Orc (slang) explained

Orc (Cyrillic: орк, romanised: ork), plural orcs (Russian and Ukrainian: орки), is a pejorative commonly used by many Ukrainians^[1] to refer to a Russian soldier^{[2] [3]} participating in the Russian-Ukrainian War and Russian citizens who support the aggression of Russia against Ukraine. The pejorative serves to symbolize inhuman wickedness and brutality of the invaders. It comes from the name of orc, the fictional humanoid monsters from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings.^[4]

Usage

Comparisons of Vladimir Putin's Russian regime and its security services to the evil necromancer Sauron, his domain of Mordor, and orcs were made at least as early as 2009 by a Russian-American blogger and 2012 by Russian journalist Leonid Bershidsky.

Since the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014, Ukrainians have used the term to as a pejorative for Russian forces.^[5] During the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Ukrainians began to massively use the term "orcs" in relation to Russian military personnel and their war crimes.^[6] Al Jazeera English and Politico included the term as an example of the "new language of war in Ukraine".^{[7] [8]}

The term is used by Ukrainian senior officials, the military and the media.^{[9] [10]} For example, in early March 2022, in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol, demonstrators protested against "orc looting". On April 8, the chairman of the Sumy Regional State Administration, Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, announced that his region was now "free of orcs". The Mayor of Makariv followed him the next day, he stated that the bodies of 132 civilians were found and that they were "killed by Russian orcs".^[11]

Analysis

Calling Russian soldiers "orcs" has been described as an example of dehumanization.^{[12] [13] [14] [15] [16]}

The Spectator compared the "brutality and chaos" of the Russian troops to Tolkien's orcs and noted that the use of this term may not be just an accidental insult, but the result of drawing an analogy between the Middle-earth conflict and the real world.^[17]

See also

• The Great War and Middle-earth
• The Last Ringbearer
• Moskal
• Stereotypes of Russians
• Vatnik (slang)

Further reading

• Book: Borenstein, Eliot . Soviet self-hatred: the secret identities of postsocialism in contemporary Russia . 2023 . Cornell University Press . 978-1-5017-6987-0 . Ithaca London . Russian Orc: The Evil Empire Strikes Back.

External links

• Anthem of Doomed ("Let's Go Orcs!")—An anti-war song and video about Russian invasion of Ukraine by Nogu Svelo! and Oleg Kuvaev

Notes and References

1. Web site: Что такое Украина? Репортаж писателя Джонатана Литтелла. Он съездил в Бучу и другие города под Киевом — и своими глазами увидел последствия российской оккупации . 2023-06-21 . Meduza . ru.
2. Web site: In 'Ukrainian military Oscars,' Ukraine promotes army and mocks Russia . 2023-06-21 . The Jerusalem Post JPost.com . en-US.
3. Web site: 2022-03-21 . Life Under Russian Occupation: Hunger, Fear and Abductions . 2023-06-21 . VOA . en.
4. Web site: 2022-04-22 . Ukrainian man tracks 'looted' AirPods to follow Russian troops . 2023-06-21 . euronews . en.
5. Web site: 2019-09-30 . Orknash: Supporting the Home Team (Russia's Alien Nations) . 2023-06-21 . NYU Jordan Center . en-US.
6. Web site: Cohen . Eliot A. . 2022-10-22 . The Words About Ukraine That Americans Need to Hear . 2023-06-21 . The Atlantic . en.
7. Web site: Mirovalev . Mansur . ‘Orcs’ and ‘Rashists’: Ukraine’s new language of war . 2023-06-21 . www.aljazeera.com . en.
8. Web site: 2022-06-21 . The Rashists from Mordor vs. the Tractor Troops: Ukraine’s new language of war . 2023-06-21 . POLITICO . en.
9. Web site: Macias . Holly Ellyatt,Amanda . Zelenskyy speaks to Macron as fears over nuclear plant mount; explosions hit Russian ammo depot in Crimea . 2023-06-21 . CNBC . en.
10. Web site: Burdeau . Cain . 26 April 2022 . Russia warns of World War III, West boosts arms to Ukraine . 21 June 2023 . Courthouse News Service.
11. News: 2022-04-23 . Ukrainian and Russian Tolkien fans battle over the legacy of 'The Lord of the Rings' . en . Le Monde.fr . 2023-06-21.
12. News: 2022-09-26 . While the war in Ukraine rages these three issues must be addressed now . en-AU . ABC News . 2023-06-21.
13. Web site: Мобики . 2023-06-21 . Meduza . ru.
14. Web site: Не можете больше видеть все эти ужасные новости? Или, наоборот, не можете перестать читать? Инструкция "Медузы" — как сохранить себя . 2023-06-21 . Meduza . ru.
15. Web site: Многие украинские журналисты после 24 февраля говорят, что участвуют в "информационной войне", помогая своей стране победить Россию. Как это изменило их профессию? . 2023-06-21 . Meduza . ru.
16. Web site: 2022-10-29 . ‘I will not call Russians rushists or orcs – that’s dehumanising’ – interview . 2023-06-21 . lrt.lt . en.
17. Web site: MacLachlan . Christopher . 2022-04-10 . Why are Ukrainians calling Russian invaders 'orcs'? . 2023-06-21 . The Spectator . en-US.