<P> The original edition of The Hobbit and early drafts of The Lord of the Rings first used goblin everywhere and used hobgoblin for larger, more evil goblins . Whilst investigating possible sources for the word "Hobbit" Tolkien realised he had made a mistake in using hob -, which is traditionally used to mean a smaller entity, not a larger one . </P> <P> In his later, post-The Lord of the Rings writings (including The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and many essays published in The Peoples of Middle - earth), Tolkien preferred the spelling Ork, evidently mainly to avoid the form Orcish, which would be naturally pronounced with the c as / s / instead of / k / in English . Tolkien indeed used the adjective Orkish . </P> <P> According to George MacDonald Fraser in The Light's on at Signpost, Tolkien answered a letter on this subject, confirming that Orcs and goblins were indeed identical . </P> <P> Orcs are described as ugly and filthy fanged humanoids . The largest can reach near - human height, but they are almost always shorter, and some are as small as Hobbits (since Frodo and Sam disguise themselves as such when they enter Mordor). In contrast, crossbreeds between Men and Orcs are called "man - high, but with goblin - faces ." However, some Orcs are very broad, if not tall . Many Orcs have long arms, like monkeys or apes . Many of them also have crooked backs and legs . </P>

What do orcs represent in lord of the rings