December 16, 2002

Reply to Razors on Orcs, Goblins and Uruks
Peter D.

Gandalfs remark about orcs and goblin-men to produce Uruk-Hai irritates me as well.
I dont think Uruks were half-orcs, that is half orc half human - the distinction between Sarumans Uruh-Hai and his half-orcs (like the spies he has in bree) seems fairly clear in the books.
The diversity between orc-tribes is probably just as great as with other middle earth-races, and while I dont think orcs and goblins or goblin-men are different species, they may be different versions of the same think - orcs. Or maybe goblin-men are half-orcs, and Uruks are crosses between half-ors and orcs, a sort of improved Über-orc?? Ehhh....?

On another matter - where the H... does it say that elves have pointy ears? I have never found any reference in Tolkiens books that mentions anything about pointy ears - let alone on the hobbits who seem to have them as well in the movies!
Maybe its just a fantastical element that help distinguishing them from humans.....