Orcs are of human shape, and of varying size. They are depicted as ugly and filthy, with a taste for human flesh. They are fanged, bow-legged and long-armed. Most are small and avoid daylight.
The Orcs had no language of their own, merely a pidgin of many various languages. However, individual tribes developed dialects that differed so widely that Westron, often with a crude accent, was used as a common language. When Sauron returned to power in Mordor in the Third Age, Black Speech was used by the captains of his armies and by his servants in his tower of Barad-dûr. A sample of debased Black Speech can be found in The Two Towers, where a "yellow-fanged" guard Orc of Mordor curses Uglúk of Isengard (an Uruk-hai chief) with the words "Uglúk u bagronk sha pushdug Saruman-glob búbhosh skai!" In The Peoples of Middle-earth, Tolkien gives the translation: "Uglúk to the cesspool, sha! the dungfilth; the great Saruman-fool, skai!" However, in a note published in Vinyar Tengwar he gives an alternative translation: "Uglúk to the dung-pit with stinking Saruman-filth, pig-guts, gah!"
Alexander Nemirovsky [ru] speculated that Tolkien might have drawn upon the language of the ancient Hittites and Hurrians for Black Speech.
The origins of orcs were explained in multiple inconsistent ways by Tolkien. Early works depict them as creations of Morgoth, mimicking the forms of the Children of Ilúvatar. Alternatively, as in The Silmarillion, they may have been East Elves, enslaved, tortured, and bred by Morgoth; or, perhaps the Avari, the Elves who refused to go to Aman, turned "evil and savage in the wild".
Writers including Andrew O'Hehir and the literary critic Jenny Turner have likened Tolkien's descriptions of orcs to racial stereotypes. In a private letter, Tolkien describes orcs as:
Scholars of English literature William N. Rogers II and Michael R. Underwood note that a widespread element of late 19th century Western culture was fear of moral decline and degeneration; this led to eugenics. In The Two Towers, the Ent Treebeard says:
As a response to the type-casting of orcs as generic evil characters or antagonists, some novels portray events from the point of view of the orcs, or make them more sympathetic characters. Mary Gentle's 1992 novel Grunts! presents orcs as generic infantry, used as metaphorical cannon-fodder. A series of books by Stan Nicholls, Orcs: First Blood, focuses on the conflicts between orcs and humans from the orcs' point of view. In Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, orcs are close to extinction; in his Unseen Academicals, it is said that "When the Evil Emperor wanted fighters he got some of the Igors to turn goblins into orcs" to be used as weapons in a Great War, "encouraged" by whips and beatings.
Early versions of the game introduced the "half-orc" as race. The orc was described in the first edition of Monster Manual (op. cit.), as a fiercely competitive bully, a tribal creature often dwelling and building underground; in newer editions, orcs (though still described as sometimes inhabiting cavern complexes) had been shifted to become more prone to non-subterranean habitation as well, adapting captured villages into communities, for instance. The mythology and attitudes of the orcs are described in detail in Dragon #62 (June 1982), in Roger E. Moore's article, "The Half-Orc Point of View".
Karthaus-Hunt, Beatrix (2002). "'And What Happened After': How J.R.R. Tolkien Visualized, and Other Artists Re-Visualized, the Denizens of Middle-earth". In Westfahl, Gary; Slusser, George Edgar; Plummer, Kathleen Church (eds.). Unearthly Visions: Approaches to Science Fiction and Fantasy Art. Greenwood Press. pp. 138n. ISBN 0-313-31705-4. 0-313-31705-4
Lobdell 1975, p. 171. - Lobdell, Jared, ed. (1975). A Tolkien Compass. Open Court. ISBN 978-0-87548-316-0.
"Orc". Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved 26 January 2020. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/orc
Shippey 2005, pp. 362, 438 (chapter 5, note 14). - Shippey, Tom (2005) [1982]. The Road to Middle-Earth: How J. R. R. Tolkien Created a New Mythology (Third ed.). HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-261-10275-0.
Schneidewind, Friedhelm (2007). "Biology of Middle-earth". In Drout, Michael D. C. (ed.). J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment. The J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia. Routledge. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-4159-6942-0. 978-0-4159-6942-0
Shippey 2005, p. 265. - Shippey, Tom (2005) [1982]. The Road to Middle-Earth: How J. R. R. Tolkien Created a New Mythology (Third ed.). HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-261-10275-0.
Carpenter 2023, #144 to Naomi Mitchison 25 April 1954 - Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. (2023) [1981]. The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded Edition. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-35-865298-4.
Shippey, Tom (1979). "Creation from Philology in the Lord of the Rings". In Salu, Mary; Farrell, Robert T. (eds.). J. R. R. Tolkien, scholar and storyteller: Essays in Memoriam. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press. p. 291. ISBN 978-0-80141-038-3. 978-0-80141-038-3
Carpenter 2023, #290a - Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. (2023) [1981]. The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded Edition. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-35-865298-4.
Here: "orcus [orc].. þrys ꝉ heldeofol" is the redaction given by Pheifer 1974, p. 37n but þrys appears to be a mistranscription for þyrs. The original text uses "ꝉ", the scribal abbreviation for Latin vel meaning "or", which Wright has silently expanded as Anglo-Saxon oððe. /wiki/%EA%9D%88
Wright, Thomas (1873). A second volume of vocabularies. privately printed. p. 63. /wiki/Thomas_Wright_(antiquarian)
Pheifer, J. D. (1974). Old English Glosses in the Épinal-Erfurt Glossary. Oxford University Press. pp. 37, 106. ISBN 978-0-19-811164-1.(Repr. Sandpaper Books, 1998 ISBN 0-19-811164-9), Gloss #698: orcus orc (Épinal); orci orc (Erfurt). 978-0-19-811164-1
The Corpus Glossary (Corpus Christi College MS. 144, late 8th to early 9th century) has the two glosses: "orcus, orc" and "orcus, ðyrs, hel-diobul.Pheifer 1974, p. 37n - Pheifer, J. D. (1974). Old English Glosses in the Épinal-Erfurt Glossary. Oxford University Press. pp. 37, 106. ISBN 978-0-19-811164-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=kN5ZAAAAMAAJ&q=orcus
Klaeber 1950, p. 5. - Klaeber, Friedrich (1950). Beowulf and the Finnesburg Fragment. Translated by John R. Clark Hall (3 ed.). Allen & Unwin. https://books.google.com/books?id=pEUkrusVxRIC
Klaeber 1950, p. 25 - Klaeber, Friedrich (1950). Beowulf and the Finnesburg Fragment. Translated by John R. Clark Hall (3 ed.). Allen & Unwin. https://books.google.com/books?id=pEUkrusVxRIC
Klaeber 1950, p. 183: "orcneas: 'evil spirits' does not bring out all the meaning. Orcneas is compounded of orc (from the Lat. orcus "the underworld" or Hades) and neas "corpses". Necromancy was practised among the ancient Germani and was familiar among the pagan Norsemen who revived it in England when they invaded". - Klaeber, Friedrich (1950). Beowulf and the Finnesburg Fragment. Translated by John R. Clark Hall (3 ed.). Allen & Unwin. https://books.google.com/books?id=pEUkrusVxRIC
Klaeber here takes orcus to be the world and not the god, as does Bosworth & Toller 1898, p. 764: "orc, es; m. The infernal regions (orcus)", though the latter seems to predicate on synthesizing the compound "Orcþyrs" by altering the reading of the Cleopatra glossaries as given by Wright's Voc. ii. that he sources. - Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. Northcote (1898). An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary. Vol. 1 A-Fir. Clarendon Press. p. 764. https://books.google.com/books?id=oXlii1KgDngC&pg=PA764
Shippey, Tom (1979). "Creation from Philology in the Lord of the Rings". In Salu, Mary; Farrell, Robert T. (eds.). J. R. R. Tolkien, scholar and storyteller: Essays in Memoriam. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press. p. 291. ISBN 978-0-80141-038-3. 978-0-80141-038-3
The usual Old English word for corpse is líc, but -né appears in nebbed 'corpse bed',[14] and in dryhtné 'dead body of a warrior', where dryht is a military unit.
Shippey 2001, p. 88. - Shippey, Tom (2001). J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0261-10401-3.
Klaeber 1950, p. 183: "orcneas: 'evil spirits' does not bring out all the meaning. Orcneas is compounded of orc (from the Lat. orcus "the underworld" or Hades) and neas "corpses". Necromancy was practised among the ancient Germani and was familiar among the pagan Norsemen who revived it in England when they invaded". - Klaeber, Friedrich (1950). Beowulf and the Finnesburg Fragment. Translated by John R. Clark Hall (3 ed.). Allen & Unwin. https://books.google.com/books?id=pEUkrusVxRIC
Klaeber 1950, p. 183: "orcneas: 'evil spirits' does not bring out all the meaning. Orcneas is compounded of orc (from the Lat. orcus "the underworld" or Hades) and neas "corpses". Necromancy was practised among the ancient Germani and was familiar among the pagan Norsemen who revived it in England when they invaded". - Klaeber, Friedrich (1950). Beowulf and the Finnesburg Fragment. Translated by John R. Clark Hall (3 ed.). Allen & Unwin. https://books.google.com/books?id=pEUkrusVxRIC
Shippey 2001, p. 88. - Shippey, Tom (2001). J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0261-10401-3.
Beowulf: A Dual-language Edition. Translated by Chickering, Howell D. Anchor Books. 1977. p. 284. ISBN 978-0-3850-6213-8. 978-0-3850-6213-8
Gilliver, Peter; Marshall, Jeremy; Weiner, Edmund (2009). "Part III. Word Studies. Orc.". The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. pp. 174–175. ISBN 978-0-19-956836-9. 978-0-19-956836-9
Tolkien 1937, p. 149, n9 - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1937). Douglas A. Anderson (ed.). The Annotated Hobbit. Boston: Houghton Mifflin (published 2002). ISBN 978-0-618-13470-0.
Thorin Oakenshield's Elvish sword from Gondolin. /wiki/Thorin_Oakenshield
Tolkien 1937, p. 149, n9 - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1937). Douglas A. Anderson (ed.). The Annotated Hobbit. Boston: Houghton Mifflin (published 2002). ISBN 978-0-618-13470-0.
Gilliver, Peter; Marshall, Jeremy; Weiner, Edmund (2009). "Part III. Word Studies. Orc.". The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. pp. 174–175. ISBN 978-0-19-956836-9. 978-0-19-956836-9
Tolkien 1937, p. 62, n4 - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1937). Douglas A. Anderson (ed.). The Annotated Hobbit. Boston: Houghton Mifflin (published 2002). ISBN 978-0-618-13470-0.
Kemball-Cook, Jessica (February 1977). "Three Notes on Names in Tolkien and Lewis". Mythprint. 15 (2): 2. https://books.google.com/books?id=4s0qAQAAIAAJ&q=%22rist%22+%22cleave%22
Tolkien 1937, ch. 4 "Over Hill and Under Hill" - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1937). Douglas A. Anderson (ed.). The Annotated Hobbit. Boston: Houghton Mifflin (published 2002). ISBN 978-0-618-13470-0.
Parma Eldalamberon volume XII: "Quenya Lexicon Quenya Dictionary": 'Ork' ('orq-') monster, ogre, demon. "orqindi" ogresse. [The original reading of the second entry was >'orqinan' ogresse.< Perhaps the intended meaning of the earlier form was 'region of ogres'; cf. 'kalimban', 'Hisinan'. 'The Poetic and Mythologic Words of Eldarissa' gives 'ork' 'ogre, giant' and 'orqin' 'ogress', which may be a feminine form. ...]" /wiki/Parma_Eldalamberon
Tolkien 1994, Appendix C "Elvish names for the Orcs", pp. 289–391 - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1994). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). The War of the Jewels. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-71041-3.
Carpenter 2023, #144 to Naomi Mitchison 25 April 1954 - Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. (2023) [1981]. The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded Edition. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-35-865298-4.
Carpenter 2023, #144 to Naomi Mitchison 25 April 1954 - Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. (2023) [1981]. The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded Edition. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-35-865298-4.
Tolkien 1994, Appendix C "Elvish names for the Orcs", pp. 289–391 - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1994). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). The War of the Jewels. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-71041-3.
Carpenter 2023, #144 to Naomi Mitchison 25 April 1954 - Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. (2023) [1981]. The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded Edition. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-35-865298-4.
Carpenter 2023, #144 to Naomi Mitchison 25 April 1954 - Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. (2023) [1981]. The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded Edition. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-35-865298-4.
Gilliver, Peter; Marshall, Jeremy; Weiner, Edmund (2009). "Part III. Word Studies. Orc.". The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. pp. 174–175. ISBN 978-0-19-956836-9. 978-0-19-956836-9
In the Cleopatra Glossaries, Folio 69 verso; the entry is illustrated above. /wiki/Cleopatra_Glossaries
Tolkien, J. R. R. (2005). "Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings" (PDF). In Hammond, Wayne G.; Scull, Christina (eds.). The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-00-720907-1. 978-0-00-720907-1
Karthaus-Hunt, Beatrix (2002). "'And What Happened After': How J.R.R. Tolkien Visualized, and Other Artists Re-Visualized, the Denizens of Middle-earth". In Westfahl, Gary; Slusser, George Edgar; Plummer, Kathleen Church (eds.). Unearthly Visions: Approaches to Science Fiction and Fantasy Art. Greenwood Press. pp. 138n. ISBN 0-313-31705-4. 0-313-31705-4
Tolkien 1994, Appendix C "Elvish names for the Orcs", pp. 289–391 - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1994). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). The War of the Jewels. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-71041-3.
Tolkien 1955 book 6, ch. 1, "The Tower of Cirith Ungol" - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1955). The Return of the King. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 519647821. https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/519647821
Tolkien 1954, Book 3, ch. 3 "The Uruk-hai" - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954). The Two Towers. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 1042159111. https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/1042159111
Tolkien 1954, Book 3, ch. 3 "The Uruk-hai" - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954). The Two Towers. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 1042159111. https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/1042159111
Tolkien 1954, Book 3, ch. 3 "The Uruk-hai" - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954). The Two Towers. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 1042159111. https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/1042159111
Tolkien 1993, "Myths transformed", text X - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1993). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). Morgoth's Ring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-68092-1.
Tolkien 1954, Book 3, ch. 3 "The Uruk-hai" - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954). The Two Towers. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 1042159111. https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/1042159111
Tolkien 1954a, Book 1, ch. 11 "A Knife in the Dark" - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954a). The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 9552942. https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/9552942
Tolkien 1954, Book 3, ch. 9 "Flotsam and Jetsam" - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954). The Two Towers. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 1042159111. https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/1042159111
Oladipo, Gloria (5 October 2021). "Lord of the Rings orc was modeled after Harvey Weinstein, Elijah Wood reveals". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 December 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/oct/05/elijah-wood-lord-of-the-rings-orc-modeled-harvey-weinstein
Tolkien 1954, Book 3, ch. 3 "The Uruk-hai" - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954). The Two Towers. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 1042159111. https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/1042159111
Canavan, A. P. (2012). ""Let's hunt some orc!": Reevaluating the Monstrosity of Orcs". New York Review of Science Fiction. Retrieved 7 March 2020. A version of this essay was presented at the International Conference on the Fantastic in 2012. https://www.nyrsf.com/2015/03/ap-canavan-lets-hunt-some-orc-reevaluating-the-monstrosity-of-orcs.html
Tolkien 1996, Part One: the Prologue and Appendices to The Lord of the Rings. Draft of Appendix F. - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1996). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). The Peoples of Middle-earth. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-395-82760-4.
Hostetter, Carl F. (November 1992). "Ugluk to the Dung-pit". Vinyar Tengwar (26). Elvish Linguistic Fellowship. /wiki/Carl_Hostetter
Fauskanger, Helge K. "Orkish and the Black Speech – base language for base purposes". Ardalambion. University of Bergen. Retrieved 21 April 2023. /wiki/Helge_Fauskanger
Schneidewind, Friedhelm (2007). "Biology of Middle-earth". In Drout, Michael D. C. (ed.). The J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia. Routledge. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-4159-6942-0. 978-0-4159-6942-0
Schneidewind, Friedhelm (2007). "Biology of Middle-earth". In Drout, Michael D. C. (ed.). The J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia. Routledge. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-4159-6942-0. 978-0-4159-6942-0
Tolkien 1977, p. 50 - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1977). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). The Silmarillion. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-395-25730-2.
Tolkien 1977, pp. 93–94 - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1977). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). The Silmarillion. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-395-25730-2.
The orcs are described as "foul broodlings of Melkor who fared abroad doing his evil work" in The Tale of Tinúviel.[T 15] /wiki/The_Tale_of_Tin%C3%BAviel
Shippey 2005, p. 265 - Shippey, Tom (2005) [1982]. The Road to Middle-Earth: How J. R. R. Tolkien Created a New Mythology (Third ed.). HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-261-10275-0.
Tolkien (1963). Letter dated 21 October 1963 to Ms. Munsby, cited in Gee, Henry. "The Science of Middle-earth: Sex and the Single Orc". TheOneRing.net. Retrieved 29 May 2009. /wiki/Henry_Gee
Chausse, Jean (2016). "Le pouvoir féminin en Arda". In Qadri, Jean-Philippe; Sainton, Jérôme (eds.). Pour la gloire de ce monde. Recouvrements et consolations en Terre du Milieu (in French). Le Dragon de Brume. p. 160, n7. ISBN 978-2-9539896-4-9. 978-2-9539896-4-9
Stuart 2022, p. 133. - Stuart, Robert (2022). Tolkien, Race, and Racism in Middle-earth. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-030-97475-6. https://books.google.com/books?id=t0hrEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA133
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Tally, Robert T. Jr. (2010). "Let Us Now Praise Famous Orcs: Simple Humanity in Tolkien's Inhuman Creatures". Mythlore. 29 (1). article 3. /wiki/Robert_Tally
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Tolkien 1984b, "The Tale of Tinúviel" - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1984b). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). The Book of Lost Tales. Vol. 2. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-36614-3.
Tolkien 1993, "Myths transformed", text VIII - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1993). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). Morgoth's Ring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-68092-1.
Tolkien 1977, p. 50 - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1977). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). The Silmarillion. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-395-25730-2.
Tolkien 1993, "Myths transformed", text X - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1993). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). Morgoth's Ring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-68092-1.
Shippey 2005, p. 265 - Shippey, Tom (2005) [1982]. The Road to Middle-Earth: How J. R. R. Tolkien Created a New Mythology (Third ed.). HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-261-10275-0.
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Tally, Robert T. Jr. (2010). "Let Us Now Praise Famous Orcs: Simple Humanity in Tolkien's Inhuman Creatures". Mythlore. 29 (1). article 3. /wiki/Robert_Tally
Tally, Robert T. Jr. (2010). "Let Us Now Praise Famous Orcs: Simple Humanity in Tolkien's Inhuman Creatures". Mythlore. 29 (1). article 3. /wiki/Robert_Tally
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Ibata, David (12 January 2003). "'Lord' of racism? Critics view trilogy as discriminatory". The Chicago Tribune. https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/chi-030112epringsrace-story.html
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Carpenter 2023, #210 - Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. (2023) [1981]. The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded Edition. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-35-865298-4.
O'Hehir, Andrew (6 June 2001). "A curiously very great book". Salon.com. Retrieved 3 March 2020. https://www.salon.com/2001/06/06/tolkien2/
O'Hehir, Andrew (6 June 2001). "A curiously very great book". Salon.com. Retrieved 3 March 2020. https://www.salon.com/2001/06/06/tolkien2/
Turner, Jenny (15 November 2001). "Reasons for Liking Tolkien". London Review of Books. 23 (22). https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v23/n22/jenny-turner/reasons-for-liking-tolkien
O'Hehir, Andrew (6 June 2001). "A curiously very great book". Salon.com. Retrieved 3 March 2020. https://www.salon.com/2001/06/06/tolkien2/
Tally, Robert (2019). "Demonizing the Enemy, Literally: Tolkien, Orcs, and the Sense of the World Wars". Humanities. 8 (1): 54. doi:10.3390/h8010054. ISSN 2076-0787. /wiki/Robert_Tally
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Rogers, William N. II; Underwood, Michael R. (2000). "Gagool and Gollum: Exemplars of Degeneration in King Solomon's Mines and The Hobbit". In Clark, Sir George (ed.). J.R.R. Tolkien and His Literary Resonances: Views of Middle-earth. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 121–132. ISBN 978-0-313-30845-1. 978-0-313-30845-1
Tolkien 1954, Book 3, Ch. 4, "Treebeard" - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954). The Two Towers. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 1042159111. https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/1042159111
Tolkien 1954, Book 3, Ch. 4, "Treebeard" - Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954). The Two Towers. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 1042159111. https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/1042159111
Ibata, David (12 January 2003). "'Lord' of racism? Critics view trilogy as discriminatory". The Chicago Tribune. https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/chi-030112epringsrace-story.html
Straubhaar, Sandra Ballif (2004). "Myth, Late Roman History, and Multiculturalism in Tolkien's Middle-Earth". In Chance, Jane (ed.). Tolkien and the invention of myth: a reader. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 101–117. ISBN 978-0-8131-2301-1. 978-0-8131-2301-1
Canavan, A. P. (2012). ""Let's hunt some orc!": Reevaluating the Monstrosity of Orcs". New York Review of Science Fiction. Retrieved 7 March 2020. A version of this essay was presented at the International Conference on the Fantastic in 2012. https://www.nyrsf.com/2015/03/ap-canavan-lets-hunt-some-orc-reevaluating-the-monstrosity-of-orcs.html
"Stan Nicholls". Fantasticfiction.co.uk. Retrieved 21 February 2009. https://www.fantasticfiction.com/n/stan-nicholls/
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"'Orc' (from Orcus) is another term for an ogre or ogre-like creature. Being useful fodder for the ranks of bad guys, monsters similar to Tolkien's orcs are also in both games." Gygax, Gary (March 1985). "On the influence of J.R.R. Tolkien on the D&D and AD&D games". The Dragon. No. 95. pp. 12–13. /wiki/Ogre
Williams, Skip; Tweet, Jonathan; Cook, Monte (1 October 2000). Monster Manual: Core Rulebook III (3 ed.). Wizards of the Coast. p. 146. ISBN 0-7869-1552-8. Orcs are aggressive humanoids that raid, pillage, and battle other creatures apud MacCallum-Stewart (2008), p. 41 0-7869-1552-8
"Orcs gather in tribes that exert their dominance and satisfy their bloodlust by plundering villages, devouring or driving off roaming herd, and slaying any humanoids that stand against them".[40] quoted by Young (2015), p. 96.
Mohr, Joseph (7 December 2019). "Orcs in Dungeons and Dragons". Old School Role Playing. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20191231184034/https://oldschoolroleplaying.com/orcs-in-dungeons-and-dragons/
Mohr, Joseph (7 December 2019). "Orcs in Dungeons and Dragons". Old School Role Playing. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20191231184034/https://oldschoolroleplaying.com/orcs-in-dungeons-and-dragons/
Crawford, Jeremy, ed. (July 2003). Monster Manual: Dungeons & Dragons Core Rulebook. Co-lead design by Mike Mearls (5 ed.). Wizards of the Coast. p. 244. ISBN 978-0-7869-6561-8. 978-0-7869-6561-8
Carpenter 2023, #210 - Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. (2023) [1981]. The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded Edition. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-35-865298-4.
Pramas, Chris (2017). Orc Warfare. New York: Rosen Publishing. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-5081-7624-4. 978-1-5081-7624-4
Mitchell-Smith (2009), p. 219. - Mitchell-Smith, Ilan (May 2009). "11: Racial Determinism and the Interlocking Economics of Power and Violence in Dungeons & Dragons". In Harden, B. Garrick; Carley, Robert (eds.). Co-opting Culture. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books. p. 219. ISBN 978-0-7391-2597-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=Ar1yUk0aDS8C&pg=PA219
Mitchell-Smith (2009), p. 219. - Mitchell-Smith, Ilan (May 2009). "11: Racial Determinism and the Interlocking Economics of Power and Violence in Dungeons & Dragons". In Harden, B. Garrick; Carley, Robert (eds.). Co-opting Culture. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books. p. 219. ISBN 978-0-7391-2597-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=Ar1yUk0aDS8C&pg=PA219
Williams, Skip; Tweet, Jonathan; Cook, Monte (1 October 2000). Monster Manual: Core Rulebook III (3 ed.). Wizards of the Coast. p. 146. ISBN 0-7869-1552-8. orcs... look like primitive humans with gray skin, coarse hair, stooped postures, low foreheads, and porcine faces with prominent lower canines... they have lupine ears. apud Young (2015), p. 95 0-7869-1552-8
Williams, Skip; Tweet, Jonathan; Cook, Monte (July 2003). Monster Manual: Dungeons & Dragons Core Rulebook (3.5 ed.). Wizards of the Coast. p. 203. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X. [The Creature] looks like a primitive human with gray skin and coarse hair. It has a stooped posture, low forehead, and a piglike face with prominent lower canines that resemble a boar's tusks. apud Mitchell-Smith (2009), p. 216 0-7869-2893-X
And the "Gray orc" introduced as a race.[42]
Gygax, Gary (December 1977). Monster Manual (1 ed.). TSR. p. 76. Orcs appear particularly disgusting because their coloration ― brown or brownish green with bluish sheen ― highlights their pinkish snouts and ears. Their bristly hair is dark brown or black, sometimes with tan patches. /wiki/Gary_Gygax
Crawford, Jeremy, ed. (July 2003). Monster Manual: Dungeons & Dragons Core Rulebook. Co-lead design by Mike Mearls (5 ed.). Wizards of the Coast. p. 244. ISBN 978-0-7869-6561-8. 978-0-7869-6561-8
Either the D&D first edition[42] or Advanced D&D,[44]
Gygax, Gary (1977) Monster Manual, TSR. Also Young (2015), p. 97, citing this and subsequent editions of MM. /wiki/Gary_Gygax
Young (2015), p. 97. - Young, Helen (2015). "4. Orcs and Otherness: Monsters on Page and Screen". Race and Popular Fantasy Literature: Habits of Whiteness. Taylor & Francis. pp. 88–113. ISBN 9781317532170. https://books.google.com/books?id=FvlWCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA88
Crawford, Jeremy, ed. (July 2003). Monster Manual: Dungeons & Dragons Core Rulebook. Co-lead design by Mike Mearls (5 ed.). Wizards of the Coast. p. 244. ISBN 978-0-7869-6561-8. 978-0-7869-6561-8
Moore, Roger E. "The Half-Orc Point of View." Dragon #62 (TSR, June 1982). /wiki/Roger_E._Moore
Baur, Wolfgang, Jason Bulmahn, Joshua J. Frost, James Jacobs, Nicolas Logue, Mike McArtor, James L. Sutter, Greg A. Vaughan, Jeremy Walker. Classic Monsters Revisited (Paizo, 2008) pages 52–57. /wiki/Wolfgang_Baur
Priestley, Rick; Thornton, Jake (2000). Warhammer Fantasy Battles Army Book: Orcs & Goblins (6th ed.). Games Workshop: Nottingham. pp. 10–11.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) /wiki/Rick_Priestley
Sanders, Rob. "Xenos: Seven Alien Species With A Shot At Conquering the 40k Galaxy". Rob Sanders Speculative Fiction. Retrieved 1 February 2020. http://rob-sanders.blogspot.com/2012/03/xenos-seven-alien-species-with-shot-at.html
MacCallum-Stewart (2008), pp. 39–62. - MacCallum-Stewart, Esther (2008). "2: 'Never Such Innocence Again': War and Histories in World of Warcraft". In Corneliussen, Hilde; Rettberg, Jill Walker (eds.). Digital Culture, Play, and Identity: A World of Warcraft Reader. MIT Press. pp. 39–62. ISBN 9780262033701. https://books.google.com/books?id=RMsgSX2JWbAC&q=orc
"Another orc enters the Heroes of the Storm battleground". Destructoid. 6 October 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2020. https://www.destructoid.com/another-orc-enters-the-heroes-of-the-storm-battleground-391319.phtml
Wizards of the Coast acquired TSR in 1997, and subsequently published editions of D&D and Monster Manual.
Vessenes, Ted (8 February 2002). "Lessons of the Past". The One Ring. Retrieved 28 October 2021. https://www.theonering.com/news/games/lessons-of-the-past-by-ted-vessenes/
Stewart, Charlie (14 September 2020). "Why the Orcs Could Have a Huge Role in The Elder Scrolls 6". GameRant. Retrieved 13 April 2021. https://gamerant.com/the-elder-scrolls-6-orcs/
"Blade Gruts". Hasbro.com. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20110614145310/http://www.hasbro.com/games/kid-games/heroscape/default.cfm?page=Inside%2FCharacterDetail&char_id=2&set_id=3&set_type=2
"Heavy Gruts". Hasbro.com. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20110614145317/http://www.hasbro.com/games/kid-games/heroscape/default.cfm?page=Inside%2FCharacterDetail&char_id=103&set_id=8&set_type=2
Ronaghan, Neal. "Skylanders Giants Character Guide Magic Element Characters From Spyro's Adventure". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 7 July 2022. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/31352/skylanders-giants-character-guide-magic-element-characters-from-spyros-adventure