LotR - not much of a war?

[WizarDru]

Trolls were supposedly bred in mockery of Ents, just as orcs were bred in mockery of elves, if you believe one version of Tolkien.

Since that was directly in the text of TTT, I'm assuming you're implying that it was added in a later edition of Tolkien? Could you clarify that, please? I'm just trying to understand if you're saying he contradicted that statement elsewhere (such as in the Silmarillion, where it would count for less, IMHO), Somewhere in the Hobbit (also less weight, due to the focus) or in a differing revision of LOTR.

 

[Pants]

Since that was directly in the text of TTT, I'm assuming you're implying that it was added in a later edition of Tolkien? Could you clarify that, please? I'm just trying to understand if you're saying he contradicted that statement elsewhere (such as in the Silmarillion, where it would count for less, IMHO), Somewhere in the Hobbit (also less weight, due to the focus) or in a differing revision of LOTR.

In The Silmarillion Tolkien states that Orcs are Elves that were tortured and twisted in the dungeons of Angband. I believe that he later said in some of his letters that the Orcs were NOT related to Elves. So he either changed his mind or really didn't know himself.

 

[Lurks-no-More]

In The Silmarillion Tolkien states that Orcs are Elves that were tortured and twisted in the dungeons of Angband. I believe that he later said in some of his letters that the Orcs were NOT related to Elves. So he either changed his mind or really didn't know himself.

We must keep in mind here that Tolkien was a tinkerer. If he'd lived to be a hundred years old, he'd never considered his work "finished". He'd added stuff, removed others, changed, rewritten, hinted, made connections, added a couple of more languages, reconsidered, added, rewritten... you get the point. Between all of his books, notes and letters, it's very hard to get any single "definite" answer to many things.

I'd say let orcs come from elves; it's more dramatically appropriate IMO. Besides, in Silmarillion there were definetely orcs around before the Sun, and humans woke up with the first sunrise.