Half-orcs and Uruk-hai, a hypothesis

[Bill Ferny]

MotW, I’m not speculating that Saruman’s fighting uruk-hai were any different from Saurons, though I think one could make an argument to that effect. The theory involves the origin of the first uruk-hai in Mordor.

Whether in the process Sauron and later Saruman used other powers, or even some admixture with Men "genes" to give them greater height or straightness, is possible.

On the contrary, I argue that it is not only possible, it is necessary according to the principle given above: “The hroa can not possess a quality not governed by the fea; likewise, the fea cannot, through corruption, possess a greater power that it does not already possess according to its nature.”

Sauron’s tinkering with orcs goes beyond mere interbreeding to bring out a certain quality. The uruk-hai show up with powers that exceed those possessed by the nature of orcs. There logically had to be an essential change, and the introduction of interbreeding [edit: with humans] seems to explain this essential change. Saruman’s goblin men were not the same as uruk-hai, but similar enough not to be ignored. Sauron’s uruk-hai are much more subtle than Saruman’s goblin men. As MotW points out Sauron’s creation of the uruk-hai was a long process, more than enough time to produce just the right mixture of man and orc to retain an orc’s lack of free will, and just enough man to give the hroa a greater vitality.

I would like to thank everyone who has helped me along in my speculations these last couple of weeks. I plan on posting a summary of redacts sometime in the near future.

[ November 10, 2002: Message edited by: Bill Ferny ]