Board Thread:Suggestions forum/@comment-27200931-20170426224854/@comment-26149161-20170428123140

Okay, let's all calm down. The theories he proposed are that they were Men, beasts taught basic language, or the least of the Maiar. Men he said was most likely. It is therefore conceivable that the first Orcs were Maiar or beasts, and later were bred from Mannish stock. Along with that, it isn't a stretch to assume the rigorous training and treatment would harden and lengthen the lives of Orcs. This would explain the longevity of Bolg-they were not purely Mannish, and furthermore were the result of years of the breeding of the strong.

However, the Elven theory, though used earlier (in the published Silmarillion, and probably the explanation of Bolg) is demonstrably untrue. Orcs, Tolkien decided, were not Elves.

Ithilion, Discussions Moderator (Auta i lómë) 12:31, April 28, 2017 (UTC)