Пальці руки Морґота

В Мордорі. Іллюстрація Джона Хоу (John Howe)

Два місяці тому писав про назґулів як дев'ять пальців руки Саурона, а сьогодні знайшов підтвердження тому, що у Толкіна була метафора, що ототожнювала виконавців із "пальцями руки".

Щоправда Толкін пише не про назґулів, а про орків. У "Кільці Морґота", десятому томі "Історії Середзем'я", розділ із різними нотатками, де Толкін роздумує про походження орків. І там є ось такий фрагмент:

"Але ще до того, як запідозрили злодіяння Морґота, Мудрі в Стародавні часи завжди вчили, що орки не були «створені» Мелькором, а отже, не були злими за своїм походженням. Вони могли стати непрощенними (принаймні для ельфів і людей), але вони залишалися в межах Закону. Це означає, що, хоча з необхідності, оскільки вони є **пальцями руки Морґота**, з ними треба боротися з усією суворістю, з ними не можна поводитися за їх власними законами жорстокості та підступності".

Приємно знаходити підтвердження своїм здогадкам :)

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Цитата з Reddit:

In addition, [Tolkien] says this in his essay entitled Orcs, included in Morgoth's Ring:

But even before this wickedness of Morgoth was suspected the Wise in the Elder Days taught always that the Orcs were not 'made' by Melkor, and therefore were not in their origin evil. They might have become irredeemable (at least by Elves and Men), but they remained within the Law. That is, that though of necessity, being the fingers of the hand of Morgoth, they must be fought with the utmost severity, they must not be dealt with in their own terms of cruelty and treachery. Captives must not be tormented, not even to discover information for the defence of the homes of Elves and Men. If any Orcs surrendered and asked for mercy, they must be granted it, even at a cost.† This was the teaching of the Wise, though in the horror of the War it was not always heeded.

(† [footnote to the text] Few Orcs ever did so in the Elder Days, and at no time would any Orc treat with any Elf. For one thing Morgoth had achieved was to convince the Orcs beyond refutation that the Elves were crueller than themselves, taking captives only for 'amusement', or to eat them (as the Orcs would do at need).)

It is true, of course, that Morgoth held the Orcs in dire thraldom; for in their corruption they had lost almost all possibility of resisting the domination of his will. So great indeed did its pressure upon them become ere Angband fell that, if he turned his thought towards them, they were conscious of his 'eye' wherever they might be; and when Morgoth was at last removed from Arda the Orcs that survived in the West were scattered, leaderless and almost witless, and were for a long time without control or purpose.