From the Sil.
Quote:
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For the Orcs had life and multiplied after the manner of the Children of Ilúvatar; and naught that had life of its own, nor the semblance of life, could ever Melkor make since his rebellion in the Ainulindalë before the Beginning
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Clearly orcs are perversions of Eru's creation, as Melkor is unable to create even the semblance of life. In their basic biology they are like Elves and Men. To me that means they gave birth to young.
As to the question of how the young were created....who knows, maybe they exchanged loin cloths or something, does it really matter? Orkian intercourse is not unconscionable, it is a necessary part of life as for many other of Tolkien’s invented beings. Tolkien said all he needed to in one portion of a sentence “after the manner of the Children of Illuvatar”, without offending any fastidious sensibilities.
Orcs as mothers: perhaps Orc children are born more fully formed than humans. They may not need the degree of care that human children need. That perhaps runs contrary to my next point but..regarding being able to produce lots of orcs in a short time: maybe orc gestation periods are shorter than humans. Perhaps they reach reproductive maturity quicker than humans. Combine those with a forced breeding program and I bet you can crank out a bunch of orcs pretty fast.
Shorter gestation or more fully formed at birth need not contradict “after the manner of the Children of Illuvatar.” They were perversions after all.
Woo hoo...I have graduated to the exalted status of Wight. Does that get me a discount at the Barrow-teria? [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]