Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, How did the Orcs appear and who created them?
We tell you about the origins of this dangerous race that has populated Middle-earth since ancient times.
Orcs formed their armies and threatened the inhabitants of Middle-earth in the Third Age, when Sauron tried to rise again. However, this species, usually associated with the forces of evil, was not created by the Dark Lord, for their origins go back to a much older time. They have been at war since before the First Age. Taking advantage of the fact that The Rings of Power is only a few weeks away from its premiere, we tell you how the Orcs of The Lord of the Rings came to be.
Who Created the Orcs?
Melkor, also known as Morgoth, is the most powerful of the Ainur, spiritual beings created by the god Ilúvatar. This fictional character originated in the mind of Professor J.R.R. Tolkien and became the Dark Lord before his lieutenant, Sauron, took his place as one of Middle-earth’s greatest dangers. What seems clear is that the Orcs were the work of Melkor, but not so much how it happened. For the mythology outlined by Tolkien mutated as his writings progressed.
For a time, Tolkien established an elven origin for the orcs, but later abandoned this idea, going so far as to suggest an animal nature. He later returned to the idea that they might be the result of a corruption of the elves, although he also raised the possibility that they were born of men and elves. One of the theories is that Melkor captured some Quendi elves (the first elves) and massacred and corrupted them until they acquired their new form.
Whether from one race or another, they served as soldiers in Melkor’s army until the Second Age, when they retreated into obscurity, on the brink of extinction. “They were hunted for so long. So this is really them coming out as they reform under a so-called new leader,” commented The Rings of Power executive producer Lindsey Weber in an interview with IGN. That’s why they’re going to look less scarred and less tough in the Prime Video series: they’ve been in hiding for a long time, and they haven’t been in battle for a short time...