April 17, 2003

Beleg's Orc Question and a Few of Mine
Lilly

Well, truth be told, I never much thought of the mortality of orcs (but then, I never thought much about WHERE they came from before I saw the movie!). But...well, If they really were once elves they very well could be immortal. The thing is, we're never able to test that theory, are we? I mean, when they're not busy getting killed by thier enemies they're killing each other! Have you ever heard of an elderly orc? They're never allowed by anyone to get old! Now, IF they're immortal, it may be that they just never age, but I think that an orc older than thirty is pretty OLD (for and orc)! What I want to know is if the book ever hinted at orc cannibalism. In the movie it's pretty clear that they don't oppose do digging into thier neighbors ("Looks like meat's back on the menu, boys!), but...surely even orcs have standards, huh? Nasty bread, undrinkable drinks, wormy meat, hobbits, Sure...but do orcs eat orcs? I guess there's a lot more mystery around those big, dumb, evil guys!