Suite101 Nov. 29, 2002 article: Real orcs don't do windows

[Michael Martinez]

Real orcs don't do windows

While doing some research on the Uruk-hai, I came across an interesting fact: there were no Uruk-hai when Tolkien first wrote the chapter which introduced them. He hadn't conceived of them by that point. The original title for the chapter was "An Orc-raid".
Well, that doesn't sound very exciting, does it? In fact, by the time Tolkien had reached this point in the story, Uruks (much less Uruk-hai) had yet to appear.

Hang on, as Harry Potter might say. Let's back up a bit, and start over.

While most people know that "orc" rarely occurs in The Hobbit (Christopher Tolkien was able to find only one occurrence, for example, in the first edition of the book), you can still find a few "orc" passages in the second and third editions. What is significant about the rarity of "orc" in The Hobbit (and the near-rarity of "goblin" in The Lord of the Rings) is that the frequencies of these words represent a fundamental transition in Tolkien's thinking about the creatures which menaced Hobbits.

Goblins haunted Tolkien's imagination as far back as his school days. The oldest extant example of Tolkien's use of goblins in literature is the poem "Goblin feet", which was published in the 1915 Oxford Poetry:

Read the rest here
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/tolkien/96689

[Elf.Freak]

you learn something new every day!

[ArwenEvenstar]

wow thats really interesting

[BeardofPants]

Another interesting read, Michael. Keep 'em coming.

[Michael Martinez]

Thanks!

[Ñólendil]

You know, I liked this essay less than many others of yours I have read. After reading it through, I still don't know what made Tolkien decide he needed a breed of stronger soldier-orcs. What the essay really sheds light on -- in my view -- is the linguistic history of orc, goblin, and hobgoblin, and Tolkien's utilization of them. But what then? Orks are goblins, and Uruk-hai are hobgoblins, but why the Uruk-hai in the first place?

[Michael Martinez]

Couldn't answer that one. Sorry.

[Ñólendil]

Did you not write the description of the essay in the featured article section?

Tolkien's vision of the Uruks, the black Orcs from Mordor and Isengard, followed a very unconventional path from conception to publication. Why did he feel compelled to create a new race of goblins, one which possessed none of the weaknesses of the older race of goblins?

I also wanted to post a response to your Celeborn article, but I don't see the topic anymore (and turning the message board-page is such work . I thought your Celeborn article was masterfully done. There are really a few characters most people just don't get, and they should, and Celeborn is one of them. Galadriel says he is accounted the wisest of the Eldar, and we all say she is out of her reckoning.

I do have a niggle: you said the weakest point in the story was Gandalf's suggested that the only way was through Mória. I think it was sufficiently explained in "The Ring Goes South" why the company could not take the High Pass. The fair lands east of the Mountains were open lands and unprotected from the servants and spies of Sauron (and Saruman).

[Michael Martinez]

You can always start a new discussion at Suite101 about any article. People sometimes do that. Sometimes they followup to 2-year old discussions and I have to reread the articles to see what they are talking about.

And, yes, I wrote the description for the article. Sometimes, I can ask the unanswerable questions in those teaser segments, since asking them in the articles would be problematic. I guess that's a bit misleading for some people, but it's not intentionally so. After all, the point of each article is to give people something to think about.