Hold on...Orcs AREN'T mutated Elves??!!

Lord of the Rings Trilogy Forum

Shadow Stalker, I read the thread you started.

I don't have the Silmarillion close by right now, but I was under the impression that Orcs were Elves originally, just horribly corrupted and mutated from torture over time by Melkor. I believe somewhere in the Silmarillion it mentions that the marring of the Elves into Orcs was the "worst crime" or something like that in the eyes of Iluvatar.

I was also under the same impression with the Troll/Ent mutation, though I'd be more willing to bet money on the Orc/Elf one.

Yeah, so, I always thought that Orcs were mutated Elves...Where did Tolkien say they weren't?

--LOKIM

In one of his letters. I don't remember what site I found it on though.
If you really want to find it, I believe the source they cited was Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien or something similar.

This is a quote from The Silmarillion, Of The Coming of the Elves:

"...Thus it was that when Nahar neighed and Orome indeed came among them, some of the Quendi hid themselves, and some fled and were lost. But those that had courage, and stayed, perceived swiftly that the Great Rider was no shape out of darkness; for the light of Aman was in his face, and all the noblest of the Elves were drawn towards it.
But of those unhappy ones who were enscared by Melkor little is known of a certainty. For who of the living has descended into the pits of Utumno, or has explored the darkness of the counsels of Melkor? Yet this is held true by the wise of Eressea, that all those of the Quendi who came into the hands of Melkor, ere Utumno was broken, were put there in prison, and by slow arts of cruelty were corrupted and enslaved ; and thus did Melkor breed the dideous race of the Orcs in envy and mockery of the Elves, of whom they were afterwards the bitterest foes. For the Orcs had life and multiplied after the manner of the Children of Iluvatar; and naught that had life of its own, nor the semblance of life, could ever Melkor make since his rebellion in the Ainulindale before the Beginning: so say the wise. And deep in their dark hearts the Orcs loathed the Master whom they served in fear, the maker only of their misery. This it may be was the vilest deed of Melkor, and the most hateful of Iluvatar."

And according to The Encyclopedia of Arda, Trolls were made by Melkor, as a mockery of the Ents.

There is the myth in Middle-Earth about the Hunter who was sent to the early elves to capture them, any that were captured were change into Orc by Melkor.

The Rider was just sent to torment the elves in their early home.

Quite possibly but it was never explained

Oh wait, my bad, I was thinking about Tolkien refering to Trolls not being made out of twisted ents. But I did hear somewhere that orcs were not twisted elves, but Tolkien never bothered to explain about the elves.