Sauron the Gene-maker

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Morthoron

Flies are different around the world, aren't they? I mean other than common house flies. I've seen certain flies on trips out of the country or even out of state that are different from the ones where I live. Were the "hungry midges" the same species as up by Bree? What you have to ask yourself is would Sauron have a fly breeding program exclusive to Mordor? Did he do it as a light-hearted diversion from breeding sun-resistant trolls and Uruk-hai?

Not necessarily. I'm beginning to lean more and more in favour of Nerwen's interpretation, that Sauron's surroundings might have been altered through "magical pollution" (love that term!). Sauron didn't have to necessarily breed flies of a certain colour for his influence to be present in subtler ways. And yes, I agree with you that the perception is through hobbit eyes, and the link with orcs might have been just in their head. The passage serves to show how horrid and disgusting was any life that could exist in Mordor, and the comparison is meant to underscore that feeling. That doesn't contradict that the mood of the place is in part dictated by Sauron's will.

To take your argument, no, not all thorny horrible maggot-ridden plants are Sauron's. But the only plants we see in his land are of that kind. Could other plants have grown there if the land wasn't corrupted? Probably. Probably some did, and maybe, many years after the Ring's destruction, once the land heals, some will again. That doesn't change that nothing but the meanest life could survive under his rule. With Tolkien's extensive use of pathetic fallacy and description of nature to reflect its inhabitants, this isn't a big leap at all.