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Rings of Power seems to be the place of origin stories when it comes to Middle Earth. It not only tells how the famous characters in the Lord of the Rings and the hobbit their beginnings, but also how certain places in the world came to be, such as the founding of Mordor. In the series finale, the interrogation that takes place between Adar and Galadriel hints at another origin story, which has long been debated among fans of Tolkien’s works: what exactly are orcs and where do they come from? There are two opposing sides to the argument of the characters in the scene. But interestingly, they are both consistent with different versions of the Moriondor, the “sons of the dark,” and the history of how they were created.
One of the difficulties in getting to the heart of the matter is that Tolkien rewrote and refined his works and his theologies several times throughout his life. This revision is why there is some uncertainty as to what the full truth is. It is evident from his works, and from the Rings of Power series, that the orcs in question are a much older, more archaic form than those in the later Peter Jackson film adaptations. The orcs in these movies are much more barbaric and can move freely in the sunlight. The Uruk-hai from Saruman’s lair and the warriors attacking Helms Deep are all a bit simpler, as they look downright evil. Meanwhile, the Moriondor and their origins present a much more problematic point of view. If it is indeed elves that are corrupted, is their elven conscience still in there somewhere? And if so, is it possible for them to find salvation one day?
The answer to their rescue really depends on which rendition of Tolkien’s lore is followed. In one version of events, the Moriondor were once elven children, who were led astray by the evil of Morgoth. They followed him to a dark tower, where he performed all manner of evil tortures on them, until over hundreds of years he was able to corrupt and twist them into something ruined, as Galadriel suggests. This version ties in with the concept that only Eru Illuvatar, the god of the world, could actually create life. Therefore, Morgoth, and later Sauron, could only pervert what already existed. All they could do was make fun of it, as Galadriel puts it.
This version of Moriondor history is very similar to the one in Adar’s backstory, where he describes Galadriel:
Sauron devoted himself to healing Middle-earth and bringing his devastated land together in perfect order. He was trying to create power, not of the flesh, but over the flesh. […] But try as he might, something was missing. The shadow of dark knowledge hid itself, even from him, no matter how much blood he shed in his pursuit.
Obviously, Sauron couldn’t create this power he desired. The ability eluded him because it belongs only to the true creator.
In that version of the Moriondor (or the Uruks), it’s entirely possible that what was once twisted and damaged can still be saved. Gollum himself has the possibility of redemption even after being infected by that one ring. If, in fact, these creatures still have elf souls, they may not be as purely evil as first thought. However, given Tolkien’s Catholic background, this version of the orcs eventually became a nuisance for him. He believed that the contamination of a soul, especially one as pure and light as the elves, was an abominable betrayal of God. He therefore changed the concept of the orcs to make them more animalistic, as seen in the Lord of the Rings.
In this version, these creatures may have once been poisoned men instead of elves. They may also have been a species of their own, which never had a soul or a moral consciousness. In this next version, it is thought that the Moriondor were simply the first of their kind to follow Sauron and carry out his evil orders. This would suggest that they might have had another creator, in the same way that Aule created the dwarfs, but they weren’t fully formed until Illuvatar breathed life into them.
The Rings of Power series seems to be more in line with the first record of their history. The existence of Adar suggests that they were indeed once elves, and that they may have civilization, autonomous thinking, and even hearts, just as Adar begs Galadriel. It’ll be interesting to see how opening up this long-held debate among fans plays into the Amazon series’ remaining storyline.
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