Orcs and their Names

[Cameron Waite]

Where do the Orcs get their names? It seems very curious that such a vast host of seemingly endless creatures who are viewed as mere tools by their master would each have distinct names. Who names them? Surely Sauron doesnt take the time. Is there some maternal orc who spends its time naming or do they take names given to them by their comrades or do they choose their own?

[Noxomanus]

Don't you think even Orcs would have their own culture or at least habits independant of Sauron. They certainly don't behave like will-less puppets,do they?

[burrahobbit]

The names are pretty base and harsh. "Snaga" is slave.

[Amarie of the Vanyar]

They could also receive their names from their parents, maybe names like Snaga are only 'nicknames' smilies/wink.gif

[Cúdae]

I'm not positive, but I would be willing to bet that they either got them from their parents (as disgusting as that thought can be...) or they were not given names at birth, but rather grew into a name. The last one works in a way similar to how we humans end up with nicknames that have nothing to do with our actual name. Say someone has red hair- they might end up with the nickname "Red." Say an Orc is particularly skilled in the area of guarding a position- he might end up with whatever the Black Speech translation for "Guard" is. Or something like that.

Just some thoughts.

[GaladrieloftheOlden]

Maybe they were given names by their "employers"?

~Menelien

[ June 16, 2003: Message edited by: GaladrieloftheOlden ]

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

i'm remembering that "snaga" is a common name for an unworthy orc, slave.
but i wonder if there is any female orcs-i mean orcs were elves once and...you know...is there some sort of brothel of how do orcs born?
and then the crossing thing- how did the uruk-hai came to be?
sorry, out of topic smilies/rolleyes.gif
still wondering.

[Cinderella]

Oh the never-ending Orc/Elf question... smilies/tongue.gif Just a tip to Dancing Spawn, if you type in that topic in search you'll find tons of discussions about it, but anyhow, I agree with the concept that the names probably came over time, like our nicknames since I don't exactly see proud mommy and daddy orc naming their new little boy...heh heh heh

[The Saucepan Man]

Orcs had fathers, or at least Bolg did, since his father was Azog (slayer of Thror).

Now, assuming from this that all Orcs had parents and not just the chieftains, there is no reason why those parents (or at least one or other of them) would not name their offspring. They had language and so could presumably adapt words to make appropriate names.

Of course, it might be that Orcs were removed from their parents at birth and trained in whatever they might be considered suitable for depending on their gender and other qualities (military, breeding, leadership etc), in which case they would no doubt be named by whichever Orc or group of Orcs was charged with looking after them.

Either way, I would be pretty confident that Orcs were given their names by other Orcs. After all, I doubt that Sauron or his greater minions really had the time to think up a name every time a new Orc was born. smilies/tongue.gif smilies/biggrin.gif

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

do anyone know if orcs had same kind of way to express their kin like men, elves and so on( aragorn, son of arathorn...)
i haven't ever heard from such a thing
well, i doubt that (bolg, son of azog?)but still smilies/rolleyes.gif

[Socialist]

I wonder what an Orc baby would look like.

[Amarie of the Vanyar]

We know that orc children look like hobbits..., in the eyes of Ents smilies/wink.gif

if I had seen you before I heard you, I should have just trodden on you, taking you for little Orcs

Treebeard, The Two Towers