* * Revised Fall of Gondolin pt.4 -- >end [the remaining sections] * * - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Aiwendil · 11-12-2003, 09:42 PM

A lot of suggestions!

The trouble with all of them (and most particularly with "mass" or "multitude") is that they do not retain the implication that these entities are not just the ordinary Orcish soldiers.

"Horde" has a nice kind of savage sound that I find appealing - but of course that matters not a whit. Did Tolkien ever use the word?

Alas, the need to replace "monsters" arises soley because we're not dealing with dragons.

"Forces" is possibly the best candidate thus far. It still does not convey quite the sense that "monsters" would have done (remember, the original word here was "balrogs"). But neither does it necessarily suggest the ordinary soldiers.

11-12-2003, 09:42 PM	#27
Aiwendil Late Istar Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 2,224	A lot of suggestions! The trouble with all of them (and most particularly with "mass" or "multitude") is that they do not retain the implication that these entities are not just the ordinary Orcish soldiers. "Horde" has a nice kind of savage sound that I find appealing - but of course that matters not a whit. Did Tolkien ever use the word? Alas, the need to replace "monsters" arises soley because we're not dealing with dragons. "Forces" is possibly the best candidate thus far. It still does not convey quite the sense that "monsters" would have done (remember, the original word here was "balrogs"). But neither does it necessarily suggest the ordinary soldiers.