#text x

But for the sake of both comparison and the argument I’m trying to make I will add below the quote from the second version of Text X:

“They could be slain, and they were subject to disease; but apart from these ills they died and were not immortal, even according to the manner of the Quendi.” (Orcs, Myths Transformed, Morgoth’s Ring, pg.418)

This is important for at least two reasons. First of all I think you can agree that it sounds a little strange, because the use of ‘apart from’ generally implies some exclusion that is being made. But here in this example it reads as a repetition of the same thing. Secondly, this is the only mention of their mortality, which is important because elsewhere, where the fact of their Elvish origin is acknowledged within the text, the part about their mortality is simply omitted, even if the possiblity of Orcs being killed is mentioned:

“they could be slain or destroyed by the valiant with weapons of war” (The Annals of Aman, Morgoth’s Ring pg.109)

And in this text, after the quote above, Tolkien goes on to suggest that they are of Elvish origin. To summarize, the mention of the mortality of Orcs exists in the context of suggesting that they descend from the race of Men. There is no mention of their mortality in any source that establishes that Orcs are descended from Elves. And to my awareness, there is only one other mention Tolkien made of Orcs not being Elvish, and it’s a scribbled comment on an incomplete and abandoned version of The Annals of Aman (The Annals of Aman, notes beginning on pg.79).

From this I conclude that there is sufficient contextual evidence to believe that the omission of the mention of Orcs’ mortality in all sources but the one that he discarded, meant he saw it likely that Orcs may possess some degree of immortality. Even if he did not say so explicitly. Which could have been for the simple reason of avoiding any further complications this would bring along. In short, I think he believed them to be immortal with certain limitations (some of which I will bring up below), but didn’t want to deal with the baggage of stating so.

This brings us to Elven immortality, which is bound to the concepts of fëa (soul) and hröa (earthboud vessel aka body). This conceptual nature is not unique to Elves, but means different things for them from other races. The Elven fëa does not automatically leave the world after death, and their fate is to live as long as Arda exists. Unlike Men, Elves do not die of disease or of old age. Their fëar are in much greater control of their bodies. This means that they can heal from wounds that would be fatal to mortals.

“Since fëar are indestructible within the world, while hröar can be broken by the disorders of Arda Marred, "death", which is their separation, is an ever present risk of existence in Middle-earth, even for the Elves. They may be slain or lose the will to live, for instance because of grief. When an Elf dies, the fëa leaves the hröa, which then "dies" and is reabsorbed into Arda. The fëa is called to the Halls of Mandos, where it is judged. After a time of Waiting, the fëa may be reincarnated into a new-born body that is identical to the previous hröa if allowed by Mandos. It is only by coming to Mandos that an Elvish fëa can hope to be reincarnated, as the Elves do not possess this ability in themselves. Alternatively, a fëa might decide to stay in Mandos until the end of Arda, or it may be denied reincarnation, if it had done much evil in life.” [ source ]

Those Elves that became the first Orcs evidently endured the transformation. But it was not simply a transformation of their body, but of that enduring soul. And this change transcended any one individual and became permanent in all who descended from them. But again, their essential being is still tied to that origin, so therefore because of this corruption of their original being they have lost their connection to the divine, but still benefit from what makes Elves different from humans in their spiritual and physical endurance. 

Apparently that original corruption also transforms them into a kind of being that is different from all other beings. They retain certain attributes, and to some degree even the characteristics of Elves. They may be immortal, but it is somewhat unclear what happens to them after they die as they have no connection or access to anything that is available to the Elves. 

I think there are two main things Tolkien himself said that are of particular relevance here:

1. Orcs are not like demons, even if they can look as fearsome. Implying that they do, very much, have souls. (The Annals of Aman, Morgoth’s Ring, pg.109)

2. That Orcs are not irredeemably evil. 

This opens up a number of possibilities and Tolkien does have sympathy for them, but he still needed an avatar for all the dark things that happened to Arda and so for the sake of what he’s trying to say with his whole story he can’t spend half of it making them so sympathetic that most people will automatically see an issue with how they’re being used by the story. That would defeat the point.

(In a way I appreciate the chance to speculate on what happens to them. I myself would like to think that there will come a Time of Healing in which a new path will be forged, for all who would take it. But that’s not what we’re discussing right now.)

It wouldn’t be difficult to explain why we see so few Orcs who reach an age comparable to the lifespans of the Elves, given how violent it is. Aside from the lack of known independent record-keeping. This also brings me to what could be viewed as the evolution, change or diversification of Orcs. The matter needs its own independent post, but I think some distinction needs to be made for the sake of discussing their immortality. The following is obviously my conjecture, but I hope to have been clear on what basis I have reached this understanding.

The way Tolkien describes the lessening of all the races living in Middle-Earth logically also has to appliy to Orcs in some way. Plus in their case, there is also the ‘corruption factor’. So the way I imagine it, the further away Orcs move from their original Elven stock, they too lessen in their strength and size, even if retaining abilities that are beyond those of Men.

Azog really struck me in this regard. The Azog we see doesn’t actually depart from the description that Tolkien gave us, aside from lack of helmet or an “iron-clad head”. He is 'great’, agile and strong. And he isn’t the only one of his kind. 

Although canonically he was never elaborated to such a degree, in my opinion the intent in Azog’s character design makes him perfect for illustrating the distinction between different kinds of Orcs and how they have evloved. The way I see it, Azog is not an anomaly but the embodiment of his origin:

“for in days of old they were strong and fell as demons” (The Annals of Aman, Morgoth’s Ring, pg.109)

His appearance serves as a reference not so much to any particular clan of Orc, but to his age and lineage. He is un-Elven, but not so much that you can’t see the references. It could be then possible that Orcs, like both the races of Men and Elves, has lessened since the time the first of them came into being. In any case, all signs seem to point to the fact that Orcs such as Azog still reflect that origin. But there are several ways in which things have changed since.

I think there’s a good chance Azog would be immortal in a similar manner to Elves. The same would apply to some of the Orcs of Gundabad and Uruks of Mordor who bear a close semblance. I feel like there is reason for all the implications of them being like “in ye olden days”.

One other thing that I’ve seen mentioned in support of the immortality of Orcs is an interesting piece of dialogue between Shagrat and Gorbag in the last chapter of The Two Towers, The Choices of Master Samwise:

Gorbag: “What d’you say? - if we get  chance, you and me’ll slip off and set up somewhere on out on our own with a few trusty lads, somewhere where there’s good loot nice and handy, and no big bosses.” Shagrat: “Ah! Like old times.” (The Lord of the Rings, pg.738)

I very much appreciate the information the whole conversation between them gives us, but personally I don’t think that’s enough to draw any conclusions from. The conversation takes place in TA 3019. Chronologically this is 68 years after Sauron declared himself openly and 77 years after Sauron returned to Mordor. It’s very hard to place these “old times” because they could have been talking about the time before Sauron returned. But it’s not possible to claim immortality based on a span of 60-80 years, because the average lifespan of Men was still longer than a hundred years. But they could easily be referencing also times in the previous ages. We just can’t say for sure.

Shagrat in turn brings me back the the Uruks. The Uruks definitely deserve their own posts, but I think there are things that also have to be mentioned here. First the considerable difference difference between Uruks of Mordor (Black Uruks) and Uruk-hai of Isengard. Because the former are one of those patricular early groups that are implied to be different from regular Orcs. The elite troops of Sauron’s vasty army. Somehow different from the rest, but still fully Orcs.

The Uruk-hai or Isengard are in no uncertain terms a result of both Orcish and Mannish ancestry. If the implication is left a bit vague in The Lord of the Rings, The History of Middle-Earth reiterates this intention more explicitly. And while Tolkien describes them being imposing and clever then what they’ve lost as a result of their Mannish ancestry is any chance of immortality. It’s safe to say that if Orc blood becomes mixed with that of Men, any immortality or long-livedness beyond that of Men is lost. 

It makes sense for this to correspond the same way it works in the case of Half-Elves. In the case of Half-Elves, those who have one immortal and one mortal parent, and are in connection with the Valar may be given a choice whether they want to live an immortal or mortal life. We see that in the case of the descendants of Tuor (literally named Half-Elven), who were given a choice between mortality and immortality. But all Orcs have lost that divine connection and so there is no choice here. Following the same logic present in how immortality is (not) inherited by Elves without a connection to the Valar, any such offspring are invariably mortal.