He is one of a handful of named orcs in Tolkien’s books. While serving as one of the chief villains
of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy, the real story of his life and death is quite different.
Today, on Nerd of the Rings, we cover the life of Azog.
Since we don’t know the typical lifespan of orcs,
we don’t know how old Azog was when he enters into the greater story of Middle-earth.
Should orcs be capable of living for hundreds of years, he could have been with the orcs
sent to Moria by Sauron in 2480, when the Dark Lord is making his reemergence in Dol Guldur.
Either way he lives in Moria for many years and grows to a position of power among the orcs.
He is described as a great orc-chieftan and would be known among his enemies for hundreds of years.
By 2790, the dwarves of Erebor have been exiled from their home for 20 years
and King Thror longs to recolonize the lost realm of Khazad-dum. He travels from the
dwarven settlement near Dunland to Moria, and as he arrives from the East, the gate is open.
Nár begged him to beware, but he took no heed of him, and walked proudly in
as an heir that returns. But he did not come back. Nár stayed near by for many days in hiding.
One day he heard a loud shout ... and a body was flung out on the steps.
Fearing that it was Thrór, he began to creep near ...
Then Nár came up, and found that it was indeed the body of Thrór, but the head was severed and
lay face downwards. As he knelt there, he heard orc-laughter in the shadows, and the voice said:
Then Nár turned the head and saw branded on the brow in Dwarf-runes so that he could read it
the name AZOG. That name was branded ... in the hearts of all the Dwarves
afterwards. Nár stooped to take the head, but the voice of Azog said:
A small bag struck him. It held a few coins of little worth.
Enraged by the death of their king, the dwarves muster an army - not just of Durin’s folk,
but we are told that each of the seven houses of the dwarves took part in the resulting War
of the Dwarves and Orcs. This nine-year war takes place primarily underground from Gundabad in the
north to Moria in the south. After nearly a decade of hunting Azog and seeking vengeance,
the dwarves come face to face with the orcs of Moria in the climactic Battle of Azanulbizar.
This battle is fought before the very East gates of Moria - where Thror’s body had been flung all
those years ago. In the battle Azog and his orcs face the royal line of Durin’s Folk.
King Thrain II and his son Thorin are present, as is Thrain’s cousin Nain and his son Dain.
Coming late and fresh to the field the mailed warriors of Náin, Grór's son, drove through the
Orcs to the very threshold of Moria, crying 'Azog! Azog!' as they hewed down with their mattocks all
who stood in their way. Then Náin stood before the Gate and cried with a great voice,
Thereupon Azog came forth, and
he was a great Orc with a huge ironclad head, and yet agile and strong. With him came many like him,
the fighters of the guard, and as they engaged Náin's company he turned to Náin and said:
With that he rushed at Náin and they fought.
But Náin was half blind with rage, and also very weary with battle, whereas Azog was fresh
and fell and full of guile. Soon Náin made a great stroke with all his strength that remained,
but Azog darted aside and kicked Náin's leg, so that the mattock splintered on the stone where
he had stood, but Náin stumbled forward. Then Azog with a swift swing hewed his neck. His
mail-collar withstood the edge, but so heavy was the blow that Náin's neck was broken and he fell.
Then Azog laughed, and he lifted up his head to let forth a great yell of triumph;
but the cry died in his throat. For he saw that all his host in the valley was in a rout,
and the Dwarves went this way and that slaying as they would,
and those that could escape from them were flying south, shrieking as they ran.
And hard by all the soldiers of his guard lay dead. He turned and fled back towards the Gate.
Up the steps after him leaped a Dwarf with a red axe. It was Dáin Ironfoot,
Náin's son. Right before the doors he caught Azog, and there he slew him, and hewed off his head.
Though being an incredibly young dwarf for battle at just 32 years old,
Dain slays the mighty orc-chieftain. The dwarves place Azog’s head on a stake, and shove into
it’s mouth the same coin-filled purse that he had thrown to Nar after killing their king.
Azog’s wretched line would live on in his son
Bolg. Though the war of the dwarves and orcs would greatly reduce their numbers,
Bolg would lead those who had followed his father for nearly 150 years. He would come to meet his
end in the Battle of Five Armies in 2941 in a battle fought once again by Thorin and Dain.
Now this is obviously vastly different than the version of Azog we got in The Hobbit trilogy.
There, he is referred to as the pale orc and nicknamed the Defiler. These are original to
the films, though I believe the Defiler title to certainly be one that fits his personality
in the books. Him being a pale orc is also an original design choice for the films,
we only really get the description of Azog having a huge ironclad head
and being both agile and strong in the appendices. Personally, while I appreciate the effort to have
a villain with a direct connection to Thorin for the films, I much prefer the version of
Azog who falls to Dain Ironfoot and ends up with his own coin-purse shoved into his severed head.
Which version of the Azog story do you prefer? And let me know in the comments if you’d like
to see more videos on characters changed or created for their cinematic adaptations.
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