Orcs: What Happened to Them After Sauron Fell?

What became of the Orcs after Sauron's downfall? In this video, I explore what Tolkien wrote, and what he left unsaid, about the most despised race in Middle-earth. Could Orcs survive without their dark master? Were they capable of redemption, or were they doomed to extinction with the rise of Men? I examine Tolkien's shifting thoughts on their nature, their origins, and their uncertain fate in the Fourth Age. 📖 Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction 02:50 – The destruction of the One Ring 06:47 – The defeat of Morgoth 08:59 – Sauron’s control 10:50 – Orcs outside Sauron’s influence 12:38 – Of Orcs and Men in the Fourth Age 17:11 – Orc genocide 19:29 – The New Shadow 20:41 – Hope and redeemability? 24:04 – The Age of Mankind 25:17 – Outro / Share your thoughts... 📕 Support the Channel: Patreon –   / theredbook   YouTube Memberships –    / @theredbook   Members-Only Videos –    • Members-only videos   🤝🏼 Supporters: Callisto_Arcas (Patricia), Brandon Neil Howells, Dovid Nachshon Albright, Wavesailor, Victus Shmmidtt, Seraphim38, ncv199, Moses Gunn, Lynn Seguin, Master of Dungeons, Gundero, steve b, Michael Nørrelykke, Joe Raffurty, Grant Erickson, Inge Marie Schmidlin, John Piccolini, Kevin Blanchard, Mike, amazingmuffinman, boi sophies, Lucy Edling, Brendan Tormey, Bianca Hagenberg, Puddle210 📚 On-Screen Notes & 🎨 Artwork: All on-screen notes, references, artist credits, images, and links are listed here: 👉 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/... 🖼️ Thumbnail Art: "The Uruk-hai" John Howe https://www.john-howe.com/blog 🎵 Audio: Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 or 4.0 https://filmmusic.io/standard-license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... “Alone With Your Voices” – Ghost Stories Incorporated “Cold Cold Cemetery” – Ghost Stories Incorporated “This House” – Kevin MacLeod “The Reason for Haunting” – Ghost Stories Incorporated “Tempting Secrets” – Kevin MacLeod ❗ Disclaimer: All videos are based on my own research into Tolkien’s works unless otherwise stated. Permission and/or licenses have been obtained for all copyrighted materials. All scripts and editing are my own work and property. Any ambient or musical elements used are licensed.