The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Mordor was settled by Sauron c. II 1000; it was under Gondorian control between II 3441 and c. III 1980; Sauron was finally ejected and the Orcs destroyed in III 3019
Location
Mordor, the Black Land directly to the east of Gondor
Race
Meaning
The 'Red Eye' is a symbolic reference to the Dark Lord Sauron
Other names

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About this entry:

  • Updated 2 September 2021
  • This entry is complete

Orcs of the Red Eye

The servants of Sauron

Also called simply Orcs of the Eye, a force of Orcs in the direct service of Barad-dûr in Mordor, whose gear carried the Red Eye, symbol of Sauron the Dark Lord. Orcs of the Red Eye are mentioned in histories even before the War of the Last Alliance, and they made up much of the force that attacked that Captains of the West from the Morannon in the closing moments of the War of the Ring.

The organisation of the Orcs other than those of the Red Eye is not clearly described, but we know of at least one other main group at the end of the Third Age: the Orcs of the White Hand that served Saruman. The Orcs of Minas Morgul, who fought in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, also appear to have formed a separate army. They are not specially named, but their gear carried the livery of Morgul: a death's-head moon. Further from Mordor, other bands of Orcs lived under their own leaders, though acknowledging the ultimate authority of Sauron: the Orcs of the Misty Mountains were the most well known of these.


Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 2 September 2021
  • This entry is complete

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