Why is Azog Called the Desecrator?

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UPDATE: Dec 14, 2012 — Now that I have seen the movie I can say that they use the title of “Azog the Defiler” not “Azog the Desecrator”. Nonetheless, the question came to me as “Azog the Desecrator” and that was the form I found in use on other Websites at the time I wrote this article.

Q: Why is Azog Called the Desecrator?

ANSWER: J.R.R. Tolkien never called Azog anything other than “Azog”. For that matter, he never associated Azog with Dol Guldur or Sauron (the Necromancer). Nor did Tolkien associate Bolg (son of Azog) with Dol Guldur or Sauron.

Warner Bros. has apparently commissioned some creative product development which introduces a whole new line of characters and “fleshes out” the histories of Bolg and Azog.

Readers/movie-goers should be careful not to confuse whatever the movies and marketers make up for action figures and games with what J.R.R. Tolkien made up for his stories.

If you don’t mind reading possible spoilage for what promises to be Peter Jackson’s most inventive re-invention of Middle-earth yet, you might want to check out this article from The Heirs of Durin, who translated a lot of product copy from Deutsch back in August.

And, for the record, I had nothing to do with these movies. I do hope to enjoy them very much, however.

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One comment

  1. Actually this doen’t sound too bad given the presumably desperate search for character differentiation…

    http://thorinoakenshield.net/2012/08/20/possible-hobbit-movie-spoilers-in-german/

    …except for Tauriel the dagger-wielding Elf-warrioress! And splitting up the brethren Bifur, Bofur and Bombur, that hurts. Can’t they tell a simple list aright?

    10. Nyi and Nithi, Northri and Suthri,
    Austri and Vestri, Althjof, Dvalin,
    Nar and Nain, Niping, Dain,
    Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Nori,
    An and Onar, Ai, Mjothvitnir.

    11. Vigg and Gandalf, Vindalf, Thrain,
    Thekk and Thorin, Thror, Vit and Lit,
    Nyr and Nyrath,- now have I told-
    [sorry I forgot a couple] Regin and Rathsvith- the list aright.

    – Voluspa (trans. Henry Adams Bellows)

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