Orc 42983 224783105 2008-07-10T11:49:54Z Closedmouth 372693 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/24.72.96.59|24.72.96.59]] to last version by RyRy (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]]) {{otheruses}} '''Orc''' (OR'k) is a word used to refer to a [[race (fantasy)|race]] of various tough and warlike humanoid creatures in various [[fantasy]] settings, appearing originally in the stories of [[Middle-earth]] written by [[J. R. R. Tolkien]] and derivative fictions. Orcs are often portrayed as misshapen humanoids with brutal, warmongering, sadistic, yet cowardly tendencies, although some [[Setting (fiction)|setting]]s and writers describe them as a proud warrior race with a strong sense of honor. They are variously portrayed as physically stronger or weaker than humans, but always high in numbers. They often ride wolves or [[warg]]s. In many role-playing and computer games, though not in Tolkien's works, Orcs have green skin (earning the name "Greenskins" in such games as [[Orcs & Goblins|Warhammer Fantasy]]).{{Fact|date=September 2007}}. ==Etymology of the word "orc"== The modern use of the English word "orc" to denote a race of evil, humanoid creatures begins with J.&nbsp;R.&nbsp;R.&nbsp;Tolkien. Tolkien's earliest elvish dictionaries include the entry "'''[[Ork]] (orq-)''' monster, ogre, demon" together with "'''orqindi''' ogresse." Tolkien sometimes used the plural form ''orqui'' in his early texts.<ref>Parma Eldalamberon" volume XII: "Qenya Lexicon Qenya Dictionary"*'Ork' ('orq-') monster, ogre, demon. 'orqindi' ogresse. [The original reading of the second entry was >'orqinan' ogresse.< Perhaps the intended meaning of the earlier form was 'region of ogres'; cf. 'kalimban', 'Hisinan'. "The Poetic and Mythologic Words of Eldarissa" gives 'ork' 'ogre, giant' and 'orqin' 'ogress', which may be a feminine form. ...]"</ref> Tolkien sometimes, particularly in ''[[The Hobbit]]'', used the word "[[goblin]]" instead of "orc" to describe the same type of creature, with the smaller cave-dwelling variety that lived in the [[Misty Mountains]] being referred to as "goblin" and the larger ones elsewhere referred to as "orcs".<ref>{{ME-ref|Hobbit|foreword}}</ref> Later in his life he expressed an intention to change the spelling of "orc" to "ork" in ''[[The Silmarillion]]''<ref>{{ME-ref|X|p. 414, 422}}</ref> but the only place where that spelling surfaced in his lifetime was in the published version of ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'', in the poem ''Bombadil Goes Boating'' ("I'll call the orks on you: that'll send you running!"). In the posthumously published ''Silmarillion,'' the spelling "orcs" was retained. ===Old English influence=== Tolkien's own statements about the real-world origins of his use of the word "orc" are as follows: *"the word is, as far as I am concerned, actually derived from [[Old English]] ''orc'' '[[demon]]', but only because of its phonetic suitability"<ref>{{ME-ref|Letters|#144}}</ref> *"I originally took the word from Old English ''orc'' (''[[Beowulf]]'' 112 ''orc-neas'' and the gloss ''orc'' = ''þyrs'' ('ogre'), ''heldeofol'' ('hell-devil')). This is supposed not to be connected with [[modern English]] ''orc'', ''ork'', a name applied to various sea-beasts of the dolphin order."<ref>''Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings''.</ref> *"The word used in translation of [[Quenya|Q]] ''urko'', [[Sindarin|S]] ''orch'' is Orc. But that is because of the similarity of the ancient English word ''orc'', 'evil spirit or bogey', to the Elvish words. There is possibly no connection between them. The English word is now generally supposed to be derived from Latin ''[[Orcus]]''."<ref>{{ME-ref|XI|p. 391}}</ref> *"Orc I derived from Anglo-Saxon, a word meaning demon, usually supposed to be derived from the Latin Orcus -- Hell. But I doubt this, though the matter is too involved to set out here". <ref>http://home.clara.net/andywrobertson/wolfemountains.html Unpublished letter to Gene Wolfe</ref> The word ''*orcné'' (attested in the plural ''orcnéas'') is a ''[[hapax legomenon]]'' in the poem ''[[Beowulf]]''. It is generally supposed to contain an element ''-né'', cognate to [[Gothic language|Gothic]] ''naus'' and Old Norse ''nár'', both meaning "corpse". The usual Old English word for "corpse" is ''líc'', but ''-né'' appears in ''dryhtné'' "dead body of a warrior", where ''dryht'' is the name of a military unit (vaguely translated "band", "host", etc.). In ''*orcné'', if it is to be glossed as "''orcus''-corpse" the meaning may be "corpse from Orcus (i.e. the underworld)" or "devil-corpse", understood as some sort of walking dead. This etymology is plausible, but remains conjectural. The word ''orc'' appears in two other locations in ''Beowulf'', but in both cases refers to cups of [[precious metal]] found in a treasure-hoard. Old English ''þyrs'', given as a gloss for Latin ''orcus'', is cognate to [[Old Norse]] ''þurs'' "[[giant]], [[ogre]]" (both from [[Proto-Germanic language|Common Germanic]] *[[thurisaz]], in [[Norse mythology]] referring to one of the monstrous descendants of the giant [[Ymir]]. But it is to be noted in connection with Tolkien's reference to a gloss ''orc''=''þyrs'' that while there is an entry in an [[11th century]] English glossary which implies such an equivalence ("[Latin] ''orcus'' [Old English] ''orc þyrs oððe heldeofol''", this is in fact a conflation of two glosses in an earlier glossary of the [[7th century]], found in two different places, namely: "[Latin] ''orcus'' [Old English] ''orc''" and "[Latin] ''orcus'' [Old English] ''þyrs oððe heldiubol''." The first of these two glosses is in a section devoted to household implements, and ''orcus'' is, in that place, a corruption of Latin ''urceus'' "jug, pitcher" or of ''orca'' "pot, jar". The word ''orc'' in these glosses only has the meaning "cup"; it is descended from an early Germanic borrowing from ''urceus'', related to [[Gothic language|Gothic]] ''aurkeis'' "cup". Tolkien's assumption that ''orc'' and ''þyrs'' had the same meaning was therefore an error, though one shared for several decades by other scholars, as it had entered into some commonly-used dictionaries of Old English (e.g. Bosworth and Toller's "An [[Old English language|Anglo-Saxon]] Dictionary" (1898), corrected in later editions). ===Early modern usage=== As far as what otherwise might have influenced Tolkien, the OED lists a 1656 use (see below) of an English word ‘orke’ in a way reminiscent of giants, ogres and the like. It is presumed that such usage (orke=ogre) came into English via [[fairy tale]]s from the continent, especially from [[Charles Perrault]] (17th cent. France), who himself borrowed most of his stories (and developed his 'ogre') from the 16th century Italian writers [[Giovanni Francesco Straparola]] and [[Giambattista Basile]]. (Straparola [c. 1440–c. 1557] has been credited with introducing to Europe the literary form of the 'fairy tale'.) Basile (d. 1632) wrote in the [[Neapolitan language|Naples dialect]] (though Naples was, at that time, controlled by Spain), claiming simply to be passing on oral folktales from his region that he'd collected over the years. In at least a dozen or more tales, Basile used 'huorco' (or 'huerco', 'uerco') which is the Neapolitan form of ‘orco’ [modern It. ‘giant’, 'monster'] to describe a large, speaking, mannish beast (hairy and tusked) that lived away in a dark forest or garden, and that might be evil (capturing/eating humans), indifferent or even benevolent — all depending on the tale. (See especially his tales ''[[Peruonto]]'' and ''Lo Cuento dell'Uerco''.) But the 1656 English use of 'orke' (forty-one years before Perrault published his ''[[Mother Goose]]'' tales) comes from a fairy-tale by Samuel Holland entitled ''Don Zara'', which is a pastiche and parody of fantastical Spanish romances like ''[[Don Quixote]]'', and presumably is populated by beasts and monsters common to them. (Note: Straparola was translated into Spanish in 1583. Independent of this, there is in Spain to this day the folktale of the ‘huerco’ or ‘güercu’, which is a harbinger of impending death; a shade in the form of the person about to die.) From under the OED entry ‘orc’: *'''1605''' <u>J. SYLVESTER</u> tr. G. de S. Du Bartas ''Deuine Weekes & Wks.'' (II. i. 337) “Insatiate Orque, that euen at one repast, Almost all creatures in the World would waste.” [seeming ‘orca’ usage] *'''1656''' <u>S. HOLLAND</u> ''Don Zara'' (I. i. 6) “Who at one stroke didst pare away three heads from off the shoulders of an Orke, begotten by an Incubus.” [seeming ‘ogre’ usage] *'''1854''' ''Putnam's Monthly Mag.'' (Oct. 380/1) “The elves and the nickers, the orcs and the giants." [usage unclear] *'''1865''' <u>[[Charles Kingsley|C. KINGSLEY]]</u> ''Hereward'' (I. i. 71) “But beyond, things unspeakable &mdash; dragons, giants, rocs, orcs, witch-whales … ” [usage unclear] Whether 'orke', 'ogre', 'huerco' or 'orco', the word ultimately comes from Latin [[Orcus (mythology)|''Orcus'']], the name of the Roman god of Death, a demonic/grim reaper-esque figure (not to be confused with Pluto the god of the underworld), and has apparently descended by several stages through the meanings "underworld, hell", "devil", "evil creature" and at last "ogre". Note that Tolkien and the lexicons he used also attributed the origin of the doubtful Old English ''orc'' to ''Orcus'', and that in one of his [[Constructed language|invented languages]] the word for "orc" also had the form ''orco''. Words derived from or related to Italian ''orco'' are fairly common in Mediterranean countries; in addition to Italian dialectal uerco, huerco and huorco and Spanish güercu, there is also Tyrolean ''[[ork (folklore)|ork]]'' which may be either a house gnome or a mountain spirit that acts as protector of wildlife [http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?hl=en&u=http://www.sphinx-suche.de/lexmonst/ork.htm]. Tolkien, being born in 1892, would certainly have been exposed to the [[Mother Goose]] tales and the like. Whether he ever read Straparola, Basile or even Holland's ''Don Zara'' is unknown. Whatever the case, he certainly would have come across creatures (orkes and ogres) descended etymologically from L. ‘Orcus’, and not just in ''Beowulf'' – though that earliest image seems to be the one that he most references. Tolkien explicitly denied any intended connection between his "orc" and the other existing English word ''orc'', referring to the [[orca|killer whale]] (''Orcinus orca''), the grampus and other cetaceans. This is a borrowing from Latin ''orca'' (used by [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] to refer to some kind of whale, quite likely ''Orcinus orca''). For more on Tolkien's invented etymology of the word "orc", see ''[[Orc#Tolkien's Orcs|Tolkien's Orcs]]'' below. ===Similar words of distinct origin=== The use of the word "orc" in any of its monstrous senses should not be confused with various other words that have a superficial resemblance, including [[Gaels|Gaelic]] ''orc'' (a [[Goidelic]] form of [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] *porkos "young pig") and [[Old Norse language|Norse]] ''ørkn'' meaning "seal" [http://www.orkneyjar.com/placenames/orkney.htm]. ==Tolkien's Orcs== {{main|Orc (Middle-earth)}} The humanoid, non-maritime race of Orcs that exists in [[Middle-earth]] is [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s invention. The term 'Orc' is usually capitalised in Tolkien's writing, but not necessarily in other sources. In Tolkien's writing, Orcs are of human shape, but smaller than Men, ugly, filthy, with a taste for manflesh. In a private letter, Tolkien describes them as "squat, broad, flat-nosed, sallow-skinned, with wide mouths and slant eyes".<ref>{{ME-ref|Letters|p. 274}}</ref> They are portrayed as miserable, crafty and vicious beings. Orcs are first described in ''The Tale of [[Lúthien|Tinúviel]]'' as <!-- ****************************************************************************** Spelled "Melko," not "Melkor," in the original quote. Please do not "correct." ****************************************************************************** -->"foul broodlings of [[Morgoth#Character development and history|Melko]] ''[sic]'' who fared abroad doing his evil work". In ''The Fall of [[Gondolin]]'' Tolkien wrote that "all that race were bred by Melko of the subterranean heats and slime. Their hearts were of granite and their bodies deformed; foul their faces which smiled not, but their laugh that of the clash of metal, and to nothing were they more fain than to aid in the basest of the purposes of Melko<!-- ****************************************************************************** Spelled "Melko," not "Melkor," in the original quote. Please do not "correct" ****************************************************************************** -->." Orcs eat all manner of flesh, including human. In Chapter II of ''[[The Two Towers]]'', [[Grishnákh]], an Orc from [[Mordor]], claims that the [[Isengard]] Orcs eat Orc-flesh, but whether that is true or a statement spoken in malice is uncertain; what does seem certain is that, true or false, the Orcs resent that description. However, knowing what they are like and from later events, it seems likely that Orcs do eat other Orcs. Later in ''The Two Towers'', Merry and Pippin are presented with meat by an orc after a fight occurred in which the Uruk-hai killed several orcs; the narration is vague as to what species the flesh belongs to. Tolkien also describes them as bow-legged. They fight with ferocity (so long as a guiding 'will' [e.g., [[Morgoth]] or [[Sauron]]] compels/directs them). In some places, Tolkien describes Orcs as mainly being battle fodder (Cf. The Battles of the [[Fords of Isen]]). Orcs are used as soldiers by both the greater and lesser villains of ''The Lord of the Rings'' — [[Sauron]] and [[Saruman]]. In some versions of his stories, Tolkien conceived Orcs to be [[Elf (Middle-earth)|Elves]], enslaved by [[Morgoth]], broken and twisted into his evil soldiers. Other versions (including notes made both early and late in Tolkien's life) have Orcs as 'parodies' or false-creations of Morgoth's that are animated solely by his evil will (or, perhaps, by his own essence diffused into each), and made intentionally to mock or spite [[Eru Ilúvatar]]'s creations — the [[Eldar (Middle-earth)|Eldar]] and [[Edain]]. Tolkien also "suggested" that [[Man (Middle-earth)|Men]] were cross-bred with Orcs under Morgoth's lieutenant, Sauron (and possibly under Morgoth himself). The fierce black orcs known as [[Uruk-Hai]] were created in this way.{{ME-fact|date=October 2007}} The process was later repeated during the [[War of the Ring]] by Saruman, enabling him to create the "fighting" [[Uruk-Hai]]. When writing ''[[The Hobbit]]'', Tolkien carried over the concept of the "orc" that he had developed in writing early versions of ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', just as he carried over references to Elves, [[Gondolin]], and other elements of the Silmarillion. In ''The Hobbit'', however, he mostly used the word '[[goblin]]' for these creatures, though the word "orc" occasionally appears: e.g. when Gandalf describes the [[Ered Mithrin|Grey Mountains]] as being "simply stiff with goblins, [[hobgoblins]], and orcs of the worst description". In ''The Lord of the Rings'', "Orc" is used predominantly to describe such creatures, and the use of the term "goblin" seems restricted to use by the [[Hobbit]]s, though the term is used by others and applied to the advanced Uruk-hai. In ''[[The Two Towers]]'' and ''[[The Return of the King]]'', Saruman bred his own "modified" Uruk-hai. These were larger and much stronger, and could resist the sunlight. Within Tolkien's invented languages, the Elvish words for "orc" are derived from a root '''ruk''' referring to fear and horror, from which is derived an expanded form of the root, '''uruk'''. A noun ''*uruku'' is produced from the extended root. This eventually turns into [[Quenya]] ''urco'', plural ''urqui''. A related word ''*urkō'' produces [[Sindarin]] ''orch'', plural ''yrch''. The Quenya words are said to be less specific in meaning than the Sindarin, meaning "bogey". For the specific creatures called ''yrch'' by the Sindar, the Quenya word ''orco'', with plurals ''orcor'' and ''orqui'', was created. These orcs had similar names in other languages of [[Middle-earth]]: in Orkish ''uruk'' (restricted to the larger soldier-orcs), in the language of the Drúedain ''gorgûn'', in [[Khuzdul]] ''rukhs'', plural ''rakhâs'', and in the language of Rohan and in the [[Westron|Common Speech]] ''orc''. ==Orcs in other fantasy works== [[Image:Orc.svg|right|thumb|A comic fantasy orc.]] In Letter #210, Tolkien describes the Orcs as "degraded and repulsive versions of the (to Europeans) least lovely Mongol-types". Since the publication of Tolkien's epic novel, ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', creatures called "orcs" have become a fixture of [[fantasy]] fiction and [[role-playing game]]s. In these derivative sources, orcs and goblins are usually considered distinct races of [[goblinoid]]s. For some time they were often depicted with pig-like faces, although there is no such description in Tolkien's work. A possible explanation of this is the coincidence with Irish ''orc'' (cognate of English ''pork'') that means 'swine'. An alternative theory is that they were often depicted as pig-like due to the tusked and pig-like description of the ''orco'' (ogre) in Canto 17 of [[Ludovico Ariosto|Ariosto]]'s ''[[Orlando Furioso]]''. (The ''orco'' is, of course, described as pig-like because it gave Ariosto a chance to rhyme ''orco'' with ''porco'' "pig".) In the 1980s another orc archetype was introduced by the table-top miniature [[Wargaming|war games]] [[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]]; a heavily-muscled, green-skinned barbarian with exaggerated tusks, brow, and lower jaw whose personality is not so much evil as crudely thuggish, often to a comical degree. This style of orc has since become popular in a vast number of fantasy settings and games, including a signature of the [[Warcraft]] series of computer games and spin-offs. === Dungeons & Dragons === ''For orcs in the ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' fantasy [[role-playing game]], see [[Orc (Dungeons & Dragons)]].'' === Warhammer === :''Main articles: [[Orc (Warhammer)]] and [[Ork (Warhammer 40,000)]]'' [[Games Workshop]]'s Warhammer Fantasy and ''Warhammer 40,000'' games feature Orcs as well (spelled Orks in ''Warhammer 40,000''). The latter setting is unique for featuring Orks in a [[science fiction]] environment, capable of building crude, but functional vehicles, firearms and even spaceships. Anatomically, Warhammer Orcs are no taller, unless when standing up straight instead of slouching, but substantially broader than humans, with short legs and long arms much like an ape. They have massive heads which come directly forward on their necks, giving them a stooping appearance. They have tough thick green skin which is highly resistant to pain. Warhammer Orcs aren't very smart, but can be cunning at times. They are extremely warlike and the whole society is geared towards constant warfare. The constant need to fight is the expression of Orc culture, a fact that keeps the Orcs from forming anything but temporary alliances with each other. In combat they can transform even the most common object into a lethal killing instrument. Orcs tend to ally with Goblins (called [[Gretchin]] in ''Warhammer 40,000'') and [[Snotling]]s, but their alliance is more of a matter of the Orcs bullying their smaller Goblinoid ([[Orkoid]] in ''Warhammer 40,000'') cousins into being everything from servants, to [[Human shield|Human (Goblin) shields]], to an emergency food source. They worship a pair of gods known as [[Gork and Mork]] (other gods were included in earlier editions of the game, but are no longer included), one of which is described as brutally cunning, and the other as cunningly brutal, though the orcs themselves do not seem to know which is which. === Warcraft === In the'' [[Warcraft Universe|Warcraft]]'' [[computer game]] series Orcs are depicted as more ethically and socially complex than in most renditions. The great Orcish race is a savage but noble society made of [[Shaman (World of Warcraft)|shamanistic]] and fierce warriors. Their race came from the world of [[Draenor]], and were corrupted by a demonic force known as the Burning Legion, as the Legion saw that they could make a most fierce and savage army. Under the Legion's influence, the Orcish Horde slaughtered the Draenei, who consequently fled from [[Draenor]] to escape the Legion, and then were led to the world of [[Azeroth (world)|Azeroth]]. After two devastating wars, the Orcs were finally defeated on Azeroth and rounded up into [[Internment|internment camps]]. They remained there until a young Orc named [[Thrall (Warcraft)|Thrall]], who was raised by humans, rallied them together, freed the Horde from their demonic taint, and helped return them to their shamanistic roots. ''Warcraft'' Orcs are humanoid, but prodigiously muscled and green with broad noses and distinctive tusked mouths. Male orcs are significantly larger than humans, around 6 and a half feet tall when standing straight. Females are slightly larger than a human female, and while much more slender than their male counterparts, they are nonetheless well-muscled. Female orcs' tusks are very small to nearly nonexistent, arguably more exaggerated canines than tusks. Orc warriors are characterized by wearing scant armor with horned helmets and wielding axes as weapons. Warcraft is one of the few settings in which Orcs are not inherently evil, and, after significant plot developments in the latest ''Warcraft'' games, can even be heroic. One could consider the orcs unfairly treated by humans and not only misunderstood, but vilified. The humans' (of which were already somewhat xenophobic) enmity and prejudice towards the Orcs can be traced back to the first and second invasions, and could be fully justified, as it was orcs under the control of the Burning Legion that invaded. Their political standpoint in the ''Warcraft'' universe is set as the leading race of the Horde, an association of races made to help their mutual survival. [[Troll]]s, a similar species in the game, live in the same area as the orcs in World of Warcraft — bringing many similarities between them besides the differences of their origins and body type. === Earthdawn and Shadowrun=== In the fantasy role-playing games [[Earthdawn]] and [[Shadowrun]], orks are, in contrast to the common fantasy Orc, neither inherently good nor evil. In Earthdawn they have their place among the other name-giving races: Humans, [[dwarf]]s, elves, [[obsidiman|obsidimen]], [[t'skrang]], [[troll]]s, and [[windling]]s. In Shadowrun, orks are just one race among others on Earth in the years past [[2050]]. They emerged during the Unexplained Genetic Expression in the year [[2021]] as either young humans changed to orks or ones born as orks from human parents. They are categorized as ''homo sapiens robustus'', and are considered metahumans, like trolls, elves, and dwarfs. Orks are able to interbreed with humans and fellow metahumans. Despite this, their offspring will be of the race of only one of their parents. No half-breeds exist. They grow much faster than humans, reach maturity at the age of 12, and give birth to a litter of about four children, though six to eight are not uncommon. Their average life-expectancy is about 35 to 40 years. They are physically larger and stronger than humans. Their mental capacities are considered slightly inferior on average to humans, though they are still not as dull as the average troll. ===Magic: The Gathering=== In the [[Collectible card game|CCG]] [[Magic:The Gathering]], Orcs are portrayed as generally cowardly warriors who relied extensively on the smaller, less intelligent [[Goblin]]s when waging warfare. Very few creatures of the "Orc" type were printed, most of which appeared in the [[Fallen Empires]] and [[Ice Age (Magic: The Gathering)|Ice Age]] expansion sets. While Orcs were reprinted in more recent core sets, they never appeared in any subsequent expansion sets until [[Coldsnap]]. Coldsnap, however, introduces more Orc cards, along with a legendary Orc Shaman: Sek'kuar, Deathkeeper. ===Orcish music=== The Swedish music group [[Za Frûmi]] started making music inspired by orcs in the year 2000. Since then 2 CDs been released in their orcish tale. Speech in the music is in [[Black Speech|black speech]]. The debut CD is called ''[[Za Shum Ushatar Uglakh]]'', which means "the great warrior Uglakh". ===Might and Magic=== In the [[Might and Magic]] franchise, in the [[Kreegan]] universe, orcs are variously portrayed as orange, green, or brown. In [[Heroes of Might and Magic]], they are associated with the Barbarian faction. In [[Ashan]], the orcs are orange, extremely muscular humanoids, created by wizards by fusing demon blood with human flesh for use as shock troops against a demon invasion. In [[Dark Messiah of Might and Magic | Dark Messiah]], a player spends a significant amount of time facing members of the Redskull Clan, a group of orcs living on an island important to the plot. They are led by a shaman (which a conversation between two orcs implies to be a popularly-elected position), and make references to worshiping an unnamed fire goddess. In [[Heroes of Might and Magic V: Tribes of the East | Tribes of the East]], the mainland orcs are modeled after the [[Mongols]], are led by a [[Khan (title)|khan]], and worship a personified [[Tengri | Father Sky]]. ==References== <div class="references-small"> <references /> </div> ==See also== * [[Gnorc]] * [[Goblin]] * [[Gremlin]] * [[Kaiju]] * [[Oni (mythology)|Oni]] ==External links== * [http://www.uoforums.com/orcs Ultima Online — Europa, Orc Roleplaying Guild] * [http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.04/orcs_pr.html 9 milestones in orcs history. Wired magazine article] * [http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19980622 Words at Random:The Maven's word of the day: Orc] * [http://fantsite.narod.ru/articles/9.html Orcs History in Russian] * [http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/columns/archetypology21dec01.html RPG.NET Article about Orcs] * [http://www.waerloga.com/zafrumi Za Frûmi] * [http://www.orkneyjar.com/placenames/orkney.htm The origin of "Orkney"] * [http://www.orcs.ca/ Orc Roleplaying Community website] * [http://www.orcmagazine.com/ Orc Magazine (orc-theamed magazine parody)] [[Category:Fictional life forms]] [[Category:Fantasy creatures]] [[Category:Fantasy tropes]] [[Category:Fictional warrior races]] [[Category:Orcs|*]] [[bs:Orci (Gospodar prstenova)]] [[bg:Орк]] [[ca:Orc]] [[cs:Orc]] [[da:Ork]] [[de:Ork]] [[es:Orco]] [[eo:Orko (Mez-Tero)]] [[fr:Orque (créature)]] [[gl:Orco]] [[ko:오크]] [[id:Orc]] [[it:Orco (fantasy)]] [[he:אורק]] [[lv:Orki]] [[hu:Orkok]] [[nl:Ork]] [[ja:オーク (架空の生物)]] [[no:Ork]] [[oc:Òrc]] [[pl:Ork]] [[pt:Orc]] [[ro:Orc]] [[ru:Орки]] [[sk:Ohyzd]] [[fi:Örkki]] [[sv:Orch]] [[ta:ஓர்க்]] [[zh:半獸人]]