"Favorite Middle Earth race?" Topic

Which are your favorites from J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth? I most likely have not listed them all, so feel free to add additional creatures.

1. Men
2. Dwarves
3. Eagles
4. Elves
5. Ents
6. Hobbits
7. Balrogs
8. Barrow-wights
9. Dragons
10. Goblins
11. Orcs
12. Ringwraiths
13. Spiders
14. Trolls
15. Wargs

Noldor

Ordinary men. Without special blood or elvish ancestry.
Like Rohan.
None of this Numenor ancestry nonsense.

Another for the Noldor.

Wood Elves…or Dwarves?

I always rather liked dwarves.

Dwarves. I don't think the ringwraiths count as a race. They are simply enslaved men.

Ents.

Petty dwarves. Elves used to hunt them, whether for sport or meat JRRT doesn't say.

Dwarves. "Nice enough people if you don't expect too much." More than can be said for a lot of us.

Interesting question. Like others have said, Ringwraiths -and Barrow wights – aren't races as such.

I love the tragic stories of both the Noldor and the Numenoreans but pity for the Petty Dwarves – and Dwarves in general – are all intriguing.

I find the regular mannish types a little less interesting but I like the way that JRRT gave even the heroic Rohirrim (for example) a darker side (their abuse of the Pukelmen being an example).

I like them all really. I even like the orcs.

Mind you, Sauron wasn't very nice…

John T

Orcs!

Wargs!

Voting so far sees the Dwarf's sprinting into a quick lead (not very Dwarfish)

1. Men 1
2. **Dwarves 4 votes (or 3.5)
3. Eagles 0
4. *Wood Elves 1 (or is that a half)
5. Ents 1
6. Hobbits 0
7. Balrogs 0
8. Barrow-wights 0
9. Dragons 0
10. Goblins 0
11. Orcs 1
12. Ringwraiths 0
13. Spiders 0
14. Trolls 0
15. Wargs 1
16. Noldor (High Elves) 2
17. **Petty Dwarfs 1

So the Leader Board looks like this:

Dwarfs 4 or votes (or 3.5)
Noldor (High Elves) 2
Ordinary Men 1
Orcs 1
Ents 1
Wood Elves 1 (or is that a half)
Petty Dwarfs 1
And poor Wargs only 1

*To clarify: herkybird scores 1 point each for dwarf and wood elves here and John Threadaway…well I'm not sure how to vote John to be honest

**Are Petty Dwarfs to be distinguished from their larger kin?

C'mon vote Warg!

John I'm not sure how to vote John to be honest

Me neither.

Noldor are elves but that ain't the whole story… and some of them did some pretty awful things…

I'll go with Pukelmen/Woses which, I guess, are true men (rather than being a genetic sub species). So that'd mean I'd have to say 'men'.

On the subject of 'races' as Elves and humans can cross breed, Orcs are currupted elves, 'half orcs' and 'man orcs' exist so I guess more cross breeding…

Are they all just one 'race'?

Or am I reading too much into this?

John T

EDIT: oh, and Balrogs are Maiar so the same race as Sauron or Gandalf… not sure that Balrogs are representative of the best that the Maiar have to offer

Or am I reading too much into this?

This is Lord of the Rings John: You have a complete free pass to read waaaaaay too much ;)

But you are

John, we at TMP realize you're sitting on the fence here but I think reading between the lines in both your posts its pretty obvious you're moving towards a pro Warg position?

Should we put you down for 1 Warg then?

The Hobbits for me. I'd quite like to live in the Shire, so if any of you happens to find it let me know.

Like others have said, Ringwraiths -and Barrow wights – aren't races as such.

Yet they will still get to be included, because TMP. Once a suggestion is made there is no process to have it removed.

Dwarves all the way

Elves worthless
humans are just dumb as stumps
Hobbits are lazy

Men. Especially favor the Rohirrim.

There were many races of Men in Middle Earth. I am partial to the Dunedain.

Orcs, Uruks specifically.

Hobbits, and Orcs.

I'm going with Dragons.

My least favorite are the Eagles. The proper name for the Middle Earth species is Aquilam Deus ex Machina.

Men, give me the Rohirrim every time.

I always thought the Wild Hill Men in the second LotR movie were interesting. When Games Workshop released their line of 25mm figures, I almost took the plunge when I first saw those Wild Men packs at the local gaming store (sadly now long out of business).

Another vote for the Noldor.

As proprietor of the Moria Reclamation Project, I feel compelled to vote Khazad!

Dwarves all the way!

Not feeble men or girly elves

Avari; the elves who refused the summons to the West, made the first contact with Men and taight them the basics of culture and civilization, and were known as "wild elves." Some groups merged with Sindar or Teleri and were absorbed into the Silvan elf cultures. The rest remained in their forrsts and caves before fading away in the Fourth Age.

BTW, Ringwraiths and Barrow-Wights are just magically powered Numenorean Men. There are three distinct races of Men as discussed above. There are five (yes, FIVE!) distinct strains of elves. Peter Jackson notwithstanding, Goblins and Orcs are the same race, but Uruk-Hai are a dustinct race with two strains, those of Isengard and Mordor. And the Olog-Hai are a distinct race from Trolls.

I always felt that Uruk Hai were the geordies of middle earth. Orcs are more scousers.

Orcs

Elves are the special snowflakes of Middle Earth

Hobbits.

I always felt that Uruk Hai were the geordies of middle earth. Orcs are more scousers.

Sounded like they were all cockney North Londoners to me

I can't argue with anything Coyotepunc and Hatshepsuut just said.

I think that Olog-hai are 'half trolls' though what the other half is was not made clear (my guess was always uruks bht that'd make 'em quarter human and quarter orc).

And cave, hill, mountain and snow trolls all appear to be distinct breeds or types if nothing else.

John T

Elves are the special snowflakes of Middle Earth

I always liked the elves –

"there are one hundred and five. Yellow is their hair, and bright are their spears. Their leader is very tall"
Aragorn smiled. "Keen are the eyes of the Elves," he said.
"Nay! The riders are little more than five leagues distant," said Legolas.

I've always loved that exchange – especially the implications of Legolas downplaying the compliment as if he's saying "oh no, they're only 5 leagues off. I'm sure if you really tried you could see them. Try giving it a bit of a squint – or maybe just close one eye".

Anyway

Ents
Dwarves
Hobbits
Dunedain
Elves
Orcs
Trolls
Balrogs
Maia
Valar
lesser humans
Pukelmen / woses

Spiders. I vote for spiders. Eight legs, hairy and in the Rankin/Bass movie they had wicked, whiney accents.

Of course there is something to be said for Orcs and the wonderful way they sing "Where there's a whip, there's a way"

Giants?

I've tried to block out the memory of the Rankin/Bass abomination,but the original line from Tolkien's Orc officer is "Where there's a whip,there's a will,my slugs" (to Frodo and Sam).

Which is of course, the demonic parody of Dernhelm's words to Merry: "Where will wants not,a way opens,we say".

There was a battle in the Silmarillion in which Tolkien describes that there were members of ever race fighting on both sides except the elves. Only the elves were united against Morgoth.

So for that reason it is the Elves.

Noldor elves, though I find the orcs fascinating.

The question from another angle: where would you rather live? The Lonely Mountain? Edoras? Minas Tirith?

For me,Bag End. Or maybe Crickhollow.

Although,at over six feet,I'd probably be banging my head a lot.

Another vote for the Noldor.

There was a battle in the Silmarillion in which Tolkien describes that there were members of ever race fighting on both sides except the elves. Only the elves were united against Morgoth

What I always loved about the Noldor was that, despite not "working for the other team", as it were, they kept – through their own arrogance and pride – giving aid and succour to the enemy (Feanor's sons and their oath driven obsession with recovery of the Silmarils being a classic example) and yet – at other times – committing immensely noble acts.

John T