One of Tolkien’s letters describes orcs as“squat, broad, flat-nosed, sallow-skinned, with wide mouths and slant eyes: in fact degraded and repulsive versions of the (to Europeans) least lovely Mongol-types.”

And I was thinking about, 1.) Look at the legs on these Mongolian wrestlers all decked out for a major national wrestling festival, and also 2.) how Tolkien’s racist description wasn’t enough, and orcs have been depicted as more and more grotesque over time. Canonically orcs more or less just look like humans, but that’s not “other” enough so they keep getting turned in to more and more bizarre looking monsters.

Either way, this is what i’m thinking about when i’m laid up with the 'rona. If y’all like wrestling or buff men in tiny pants check out Mongolian wrestling. From what I understand it’s a hugely popular sport there and has been for like a thousand years.

    • PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
      3·
      2 months ago

      Probably? After War in Heaves ended krorks devolved into orks and did… something for the entire 60 million years, but that something wasn’t spreading themselves everywhere, since in 60 million years they would, even in the current state, filled every single niche possible. I doubt Eldar waged apocalyptic wars against them for the entire time, so their current resurgence seems to be reaction to humanity, species very much resembling ancient necrontyr, spreading to entire galaxy (which Eldar never did, also Eldar were nominally on the same side of WiH) and dragging chaos everywhere they go. Also necrons are back. Also tyranids everywhere. Galaxy in grave danger on multiple fronts, krorks to the rescue.

        • PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
          2·
          2 months ago

          rampaging more out of control

          If you mean in universe everything escalated pretty harshly since orginal Rogue Trader and even first editions of 40K. Out of universe it’s mostly just “SHUT UP I KILL YOU” Ahmed kind of humour recently. Though even in it they still have moments, like Ghazghkull at pretty much close to beginning of his career came to space hulk where he met greater daemon of Khorne coming straight from the permanent warp portal, krumped him in less than minute then screamed straight into the warp “THAT WAS PATHETIC! SEND SOMETHING BIGGER!” to which the portal closed and daemons all over hulk evaporated.