So assumedly there were Orc females (vs the movie’s Betty Crocker style genesis) . Any description of them?
In looking into it via Wikipedia Tolkien himself said that this story was the main influence re his conception of the Orcs.
There is no description but Tolkien mentions Orcs reproduce like Elves and Men somewhere. He also spoke of Goblins runts in the Hobbit.
Conjecture: I would assume Orc women are probably a very downtrodden group. Possibly little more than chattel. I would further assume they are kept unarmed and breeding when food allowed. I also got the impression they would be smaller than the males, more so than seen in humans. However that is my conjecture.
BTW: I found in Sauron Defeated: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part Four (The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 9) a line that further decreases the likelihood that Balrogs had Wings. He specifically described a storm cloud spreading it wings over the land. This was in the unfinished The Notion Club Papers. It is very close to the line used in Moria in the Fellowship of the Ring. I think it was page 250. I read it this morning and was a little shocked. I’ve always though Balrogs had Wing but I am now less sure.
:eek:
What the hell are you doing? Why are you bringing this up? Have you lost your mind?
I am going to go hide in the cellar now.
Captain Carrot writes:
> So if she weighs as much as a potato, she’s a hobbit?
Let’s see. A potato doesn’t float. Put one of the homo floresiensis in water and see if she floats. If she sinks, she’s a potato.
It was a piece of data I had never seen mentioned before. I don’t think a nasty geeky flame war will break out on this board at this time.
BTW: It was page 250 if you want to look at it yourself.
Fool of a Took1 You’re TALKING to a petty, cruel, vindictive geek RIGHT NOW! Do you know how much self-control it’s taking me not to start another flame war for the sheer nihilistic joy of it?
You’re one of those people who’d go into the woods, find a bear cub wandering around alone with its mama is hunting, wait until the mama bear returns, and then throw pebbles at the baby bear, aren’t you? 
Hmm. A bushel of potatoes weighs 55 pounds… A Hobbit equals 2 1/2 bushels… so a Hobbit weighs as much as 137.5 pounds of potatoes, none of which float.
Unless your potatoes have wings, in which case they float in water. Which means it is not a Hobbit, but “Trumpy” from Pod People.
I prefer to use pointy sticks.
A Winged Hobbit is of course a what Tolkien feared would be shown if Disney ever got the rights to his works.
Seriously?
I thought Henson Associates’ adaptation had its moments. Although I was puzzled over the change from “Ring of Power” to “Dark Crystal.”
What Exit? writes:
> . . . A Winged Hobbit . . .
African or European?
No but a little Yes. The Professor was fearful of what Disney would do to his works. He did not like the cutification and complete abandonment of stories they did quite often, or to be more precise he did not want to see that done to his works.
Speaking of winged Hobbits of course.
The more proper question would be Hobbit Shireus or Hoblyta Anduinius? The Winged one of course reside among the second category. It is very important to keep these things straight.
I always assumed they could. The resulting kids would be either especially tall for Halflings or especially short for humans.
Smeagol is described as ‘a river man, something not unlike a Hobbit’. The text makes it clear he’s some kind of proto Hobbit.
Also note the ease with which Hobbits and humans mix. A human in Lothlorien or Rivendell, or Moria is in an obviously alien place. An elf or dwarf in Bree would be an alien thing. A Hobbit in Bree is just another customer.
RE Orcs and Humans
The guy (can’t remember his name) in Bree who delights in calling Strider “Long Shanks” is described as having vaguely orc features. In ( I Think) ROTK there is also talk of “goblin men”.
You are mixing up people in Bree. It was Bill Ferny that derisively called Strider “Longshanks” and “Stick-at-naught Strider”. Bill was just a evil Breeman that was working with the Goblin-men sent north by Saruman to work as spies.