[Rumil]

According to the FAQ on orcs on the Barrow Downs site (written by those far more learned than I), I've formed the impression that orcs were considered to have arisen by various different mechanisms depending on which of Tolkien's texts you read.

The easiest (morally perhaps) explanantion is that they were little more than bio-automatons, 'created' by Melkor, but containing no real life spirit, as big M could not truly accomplish this feat. The most generally accepted (due to being in the Silmarillion) explanation is, as you say, the torturing of elves. I believe JRRT also toyed with orcs being corruptions of men, but this seems to contradict his strong statements on the unique crime of Saruman, who later blended orcs and men. The other option appears to be the incarnation of lesser 'spirits', 'fay' or lesser maiar maybe, producing the early 'Boldogs' which, as far as we know, were much like orcs in appearence but far more powerful.

To give a personal view, I'd envisage a mix of the 'automaton', 'elf' and 'boldog' options with the 'man' option, being excluded for the reasons outlined above.

We know that Melkor controlled or created various nasties which terrorised the primeval elves at Cuivenen, if so, why could he not have created the the bio-automaton orcs at this time? However we know that in later ages (ie Shagrat and Gorbag) the orcs did have a certain amount of independence, even if it was just a dream of uncontrolled banditry where they didn't have to pass on their spoils to the boss.

Therefore I'd imagine something of a multistage process, with Morgoth creating the bio-automaton orcs, persuading some of his lesser 'sub-maiar' followers to become incarnate and kidnapping as many real genuine living people (the elves) as he could. Then would come a rather distasteful period of inter-breeding between these groups. Nasty [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] !!

The varied heritage of the orcs may have meant that there was, in later years, a marked variation in their ancestors, thus the weak snagas and the ordinary orcs. I've also wondered if what were described as 'goblins' were specially adapted to the mountain caverns in which they lived. Of course, Sauron would have taken advantage of this variation in order to artificially select the most fierce individuals to become the Uruk-Hai. I also wonder if the orcish leaders ie Bolg and Azog, had more of the Boldog strain in their blood, such that they could easily dominate their lowly subjects.