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eastern parts of Middle-earth (the
black wolves of Rhûn and the jackals
of the Harad lands) and interbred
them with Wargs, hoping to
develop even more vicious breeds
of Wargs. The worst of these Warg
mongrels could not be tamed for riding;
these Battle-wargs (see page 95)
are sent ahead of the armies to rip
apart advance scouts or endure archer
fire, for they are bred to fight more
viciously when wounded, and will not
fall until maimed or killed.
One of the favourite pastimes
of those who live below Isengard
is wagering on Warg-fights. Some
Wargs are specially bred by the kennel
masters to rip each other apart,
and they are placed in pits so Orcs
can wager on the outcome. The cruelest
game, however, is ‘rip apart the
snaga,’ when a misbehaving snaga Orc
is blindfolded and placed in a pit
with only a dagger to defend himself
against two hungry Wargs. The snaga
rarely survives.
The worst practice of the Orcs
beneath Isengard and Methedras is
worship of the White Hand. When
they take prisoners (usually Rohirrim)
they cut off their hands, paint them
white, and place them on pointed
sticks. Then, when the moon (which
the Uruk-hai associate with Saruman)
shines directly over the sacrificial
pit, they display the severed hands
to the captives and burn them alive.
Food offerings and treasures are often
offered to the severed hands, which
are then taken with great ceremony to
the spawning tunnels and presented
to the breeding pit tenders, who use
them as one component of the vile
stew in which Uruks are quickened.
Even Saruman finds this practice
distasteful, but he allows it
because it venerates him and
encourages loyalty among his
Orcs. The Half-orcs and
Uruk-hai who serve him are
forbidden to participate in
these practices, for they
are expected to be loyal
to Saruman himself and
not to crude tribal representations
of him.
21
The History and Life of Isengard
Saruman rarely visits the underworks
of Isengard except to monitor
the production of weapons, and oversee
his cherished breeding programs.
He certainly never associates with
Orcs, which he regards as beneath
even the race of Men. The forges of
Isengard, however, Saruman views
with a special pride, and his servants
devote an extraordinary amount of
time and effort to ensure they are
properly maintained.
Above all else, Isengard in TA
3018 is a place of war. The Host
of Isengard constantly trains at
arms under the command of Móg,
Isengard’s General of Arms. Orcbands
continuously parade through
the tunnels between Isengard and
Methedras, developing battle skills
and endurance. The best Half-orcs
have been taught captains’ skills, and
pour over records of ancient battles to
learn strategy and tactics.
When Saruman addresses his
Orcs, he cultivates a hatred of the
Rohirrim, drawing on their ancient
loathing of Elves and Dwarves. He
also does his best to encourage rivalry
with the Mordor-orcs of the Lidless
Eye, whose soldiers (the Isengardorcs
constantly told) are far inferior
to those of the White Hand. This
prejudice, zealously encouraged by
Saruman, would later come back to
haunt the wizard.
Life beneath Isengard at the end
of the Third Age is as barbaric as in
any place in Middle-earth. Saruman
has come to consider himself as a
more enlightened version of Sauron,
but beneath Isengard one can find
the truth—the White Hand is but a
mockery of the Eye, and Isengard, far
from being the bastion of progress
its master envisioned, is (like the
Barad-dûr) a citadel of tyranny,
torture, and barbarism.
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