Trolls? Orcs? Goblins? Half-Orcs? What do you call'em?

Discussion of official LEGO Castle Theme sets and products

To you, what is this creature?

Troll
11
8%
Orc
111
77%
Goblin
18
12%
Half-Orc
2
1%
Other (please specify)
3
2%
 
Total votes: 145

User avatar
Foxglove
Laborer
Posts: 113
Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2008 11:18 am
Location: Sydney, Australia
Contact:

Post by Foxglove »

Sir Vincent wrote:The big guys are called Kerreks. The little guys are called Johnkas.
Since nobody else replied to this, I'll assume it went straight over some people's heads.

But I got it. Very witty.

8)

Just to be sure, it's spelled 'Jhonka'.
Pass not beneath, O Caravan, or pass not singing. Have you heard
That silence where the birds are dead yet something pipeth like a bird?
User avatar
Sir Kohran
Sheriff
Posts: 1568
Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2004 7:24 am

Post by Sir Kohran »

Foxglove wrote:
Sir Vincent wrote:The big guys are called Kerreks. The little guys are called Johnkas.
Since nobody else replied to this, I'll assume it went straight over some people's heads.

But I got it. Very witty.

8)

Just to be sure, it's spelled 'Jhonka'.
Well it did indeed go over my head so could you explain it perhaps?

- Matt
Sir Vincent
Steward
Posts: 500
Joined: Wed Jul 14, 2004 6:56 pm

Post by Sir Vincent »

Sir Kohran wrote:
Foxglove wrote:
Sir Vincent wrote:The big guys are called Kerreks. The little guys are called Johnkas.
Since nobody else replied to this, I'll assume it went straight over some people's heads.

But I got it. Very witty.

8)

Just to be sure, it's spelled 'Jhonka'.
Well it did indeed go over my head so could you explain it perhaps?

- Matt
Yet another Peasant's Quest reference.
User avatar
DaleDVM
Journeyman
Posts: 428
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:46 am
Location: Illinois, USA

Post by DaleDVM »

Since I read the Hobbit 20 times before I turned 12... they be orcs to me. Tolkein shaped my youth and by nature my adulthood as well.
User avatar
Bruce N H
Precentor of the Scriptorium
Posts: 6314
Joined: Mon Sep 15, 2003 9:11 pm
Location: Middle Zealand
Contact:

Post by Bruce N H »

If you're basing this on multiple readings of the Hobbit, shouldn't these be goblins? It's been a long time, but as I recall, the word orc is only used a couple of times there.

Bruce
[url=http://comicbricks.blogspot.com/]ComicBricks[/url] [url=http://godbricks.blogspot.com/]GodBricks[/url] [url=http://microbricks.blogspot.com/]MicroBricks[/url] [url=http://minilandbricks.blogspot.com/]MinilandBricks[/url] [url=http://scibricks.blogspot.com/]SciBricks[/url] [url=http://vignettebricks.blogspot.com/]VignetteBricks[/url] [url=http://www.classic-castle.com/bricktales/]Brick Tales[/url]
User avatar
DaleDVM
Journeyman
Posts: 428
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:46 am
Location: Illinois, USA

Post by DaleDVM »

Yes Bruce I guess you are right about that, but the reading of the hobbit was only the start of my story... If I continued and said I read LOTR about 40 times since I was 12 I guess that would bring me full circle to my Tolkein explanation for Orc. I even have the audio CD's so I listen to the books while I build MOCS. :wink:
User avatar
Formendacil
Knight Templar
Knight Templar
Posts: 4162
Joined: Wed May 05, 2004 7:22 pm
Location: Ashland, MA
Contact:

Post by Formendacil »

Bruce N H wrote:If you're basing this on multiple readings of the Hobbit, shouldn't these be goblins? It's been a long time, but as I recall, the word orc is only used a couple of times there.

Bruce
Even so, twenty times about 2 (since I think it might be three times), that's forty times he's seen the word "orc" used... plenty, really.

:P
User avatar
Danielas
Steward
Posts: 511
Joined: Wed Mar 19, 2008 12:22 pm
Location: Weather Top or Amon-Sul
Contact:

Post by Danielas »

[quote="Bruce N H"]If you're basing this on multiple readings of the Hobbit, shouldn't these be goblins? It's been a long time, but as I recall, the word orc is only used a couple of times there.

well goblins are orks who live in caves and tunnles
uruk- hai are advandsed orks
just like we have chinase and english they both are humens but they look difrent and have difrent names
God Bless. Danielas

Procrastinators Unite!!!!

(tomorrow)

Proud soldier of Classic-Castle. As in, I fight against the Legion of the Aggie.
User avatar
Dr.Cogg
Laborer
Posts: 142
Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2008 9:54 pm
Location: Washington

Post by Dr.Cogg »

Even though they look like Orcs,Lego said they are Trolls,to prove it,go to Brickset type in set number 7048 and read the lego shop at home description.
User avatar
paleotaur
Peasant
Posts: 65
Joined: Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:57 am
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana

Post by paleotaur »

I hate to break it to you, but the question wasn't what lego calls them, we all know that already. The question is what WE call them. (I call them orcs by the way)
sir lockt
Villein
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed May 30, 2007 1:24 pm

Post by sir lockt »

Difficult to answer, since this is mostly dependable on "what you have seen before".

Orc or Goblin (mixed use by e.g. Tolkien) would fit on size. But Tolkien never depicted them "green-skinned"

Troll, like Lego calls them, doesnt seem to fit either. In German folklore these creatures are already bigger then humans and in most fantasy descriptions "Troll" is the perfect name for what Lego calls "Giant Troll"

Half-orc is a nice twist, but if this is a half-orc I would be startled to what would be a "full-orc"

Since Warhammer depicted Orcs "green", which was taken by many fantasy writers and books.

So for me, they are Orcs, but of course we need to leave our "Tolkien-origin" behind us...
Sir Vincent
Steward
Posts: 500
Joined: Wed Jul 14, 2004 6:56 pm

Post by Sir Vincent »

paleotaur wrote:I hate to break it to you, but the question wasn't what lego calls them, we all know that already. The question is what WE call them. (I call them orcs by the way)
Your argument is invalid. They call them what LEGO calls them.
natelite
Foot Soldier
Posts: 209
Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2007 8:45 pm

Post by natelite »

i call them green-skinned humanoid lifeform of medium stature of approximately 5-6 feet in height and medium weight of 150-200 lbs. :lol: :D

just refer to them as trolls since TLC calls them trolls. if you come up with fancy smancy names it just confuse people further down the road. there's a reason why we still call black falcons black falcons instead of dark skinned flying predatorial birds.

plus there's the issue with copyright if TLC started calling them as something else (who knows if orc is copyrighted???).
User avatar
Heir of Black Falcon
Justiciar
Posts: 1966
Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2008 3:37 pm
Location: Utah (I'm baaaack)

Post by Heir of Black Falcon »

Sir Vincent,

Why is it invalid again? Why would you have to call them what TLC calls them. That creates limitations that Lego in their own mission statements refutes. The imagination and ability to create what you wish is the entire point of Lego. I would not name them trolls as having two clearly separate creatures called the same species name is illogical. I have never called the Lion Knights 'Crusaders' as I never thought of them as such. In fact the great majority of my Legoverse is non Lego factions. Since the point of the post was what people call them in their own Legoverse they can do as they see fitting, not to find what the TLC calls them. Lego will not make you call them Trolls, Orcs, Goblins or green funky looking freak things. I am sure they do not mind/care.

Nate,

Do not think the creature orc/goblin/troll can be copyrighted as it is derived from older traditions and mythologies. If you invented a completely new specific group say the men of Rohan or specific person say Elrond that can be put under copyright. If that was the case D&D never could have used 1/2, maybe more, of their creatures for violation of Tolkien's works.

R
User avatar
paleotaur
Peasant
Posts: 65
Joined: Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:57 am
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana

Post by paleotaur »

No, Sir Vincent. You are missing my point.

Dr. Cogg's post heavily implied (speaking of "proving" that they are trolls and so on) that we all have to call them trolls because that is what Lego calls them. Whereas the whole point of this topic is to find out what we as individuals call them.

Now, had he said that he personally prefers to call them trolls because that is what Lego named them, I would have had no issue.
Post Reply