damn ring brings me here, my preciousssssssssssssss

Hate to be "that guy", but you mispronounced "Moria". It should sound more like the subject of t he song "They Call the Wind Maria"

They weren't sent as "old men" they were sent as "men" who aged after the weariness of long years".

I suspect most of them really had no idea what was going on most of the time. "Go there, Do that".

RATBAG!!!

The orcs got a raw deal imh.

Forming orcs from stone is NOT creating orcs from nothing, and it's too different from the other Valar bringing for whatever else, like the sun and moon, dwarves, various forms of plant life. That's more likely Tolkein just brainstorming "wait, this is totally more vile, he should do this instead!" Remember, Lord of the Rings and Hobbit are only things Tolkein actually released. If he had actually finished Similarion "Orcs are corrupted elves" probably would have been thrown out "you know what, I gave Melkor too much of a victory there, it was better to have him do something slightly less vile."

This channel is great. 👏

First image isn't an orc but a goblin

Orc quality of life meter; is there meat? Okay.

So, in summary, Tulkas could have ended it all on his own, but the last time the Valar took direct action against Sauron it sunk a continent, so they didn't want to take part anymore. They don't have Incredible Hulk powers of somehow only causing as much collateral damage as is plot convenient. Sauron was weak enough at the time for a human victory to be possible, so that was deemed the better option. Directly appealing to the Valar wasn't an option because Sauron would intercept it.

I like the idea of a Mosasaur claiming the ring for itself and trying to challenge Sauron as the only "saurian" worthy of ruling Middle Earth

The end of the Orcs really makes you think if they really were irredeemable. It basically ends in Orc genocide, which is horrible. Maybe that's a part of the story that needs some rethinking in this day and age.

"We don't wanna go to war today - but the lord of the lash says nay, nay, nay. We're gonna march all day, all day. Where there's a whip, there's a way"

they don't go to heaven where the angels cry

Everyone needs a rev up man

Thought the Mines of Moria was full of just Goblins unless thst was only in the movie.

SIXTH jesus christ you can say six, you repeatedly do. say SIX and add TH to it. It's not fucking sicth. good lord

Orcs: Why are we here? Just to suffer? 😢

Roo ra ree rumm

thank god GRRM also doesn't want that disgrace of a showing s6-7-8 were in GOT to be his lasting legacy, i really really want to read the new book tho :(

I kinda hope it’d be something cool like Daeron. Daeron I was so cooool.

There were probably at least a couple orcs stories that read like 1984. It's not like they have options, they can't go to Rivendale and appeal to Elrond.... can they? What is life expectancy of an orc, probably not longer than a Guinea pig, so it's not as if they're around to gain much wisdom, or consider existentialism

Yes if Frodo couldn’t then no one could. But Frodo’s ringbearing ultimately succeeded. Means Gimli’s could have too!

Zzzzz

Free, free Ircistan!

The comparison here is just to easy of a low fruit to pick, now….. ROafL ORCS! Although the Russian kind are less provisioned.

I think this leads to a very interesting alternate history for Middle Earth. What if the orcs won at Pelennor Fields, burnt Minas Tirith, killed most of the main characters and then, at their moment of greatest triumph, the ring is destroyed. (The other alternate history I like is "What if Smeagol never kills Deagol and Saruman/Gandalf find out about the ring and tell Deagol he has to go to Mordor to destroy it.")

Morgoth created the orcs, not Sauron. They managed to survive Morgoth being cast into the outer darkness so I think they should survive the destruction of Sauron. The effect on the army of Mordor was obviously catastrophic but as I see it the results would have been medium term. The orcs would have recovered to some extent though obviously not fast enough to save their control of Nurnen. The extinction of the orcs might have come much later.

So if the orcs are the red shirts, does that mean that sauron is the black shirt manager? And morgoth is the white shirt super manager? 👀

I tend to go with the Silmarillian, as it was a joint project of Christopher and his father, even though JRRT died before it was finished.

Shiiiiieeetttttt

Wow, this puts a dark spin on Gandalf's speech to Pippen when they were trapped in Minas Tirith.

It’s ganja, always has been.

I think without a doubt George hadn’t decided what happened to Benjen yet. He planted the seed and that’s it. It’s up to his future muse whether he decides that Benjen lived and ranged north, died, or to simply leave it ambiguous. I personally think Benjen’s dead.

My girl: "I bet he spends his free time messaging other girls" What i actually spend my free time doing: *this video*

'Idiot Savant' Perk

I'd argue the elves were ultimately pressured to leave Middle Earth... They would become disembodied spirits if they stayed. Not much of a choice there

It makes me wonder how the world would have proceeded in Morgoth had not been involved. The Valar had their shining city between the lamps and I could see Elves and Humans building their cities on the shores of the lakes. But would the elves have just faded or would they have had to go to Almaren...

what's next? got a great idea: Who Is Eldest? at different points in the books, both tom bombadil and treebeard claim to be eldest. well, which one is it? i have my own theories of course, but i am but a humble reader - wise in the lore certainly, but not a scholarly expert. i would love to hear your take on something that has always bothered me, robert!

Unless the writers want to keep him alive as part of some twist, Benjen Stark gave Jon Snow his horse to escape the onslaught of Wights.

QUESTION: Why didn't Saruman take Narya (Gandalf's ring) from Gandalf while he had him imprisoned in Orthanc?

Thanks!

Cirdan is depicted here with a beard. I didn't think elves grew facial hair?

I'd like to think The Watcher took Bill as his pet.

there is contradiction , he is a utilitarian ,a man WAY ahead of his times

Imagine being an adventurer traveling the lands of middle earth looking out over the rolling hills and smoking some of that old Toby

Would be cool to see it from the dwarf perspective

because elves are racist and Gandalf is lowkey on their side

It adds up. The birds are his army. Generals put soliders through all sorts. Mutilation of the tongue and treating them well and attaining a form of education is possibly a better life than many very poor children could expect..