Orcs are a fantasy species and archetype from English folklore.
General Description[]
Orcs are generally described as large, brutish, beastly humanoids of low intelligence, usually used as war fodder or mooks by antagonists in fantasy settings. Their skin is often green or brown, and they may possess horns or tusks. Although early works depict orcs as one-dimensional hate objects, being ugly, violent, stupid sycophants working under dark lords, modern works tend to flesh them out and give them more varied and distinct personalities, with some individual orcs even exhibiting friendly and empathetic natures. Some modern fantasy works even make evil orcs the exception and friendly orcs the norm.
Fictional Orcs[]
The basic orcs were the template for many fictional orcs who have their own pages:
- Orcneas (Beowulf)
- Swine-Things (The House on the Borderland)
- Orcs (J.R.R. Tolkien's Works)
- Orcs (animated adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's Works)
- One-Eyes (The Thief and the Cobbler)
- Orcs (The Apprentice Librarian)