Umberto Eco's Orcs
Continuing with a mini series of posts, I guess (first one here ) rethinking classic baddies in a way that makes them more interesting than might be assumed. Title is a reference to this essay . [Edit: I actually wrote this post before seeing this related video , but a friend since recommended it to me, and I pass that recommendation on here.] 🕷 Orcs, now... everybody knows about orcs. They're the bogies used to scare children, they're the ones as get blamed or cursed when a sheep goes missing. They're the evil race, as everyone knows, eh? Well, you think you know about orcs. But let me tell you, child, what you think you know isn't half the truth. The evil race... hah! Orcs aren't a race, and they aren't a kindred either - don't you get smart with me, kid! It's understandable folks would make the mistake - reasonable folks don't have a word for what they are. But pull up a seat and I'll tell you. The secret is, orcs aren't born evil, and th...