Male and Female Orcs

[Andsigil]

So, how does the Orc population grow in, say, the Misty Mountains?

[Beregond]

(Wrong section )

Dryson, I'm wondering what you're basing your assertion on? The only evidence I've found in the books has pointed towards normal reproduction. Although female Orcs are not mentioned, it doesn't mean they don't exist. In fact, Dwarf women were very nearly not mentioned at all, but we know they exist.

Orcs are accepted to be Elves who were captured and corrupted shortly after their "awakening". So says the Silmarillion.

[Vaine]

I agree with what Beregond said, I'd like to see what you've based yours facts on.

[Beregond]

We could probably have a lively discussion about trolls as well; since they were made as a mockery of the Onodrim, does that mean there were she-trolls? We just don't know!

[Morthoron]

Well, we know there were half-orcs and goblin-men, half-breeds in the service of Saruman, so it is apparent they had working sexual apparatuses. In addition, Bolg, the GoblinKing of the Hobbit, had a father named Azog who was king during the Orc and Dwarf War.

Originally Posted by Dryson Bennington

The only notion that I see occuring here is so called Tolkien fans caught not by the true nature of the story itself but by social engineers attempt to label a group of real life people to fit the method of a fantasy story to make them feel liek the story is actually real when it is not.

You have fallen into the 'Tolkien Trap', wherein you make a blanket statement about Tolkien's writing which will then be systematically picked apart by folks who have been discussing the nature of his works for decades (in my case, 30+ years). What you will learn is that you cannot necessarily make blanket statements about Tolkien's work, because there is much ambiguity, dissembling, fogginess, and changing perspectives on the part of the Professor. As Middle-earth grew, he became more muddled, often contradicting himself in an attempt to clarify his earlier work. This makes for great discussions, but not so much for precision and cardinal rules.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Originally Posted by Beregond

(Wrong section )

Indeed - I'm moving the thread to the Novices and Newcomers section of the forum. Please continue reading and discussing there - thanks!

[Tuor in Gondolin]

Assuming orcs don't reproduce sexually is falling
into PJ's "mud orc creation" imagery, which I assume
he had to do because of his concept of "instant orc
armies" where you add water and create 10,000
nassty orcsees, as opposed to the book concept of
Saruman's hidden, slow expansion of his armies
(including wargs).

I prefer the Silmarillion concept of orcs as twisted elves,
although there are also arguments for orcs as
twisted men.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

However, Morth, this is one area where Tolkien wasn't muddled; although he was all over the place as to Orcs' ultimate origin, he never contradicted his outright declaration that Orcs reproduced 'after the manner of the Children of Iluvatar.' WRT Saruman's hybrids he went so far as to assert that Men could be so debased as to be induced to "mate" with Orcs- which is about as close to sexual explicitness as the old man would ever come.