Orcs: The Problem Tolkien Never Solved | Silmarillion Explained
Where did the Orcs come from? It sounds like a simple question, but it haunted Tolkien for over fifty years and he never found an answer. The published Silmarillion claims Morgoth twisted captured Elves into Orcs through slow arts of cruelty, yet Tolkien himself wrote in his own margins: "Alter this. Orcs are not Elvish."This deep dive traces five competing origin theories, from corrupted Elves to humanized beasts to Orc-formed Maiar, each creating new contradictions Tolkien could never resolve. We examine why the Aule and Dwarves parallel reveals everything about Morgoth's failure, what…
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