Sauron's Hroa and the Missing Finger

[Alfirin]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

But what would have been the motive? The rank-and-file troop wouldn't have known a great deal about Sauron, and thus would likely have had no inkling he could ever return. Why take the trouble to retrieve the body of their fallen leader when it was all they could do to save themselves?

As I thought I said
1. To bury him, perhaps so his tomb could be a rallying point for further battles (granted this implies the existance in the ranks of men or orcs who hold a certain veneration for thier leader, above and beyond the fear
2. Given that we know that orcs (and possibly some of the other members of the forces) are cannibalistic, maybe they wanted to do an act of sympathetic cannibalism. It's not all that uncommon in our worlds history, your enemy was strong you eat him, his strength becomes yours. And if any knew Sauron enough to know he was more or less a god (or god like being) to a cannibalistic tribe that might have been a further inducement.