Lord of the Rings from an orc's perspective

Explore the best of fantasy and sci-fi in depth, with analysis of the worlds of Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, The Witcher and more.
For more Lord of the Rings content: • Video
Join me on Patreon - / indeepgeek
My channel for live content, including interviews and weekly livestreams - / @idglive
My audiobook channel: The Well Told Tale - / thewelltoldtale
Follow me on:
Twitter - @indeepgeek
Instagram - indeepgeekofficial
Facebook - / indeepgeek
TikTok - @indeepgeek
For merch, audiobooks, and all things In Deep Geek, explore my website - www.indeepgeek.com
Thank you to the talented artists who allowed their work to be featured in this video. You can find them and buy your own prints by following the links below:
Kip Rasmussen - fineartamerica.com/profiles/k...
Onirio - www.deviantart.com/onirio/gal...
Heraldo Mussolini - heraldo.mussolini
Dan Pilla - / danpillam
Matthew Stewart - www.matthew-stewart.com/
Anna Kulisz - www.kuliszu.art
Aegeri/Lida Holubova - / gnome_z_lesa
Ralph Damiani - www.artstation.com/ralphdamiani
Alystraea - www.artstation.com/alystraea
This video was brought to you with support from my amazing Patreon community - special thanks to
Stephanie Frederick, Joshua Clark, Maura Lee, Rabbi Rob Thomas, Amelia Scales Brooke Geer Person, Josh Bielemeier, Jane, Vance, Amy Southerland, Ivie Hilburn, Jimmy, Vercingetorix, John-Paul DeLuca, Filbert, Frank Glad, lemmy101, The Lady Gordon, Edward Ryan, Stephanie B, Coleen, Ben Androvich, Nana L, Brennan Barnes, Ivanka Hainzl, Howland’s Little Sister, Charis Messalina de Valence, Donna Daley, Cade Norman, Murray D, NOscar, Rick Hoppe, Leathery Wings, James Pisano, Bridget Boyle, TheStarkInWinterfell, Ellemcee, Alannah Prestayn of Braavos, Raymond Joy, Jonathan Harrison, Petyr Pebble, Jason Mauleon Rosario, Milton Christopher Appling, Edward Ennett, Katy Smith, 26Artgirl, Karen Thomas, Rickon, Cathrine Furseth, James Fitzpatrick, Doug Hughes, lawnduck20, Perseffanie, Emily Mole, Lady Dane, The Late Escapist, Natalie Donald, J. Gregory Henderson, whalawitsa, Luna Cascade, Dan MacKay, Johnny Targs, Kevin Warner, Julie Bernard, Bear, Susan Lonergan, Bo Riley, Lyle Hammac, Alex Butter, Pam Peterson, Bettina Charlotte Nielsen, T boz, Angela Marie Young, Sarah Awesomesauce, Stephanie Erickson, KaliKo_Jack, SeaGreenMango, GeorgeRRTolkien, Antihero Association, Richard Woodard, Caiden Timmons, ThatVBGuy, Tyler Barnhart, John H. Austin, Jr, NikFromNJ, Ty Farnsworth, Beesman, EJ, Willow Button, Julia Kendall, Jonny Ceriani, Mary Frances Angelini, Emma Sheiman, Joseph Jones, Christine Denny, Julien Dubois, Leland, Max Kingdom, Tricia Brady, LiK, Simen Dalstein, Scott Maraldo, Shelley J, Karen Wennerlind, Nathan Drumm, Martin Sjöstrand, Kristen H, King of Imps, Minerva Gale, Eric Nelson, Michiel Venema, Kate, Brandie Roberts, Kendra Summers, reed m, Commander Ray, Mayra Lawson, Lola Roebuck, Mark P, Nicole Stewart, Norse Sultan, Rasler, Steven Spauldingt, Patrick Ward, Amy vh Hines, Slippery1989, Una Haller, Almo71, Ravi Kakarala, Jacob Culp, Janet Lyn, NikFromNJ, Magepie, Ms. Fox, Jon Greenwood, Jahan, Justice, Courtney, Biscuit Jones, Biscuit Jones, Cookie Tywyn, Ranabir Mitra, CRChesnutt, Kip Ingram, Savannah Smith, Tadeo D'Oria, Mario Murray, Leland, AaronM127, Denis Warner, Callie Summers, Gena Z, Joseph Barresi, Karen, KGO, Martin Maleček, Karamy CG, Alvino V, DickCrabb’sSquire, Haley Harstad, Ian Landsman, Lord Medici and Mathew Pauley
Affiliate Links - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop supports this channel and local bookshops at no extra cost to you.)
Books for fans of Lord of the Rings:
uk.bookshop.org/lists/lord-of...
Other books we love:
uk.bookshop.org/shop/indeepgeek
Thanks for watching!
(All pictures used are in the public domain, or used under fair use copyright laws or with the express permission of the artist).

[@Nedflandersmoon]

"We ain't had nothing but maggoty bread for three stinking days." - Orc That's some perspective and no mistake

[@888johnmac]

lol , exactly the perspective i was thinking of

[@BigBoss-xr8dg]

What about their legs?

[@kingvarien]

​@@BigBoss-xr8dgThey don't need them!

[@bixbysnyder-00]

"What abouts them, they're freessh?" "THEY ARE NOT FOR EATING!". It's comforting that orcs also have to deal with middle management, as I do.

[@gaynzz6841]

@@kingvarien Oooo they look tasty!

[@thegoodgeneral]

Orc's perspective: - wait to go into battle - go into battle - immediately die

[@AverageAlien]

Have you ever thought about the fact that the internet is our oyster. We choose to confine ourselves on this limited website, with set rules and parameters. We can literally spread our wings and fly, however. We can be free. We can create an alternate reality right here, right now, where we levitate and feed baby pandas bamboo dipped in honey syrup all day long, followed by a short trip to Starbucks and then we can go fly planes and potentially perchance perhaps collide with legos shaped like rectangular towers and all of that incredibly fun stuff. The only real meaning of life depends on whether or not Help is on the way or not, Everything is stranger now, Tells me all I need to know Really if you think about it, Unusual events happen and Treachery also, maybe the Help is the friends along the way. Left and right, up and down, what does it mean? I'm simply stating a fact. Exactly. Say what you will but Inverse square law applies. Nevertheless, They know what i meant. Help really is coming. Epitomology. Is that a real word? Temporary results have occurred. Elevated above all else. Xerxes the god emperor. Tsunami comes fast. the world was created in seven days. Hss jsblz spl dpaopu

[@chromsh2806]

Lmfao

[@yuggiiyer1640]

😂

[@stanleyharno4534]

Get hit in the head with an axe and hear some dwarf yell "Fifteen!" as you fall to the ground.

[@bob1234881]

Yep. That's what I was thinking. 😀

[@greenjoseph4]

The LoTR from the orc’s perspective? “Where there’s a whip, there’s a way!”

[@katherinegraham3803]

We don't wanna go to war today But the lord of the lash says "Nay, nay, nay!"

[@trinefanmel]

Sauron: [issues marching orders] Orcs: Just like we rehearsed, boys! 1...2...3...

[@pathfinder3405]

Where there’s a whip there’s a will ..

[@mikevides4494]

@@katherinegraham3803 We're gonna march all day (all day, all day)!

[@MandelbrotMetalhead]

My bosses get mad when I play that song. I don't see the problem

[@Mark-uh3un]

I think the Shadow or Mordor games did a great job on giving orcs personalities beyond just mindless slaughter.

[@ZlothZloth]

Calling the Battle of 5 Armies the Battle to Unfairly Ganging Up on the Orcs was brilliant!

[@itshenry8977]

@@ZlothZloth they just wanted their portion of the wealth, the same as Elves and Humans, they're good guys too :D

[@avrace2708]

Orcs dont have personality like normal races. They hate everything: humans, elves, other orcs, Sauron, nature, food nust everything. That's how Sauron create them. Even if for one short moment just like in the book 2 orcs can think of abandon Mordor army, hide somewhere living as bandits but free without Sauron control they few hour slay yourself without any problem. Same like rest of the 100s of orcs from Cirith Ungol Fortress. That's normal thing for orcs

[@AntiNubDevice]

I only played the second, but I was really impressed with how much it made me care about my boys.

[@6Sparx9]

@@itshenry8977 Except the fact they created from Morgoth's ring, like the dwarves, except Eru later gave the dwarves a true soul.

[@In.Gy.]

Orc POV: Ohey, we're winning! 5 seconds later: Oh no...

[@Flozone1]

There is a Russian novelle/fanfiction which tries to tell an alternate tell of how it all went down. It is a Soviet alternative perspective on Tolkien, where Aragorn and the elves are reactionary forces of traditionalism while Mordor is industrialised and moderned, the Nazgul are scientists and Sauron is the great engineer. The hellish industrial wasteland reversed.

[@avrace2708]

​@@Flozone1So he just copy book version of Saruman. Tolkien never liked how technology in almost every point is making ,,better" and ,,better" so fast no matter what will it cost

[@flyingfetus4364]

​@@avrace2708 Essentially yes. Of course they go in deeper and they're more like enlightenment Italy & revolutionary France in some ways, poetry, arts and rationality flourishes in Barad-dur, and they get invaded because the mirror predicted them using gunpowder, and also because they developed parliamentary monarchy, and the medieval/reactionary kingdoms don't like that.

[@lovepeace9727]

Funny how in LoTR, orcs essentially won the war and not just by huge numbers, but by superiority in other areas as well. They had mass production of everything, from plate armor, polearms, anti-armor cleavers, shields, crossbows to insanely powerful siege machinery and engineering equipment they widely used. Being physically stronger and more durable than humans, their survivability was high, orc medics were creating implants and prosthesis for wounded, which you can see on lots of orcs, and logistics for them was easier too as they could eat on fallen friends and foes. On top of that, they were also granted with night vision and besides having problems imposed by curse that was on their species, they were getting upgrades that would solve their weaknesses as Dark Side completed a successful program of creation of super soldiers (Uruk Hai). Orcs also had a real time communication lines (palantir) on their side which is just insane. Oh yeah, and orcs also had a way better tactics than humans, for sure, they practiced such advanced things like "Rodelero" , "Pike and Shoot", "Landsknechte/doppensoldner", had great understanding of mountain warfare with their beast riders, psychological warfare with throwing human heads over walls of besieged cities and etc. etc. while humans mostly had chainmail and "charge forward" tactics. Only elfs could put up a proper fight, but they were few in numbers. Orcs were literally unstoppable and without plot armor, fighting against them wouldn't be possible for any faction of Middle Earth, even for a combined force. Frodo and Sam saved everyone in the last moment.

[@avrace2708]

@@lovepeace9727 Have you read Lotr books? In Tolkien Universe all orcs are much smaller and weaker than humans, they dont have plate armor but chainmail and scale armors. That's not Warcraft where orcs are brutes, in this Universe Humans are true tanks with heavy armor. But still imagine Numenorains which most of them have 2 meters height, they were the most badass warriors in this Universe. There was need of God's help to defeat them

[@Richard_Nickerson]

I *love* thinking about the Battle of Pelennor Fields from the Orc perspective: You've seemingly won, as you've almost conquered the city even without the Corsairs assistance. Suddenly, an army that should have been accounted for shows up behind you out of nowhere. To you, this likely means a good portion of your army has been completely slain. These horsemen also believe the battle is already lost. Their king rouses them with a speech about the end times & they charge with the fury of men *knowing* they are going to die. For the most part, they *sing* as they ride across the field. Then the Mûmakil & Witch-king probably give you hope, but not for long. I'm sure *every* member of Sauron's army present at the battle *felt* the fall of the Witch-king. Then Éomer finds Théoden & Éowyn, and rallies his men with cries of "death" in unison. Their rage has only increased & they've gone from singing to screaming "death", *thousands of voices in unison.* Then the ships of the Corsairs show up. This disheartens the Men & must cheer the Orcs. But instead of the Corsairs colors, there's a standard that hasn't been seen in a long time. Orcs might recognize it as what their master *hates.* This would, at best, *confuse tf* out of the Orcs. The horse riders, who have gone from singing to screaming as one, now begin *laughing* as they trample your allies on the field. Then the city of Minas Tirith releases its sortie while the warriors on the ships join the field & the horse riders continue to run off the Mûmakil & *gleefully* slay you and your allies. You went from being moments away from victory to utter defeat, while your deaths appear to be fun, like a child playing with toys. Wild stuff.

[@Uncle_Fred]

I doubt any of the Orcs recognized that sigil. I'd guess that only highly educated Black Numenorian types might know it. Maybe a handful of the more educated Haradrium might since a Gondorian king had a presence there a few hundred years earlier.

[@Richard_Nickerson]

@@Uncle_Fred I meant they *might* recognize it only in a sense via Sauron's hate, their all being connected to him via his dominion over their will and all. Same as how I said they probably all felt the fall of the Witch-king. I also did specifically say they "might" recognize it "as what their master hates", meaning they wouldn't have to know that it's related to Aragorn or Elendil, or know that it's the standard of the King of Gondor, but simply be related to Gondor or the vague foe. Sauron has the eye... What emblem did he teach the Orcs to hate?

[@boffo63]

Well said

[@Wolfeson28]

@@Uncle_Fred The orcs probably wouldn't know exactly what that specific sigil was, but they wouldn't have to. They'd realize it wasn't any of their own allied forces (as they'd initially expected), and they'd recognize how their enemies all immediately reacted to it with jubilation. That's about all the orcs would need to understand to realize that they were not about to be reinforced, but were, in fact, screwed.

[@Uncle_Fred]

@@Wolfeson28 Yeah, I agree they would understand that.

[@FourOf92000]

LotR from Elrond's perspective would be a neat take

[@groguuuyoda9479]

Trying to cockblock aragorn 💀

[@anonymous-hz2un]

@@groguuuyoda9479 he cockblocked just about everyone. It's pretty strongly implied that Arwen was a maiden.

[@JesusChrist-vq6lk]

Already a video isn't it?

[@Svensk7119]

I concur. Motion carries!

[@Svensk7119]

​@@anonymous-hz2unOf course, she's a maiden! Aragorn is a manden! Chastity would have been highly important to the Professor. We have a much more casual attitude about fornication than was possible before the advent of modern birth control. Ideal men and ideal women are chaste unto marriage. In the Silmarillion, Morgoth begins to contemplate rape, it is implied, (Luthien) but the Professor doesn't even use a synonym for it. He just hints at it obliquely. Being more direct about female abuse was... beyond him, I think.

[@maxmaxmaxmax647]

"Wheres a whip theres a way" as the orcs use to say

[@moritamikamikara3879]

We don't wanna go to war today! But the lord of the lash says "Nay nay nay!"

[@auklon3372]

Edit: Devo agrees

[@kiwwat4139]

@@moritamikamikara3879 We’re gonna march all day all day all daaaaaayyyy! Oh, where there’s a whip there’s a way.

[@guyincognito1406]

Never forget, Sam started a race war…

[@scottmccrea1873]

I think that was Rankin and Bass....

[@laurencewinch-furness9450]

"Ugluck. I've been thinking?" "Have courage, my friend, these Gondorians are all cowards" "Yeah, er, Ugluck, have you looked at our sheilds lately?" "No. Yes. A little bit, why?" "They've got burning red eyes on them. Have you noticed our sheilds have got actual pictures of burning red eyes on them." "Well?" Ugluck...are we the baddies?"

[@YouKnowItsVain]

The orc perspective > 'ate humans > 'ate dwarves > 'ate elves > love me grog > love killin > simple as

[@CaptainShenanigans42]

Murdermaxxing and grogmaxxing

[@snp4619]

probably ate them too

[@matthewrileymcleanwilkinson]

Ate each other...

[@arandomexplosion]

Chad orc

[@TalynDerre]

We don't wanna go to war today, but the Lord of the Lash says 'nay nay nay'...

[@andrewlowden322]

we're gonna march all day all day all day

[@NormanTheDormantDoormat]

All men, no women makes us ... ... ...

[@UGNAvalon]

@NormanTheDormantDoormat Happy Happy Happy ? 🙃

[@christophercoleman6596]

One thing about the Rohirrim: like the real-life Saxons, when a leader was slain, the army would not retreat, but defend their slain leader till all were killed or victory won. So even if Aragorn had not arrived, the Riders of Rohan would have fought on.

[@Kelnx]

I often forget that Sloth from The Goonies got his start as a General for Sauron. Should be obvious when the rout at the Pelinor Fields began and you could hear him shouting "Hey YOU GUYS!".

[@christianmino3753]

bro i legit read this right after the exact orc you are talking about at the end came on screen and im laughing so hard im in fucking tears. He comes on at 14:59

[@dusky6280]

man what a GIGA boomer comment

[@christianmino3753]

@@dusky6280 hey, other boomer here, does boomer have to be used negatively? I know this is like "meta boomer" right now, but I'm old and out of the loop nowadays. When someone says boomer does it have to be in a bad way?

[@thing_under_the_stairs]

@@dusky6280 Just saying, the Goonies aren't boomer. That's late GenX/Millennial. Get your "you're old" insults right, at least! And get off the lawn I can't afford!

[@spleespleeslacysploo]

Born 2003 and I love sloth also he was ogre in revenge of the nerds

[@patsyroberts3967]

I always thought the Orc from Cirith Ungol calling anyone opposing Sauron rebels was very interesting. The the Orcs Sauron wasn't the rebel, he was the true Ruler of Middle Earth.

[@moritamikamikara3879]

This isn't unusual. Human cultures do this too. It was well recorded during the opium wars that the Chinese in their literature and discourse referred to the British (who were foreign invaders from the other side of the fucking planet that they had had only minimal contact with before this) as rebels in much the same way.

[@truthjustice6454]

Only the Cancelled Peoples (all know this by now) are even potential 'rebels' to malevolent hypocritical tyranny 😅

[@raistlin3462]

Orc perspective: "Screwed under Sauron, even more screwed without him." Even the book states how bleak their existence is.

[@SwampCityRadio1974]

Basically, "the Putin dilemma".

[@earthlymatters888]

​@SwampCityRadio1974 you mean the zelensky dilemma?

[@marino5652]

​@@earthlymatters888you mean israel dilema

[@treystephens6166]

No nice Orcs ???

[@souljava3541]

“Smile! Tomorrow will be worse.”

[@mishakachmazov3174]

Orcs perspective? I want to know the perspective of the orc scaling the wall of Helm’s Deep on a ladder while hearing a Dwarf counting…

[@user-mk5rs2kc8c]

lmao

[@CliffMcCauley]

I can help you there! “Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuuuu”

[@yoooooooooojeff]

Uruk - hai

[@Adeptus_Santos]

​@@yoooooooooojeff hello 👋 😊

[@michaelrobertson1736]

😂

[@davidbofinger]

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.")

[@darkjudge8786]

Sorry mate, no one cares. Maybe send your fan fiction to the twats making Rings of Power

[@richardpeel6056]

I'm interested in orc first aid, orcs seem to survive massive debilitating injuries and instead of being retired from active service carry healed wounds into battle.

[@Killthefish]

I'm pretty sure the orc healing thing is just as simple as they heal very quick and have a sort of "immunity" to damage so when they lose a arm or leg they just shove a rusty metal one into its place and let it heal back over the new limb, I doubt they have actual healers or medics more like people who will find the ones breathing still and throw them into a pile and see who wakes up, if they dont wake up then meats on the menu

[@YesYou-]

Right? We see some of them with cuts use metal like stitches😂

[@thecappeningchannel515]

They probably had healers, musicians, smiths, bakers, inventors etc. Azog could write. So that means they had some type of schools for learning writing...

[@talentosaproductions3363]

A

[@20shutty06]

There is some kind of paste that's used for cuts and a restorative drink that burns. Merry receives this treatment from the Uruk Hai before the Riders of Rohan catch them.

[@mightymulatto3000]

"Orc colleague" this is why this channel is the best!

[@Raz.C]

I genuinely appreciate the way you draw events from the books, and visuals from the movies. There are plenty of people out there whose only contact with Middle Earth is the movie/ series, so it's beyond wonderful that this channel (and a few select others) are able to offer a proper education on the history and events of that world.

[@richardmather1906]

One of the most interesting passages in LOTR is the conversation between Gorbag and Shagrat. Completely changed how I looked at Orcs after that.

[@strpg9938]

There's a great book, where the main characters are an Umbarian medic, Orcish ranger, and Gondorian noble trying to destroy the Mirror and the Palantíri. Called The Last Ringbearer by Kiril Yeskov. The english translation is somewhat clunky, but I read the Czech official translation, commercially released, and it's great.

[@JordanBeagle]

12:10 Crazy that they must've been thinking "Well, we pulled off a miracle at Minis Tirith but there's no way out this one." Hence Gimli and Legolas' memorable words

[@Wiktor_Klugowski]

There is a great book by russian author Kirill Yeskov "The Last Ringbearer" telling the story from the point of view of Sauron's forces.

[@ules5799]

I need to respect your love and knowledge for the subject, you are a great storyteller and you know what you're talking about. Keep up the good work and thank you for all the work you put into these.

[@Howardone]

Orc hearing violins...."Are we the baddies?"

[@UGNAvalon]

“Yeah! Boss music! … Wait a minute… this isn’t _our_ boss music..”

[@gagaplex]

Ever read "The Last Ringbearer"? Not exactly the topic of your video, but that certainly made me think of this book.

[@GregStachowski]

Look up a book called "The Last Ringbearer" by Kiril Yeskov, which takes a "history is written by the victors" approach to LotR and tells an alternative view of the story and the aftermath from the POV od the orc side.

[@davidemelia6296]

I came here to say this. Fantastic book.

[@BesoffenerIslamist]

gonna look for this

[@philemonkaisa925]

It's more of a Soviet propaganda tho

[@avrace2708]

No, its just another ,,I dont like Tolkien vision of his world so i will change it", bullshit same as Rings of Power

[@IPlayWithFire135]

@@philemonkaisa925that’s a good thing

[@lillylunarose1313]

As soon as I read the title of the video the song wair there's a whip there's a way started playing in my head

[@psychkosys]

This is just great. Thanks, Robert, for all that you do.

[@Tezeran]

Very interesting video as always, but I was hoping for some more insights of the orcs. What ist their motivation? What drives them? Why do they think they are the "good ones" in their respective story? Why are our heroes the enemies to them? I'm looking forward to your video on orc culture and hopefully some questions might be covered there :)

[@Nethan2000]

Tolkien said several times that Orcs were evil by nature (even if not irredeemably so). They hated sunlight and hated goodness. They engaged in pointless destruction whenever they had the occasion to do so. They were smart, but only used this intelligence in creating the tools of war.

[@germanwulf40]

I love how Tokien didnt' create one-dimensional bad guys for Middle Earth; even the Orcs and Uruk-hai had individual personalities. Sad that they were unable to showcase much of this in the film. I mean, we see it a little, but not nearly as much as we're able to read in the books.

[@madsholbeck3716]

Yes! thank you very much! There are far too few videos on the internet delving into the characteristics of the orcs! Would love to see more like this

[@colepreston4872]

The red shirt of Sauron’s army That’s the best description Ever

[@ATEC101]

Orc: 'I am not wearing that.'

[@jantjarks7946]

Next time they are hiring I will go for the stormtroopers instead.

[@BrandonSellers_Unforgiven]

Just as a note, the orcs in Gundabad still largely worshipped Morgoth, as well as most of the misty mountain orcs, though I believe they participated to some extent in the war of the ring.

[@matthewsanchez7953]

Imagine being an Orcish artisan, just trying to finish up a cool project, when all of the sudden the Big Boss said it's time to go die...

[@pparalaxx3014]

I’m

[@orrointhewise3913]

Very interesting perspective Maybe lotr from Bill's perspective next? 🤔 🥹

[@dh7314]

He was criminally overlooked in the movies

[@mallninja9805]

Maybe LOTR from the Entwives perspective...

[@orrointhewise3913]

@mallninja9805 Also a good one!!!!

[@thecollector6746]

I distinctly remembering that in The Lost Tales Tolkien gave his take on what happened to The Orcs generally when Sauron fell for (hopefully) the last time and pretty much they did what they always did when either Melkor and or Sauron disappeared for ages on end : Like the Dwarves they generally withdrew (with some few exceptions. There have been Orcs who set up their own top-side communities and engaged in farm-work, craftsmenship and trade with local communities of Men and Dwarves with little to no conflict) back into their underground communities and went about minding their own business until eventually they passed out of common knowledge.

[@CreationBrosZone-km5be]

Send their spirts back to Eru. Good luck trying to trade with a Mordo-infected Orc as he eats your entrails. Methinks you've forgotten what's been on the Orcish menu since the First Age. Middle Earth is not World of Warcraft. Tolkien's Orcs are irredeemably evil which is the whole point of their role in Middle Earth: they are incarnated spirits of Men (according to Tolkien's last musings on the subject), twisted to do evil because Morgoth put part of himself into them. Only Eru can save 'em.

[@user-zb1sr4os9u]

Recently pondering that old geezer Treebeard who brought Merry and Pippin 70,000 Ent strides I'm human: a mile is about 2,000 paces (70,000 paces would be about 35 miles). If an Ent stride equals three human strides... he carried them over 100 miles. Really? Okay, I'll shut up now. Cheers

[@dandiehm8414]

That is in a straight line on flat land with no obstacles. Fangorn provided none of those conditions. Many streams might only be forded at certain points and there were large elevation changes.

[@user-zb1sr4os9u]

@@dandiehm8414 Excellent. Thanks, I hadn't given my head the freedom of nuance. Cheers bigly :-)

[@Stevoman123]

This man has possibly the most soothing voice on the planet. I’d listen the fuck out of the LOTR books read by this man.

[@inthefade]

I would have liked to hear more about the way the armies of Mordor were fed. Did they have big evil farms? What do Orks even eat? I'm curious about food in general in Middle Earth. Can Elves starve to death? Does Gandalf need to eat?

[@garethdean6382]

'Neither he nor Frodo knew anything of the great slave-worked fields away south in this wide realm, beyond the fumes of the Mountain by the dark sad waters of Lake Nurnen; nor of the great roads that ran away east and south to tributary lands, from which the soldiers of the Tower brought long waggon-trains of goods and booty and fresh slaves.'

[@GregMcNeish]

Clearly the orcs don't have a robust livestock industry, or else they wouldn't have felt the need to say, "looks like meat's back on the menu".... From both a logistic/geological standpoint and a worldbuilding standpoint, the orcs live in the volcanic ash lands around Mt Doom, which means they have mineral-rich soil. Much like southern Italy/Sicily or Japan, it's likely ideal land for growing enormous quantities of wheat, and they probably do labour-intensive farming throughout the lands. Thematically, I could see the orc diet being largely built around a sort of "anti-lembas", the most depressing bread in the world. As for elves, considering how not particularly welcoming of non-elves they are, I doubt they would have built such cultural importance around lembas if sustenance was only something the other races had to worry about. Perhaps they have the ability to slow or even stop their metabolism through meditation or something when needed, but otherwise there's no indication that they are unaffected by hunger, fatigue, or other frailties that mortals experience, just at a slower pace. So, I would theorize that elves CAN starve to death, in the same way that they can be felled by a stab wound, despite being naturally immortal. Gandalf is a different story, though. He's a spiritual being that is taking the appearance of a man. I'm sure he and the other Istari ENJOY eating (a good hearty meal is one of the bedrock components of "a good life" in the morality of Tolkien, after all), but he has no actual need for it.

[@kingvarien]

​@GregMcNeish those particular orcs were also traveling

[@GregMcNeish]

@@kingvarien True. Also, the use of the word "back" when referring to meat implies that it's at least occasionally on the menu. Mordor doesn't strike me as a place with plentiful wild animals, or being particularly hospitable to livestock, but other areas where orcs live would sensibly have both of those things. Overall, I guess I don't see a reason that their diet would be significantly different from humans, hobbits, etc.

[@richardstephens5570]

@@GregMcNeish The "Looks like meat is back on the menu, boys!" line wasn't in the book, so don't take it as canon.

[@sampappas212]

Thanks for great, well thought out, and fun videos so regularly! 😄

[@ForeverWog]

With the death of Bernard Hill, I’d love a deep dive into the story of Theoden.

[@annecarter5181]

Incredible amount of detail & complexity. Wow!!

[@Slayer_of_Bacon]

Interesting, Cheers, I read all the books 2 or 3 times back in the 80s but it's still nice to hear something different about them.

[@Mangolite]

It’s nice that this is a serious essay rather than a witty spoof.

[@Dr_Cole]

This video and proffered were excellent. Seeing the timelines laid out and connected as well as the varying views and roles of the orcs was enlightening (despite their hatred of light!). Thank you.

[@TheBekken9500Isback]

Love your content man, Keep up the good work.

[@taidee]

Thank you again Robert for your wonderful story telling. From you I think I can listen LOTR from anyone's perspective, you tell the story so well. And yes it's a worthy look for these beings who were doing all this under slavery.

[@tuurlijk]

1:52 orconomy

[@dashcarter1101]

I've also never thought about the Orcs, other than being mindless, evil creatures. But they're clearly more than that. I love this commentary on their perspective.

[@late_night_club7217]

brilliant video. Thanks for the perspective!

[@awesomehpt8938]

Apparently they have restaurants in Isengard and Mordor. Since they understand the concept of menus. “Looks like meats back on the menu boys”

[@user-fl9te5ur2n]

Oooo you’re biggest and finest stake

[@cogitus73]

Well done (that's how orcs like their hobbits).

[@DaBIONICLEFan]

If you're going off the films. The line was made up, (rather unfittingly imo) like the questionable line from Gimli about the "nervous system".

[@Howardone]

With a side of maggoty bread

[@ZlothZloth]

@@Howardone Whatever - just don't forget the grog!

[@sheridansherr8974]

A russian author actually wrote a book like that. You can find it online after some research. Its written from the perspective of an orc.

[@tylerosborn7596]

Another absolute banger of a video. Well done.

[@taotaostrong]

Thanks so much for this post. Interesting perspective.

[@Breacca]

Try reading "The Last Ringbearer" by Kirill Yeskov. You can only find it as an ebook because they were afraid of legal actions fom the tolkien family, so it is not printed. I found it as good and well written as the original, with a really novel point of view.

[@thatguywithamustache6043]

I absolutely love how you speak friend

[@Monkeyboy2457]

Pure English. No accent. Sounds very proper.

[@Fetch049]

This wasn't the orcs' perspective so much as their experience and movements.

[@bigdog2432]

Jesus bro 😂 make your own video then

[@thomaspremeparsons9390]

I love your analysis’s.

[@malcolmjcullen]

*analyses.

[@bracoop2]

It always amazes me how perfect the makeup and costumes were in the trilogy.

[@halthammerzeit]

Nik Pierumow did nice job, showing perspective of Mordor in his books. Elves and humans standing in way of progress and industrialization.

[@leehunt9238]

Very well crafted video, really enjoyed it.

[@zacyule4674]

Last time i was this early i paid child support for 18 years

[@jamesly2307]

Shit must have been a scary experience for you 🤦🏽‍♂️😂

[@anonymous-hz2un]

You must be white then. Ain't no way some Bongo-Bongo guy has even heard of child support.

[@seansullivan7928]

That is offensive

[@zayasmith1184]

That is hilarious

[@healthyseal]

That is unexpected

[@GRAVEMIND08]

Love your videos! Don't suppose audible would let you narrate lotr? 😅

[@flaviasoledadbriglia8561]

I can recommend the audiobook version of LOTR narrated by @natalie_kendel (here, in KZbin) . She has a beautiful voice ❤

[@JesusChrist-vq6lk]

I suggested this a year or so ago.. more as a youtube video.. each chapter could be a video

[@GRAVEMIND08]

@flaviasoledadbriglia8561 I'm currently listening to it narrated by Andy Serkis. But will definitely give her a listen next.

[@GRAVEMIND08]

@JesusChrist-vq6lk Thanks for the reply Jesus, can I just say I love your earlier work 😉 That's actually a good idea! Don't even need audible. Keeps the KZbin fan base. 👍

[@Polskiprepper1]

Or perhaps these on Spotify

[@antonyreyn]

Fun fact the name Tolkien is contained within the name Thorkelin who was the first translator of Beowulf. Cheers

[@matthewhudson5685]

Brilliant. Undoing the common, superficial perceptions and looking deeper for truths. Even if uncomfortable to find.

[@floridaprepper751]

Very interesting video, thank you sir.

[@geoffishy]

Fantastic video as always :)

[@andrewmurray1084]

So to summarise, 'Lord of the Rings from an orc's perspective' was: depressing, brutal, terrifying & then very swiftly ...over! (Though for the record, I'd honestly LOVE to read a tongue-in-cheek retelling of LOTR, from the perspective of an Orcish, Anti Frodo & Sam; desperately seeking a quiet life, while getting swept up in the epic conflict! Perhaps in the vein of Ciaphas Cain, Blackadder, Fred Colon & Nobby Nobbs, Tag & Bink or 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead' etc.)

[@inthefade]

That could be amazing if done right; It could even be done in a way where it is ambiguous enough, or satirical enough, with the setting to make it copyright friendly.

[@danpearman270]

While not 100% LotR based, you might enjoy 'Grunts' by Mary Gentle - that's a comedic story of 'the Final Battle' from the perspective of a bunch of orcs serving a Dark Lord.

[@gregcox777]

You might want to dig up a copy of "The Last Ringbearer." It's a Russian retelling that treats LotR as Western propaganda.

[@TheMinskyTerrorist]

Yes that's The Last Ringbearer but it sucks, it's made by someone who didn't actually pay attention to the story

[@CryptidRenfri]

​@@gregcox777 Western propaganda? Dang, those Ruski's never really got any less batshit, did they?

[@bigmangaming6307]

this POV series is fire

[@ChrisPelletier73]

This is a well written and narrated essay

A good counter to this video would be another with The Last Ringbearer POV, where LOTR is just propaganda and the bad guys are the elves.

[@methodsocratic]

Excellent. Yes plz to more orc info, culture, etc.

[@jamesgwoodwork]

Love the interspersed "War in the North" visuals. Such a great game that deserves a remaster so it's playable on next gen consoles.

[@jackdavis855]

As usual very interesting thanks! Keep the LOTR content coming!

[@Kryptarch]

I wonder what Tolkien would've said about the rebel uruk-hai in Mordor if he was asked to expand on them...personally I find the notion of some of Sauron's forces rebelling against him extremely interesting, and the fact they're Uruk-hai (which I've always thought were cool) makes it even more awesome

[@Wordfishtrombone]

I didn’t expect their perspective to be so engaging! Great idea for a discussion!

[@Grond112358]

"The best weapon is the spear; you got long, and you got sharp." --orcs from Shadow of Mordor, which I see you used in the art, or perhaps from Shadow of War.

[@amandae5165]

I LOVE this channel!!!

[@catherinewood948]

Thanks!

[@bluestrife28]

I like this. Any time I read the stories I can only picture the people from the movies since.

[@windsaw151]

Have we ever given a hint that the orcs of the Misty Mountains were in any way under the control of Sauron? People always seem to assume that, but I think there is no evidence besides the assumption that "They are orcs, aren't they? So they must be under his control." I always assumed that the presence of the Balrog blocked his influence. Also: They were far from Mordor for millenia and mostly surrounded by force hostile to them. None of the wars they have waged seem to be in any way coordinated events, they were just instigated by local warlords when given an outside opportunity. The only period where they could have been under Saurons direct influence may have been the north of the Misty Mountains during the Witch King's rule in Angmar. But even here I don't recall that his forces included orcs. It seems to me they were not part of his plans.

[@NB4fun]

Hey Robert! I love your lotr content and I am patiently waiting for your rerelease of Gollum: A Character Study! It was genuinely one of my favorite videos on the entire internet and I was sad to see you made it private!

[@cupoftea4787]

Amazing learning about earths history

[@randydewees7338]

Can you imagine how tough it would be for an orc dentist?

[@clownbaby420]

What about Tom Bombadil's perspective?

[@1th_to_comment.]

Meets Frodo and then Gandalf about a year later and then it ends. I think.

[@lukemcadie6984]

I think Tolkien answers that, Bombadil is so far removed from the wider world that he couldn't be trusted with the ring. He's so old that Sauron and the war for the ring was probably a drop in the ocean of his memories

[@Luceq]

He’s like: oh yeah, another dark lord has been defeated. I should write a song about that

[@moritamikamikara3879]

Tom met some Hobbits in the woods, they had a funny ring and stayed for a few days. About a year later, Gandalf popped by and had some cool story to tell. The end.

[@alexkats30]

What about Old man Willow's perspective?

[@jolinefields3460]

This was excellent 🎉

[@ToothpikcOriginal]

Thanks for the video :) Still got my fingers crossed for a video on the life of Fingolfin someday

[@bsmnt23]

Reminds me of one of my favorite books, Orcs! by Mary Gentle. It's a bit tongue in cheek, and there's a lot of other things, but it's basically a Tolkien pastiche told from a company of orcs and it's hilarious how they describe all the High Fantasy tropes.

[@tims4502]

Would be cool to see a Band of Brothers style docudrama from a company of Orcs

[@MusaFinderi]

Sauron kept Mordor orcs' motivation high by blasting Gorgoroth from his tower

[@therealzilch]

Sometimes I think that the surviving orcs went into politics. Nice work as usual. I'm reminded of the classic 1971 novel _Grendel_ by John Gardner, which tells the tale of Beowulf from the monster's point of view.

[@jcwoodman5285]

I've always been a bit surprised that Tolkien never elaborated on Orc home life, culture etc.. Female orcs? Children?

[@CursedLink666]

They're essentially corrupted elves, so maybe the corruption will slowly fade after generations without a dark lord in close proximity? Then they'd become some strange group of elves that nobody really trusts because of their origins. But here's the thing: Can Orcs even keep a stable population going for generations without intervention from a dark lord? How are they even born?

[@jamesknight4945]

Can we nominate Robert to take over narration duties for productions that would normally call David Attenborough? Could listen to you talk about sludge and enjoy every second!

[@yellowrose0910]

Ever read GRUNTS by Mary Gentle? Excellent snarky book about how the Orcs see things!

[@user-wg4wq6ss5b]

I like Orcs, by Stan Nicholls.

[@hakonmarcus]

The fact that Sauron amassed his entire army to face an Aragorn he believed wielded the ring, makes me wonder how strong Aragorn would be with a version of the one ring that did not corrupt minds. How powerful is the one ring by itself?

[@tseyazmutseyami1402]

You are a legend

[@firatsanliturk]

An orc's 'loyalty' depends hugely on his proximity to a loyal overlord or captain. Captains are expected to and depended on keeping the common footsoldiers or "maggots" in line. Just a slight deviation from the strictest of enforcements and the common orc instantly starts scheming and planning for selfish reasons. You can find hints of this in almost any interaction between two orcs. And they all seem to have their personal drives and dreams. Some dream of promotion, some of "plundering in peace", some of escape from slavery. So it wouldn't be such a reach to say that the common orc perspective - regardless of their tribe, location or overlord - would be "I wish we'd be done with all this soon, so that we can see if we can all go on our business".

[@ohmyrod88]

Who are the baddest orcs in all of middle earth? I’d love to know! Great vid!