The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Uncertain; first seen in the last years of the Third Age
Location
Bred at Isengard, in the southern Misty Mountains
Origins
Created by Saruman
Race
A cross-breeding of Men and Orcs
Meaning
Orc derives from Old English, 'demon' or 'monster'
Other names
Goblin-men, Half-orcs (it may be that Orc-men represented a particular kind of Half-orc)

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About this entry:

  • Updated 10 November 2024
  • This entry is complete

A race of ferocious Man-like Orcs that fought in the armies of Isengard at the end of the Third Age. Orc-men, who were apparently Half-orcs bred from Orcs and Men, were so similar to true Men that it was difficult to tell them apart; indeed, when a force of these creatures attacked the Fords of Isen during the famous Battles there, the chronicler of those events was unsure whether the attackers were Men or Orc-men.1 The Orc-men in that battle, who were clad in mail and armed with axes, are the only ones we're told of directly, but their actions nonetheless had lasting effects. It was one of these that slew Théodred, leaving King Théoden of Rohan without an heir.


Notes

1

After Uruks had forced the Rohirrim from the Fords '...there appeared a company of men or orc-men...' (The Battles of the Fords of Isen in Unfinished Tales).

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 10 November 2024
  • This entry is complete

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