January 31, 2004

The Messenger, the Immortal Orc, and the Oscars
Bob Praz

I've been busy again lately, so sorry if my response is a little late to some.

This is just my opinion, but I do not believe the messenger at Erebor was the Mouth of Sauron. The Mouth of Sauron was the lieutenant of Barad-dûr, so it is unlikely that he would be sent on such a vaguely diplomatic mission. He was rather cowardly as well, so I doubt he would have ridden across Rhovanion and to the gate of Erebor without any escort or protection, let alone return twice; it’s simply unlike his character and his role.
Brett C. presents a good case that the Messenger was not a Nazgûl, but I think it is still possible. Apart from the fact that its description strongly resembles that of a Black Rider, it is not unplausible that he could have journeyed to Erebor three times before the crossing the River and joining the hunt into the Shire. The reason for this is that he would likely have been one of the Nazgûl that occupied Dol Guldur, which is far closer to Erebor than Minas Morgul, and thus also he would not have crossed the Anduin at Osgiliath, but further north (probably at the Undeeps). In fact, Unfinished Tales states that the Nazgûl of Dol Guldur met with the other Nazgûl upon the Field of Celebrant ere they set out for the Shire, which means they probably had plenty of time to search for the Ring in Rhovanion. The same book also says that the Nazgûl at Dol Guldur included Khamûl (Second Chief of the Ringwraiths) and another rider who acted as his main "messenger". So I do believe that it was very likely one of the Black Riders that presented itself at Erebor, although it still does not leave out the possibility that it was some other servant of Sauron.

Now, about the orcs being immortal, I was actually asking myself the same thing.
I am currently reading the "Weapons and Warfare" book, and at one point it says that orcs, like elves, do not age, and in fact they describe, for example, how the warg riders regularly repaired their personal armor over centuries. Robert Foster’s Complete Guide to Middle-Earth (a very useful and accurate resource) also states that orcs do not die naturally. Although personally I had always thought otherwise, I suppose there’s no reason to think this isn’t true. After all, Morgoth bred orcs from elves, who are immortal; it’s actually Men (and Dwarves) who are said to be the exception.
There is actually evidence in the books to support this, albeit not very concrete. In the Hobbit, for example, Bolg, the leader of the goblins in the Battle of the Five Armies, is said to be the son of Azog. Since Azog was slain at the Battle of Azanulbizar (TA 2799), Bolg would have had to be at least 150 or so years old at the time of the Battle of Five Armies, and still very vigorous, as he fought fiercely in the battle himself. Also, in LOTR, Gorbag and Shagrat talk briefly of "old times" when there were no "big bosses" and plenty of loot around. Since they’re both Mordor orcs and Sauron’s been around Mordor for a while, one must assume that Gorbag and Shagrat probably lived prior to the War of the Ring, which makes them older than any man or dwarf.
All that to say that the answer appears to be yes: the orcs do not die naturally, like elves.

I am glad that ROTK received 11 nominations (even though FOTR received more), although, like many of you, I wish some of the actors could have been nominated as well (such as Ian Mckellen or Sean Astin for best supporting actor, and Elijah Wood for best actor). Yet it is true that every performance in ROTK was brilliant, so it is hard to pick one that really stands out. Which brings me to say that the Oscars should make a new category for Best Ensemble Cast, like there is elsewhere. In my opinion it would be a valid category that could feature many nominations each year.