![]() A similar explanation might exist for the orcs: fading into the lost and lonely parts of the world until they became something akin to fairy tale monsters. They just decided to avoid “ the big folk” and now are seldom seen. ![]() ![]() ![]() In his novel The Hobbit, Tolkien suggests that hobbits never left the world. If that’s the case, then orcs might have survived in some form or another and endured well into the Fourth Age. The Uruk-hai, or “black orcs,” appear to be hybrids between orcs and humans, and both Tolkien and Jackson mention the two species cross-breeding. Yet Tolkien leaves the door open for their survival, notably with reference to orcs breeding with human beings. Sauron and similar figures like Saruman could presumably create more, but the species would be doomed without such dark overlords. Yet females and young are never seen, which presents a huge long-term survival problem. The Silmarillion states that they were created in mockery of the elves, which Jackson’s movie spells out, suggesting a longer age for orc who aren’t killed in battle. Some sources suggest that orcs are short-lived, yet Tolkien’s timeline puts one of their number - Bolg - at well over a century old. Longevity and questions of age eventually arise. RELATED: Peter Jackson Sells Weta Digital VFX Studio for Over $1.6 Billion The goblins of the Misty Mountains presumably survived as well, and their tunnels could support a great number of orcs for some time. Presumably, those who escaped formed rough tribes or raiding parties and survived for a time by hiding in caves, forests and the abandoned places of the world. Survival, at least initially, is assured.įrom there, firm answers grow hazy, and Tolkien doesn’t mention them in the Fourth Age. Sauron’s northern army lay siege to the dwarves in the Lonely Mountain, only to flee to the east when they received word of Mordor’s fall. Tolkien’s Appendix to The Return of the King goes into further detail, covering the War of the Ring in other parts of Middle-earth and the presumed fate of the orcs there. The movie version of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King makes a point of showing some still alive as they flee the Black Gates in terror. ![]() Certainly, the destruction of Sauron didn’t result in the death of all the orcs. ![]()
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