Author's Note: Tolkien's last decision seems to have been that Orcs arose from Men, but this change would have required significant alterations to the texts that would become The Silmarillion. So, I have gone with his earlier idea, that Orcs were derived from Elves; personally, I think this is a rather important part of his mythology.
There is no evidence that Sauron had any part in the making of the Dwarves, but as he was originally a favored Ainu of Aulë, it seems rather likely, especially considering his later part in the making of other creatures.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Tolkien. Translation of Tolkien's languages and further notes are found at the end of the story.
Melkorohíni [1]
"You would not truly have destroyed them, A3úléz?" [2]
The Vala looked upon his acolyte with surprise. "Indeed, if Eru had wished it."
"Yet we put such work into their making."
"Creation of Life is not given to us," Aulë explained patiently. "To create things of beauty and use for the Children of Eru is our role." He would be a poor teacher if he did not admit his mistakes, that the Maia he so favored would learn from him.
"Why should we have the knowledge and ability, yet its application withheld from us?"
"But, as you saw, we do not have the ability. Life I created, yes, but only as an extension of myself. Eru's own Children will have the power to think and create, and we shall take joy in all they do, for their deeds shall be a wonder and surprise to us. And so too shall my Children continually surprise and delight me, by the grace of Eru."
The Maia thought on this for some time. He saw that it would soon become wearisome to direct every action of the Dwarves, but he could not share his teacher's enthusiasm. Surprises were not always pleasant, and he did not care for disorder. He could not understand why Aulë only wanted love from his Children; the Maia thought the Dwarves should obey him, also. [3]
The making of mountains, with their subtle seams of ore, and the crafting of gems, treasures to be disguised by layers of the plainest rock - such work held no wonder for the Maia, now. Visions filled his mind of the creatures he might create - if only....
Now, when Aulë's spouse saw his Children and heard that Eru had given them Life, she petitioned for her own Children. Yavanna feared the disregard of Aulë's Children for the olvar, but still more, she feared the works of Melkor. "Already his creatures roam the lands and blight all that I have made." [4]
So, another Ainu had made creatures of his own? How...interesting.
The Maia had no evil purpose at this time. He loved and revered his teacher, and he shared the frustration of his brethren when Melkor perverted their beautiful works. Yet, the Maia wished for order and logic in all things. His mind could not fathom the deeper purposes of Eru - it seemed to him that what was law unto Aulë must be law unto Melkor, and he thought it unjust that one loyal to Eru should be chastised while one who rebelled went unchecked.
He could not yet countenance rejection of the One. He sought Melkor not as a servant to a new master, but as a student to a new teacher: he would learn what he could of the Vala. Aulë could teach him no more, he deemed, but in the Music of Eru, Melkor was conceived as the mightiest of all the Valar. 'Perhaps he has discovered the secret of Life,' thought the Maia. [5]
Melkor had indeed created many new creatures - wondrous, terrible new creatures. The most fearsome were the Úmaiar, beings like the Maia himself, but who had cleaved to Melkor before coming into Arda. Of such kind were the Balrogs, demons of fire. Most creatures resembled Aulë's Dwarves, however. They went about the lands doing great harm, but could act only as an extension of their maker's thought.
This, Melkor found terribly inconvenient for his purposes. An army of such beings would be obedient, yes, but one could hardly conduct a war in this way. The Maia who had come to him had paid more mind to the Music and knew more of the thought of Eru. He had a better understanding of living things than did Melkor, and therefore the Vala set him to work on this problem of Creation. [6, 7]
The Maia now saw that the Ainur could not hope to take from Eru what He would not give to them - but perhaps they might borrow it. With the opportunity to study the coiti, he saw how Life begat Life. 'Perhaps,' he mused, 'I might breed the spark of Life into the creatures of Melkor.' [8]
Thus arose Draugluin, the dread beast of tale and song. From his dam, an innocent wolf, came Life, but his sire was Cruelty, made flesh in the image of the wolf. He was the first, and when mated he multiplied in the manner of all wolves, but many more followed in his wake. For when Melkor saw what the Maia had made, he began at once to imagine the most terrible monsters: dragons, bloodthirsty bats and beasts that lurked in the foulest waters.
The Maia had hoped to conduct his work in secret and return to Aulë with his new knowledge. But Melkor anticipated this stroke, and made the rebellion of the Maia known to the Great Smith. Aulë therefore called his student to him, but the Maia was afraid, and hid himself in the depths of Utumno.
"He will serve me well as my highest servant, and yet be my prisoner," said Melkor, and he smiled at this.
Not only in fear did the Maia enjoin himself to Melkor, however. He saw the great power and knowledge of the Vala. In Melkor's service, he would have opportunity for greatness that Aulë, chained by obedience to Eru, could not offer. He gave himself wholly to his new Master and soon began to lust after control rather than creation, delighting in perversion of all things to his will.
Now, Melkor had put a watch on the lands of Middle-earth, for he knew that the Children of Eru were soon to awaken. So it was that he discovered the Elves in the shadow of the Orocarni, before the coming of Oromë. And Melkor hated them, for these new creatures glowed with the light of the One, in defiance of the darkness he craved.
He thought first to destroy the Elves, but soon saw that they were part of the very fabric of Arda, bound to it as was he until Arda should be unmade. Though he could warp and ruin the things of Arda, he could not remove them entirely from the world.
"I will take them as my own, then, and turn them against their maker." He had conceived in his mind a dark mirror of Eru's fairest creation: the Children of Melkor. He would breed from the Elves an army to become the scourge of their own forebears.
At Melkor's direction, Sauron made from the slag of Utumno creatures in mockery of the Elves, as ugly as the Elves were beautiful, as vile as the Elves were noble. He mated these creatures with Elves, and Melkor imprisoned the fëar of the Elves in their bodies, that death would not release them from this horror before the birth of his Children. [9, 10]
In the beginning, Orcs were taller, more skilled with blade and at the forge, more intelligent after the manner of their dams. They were not quite so hideous to look upon and kept more orderly habits. Yet, their sires were the thought of Melkor himself, and his venom was their blood and his blackness their hearts. The malice of Melkor rotted their flesh, so that disease and age came to shorten their lives, and with time, they resembled less and less the Elves and more their Master, which pleased Melkor greatly. [11]
Yet, the creatures cheated their maker. Melkor could not take from them the immortality conferred by their origins. Death took their bodies, but it could not take their fëar, and Melkor was infuriated to find that many of his Children escaped him in this way, for they went to the houses of Mandos and beyond his reach. [12]
Of the end of Orcs, the great tales do not tell. Some claim that, in the absence of a master, they quarreled themselves into extinction. Others name disease their final doom. Yet among the Wise, it is said that Orcs could not evade the destiny of their kind, for in origin they were Elves, and Elves they remained, fading like their brighter kindred as the Ages passed. Indeed, say the Wise, Orcs persist even today as malevolent shadows, sowing seeds wither they go of hate and greed and violence among Men.
There is no evidence that Sauron had any part in the making of the Dwarves, but as he was originally a favored Ainu of Aulë, it seems rather likely, especially considering his later part in the making of other creatures.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Tolkien. Translation of Tolkien's languages and further notes are found at the end of the story.
"You would not truly have destroyed them, A3úléz?" [2]
The Vala looked upon his acolyte with surprise. "Indeed, if Eru had wished it."
"Yet we put such work into their making."
"Creation of Life is not given to us," Aulë explained patiently. "To create things of beauty and use for the Children of Eru is our role." He would be a poor teacher if he did not admit his mistakes, that the Maia he so favored would learn from him.
"Why should we have the knowledge and ability, yet its application withheld from us?"
"But, as you saw, we do not have the ability. Life I created, yes, but only as an extension of myself. Eru's own Children will have the power to think and create, and we shall take joy in all they do, for their deeds shall be a wonder and surprise to us. And so too shall my Children continually surprise and delight me, by the grace of Eru."
The Maia thought on this for some time. He saw that it would soon become wearisome to direct every action of the Dwarves, but he could not share his teacher's enthusiasm. Surprises were not always pleasant, and he did not care for disorder. He could not understand why Aulë only wanted love from his Children; the Maia thought the Dwarves should obey him, also. [3]
The making of mountains, with their subtle seams of ore, and the crafting of gems, treasures to be disguised by layers of the plainest rock - such work held no wonder for the Maia, now. Visions filled his mind of the creatures he might create - if only....
Now, when Aulë's spouse saw his Children and heard that Eru had given them Life, she petitioned for her own Children. Yavanna feared the disregard of Aulë's Children for the olvar, but still more, she feared the works of Melkor. "Already his creatures roam the lands and blight all that I have made." [4]
So, another Ainu had made creatures of his own? How...interesting.
The Maia had no evil purpose at this time. He loved and revered his teacher, and he shared the frustration of his brethren when Melkor perverted their beautiful works. Yet, the Maia wished for order and logic in all things. His mind could not fathom the deeper purposes of Eru - it seemed to him that what was law unto Aulë must be law unto Melkor, and he thought it unjust that one loyal to Eru should be chastised while one who rebelled went unchecked.
He could not yet countenance rejection of the One. He sought Melkor not as a servant to a new master, but as a student to a new teacher: he would learn what he could of the Vala. Aulë could teach him no more, he deemed, but in the Music of Eru, Melkor was conceived as the mightiest of all the Valar. 'Perhaps he has discovered the secret of Life,' thought the Maia. [5]
Melkor had indeed created many new creatures - wondrous, terrible new creatures. The most fearsome were the Úmaiar, beings like the Maia himself, but who had cleaved to Melkor before coming into Arda. Of such kind were the Balrogs, demons of fire. Most creatures resembled Aulë's Dwarves, however. They went about the lands doing great harm, but could act only as an extension of their maker's thought.
This, Melkor found terribly inconvenient for his purposes. An army of such beings would be obedient, yes, but one could hardly conduct a war in this way. The Maia who had come to him had paid more mind to the Music and knew more of the thought of Eru. He had a better understanding of living things than did Melkor, and therefore the Vala set him to work on this problem of Creation. [6, 7]
The Maia now saw that the Ainur could not hope to take from Eru what He would not give to them - but perhaps they might borrow it. With the opportunity to study the coiti, he saw how Life begat Life. 'Perhaps,' he mused, 'I might breed the spark of Life into the creatures of Melkor.' [8]
Thus arose Draugluin, the dread beast of tale and song. From his dam, an innocent wolf, came Life, but his sire was Cruelty, made flesh in the image of the wolf. He was the first, and when mated he multiplied in the manner of all wolves, but many more followed in his wake. For when Melkor saw what the Maia had made, he began at once to imagine the most terrible monsters: dragons, bloodthirsty bats and beasts that lurked in the foulest waters.
The Maia had hoped to conduct his work in secret and return to Aulë with his new knowledge. But Melkor anticipated this stroke, and made the rebellion of the Maia known to the Great Smith. Aulë therefore called his student to him, but the Maia was afraid, and hid himself in the depths of Utumno.
"He will serve me well as my highest servant, and yet be my prisoner," said Melkor, and he smiled at this.
Not only in fear did the Maia enjoin himself to Melkor, however. He saw the great power and knowledge of the Vala. In Melkor's service, he would have opportunity for greatness that Aulë, chained by obedience to Eru, could not offer. He gave himself wholly to his new Master and soon began to lust after control rather than creation, delighting in perversion of all things to his will.
Now, Melkor had put a watch on the lands of Middle-earth, for he knew that the Children of Eru were soon to awaken. So it was that he discovered the Elves in the shadow of the Orocarni, before the coming of Oromë. And Melkor hated them, for these new creatures glowed with the light of the One, in defiance of the darkness he craved.
He thought first to destroy the Elves, but soon saw that they were part of the very fabric of Arda, bound to it as was he until Arda should be unmade. Though he could warp and ruin the things of Arda, he could not remove them entirely from the world.
"I will take them as my own, then, and turn them against their maker." He had conceived in his mind a dark mirror of Eru's fairest creation: the Children of Melkor. He would breed from the Elves an army to become the scourge of their own forebears.
At Melkor's direction, Sauron made from the slag of Utumno creatures in mockery of the Elves, as ugly as the Elves were beautiful, as vile as the Elves were noble. He mated these creatures with Elves, and Melkor imprisoned the fëar of the Elves in their bodies, that death would not release them from this horror before the birth of his Children. [9, 10]
In the beginning, Orcs were taller, more skilled with blade and at the forge, more intelligent after the manner of their dams. They were not quite so hideous to look upon and kept more orderly habits. Yet, their sires were the thought of Melkor himself, and his venom was their blood and his blackness their hearts. The malice of Melkor rotted their flesh, so that disease and age came to shorten their lives, and with time, they resembled less and less the Elves and more their Master, which pleased Melkor greatly. [11]
Yet, the creatures cheated their maker. Melkor could not take from them the immortality conferred by their origins. Death took their bodies, but it could not take their fëar, and Melkor was infuriated to find that many of his Children escaped him in this way, for they went to the houses of Mandos and beyond his reach. [12]
Of the end of Orcs, the great tales do not tell. Some claim that, in the absence of a master, they quarreled themselves into extinction. Others name disease their final doom. Yet among the Wise, it is said that Orcs could not evade the destiny of their kind, for in origin they were Elves, and Elves they remained, fading like their brighter kindred as the Ages passed. Indeed, say the Wise, Orcs persist even today as malevolent shadows, sowing seeds wither they go of hate and greed and violence among Men.
- [1] Melkorohíni
- (The) Children of Melkor (Q). Tolkien notes that this word is technically incorrect, as it insinuates that Melkor gave Life to the Orcs. However, if Dwarves can be called the 'Children of Aulë', then shouldn't Orcs be called the Children of Melkor? (Morgoth's Ring, 'Myths Transformed' p 416 pub Houghton Mifflin)
- [2] A3úléz
- Aulë (Valarin)
- [3] he did not care for disorder
- '...It had been his virtue (and therefore also the cause of his fall, and of his relapse) that he loved order and coordination, and disliked all confusion and wasteful friction.' (Ibid p 396)
- [4] "Already his creatures roam the lands and blight all that I have made."
- (Morgoth's Ring, 'The Annals of Aman' p 79 pub Houghton Mifflin)
- [5] He sought Melkor not as a servant to a new master, but as a student to a new teacher
- 'It was the apparent will and power of Melkor to effect his designs quickly and masterfully that had first attracted Sauron to him.' (Morgoth's Ring, 'Myths Transformed' p 396 pub Houghton Mifflin)
- [6] The Maia who had come to him had paid more mind to the Music and knew more of the thought of Eru.
- (Ibid p 395)
- [7] He had a better understanding of living things than did Melkor
- (Ibid p 396)
- [8] coiti
- living beings, pl of coitë (Q)
- [9] At Melkor's direction, Sauron made from the slag of Utumno a creature in mockery of the Elves
- '...The idea of breeding the Orcs came from Melkor... . The details of the accomplishment of this wickedness were, however, left mainly to the subtleties of Sauron.' (Ibid p 420)
- [10] Melkor imprisoned the fëar of such Elves in their bodies, that death would not release them from this horror before the birth of his Children.
- We have some indication that Melkor was capable of this from the torment of Maedhros.
- [11] disease and age came to shorten their lives
- (Ibid p 418)
- [12] many of his Children escaped him in this way, for they went to the houses of Mandos and beyond his reach
- 'It remains therefore terribly possible there was an Elvish strain in the Orcs. ... And dying they would go to Mandos and be held in prison till the End.' (Ibid p 411) This particular text dates from the same period as 'Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth' (c 1959), and reflects a similar philosophy - Melkor could not change the essential nature of any being; only Eru could do this (as in the cases of Lúthien and Tuor).