"Ugh?", "Ogh!", "???": The Different Cultures of the Orcs

[Keeper of Dol Guldur]

Orcs seem to be the epitomy of disorder (not full-blown chaos, mind you). They exhibit the same sorts of distinctions from one group to another, probably moreso than humans or elves. So the idea that the Moria Orcs showed significant difference from the Mordor Orcs has a good premise, in that both groups have had a few hundred years to grow apart from other varieties of orcs, but there were black uruks of Mordor in Moria when the Fellowship passed through so who's to say just how much isolation there was. But to Pippin and Merry (obviously they aren't experts on Orc Culture) there were three obvious different clans of orcs in the group which held them captive, and they easily saw distinction between squat and broad Mordor orcs, massive Isengarder uruk-hai rebels and scrawny 'rat' Moria goblins. Armor and garb count as differences in culture too.

I really don't see orcs as capable of worshipping anything. They fear things with a lot more power than they have, Shelob, the Balrog, or especially Sauron. Even Saruman was capable, the fleeing orc in Cirith Ungol (who bolted down the stairs) was capable of perceiving superior power like the ring, and the Nazgul were especially feared. But not worshipped, the orcs actually found it more lucrative to stay out of the way of the 'higher-ups'.

On the topic of respect accompanying fear, there wouldn't be any. The orcs talked openly about Shelob and mocked her by calling her by royal sorts of titles, they called the Nazgul 'shriekers' and didn't even know enough about the Balrog of Khazad Dum to refer to it as anything but 'fire' (ghash). No worshipping, one has to respect something to worship it as a god.