Orc Theory

[JWO]

I’m using a tweaked version of the Forgotten Realms setting and I’m trying to figure out a secret alternate history for the orcs in this setting. The reason is that I have an orc-hating half-orc hermit and I want his “discovery” to be that orcs are actually descended from elves (Tolkien style). So what I was thinking was that maybe Gruumsh is actually an aspect of Corellon, that Corellon was trying to become the archetypal “perfect” elf, the picture of wisdom and serenity and so he tried to push away all of his anger and hatred. All of what he perceived to be his negative traits had to be manifested somewhere about his person and they ended up manifesting in one of his eyes. He decided to pluck it out and cast it away, and then Gruumsh grew around it. I’m thinking that maybe half of all the elves currently in existence then transformed into orcs and they were banished with Gruumsh and all records of how they came to be were destroyed.
Of course this means that Corellon also only has one eye, so maybe he wears a false one to hide his dark secret.

I know it’s a little bit clunky so I thought I’d offer it up for input!

The other thing worth mentioning is that I don't run with the "all orcs are evil" trope. Although they have a savage history and a lot of them do live quite brutal, tribal lives, this is just as a result of circumstance and there are also now a lot of peaceful and cultured orcs in my world.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Mmmmm, interesting. I could see Gruumsh as a "wild magic" version of Corellon.

 

[GreenTengu]

If you want to, I suppose you could go that way.

Evidence in current editions of D&D suggest far more that Orcs are descended from Giants. They are the smaller cousins of Ogres. They are probably far more closely related to Dwarves.
It seems far more likely that Hobgoblins are the distant cousins of Elves.

But, sure... do however you like.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

Of course this means that Corellon also only has one eye, so maybe he wears a false one to hide his dark secret.

I know it’s a little bit clunky so I thought I’d offer it up for input!

Wouldn't your story make more sense if elves had descended from orcs? Maybe Gruumsh needed to cast out the parts of himself that were making him weak, so he concentrated all of his compassion into one eye and removed that (which then grew into Corellon, etc).

 

[fuindordm]

I like the idea of Gruumsh growing from Corellon's eye.

If you don't want to set Corellon up as a foolish god in the mythology, another possibility is to trade the eye with a primordial entity in exchange for a significant aspect of power (e.g. adding magic/lore to his portfolio), maybe an aspect that was necessary to create the elves in the first place or a place for them in the world. But the eye became corrupted after the trade. This gives Corellon Odin-ish overtones; even if he/she foresaw the consequences, the sacrifice was necessary for the greater good.

 

[GMMichael]

I’m thinking that maybe half of all the elves currently in existence then transformed into orcs and they were banished with Gruumsh and all records of how they came to be were destroyed.
Of course this means that Corellon also only has one eye, so maybe he wears a false one to hide his dark secret.

Food for thought: the stories of religions don't need to have any basis in reality. A little bit helps, though. You might go with one elf being transformed into an orc, which may or may not have had anything to do with divine action. Like one person being able to turn water into wine.

The other thing worth mentioning is that I don't run with the "all orcs are evil" trope. Although they have a savage history and a lot of them do live quite brutal, tribal lives, this is just as a result of circumstance and there are also now a lot of peaceful and cultured orcs in my world.

Nor should you. I'm sure Gruumsh has lots of love! Well, for orcs anyway...