcs, not simply in the wide variety in clans, but strains of Orc that were specifically bred for certain tasks.

The Fellowship usually encounters the large soldier-Orcs bred for war, and sometimes the "snaga" variety which were more geared towards being labourers. However, a strong hint at the variety of Orc breeds is when Frodo and Sam are in Mordor, and realize that they are being followed by two Orcs, then hide to observe them. One of the Orcs is a normal soldier-Orc, but the other is described as a "Snuffler", a breed specifically geared towards being a tracker. This tracker-Orc was, compared to the soldier-Orc, physically unimposing, but had vastly overdeveloped sensory organs, particularly a single giant nostril. While physically weak compared to the soldier-Orc, the "snuffler" was able to skilfully kill the soldier-orc when they got into a disagreement.

*[[Snaga]]
*[[Orcs of Mordor]]
*[[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]]
*[[Half-Orcs]] (and [[Goblin-men]])
*[[Uruk-hai]]
*[[Hobgoblins]]

===Orcs and Goblins===

The term ''goblin'' was used primarily in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' but also in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' where it is used synonymously with "Orc".<ref>{{TT|III1}}</ref><ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. 24</ref>

"Goblin" is an English word, whereas "Orc" was drawn from Old English but meant to be [Westron]<ref>"This is supposed to be the Common Speech name of these creatures at that time ... It was translated 'goblin' in The Hobbit" - Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien</ref>.

The original edition of ''The Hobbit'' and early drafts of ''The Lord of the Rings'' first used "goblin" everywhere and used "[[Hobgoblins|hobgoblin]]" for larger, more evil goblins: when goblins were replaced with Orcs Tolkien invented the term Uruk-hai for his more evil Orcs.

==Etymology==
===Orc===
The word '''''Orc''''' is said to be the "''form of the name that other races had for this foul people as it was in the [[Rohirric|language of Rohan]]''".<ref name=App|F1iv/>

In his late, post-''Lord of the Rings'' writings, Tolkien preferred the spelling '''''Ork'''''.<ref>{{HM|PM}}</ref> This was evidently mainly to avoid the form ''Orcish'', which would be naturally pronounced with the c as /s/ instead of /k/. (In [[Languages|Tolkien's languages]] the letter ''c'' was always pronounced /k/.) It is also possible that the word is a Common Tongue Version of 'orch', the [[Sindarin]] word for Orc. 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''.{{fact}}

Tolkien derived the word ''orc'' from [[Old English]] believing it refers to a kind of evil spirits,<ref name=L144/><ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "[[Gene Wolfe 7 November 1966]]" (letter)</ref> which in turn derives from Latin ''Orcus'' "Hades". He also thought it survives in the modern language for sea-beasts,<ref>{{HM|N}}, p. 762</ref> such as the [[Wikipedia:Orca Whale|Orca Whale]].

''Orc'' is an [[Old English]] word that refers mainly to a kind of metal cup (from Latin ''Urceus'').<ref group="note">The word ''Orc'' occurs twice in ''[[Beowulf]]''.</ref> However, in a 11th century glossary, this entry was conflated with another entry which refers to evil giants such as ''[[Wikipedia:Jötunn|þyrs]]'' and other monsters, also glossed in Latin as ''Orcus''. This merge of the two entries made many philologists of the previous centuries, like Tolkien, to believe that ''Orc'' was an actual Old English word that refers to any kind of evil creature from the underworld.<ref>Bosworth and Toller's ''An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary'' (1898), corrected in later editions</ref>

The word ''Orcnéas'' is once found only in ''[[Beowulf]]'' (lines 112-113) and is cited as an example of the word "Orc" in Old English text. Actually its meaning is not clear, and it is thought to refer to corpses (''néas'') from the Underworld.

However, it is also mentioned that the word ''Orc'' is Anglo-Saxon for "Foreigner, Monster, Demon" and was used to refer to the Normans invading the Anglish in 1066.<ref>"[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1329539/ 1066 The Battle for Middle Earth]" 2009 (documentary)</ref>
==="Orcs" in Tolkien's languages===
Tolkien said that one of the reason of choosing "Orc" over "Goblin" was the similarity with his fictional languages.<ref name=WJAC>{{WJ|AC}}, pp. 389-91</ref> Indeed most [[Elvish]], [[Mannish]] and other words for Orc, are similar to the English word.

The basic [[Primitive Quendian]] [[Sundocarme|root]], from which the words for Orc derive, is [[RUKU]] (said to refer to any "bogey" that scared the Elves)<ref name=WJAC/>:

*[[Quenya]] '''''orco'''''<ref name=PE17_47/> (pl. '''''Orkor'''''<ref>{{GA|27}}, p. 12</ref><ref>{{HM|MR}}, pp. 74, 194</ref>); [[Exilic Quenya]] '''''urko''''' (pl. '''''orkor''''' and '''''orqui''''')<ref name=WJAC/>
*[[Sindarin]]: '''''orch'''''/'''''Orch''''' (pl. '''''yrch'''''/'''''Yrch''''', class pl. '''''Orchoth'''''/'''''orchoth'''''<ref group="note">''Orchoth'' is likely a compound of ''orch'' + ''[[hoth]]''.</ref>)<ref name=WJAC/><ref name=L144/><ref name=PE17_52-4/><ref name=PE17_47/><ref name=App|F1iv/>; '''''[[glamhoth]]'''''
*[[Nandorin]]: '''''ūriʃ'''''<ref name=PE17_52-4>{{PE|17}}, pp. 52-4</ref>

*[[Adûnaic]]: '''''urku''''', '''''urkhu'''''<ref name=WJAC/>
*[[Westron]]: '''''orka'''''<ref name=PE17_47>{{PE|17}}, p. 47</ref>
*[[Black Speech]]: '''''[[Uruk-hai#Etymology|uruk]]'''''<ref name=App|F1iv>{{App|F1iv}}</ref><ref name=WJAC/><ref name=L144>{{L|144}}</ref><ref name=PE17_47/>
*[[Khuzdul]]: '''''Rukhs''''' (pl. '''''Rakhās'''''), possibly derived from an unknown [[Avarin]] word of the same meaning<ref name=WJAC/><ref group="note">''Rukhs'' appears to contain the radical R-Kh-S.</ref>
*[[Drúadan language]]: '''''gorgûn''''' ("orc-folk"; the form ''gorgûn'' is perhaps plural of an unknown singular form)<ref name=PE17_99>{{PE|17}}, p. 99</ref><ref>{{RK|V5}}</ref><ref name=WJAC/>

In the earliest versions of [[Qenya]], Tolkien had words such as "'''Ork (orq-)''' pl. '''Orqi''' and fem. "'''orqindi'''".{{fact}}

In [[Noldorin]], the earlier version of Sindarin, the word for Orc is the same: ''orch'' (pl ''yrch'').<ref name=LR379>{{LR|Etymologies}}, p. 379 (entry for ÓROK)</ref><ref>{{MR|P3I7}}, p. 195</ref><ref>{{MC|Secret}}, p. 217</ref> The [[Gnomish]] word for "one of a tribe of the orcs. a goblin" is said to be '''''Gong'''''.<ref>{{PE|11}}, p. 41</ref>

*''See also: [[Entish]] ''[[burárum]]''
===Goblin===
''[[Wiktionary:Goblin|Goblin]]'' is a folk word which according to ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English'' is probably derived from the Anglo-French ''[[Wiktionary:gobelin|gobelin]]'' a diminutive of ''gobel'' (cf. ''[[Wiktionary:kobold|kobold]]''). William D.B. Loos notes that ''goblin'' is a Romance-derived word, unlike other Germanic words preferred by [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]].<ref>William D.B. Loos, [http://tolkien.slimy.com/tfaq/EnemyMisc.html#Orcs Enemies and Miscellaneous: What was the relationship between Orcs and Goblins?] at [http://tolkien.slimy.com/tfaq/ The Tolkien Frequently Asked Questions List] (accessed 3 July 2011)</ref>

==="Goblin" in Tolkien's languages===

In the [[The Etymologies|''Etymologies'']], the Elvish names used to translate "goblin" derive from root [[RUKU#Other versions|ÓROK]] and are:<ref name=LR379>{{LR|Etymologies}}, p. 379 (entry for ÓROK)</ref>

*[[Quenya]]: '''''orko''''' (pl. '''''orqi''''')
*[[Noldorin]]: ''orch'' (pl ''yrch'', archaic ''yrchy''<ref>{{VT|46a}}, p. 7</ref>)
*[[Nandorin|Danian]]: '''''urc''''' (pl. '''''yrc''''')
*[[Doriathrin]]: '''''urch''''' (pl. '''''urchin''''')

In an early linguistic writing, Tolkien translated the [[Gnomish]] word ''Gong'' as "one of a tribe of the orcs. a goblin."<ref>{{PE|11}}, p. 41</ref>

==Other Versions of the Lengendarium==
===Origin===
According to the oldest "theory" proposed by Tolkien, Orcs were made of stone and slime through the sorcery of Morgoth. But, Tolkien later changed the legendarium so that Morgoth could no longer produce life on his own.

While Tolkien originally 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 the theory that orcs were descending from Elves. However, Tolkien died before he could complete his upheaval of the cosmology, and in the published version of ''The Silmarillion'', the Elf origin of Orcs was adopted. It does not appear that the elder Tolkien ever decided on a definitive answer.

The origin of Orcs is an open question. In Tolkien's writings, evil is not capable of independent creation, making it unlikely that the [[Valar|Vala]] [[Morgoth|Melkor]], who was obviously the first to produce them, could do that ''ex nihilo''. In the ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' is mentioned 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. There are hints in the ''[[The History of Middle-earth|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 Baggins|Bilbo]] and the Dwarves, may in fact have been fallen [[Maiar]] which had taken Orc form.

Yet other Orcs may have begun as animals of vaguely humanoid shapes, empowered by the will of the Dark Lord (first [[Morgoth]], later Sauron): this may explain the references to their "beaks and feathers"{{fact}} in Tolkien's writings.

: ''The Orcs were beasts of humanized shape (…).'' ('Morgoth's Ring', "Myths transformed", text VIII')

==Controversy==
Tolkien's Orcs have ''allegedly'' been a subject of criticism of [[racism]]. Tolkien described Orcs as "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".<ref>{{L|210}}</ref>
==Other writings==
In ''[[The Letters of Father Christmas]]'', goblins appear as the enemies of [[Father Christmas]] and the [[Red Elves]].
==Portrayal in Adaptations==
===Orcs===
{{stub}}
'''2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:Orc-kind is a genus that include the species of Orc, Goblins, [[Half-orcs]], [[Boggarts]], [[Bugans]] and [[Uruk-hai]].

:Orcs are very common in Middle-earth. They are about the size of a man with a hunchback.

===Goblins===
'''2003: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring]]'':'''
:Goblins have been made clearly distinct from Orcs.

'''2006: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II]]'':'''
:Goblins have been made clearly distinct from Orcs.

'''2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:Goblins are a separate race and can be found in [[Evendim]], [[the Shire]], [[Ered Luin]], [[Bree-land]], [[Lone-lands|Lone lands]], [[North Downs]], [[Misty Mountains]], [[Angmar]] and [[Moria]]. They are small in stature; a little shorter than [[Hobbits]]. In contrast, Orcs are about the size of [[Men]]. Goblins are also weaker than the orcs.

==See also==
*[[:Category:Images of Orcs|Images of Orcs]]
*[[:Category:Images of Goblins|Images of Goblins]]

{{references|note}}
[[Category:Orcs| ]]
[[Category:Races]]
[[de:Orks]]
[[fr:encyclo/peuples/orques/orques]]
[[fi:Örkit]]

Simbelmynë

2011-11-03T16:12:19Z

SUM EGO: /* Etymology */

[[Image:Peter Jackson's Simbelmynë.jpg|thumb|Simbelmynë from [[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]]]
'''Simbelmynë''' was a small white flower that grew in particular abundance on graves and tombs, like the [[Barrowfield]] of the [[Kings of Rohan]] beneath the walls of [[Edoras]]<ref name=TTIII6>{{TT|III6}}</ref>; and most thickly on the grave of [[Helm Hammerhand]].<ref>{{App|A2}}</ref> It was referred to as '''''[[uilos]]''''' when Tuor saw these flowers in the great ravine between the Fourth Gate, the [[Gate of Writhen Iron]], and the Fifth Gate that was made of white marble, when he was making his way to [[Gondolin]].<ref>{{UT|Tuor}}</ref> Another Elven name for this flower was '''''[[alfirin]]''''', which grew on the low mound that was the tomb of [[Elendil]] upon the summit of [[Amon Anwar]].<ref>{{UT|Cirion}}</ref>

It grew in turf but small and white like the wood anemone. Though the plant bloomed at all seasons, its flowers were not 'immortelles'.<ref name="N">{{HM|N}}, p. 780</ref>
==Etymology==
''Simbelmynë'' was the name of the flower in [[Rohan]], meaning "[[Evermind]]",<ref name=TTIII6/> a reference to the memories of the dead on whose tombs the flower grew. The name thus resembles 'forget-me-not', but a quite different kind of flower is intended. The [[Elves]] called them ''uilos'' and ''alfirin''.

The spelling does not appear to be completely fixed. Within ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', and in most other sources, its name is spelt ''simbelmynë''. However, there is at least one recorded instance where Tolkien prefers ''symbelmynë''.<ref>{{L|93}}</ref> These variations do not affect the meaning of its name.

It has been suggested that Tolkien derived ''simbelmynë'' from the [[Old English]] words ''simbel'' ("ever") and ''myne'' ("mind").<ref>John Tinkler, "Old English in Rohan," in ''[[Tolkien and the Critics]]'', ed. N.D. Isaacs and R.A. Zimbardo (1968), p. 168</ref>

==Inspiration==
Tolkien mentioned that Simbelmyne is an imagined variety of anemone. In appearance, [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] compares Simbelmynë to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anemone_nemorosa European anemone], a small white flower growing among the grass or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulsatilla_vulgata Anemona pulsatilla], the "pasque flower"<ref name="N"/>.
{{references}}
[[Category:Flowers]]
[[de:Simbelmyne]]
[[fr:encyclo:biologie:flore:symbelmyne]]
[[fi:Simbelmynë]]

Glorfindel

2010-09-16T20:08:09Z

SUM EGO: /* Etymology */

{{sources}}{{noldor infobox
| image= [[Image:Soni - Glorfindel.jpg|248px]]
| name= Glorfindel of the Golden Flower
| othernames= [[Laurefindil]]
| titles= Chief of the [[House of the Golden Flower]]
| birth= During the [[Years of the Trees]]
| birthlocation=[[Aman]]
| realm= [[Aman]] ([[Tirion]]?), [[Vinyamar]], [[Gondolin]]
| death= {{FA|510}}
| deathlocation=(quickly re-embodied)
| age= 6000+
| parentage= Probably [[Noldor]]in/[[Vanyar]]in mix
| spouse=
| children=
| gender= Male
| hair= Long Golden
|}}{{Pronounce|Glorfindel.mp3|Ardamir}}

{{quote|'''Glorfindel''' was tall and straight; his hair was of shining gold, his face fair and young and fearless and full of joy; his eyes were bright and keen, and his voice like music; on his brow sat wisdom, and in his hand was strength.|[[The Fellowship of the Ring]], ''[[Many Meetings]]''}}
'''Glorfindel''' ([[Sindarin|S]] "golden head of hair", pron. {{IPA|[ɡlorˈfindel]}}) was one of the mightiest [[Elves]] of [[Middle-earth]] in the [[Third Age]]. He was distinctive because of his return to [[Middle-earth]] after death, acting as an emissary of the [[Valar]], on a similar mission to the [[Istari]] who were to come several thousand years later.

==History==
===Early History===

Glorfindel was born in [[Valinor]] sometime during the [[Years of the Trees]]. His parentage is unknown; due to his apparent nobility and a note that he was kin of [[Turgon the Wise|Turgon]] it is possible that he was the son of one of [[Finwë]]’s daughters, [[Findis]] or [[Irimë]]. This would account for his distinctive golden hair as well, as [[Indis]] their mother was a [[Vanya]]. It would also make Glorfindel the possible uncle of [[Voronwë of Gondolin|Voronwë]] (who may have been the grandson of Irimë), the only surviving mariner who sought Valinor. Nevertheless, his parentage is and always will be a matter of speculation, unless new manuscripts turn up, as [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] never explored that matter very deeply.

He was of the host of [[Turgon the Wise|Turgon]], who was one of the most determined and unrepentant followers of [[Fëanor]]. Nevertheless Glorfindel himself was reluctant; only for his allegiance and kinship with Turgon did he go, and had no part in the [[Kinslaying of Alqualondë]].

===Gondolin===

After the [[Exile of the Noldor]] Glorfindel’s history is obscure. As a great follower of Turgon he was appointed chief of the [[House of the Golden Flower]], one of the [[Twelve Houses of the Gondolindrim|Twelve Houses]] of [[Gondolin]]. He was dearly loved by all the [[Gondolindrim]], and went about in a mantle embroidered in threads of gold, diapered with celandine “as a field in spring”. His vambraces were [[Uncommon words#damask|damascened]] with "cunning gold".

[[Image:Jenny Dolfen - Glorfindel and Ecthelion.jpg|thumb|left|250px|''Glorfindel and Ecthelion'', as drawn by [[Jenny Dolfen]].]]He witnessed the coming of [[Tuor]] and later the [[Fall of Gondolin]]. During the ensuing battle in the streets, Glorfindel chose (or was ordered to) hold the [[Great Market]] from the advancing [[orcs]]. He attempted to flank them, taking the enemy by surprise, but was himself ambushed and surrounded. Cut off, the House of the Golden Flower fought on fiercely for hours, until a fire-breathing [[Dragons|dragon]] came and leveled their ranks. Glorfindel with some of the strongest of his followers cut his way out, but the survivors of that battle were very few. Even then they were pursued and might have all been killed, but the [[House of the Harp]] arrived in time, ambushing their pursuers, after rebelling from their treacherous leader [[Salgant]]. The Golden Flower arrived at the [[Square of the King]], one of the last of the Houses to be driven in.

As many of the lords had fallen, [[Ecthelion of the Fountain|Ecthelion]] was wounded, [[Galdor of the Tree|Galdor]] was engaged, and [[Egalmoth of the Heavenly Arch|Egalmoth]] had not yet arrived, Glorfindel joined Tuor in leading the defense of the King’s Square. When Egalmoth arrived, bringing with him many women and children, he took over Glorfindel’s job in going from place to place, strengthening the defenses. Glorfindel presumably threw himself once more into the thick of the fight. But even he could not prevent a dragon from coming down from the [[Alley of Roses]], breaking through their lines. The dragon was accompanied by orcs and balrogs, among them [[Gothmog (Lord of Balrogs)|Gothmog]]. Even Tuor was thrown down, but Ecthelion sacrificed himself to kill Gothmog and buy the Gondolindrim a little more time. When the Gondolindrim fled southward, and Turgon King was slain, Glorfindel held the rear manfully, losing many more of his House in the process. After they had escaped Gondolin via [[Idril's Secret Way]], and passed through the [[Cristhorn|Cirith Thoronath]], Glorfindel again held the rear with the largest number of the unwounded.

[[Image:Ted Nasmith - Glorfindel and the Balrog Above Gondolin.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Glorfindel and the Balrog Above Gondolin'' by [[Ted Nasmith]].]]It was at that time that a balrog and a contingent of orcs ambushed their company. Glorfindel there accomplished his greatest deed, for he saved the lives of Tuor, [[Idril]], and all the company when he defied the balrog. They fought long. According to ''[[The Fall of Gondolin]]'' Glorfindel stabbed it in the belly, but as the balrog fell it reached out and grabbed his long golden hair, pulling him back down over the edge of the cliff. He perished in the fall, but his body was borne up by [[Thorondor]], and buried him with a mound of stones in the pass. On that mound grew yellow flowers (possibly celandine), despite its remote location.

===Re-embodiment and Return===

Glorfindel’s spirit passed to the [[Halls of Mandos]], where he waited with the spirits of the other Noldor who had died during their war against [[Morgoth]]. But because of Glorfindel’s noble actions in life, his reluctance at the Exile, and his furthering of the purposes of the Valar by saving Tuor and Idril, he was re-embodied after only a short time. He had redeemed himself, and was purged of any guilt. Not only did his sacrifice get him an early pardon, it earned him great powers, so that he was almost an equal to the maiar.

Glorfindel spent several hundred years in Valinor, during which time he became a friend and follower of the [[Maia]] [[Olórin]]. Eventually, [[Manwë]] sent him across the [[Belegaer|sea]] to [[Middle-earth]], possibly as early as [[Second Age 1200]], but more likely in [[Second Age 1600|1600]] with the [[Blue Wizards]]. If the latter date, he arrived just after the [[One Ring]] had been forged, [[Barad-dûr]] built, and [[Celebrimbor]] dead or soon to be so. While the Blue Wizards were sent to the east, Glorfindel’s mission was to aid [[Gil-galad]] and [[Elrond]] in the struggle against [[Sauron]]. He played a prominent behind-the-scenes role in the war in [[Eriador]] and the other struggles of the [[Second Age]] and [[Third Age]]. His part, though great, was mostly overlooked by the histories, because his immense, angelic power was not usually displayed openly.

===Third Age===

[[Image:Anna Lee - Glorfindel.jpg|thumb|left|''Glorfindel'' by [[Anna Lee]].]] Glorfindel greeted his friend [[Olórin]] (to be known as [[Gandalf]]) in [[Mithlond]] in [[Third Age 1000|1000]] of the Third Age, who was on a similar mission to his own. As the great Elves of Middle-earth fell one by one, only [[Galadriel]], [[Celeborn (Lord of Lórien)|Celeborn]], [[Elrond]], and [[Círdan]] were left of the Wise. Glorfindel took a more active role, leading the Elven forces in the [[Battle of Fornost]]. Upon the humiliation of [[Eärnur]] before the [[Witch-king]], Glorfindel bade him not pursue, and prophesied that the wraith would not fall by the hand of man.

His next appearance in the histories was during the pre-[[War of the Ring]] struggles, after the [[One Ring]] had been brought into the light once more. He was one of the elves dispatched from [[Rivendell]] by Elrond to search for the [[Ring-bearer]]. Elrond had chosen him partially because Glorfindel did not fear the [[Nazgûl|Ringwraiths]], as he had great presence in both the [[Seen]] and [[Unseen]] worlds. While on his perilous mission the Ringwraiths avoided him; he met five of them, and they fled at his presence. It was Glorfindel indeed who accomplished his mission and found the Ringbearer, [[Frodo Baggins]], and his friend [[Aragorn]] with him. Glorfindel put Frodo on his horse, [[Asfaloth]], and upon the approach of the Ringwraiths ordered him to go on. The white horse bore Frodo to safety across the [[Ford of Bruinen]], but Frodo, in a rash act of attempted heroism, turned around at the other side and defied the Nine. Glorfindel, expecting the flood that protected Rivendell to come down and smite the riders, revealed his power to the Riders, and drove them (willingly or not) into the River, where they were swept away by the ensuing waters.

[[Image:Hope Hoover - Glorfindel in Battle.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''Glorfindel in Battle'' as drawn by [[Hope Hoover]].]]After this adventure, he helped bear Frodo to Rivendell, where the wounded Ringbearer was tended to. Glorfindel attended the [[Council of Elrond]], playing an active role in the conversation, speaking prophetically of [[Tom Bombadil]] and other matters with authority. Glorfindel stood beside Elrond and Gandalf as the backbone of the Council, laying out clearly their options. At first Glorfindel suggested that the Ring would be safe in the depths of the Sea, but the far-sighted Gandalf noted the change of landscapes, and the unforeseen possibilities that could bring the Ring forth once more in a hundred or even a thousand years in the future. In a hasty note Tolkien suggested that Glorfindel could tell of his ancestry in Gondolin, but this idea was disbanded. He was briefly considered as a member of the [[Fellowship of the Ring]], but as his friend Gandalf said, Glorfindel's power would be of little use against the might of [[Mordor]], on a mission of secrecy.

During the [[War of the Ring]] nothing is said of Glorfindel. Doubtless he played as strong a role as he had in previous campaigns. It is possible that he went to [[Lothlórien]] and fought actively in the [[Rhovanion Campaign (WotR)|war of Rhovanion]], perhaps even aiding Celeborn in the [[Fall of Dol Guldur]]. Whatever his role, his next mention in the texts is the [[Wedding of Elessar]], to which he came from the north with Galadriel and Elrond. After that no more is said of him. Like Olórin, his task in Middle-earth was done, and the age of the [[Elves]] was over. He probably passed West, perhaps with the bearers of the [[Three Rings]] and the [[One Ring]]. Or he may have remained for a time in Middle-earth to oversee the cleanup after the war. It may even be speculated that he waited for the Blue Wizards, who were active in the east against Sauron, and departed with them even as he came.

==Earlier Versions of the Legendarium==

Glorfindel was originally planned to be part of the [[Fellowship of the Ring]], in a way taking the place of [[Legolas]]. Tolkien proposed three dates as to his return to Middle-earth: [[Third Age 1000|T.A. 1000]], with [[Gandalf]], [[Second Age 1200|S.A. 1200]] and the years following, or [[Second Age 1600|S.A. 1600]]. He dropped the first one after some thought, and though he declared the second possible, he favored the last as the most probable.

==Attributes==

Glorfindel was an elf of great beauty, power, wisdom, and moral courage. He was clearly loved by the people of [[Gondolin]], who mourned his passing greatly. He acted most courageously during the Fall, his House being among those that suffered the greatest losses, and eventually giving his own life for the safety of [[Tuor]] and [[Idril]], accomplishing the designs of the Valar, though it was said that he "''would have defended them even had they been fugitives of any rank''". He was repentant of the rebellion of the Noldor, and took no part in the Kinslaying. His acts in the Third Age also show great presence and authority, as does the very fact that he was sent as an emissary of the Valar.

==Controversy==

Some have questioned whether Glorfindel of Gondolin and Glorfindel of Rivendell were the same. Tolkien may simply have borrowed a name from his earlier legendarium, something he was known to do. ''[[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]'', published posthumously, cast some light on this issue. Among the ''[[Last Writings]]'' published in that volume, there are two long essays, ''Glorfindel I'' and ''Glorfindel II''. These were written later in life by Tolkien, and directly addressed whether the two Glorfindels were the same person. Both essays clearly indicated that they were the same person, and included a detailed discussion of 're-embodiment' in Tolkien's mythology.

{{quote|. . . At any rate what at first sight may seem the simplest solution must be abandoned: sc. that we have merely a reduplication of names, and that Glorfindel of Gondolin and Glorfindel of Rivendell were different persons. This repetition of so striking a name, though possible, would not be credible… Also it may be found that acceptance of the identity of Glorfindel of old and of the Third Age will actually explain what is said of him and improve the story. . .|''[[Last Writings]]'', Glorfindel II}}

{{quote|. . . After his purging of any guilt that he had incurred in the rebellion, he was released from Mandos, and Manwë restored him… We may then best suppose that Glorfindel returned during the Second Age, before the ‘shadow’ fell on [[Númenor]]. . .|Ibid.}}

As Tolkien's legendarium was an evolving work that he constantly updated and revised, there will always be some question of "final intent". Some may note that the above-quoted essays were private and not ever published, and thus should not be taken as decisive. Nevertheless the editors of the Tolkien Gateway believe that these essays, combined with Tolkien's published novels, clearly establish that Glorfindel of Gondolin and Glorfindel of Rivendell were the same person.

==Portrayal in Adaptations==
[[Image:BFME2 - Glorfindel.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Glorfindel, silverhaired, as he appeared in ''[[EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II|The Battle for Middle-earth II]].]]
Glorfindel is rarely portrayed like in the book. His role in ''The Lord of the Rings'' is too small to be introduced and forgotten - he basically does little else beyond providing fast transport to Rivendell. In the more popular works, his role has been filled by another Elf.

'''1978: ''[[Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:In this adaptation, the role of Glorfindel was taken by [[Legolas]]. In a simplification of that character, and as a reason for ''his'' coming, he is portrayed as an Elf of Rivendell rather than [[Mirkwood]].

'''1981: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:Glorfindel appears in his original role at the Last Bridge, voiced by [[John Webb]]. Because the part of [[Gildor Inglorion]] was cut, the heavily wounded Frodo says the [[Quenya]] greeting ''Elen síla lúmenn' omientielvo'' to him, and Glorfindel replies with Gildor's answer. Glorfindel keeps his two [[Sindarin]] lines, ''A na vedui, Dúnadan!'' and ''Noro lim, noro lim, Asfatloth!'', though he says them with a heavy English accent. His name is pronounced correctly in the adaptation, but in the credits, his name is pronounced "Glorfindle".

'''2001: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''
:To limit the already large number of one-appearance characters, Glorfindel has been omitted in this adaptation as well. [[Peter Jackson]] decided, to have [[Arwen]] meet the travelers and then ride on [[Asfaloth]].

'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|Vivendi's The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''
:Glorfindel appears on the Last Bridge. He has several Sindarin lines: ''A na vedui, Dúnadan'', like in the book, and ''Mae govannen, mellon'' (which Frodo accurately translates as "Well met, friend"). He comes to the aid of the hobbits at the request of Elrond, who had received news from [[Gildor Inglorion|a group of Elves travelling near the Shire]] - even though there is no mention of that group earlier in the gameplay. Glorfindel does so in a monotonous voice, and his speech continues without pause. He also uses the lines ''Noro lim, Asfaloth'', though he does not say them to his horse: he says them to Frodo. No actor is specified for this part.

'''2003: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]'':'''
:[[Decipher]] made two [[Decipher Card|card]] featuring extra [[Jarl Benzon]] as Glorfindel, one of them being at the [[Coronation of Elessar]].

'''2006: ''[[EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II]]'':'''
:Glorfindel played an important part in this video game, set during the [[War of the Ring]]. Together with [[Glóin son of Gróin|Glóin]] of [[Erebor]], Glorfindel fights in several places in northern [[Eriador]] and [[Rhovanion (Region)|Rhovanion]]. He is voiced by [[Jason Carter]], and portrayed as white haired. His design was changed to a more movie-accurate version in the expansion pack, ''[[EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II: The Rise of the Witch-king|The Rise of the Witch-king]]''. He serves as narrator throughout, and appears in the story itself after the death of [[Arvedui]].

'''2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:Glorfindel can be found in Rivendell just south of the [[Last Homely House]]. He has long blonde hair and wears a white robe with purple belt. He is involved in some of the book quests for ''Shadows of Angmar''. The player also talks to him after defeating the balrog Thaurlach.

==Collectibles==
[[Gentle Giant]] produced a [http://www.gentlegiantltd.com/catalog/product/detail/314 Glorfindel Mini Bust] for [[Comic-Con 2007]], based on Glorfindel's appearance in ''[[EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II]]''.

==Etymology==
''Glorfindel'' is the [[Sindarin]] calque of '''[[Laurefindil]]'''<ref name="PE17">[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "Words, Phrases & Passages in 'The Lord of the Rings'", [[Parma Eldalamberon]] 17, page 17.</ref> ([[Quenya|Q]]: "golden head of hair", pron. [[Noldorin|N]] {{IPA|[ˌlaʊreˈfindil]}}, [[Vanyarin|V]] {{IPA|[ˌlaʊreˈɸindil]}}), which is made up of two components; ''[[laurë]]'' means "golden color" and ''[[findil]]'' or ''[[findilë]]'' means "head of hair". The name is in reference to Glorfindel's golden hair, hinting to a possible [[Vanyar]]in heritage. As a prince of the [[Noldor]], it is highly probable that Glorfindel is descended from any one of the children born to [[Finwë]] by the Vanya [[Indis]]. [[Finarfin]], [[Finrod]], [[Galadriel]] and [[Idril]] were also Noldorin descendants of Vanyarin intermarriage who inherited the same trademark golden hair to varying degrees.

[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]
[[Category:Gondolindrim]]
[[Category:Noldor]]
[[Category:Sindarin names]]
[[de:Glorfindel]]
[[fr:encyclo/personnages/elfes/noldor/glorfindel]]
[[fi:Glorfindel]]
{{references}}

Gil-galad

2010-09-09T05:42:40Z

SUM EGO: /* History */

{{noldor infobox
| image=[[Image:Soni - Gil-galad at the Last Alliance.jpg|248px]]
| name=Gil-galad
| othernames=[[fn]] ''[[Artanáro]]'' ([[S.]] [[Amilessë|mn]] ''[[Rodnor]]''/[[fn]] ''Ereinion'')
| titles=[[High King of the Noldor]]
| birth=[[First Age]]
| realm=[[Havens of Sirion]], [[Lindon]]
| death={{SA|3441}}
| age=
| parentage=[[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]]
| spouse=None
| children=
| gender=Male
| hair=Golden
|}}{{Pronounce|Ereinion Gil-galad.mp3|Ardamir}}
<center>{{quote|Gil-galad was an Elven-king Of him the harpers sadly sing The last whose realm was fair and free Between the Mountains and the Sea.|From [[The Fall of Gil-galad]], as translated by [[Bilbo Baggins]]}}</center>
'''Ereinion Gil-galad''' ([[Sindarin|S]], pron. {{IPA|[eˈreɪnjon ˈɡilɡalad]}}) was the sixth and last [[High King of the Noldor]]. He was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]] (in the Silmarillion he is the son of [[Fingon]]), who was in turn the son of [[Angrod]] of [[Finarfin]]'s house. Gil-galad was born in [[Beleriand]] late in the First Age, and was still a child at the time of the [[Dagor Bragollach]] where his grandfather [[Angrod]] was killed; therefore his father sent him to [[Círdan]] at the [[Havens of the Falas]] for safekeeping when [[Morgoth]] broke the [[Siege of Angband]] in that battle. Gil-galad was a descendant of the Noldor, Teleri and Vanyar. Teleri from his great-grandmother Eärwen who was the daughter of Olwë and Vanyarin from his Great-Great-grandmother Indis. Nonetheless, he was counted among the Noldor.

== History ==
Fingon fell in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, and the crown passed to [[Turgon]] in Gondolin. When Gondolin was lost, Gil-galad received the Kingship of the Noldor, as his father had been killed in [[Nargothrond]]. He dwelt with the Exiles of the city at the [[Mouths of Sirion]] during the remainder of the First Age.

After the destruction of [[Beleriand]] during the [[War of Wrath]], Gil-galad founded a kingdom in [[Lindon]] in the far northwest of Middle-earth, between the [[Blue Mountains]] and the [[Belegaer|Great Sea]]. There he and his people prospered, until [[Sauron]] returned; he came first to Lindon in the form of [[Annatar]], the "Lord of Gifts", but Gil-galad and [[Elrond]] rejected him. Soon after, the [[One Ring]] was forged, and [[War of the Elves and Sauron]] began. Once [[Eregion]] fell to Sauron, Gil-Galad received the Elven Rings [[Narya]] and [[Vilya]], while the third ring, [[Nenya]] was given to [[Galadriel]]. He would later give Narya to Cirdan and after his death Vilya passed to Elrond.

After the [[Downfall of Númenor]], [[Elendil]] and his sons came to Middle-earth and formed an alliance with Gil-galad, the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men]]. They marched on Mordor and besieged [[Sauron]]'s [[Dark Tower]]. Sauron was defeated, but Gil-galad met his death in that war. According to the laws of succession, Elrond should have become the next High King of the Noldor, but he refused the crown{{fact}}, and Gil-galad became the last King of the Noldor in Middle-earth.

Gil-galad's weapon was the spear [[Aeglos (spear)|Aeglos]].

== Other Versions of the Legendarium ==
[[Image:Shrunken Gil-galad.jpg|thumb|[[Mark Ferguson]] as Gil-galad in [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]]]
Originally in ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', Gil-galad was the son of [[Finrod Felagund]]. In the ''[[Grey Annals]]'', however, Felagund had no son, leaving his wife in [[Tirion]] at the [[Flight of the Noldor]]. Later writings, specifically the ''[[Shibboleth of Fëanor]]'', presents the fact that Gil-galad was the son of Orodreth, who was in fact the son of Angrod. In the published ''[[Silmarillion]]'' and ''[[The Mariner's Wife]]'' Gil-galad is said to have been the son of [[Fingon]]. However, [[Christopher Tolkien]] later admitted that it was a rushed choice, and that Gil-galad was Orodreth's son in the original manuscripts written by his father.

== Etymology ==
'''Gil-galad''' was his [[Amilessë|mother-name]], meaning "Starlight" in [[Sindarin]] (from ''[[gîl]]'' = "star" and ''[[galad]]'' = "radiance"). It was his preferred name in his youth. His [[father-name]] was '''[[Rodnor]]''' (pron. {{IPA|[ˈrodnor]}}), or in [[Quenya]], '''Artanáro''' (pron. {{IPA|[ˌartaˈnaːro]}}).

As High King of the Noldor, his [[epessë]] was '''Ereinion''', "Scion of Kings" (from ''[[erain]]'' = "kings" and ''[[ion]]'' = "son").

== Portrayals in adaptations==
'''2001''': ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''
:In the prologue, Gil-galad can be seen holding one of the three Elven rings. Later, he is seen wielding his spear Aeglos in the Battle of the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men]]. His death is not shown, and he does not take down Sauron. He is played by [[Mark Ferguson]].

== Genealogy ==
{{familytree/start}}
{{familytree | | | | | | |ARF|y|EAR| | | | ARF=[[Finarfin]]|EAR=[[Eärwen]]}}
{{familytree | | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | }}
{{familytree | |,|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|^|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|.| }}
{{familytree |FIN| |ANG|y|ELD| |AEG| |GAL| FIN=[[Finrod Felagund|Finrod]]|ANG=[[Angrod]]|ELD=[[Eldalótë]]|AEG=[[Aegnor]]|GAL=[[Galadriel]] }}
{{familytree | | | | | | | |!| | }}
{{familytree | | | | | | |ORO| | | | |ORO=[[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]] }}
{{familytree | | | | | | | |!| | }}
{{familytree | | | | |,|-|-|^|-|-|.|}}
{{familytree | | | |GIL| | | |FIN| |GIL='''GIL-GALAD'''|FIN=[[Finduilas of Nargothrond|Finduilas]] }}
{{familytree/end}}
{{sequence
|prev=[[Turgon of Gondolin|Turgon]]
|next=none (abandoned)
|list=6th [[High King of the Noldor]] <code>I</code> 510 – <code>II</code> 3441
}}
== See Also ==
* [[:Category:Images of Gil-galad|Images of Gil-galad]].

[[Category:House of Finarfin]]
[[Category:House of Olwë]]
[[category:amilessi]]
[[category:Sindarin names]]
[[de:Gil-galad]]
[[fi:Gil-galad]]

User talk:SUM EGO

2009-03-09T09:28:44Z

SUM EGO: Adding welcome message to new user's talk page