[Tar-Palantir]

--Taken from The Tolkien Bestiary by: David Day<P> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> "In the year 2475 of the Third Age a new breed of Orkish soldiery came out of Mordor. These were called the Uruk-Hai. They were lack-skinned, black-blooded and lynx-eyed, nearly as tall as Men and unafraid of light. The Uruk-hai were of greater strength and endurance than the lesser Orcs, and more formidable in battle. They wore black armour and black mail; they wielded long swords and spears and carried shields emblazoned with the Red Eye of Mordor.<P>As the spawning of lesser Orcs was counted among the greatest evils of Melkor, so was the breeding of Uruk-hai numbered among Sauron's most terrible deeds. By what method Sauron bred these beings is not known, but they proved to be well suited to his evil purpose. Their numbers multiplied and they went among all the lesser Orcs and often became captains or formed legions of their own, for the Uruk-hai were proud of their fighting prowess and disdainful of the lesser servants of Sauron.<P>When the Uruk-hai multitude came unexpectedly on the Men of Gondor with spear and sword, they drove the Men before them and stormed Osgiliath, set torches to it, and broke its stone bridge. Thus the Uruk-hai laid waste the greatest city of Gondor.<P>This, however, was but the beginning of the work of the Uruk-hai, for these great Orcs were valued by the Dark Powers and they fell to evil deeds with a passion. Throughout the War of the Ring, the Uruk-hai were among the forces that came from Morgul and Mordor. And under the banner of the White Hand of Saruman they came in vast numbers out of Isengard into the Battle of Hornburg. Yet with the end of the War and the fall of Mordor the Uruk-hai were as straw before fire, for with Sauron gone the Uruk-hai, with the lesser Orcs and evil beasts, wandered masterless and were slain or driven into hiding where they might only feed on one another or die."<BR> <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>I thought the whole quote was interesting, hope it answers something anyway. I could be wrong, but I don't recall ever reading about berserker Uruk-hai, so maybe it's a movie creation.