Mordors weapons

[More Elda]

I have been wondering what kind of weapons are used by the minions of Mordor? I respect the film but I was wonder what the book describes.

I know that Uruk-hai were heavy plated armor that only covers the front and leaves the back exposedand not much other armor. They also carry curved blades (scimitars).

I'm not sure about the others and my info is coming from my memory so it's probably wrong. Can you help?

[Gil Galad]

well the minions of Mordor were in huge numbers and they didnt have any great skill in metal craft so they were armed like a militia of sorts, with whatever they could find. The biggest, the Uruks that is, would get the best weapons cos they could just take them for weaker orcs.

Isengrd was beter armed for the most part

the Easterling and Southron tributary provinces of Mordor were probably alot beter armed, but thats as far as i can help at the minute

[IronHills Dwarf]

The Uruk Hai of Isengard are described (this is all from memory) as being armed with:

short straight swords

long bows of ash like the bows of men

shields carrying the white hand

It is mentioned at this point that the orcs Aragorn is familiar with typically carry curved blades. I'm sure I could find much more but my books aren't by my side at the moment.

The Mordor orcs wore chain mail (Remember, Frodo wore a coat of it after Círth Ungol), which was apparently of rather rough quality. Jagged curved and often poisened blades characterised the swords of the common orc.

Again I'm sure I could find much more (I'm working as I said completely from memory), perhaps I should write a nice little essay about this? similar to my Elven Swords essay?

[Steve the Great]

It's a good idea IHD... You write great essays... :thumbs:

[IronHills Dwarf]

I'll start it tonight. It'll probably take a few days (or a few really late nights) to finish. I've got three Ages to cover after all!

[Eomund]

three ages and more......

[IronHills Dwarf]

Not really, Fourth Age saw the extermination of the Orcs for the most part.

[Eomund]

still...i think that on the first age orcs had the best weapons.....

[IronHills Dwarf]

From what I've dug up so far (I'm at 3,000 words and not past Beren yet) it would seem that they were decent. I'll leave the rest for when my little project is finished. :wink:

[Eomund]

that is great thing....

[Naru`vatar]

How come that Sauron did not use his Uruk-hai just as much as Saruman?
After all, The black Uruks of mordor lived thousands of years before the events of Fotr so why dosent the dark lord use his best warriors instead of cowardly, dump, clumsy, unorganised and afraid-of-the-sun orcs?

[IronHills Dwarf]

If you read closely Return of the King there are several references to what you have mentioned.

It would seem that he did use his Uruks (actually the books makes no mention of him possessing Uruk Hai) , and spent quite a few of them in the assault on Gondor. When Frodo and Sam are traveling through Mordor and are pressed into a column of traveling Orcs these are refered to as (from memory here so don't kill me if the quote is wrong) something like "smaller breeds no driven to their master's service" which would indicate to me that the Uruks had been depleted a tad.

As for the afraid of the sun and unorganised part, remember two things, firstly they were Uruks, not Uruk Hai. They are not attributed with not fearing the sun. Certainly it had less effect on them than on their Misty Mountain cousins but in the great assaults Sauron would cover the sky in darkness. Thus allowing his soldiery to use its cappabilities a bit more effectively.

Also they were not terribly disorganised. At least not in the campaign against Gondor. In the siege of the city they dug regular trenches and performed other useful and coordinated work.

As for the time frame its mostly a matter of events and geography. In Dul-Guldor he couldn't gather the size of armies he might have liked. Simply mirkwood wasn't suited as Mordor was to camps and forges and armouries. It was a wood after all. The Orcs of the Misty Mountains it would seem were not answering directly to his orders during the events of the hobbit for instance and in Unfinished Tales it is noted that during the War surrounding the Last Alliance he sent his own Uruks north to make sure the Orcs of the Misty Mountains did his bidding.

[Eomund]

good answer....didnt even know those things....howc fare are you with essey.....

[Gil Galad]

The first age orcs were said to be fierce in the youth, they more tehn likely got weaker and decriped as the ages past, except for a few that became Uruks and leaders of bands of orcs.

and in FotR it was said that some of the orcs that attacked the Fellowship, were "black uruks from mordor" so its quite certain that the goblins of the mountains had there own agendas but were put under the control of sauron by force

[IronHills Dwarf]

Originally posted by Eomund
good answer....didnt even know those things....howc fare are you with essey.....

Thanks, I finished the section on the First Age last night (about 4,000 words) Second Age won't take real long (probably about 1,500-2,000 words) and the Third Age is probably going to take at least another week. There's so much to cover. I'll let you all know when its finished.

[Gil Galad]

cool, make sure you let us know where we can see it man. i cant see there being much from the 2nd age since there isnt all that much said about that age

[Eomund]

thank you....

[IronHills Dwarf]

Just giving you guys an update just so you know I haven't forgotten this project.

The Orcish Weaponry and Tactics essay is currently at 10,000 words and I'm into the LOTR material itself, almost out of Moria in fact... :)

[Eomund]

Impressive IHD....

[IronHills Dwarf]

Sorry for the long delay guys, but I've been pretty busy. The first two section of "Orcish Weaponry and Tactics" are now available at my website which has been redesigned completely.

Middle-earthWarfare (http://users.iglide.net/usborne1/Iain/MEW/index.html)


here for First Age part of essay (http://users.iglide.net/usborne1/Iain/MEW/Orcish-weaponry-FA.html)

here for Second Age (http://users.iglide.net/usborne1/Iain/MEW/Orcish-weaponry-SA.html)

[Eomund]

nice site and nice essay...reading it now.

[IronHills Dwarf]

Let me know what you think. And don't forget to check out the rest of the site as well. ;)

[Eomund]

i checked and i was astonished how good the site was but few things could be different, as there could be a section to named sword and spears, (as Anduril, Helmgrim, Aiglos, and with the weapons then one picture for the wielder with the weapon.), second maybe there should be a different section for Rohirrim weapons culture and one more for Gondor but i saw your site was a new one and you cant make all in one...

[IronHills Dwarf]

I've been trying to stay away from the Third Age and other stuff depicted by the Jackson films. I liked what WETA came up with so much that I thought I'd go back and try and see how the styles in the films might have evolved rather than re-design the stuff that you already see.

That's why you don't see Narsil or any other weapon WETA created.

I'll probably have a section for the Edain (Men) but I don't have enough material right now to justify it. There will also be a section for Orcs but I want to illustrate the big essay before I devote a section to it.

Anyway I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hopefully a few more people will stop by and see the new material.

[Eomund]

but Edain of the first age...
and second age elves...
Numenoreans

[IronHills Dwarf]

but Edain of the first age...
and second age elves...
Numenoreans

Certainly, but it takes time. WETA did some work on Numenor and SA Elves as well. But I plan on touching on the FA Edain and opening a section for them. I just don't have the amount of material yet to make it worth it. Someday though... :) :cool:

[Eomund]

but where do you take the material...

[IronHills Dwarf]

Oh if you're wondering where the bit I have right now is,

look under Special projects

then click on the mishmash link.