Do Orc Lives Matter?
I have been meaning to write this while The Rings of Power Season 2 was still on air, but I guess there is no better time than now. So, many of us LOTR fans heard TROP will show an orc family. It miffed a good part of the fanbase, begging someone to take a deeper dive into Tolkien lore on matters of orc kinship. " For the Orcs had life and multiplied after the manner of the Children of Ilúvatar... " - The Silmarillion, Of The Coming Of The Elves. Tolkien had gaps in his lores. Not much is known about orc-wives or orc-children. Or the manner of their reproduction. Tolkien came up with a reason that explained why these things are not mentioned in the books: " There must have been orc-women. But in stories that seldom if ever see the Orcs except as soldiers of armies in the service of the evil lords we naturally would not learn much about their lives. Not much was known. " - Tolkien, 1963, letter to Mrs. Munby. But, there are mentions of orcs mating in Orcs VIII, Morgo...