Lurtz

From Tolkien Gateway
"Lurtz" is a concept which has only appeared in an adaptation of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Lurtz
Orc
The Lord of the Rings (film series) - Lurtz the orc.jpg
"Lurtz" in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Biographical Information
LocationIsengard, banks of Anduin, Amon Hen
AffiliationWhite Hand
Isengard faction
LanguageWestron
BirthT.A. 3019
Isengard
Death26 February T.A. 3019
Amon Hen
Notable forKilling Boromir
Physical Description
GenderMale
HeightTall
Hair colorBlack
WeaponrySword and bow
GalleryImages of Lurtz

Lurtz was the first of the Uruk-hai bred by Saruman. Lurtz was invented by Warner Bros. for The Lord of the Rings film series, where he was portrayed by Lawrence Makoare.

History[edit | edit source]

Lurtz was the first of Saruman's Uruk-hai to be bred, and led them into battle against the Fellowship of the Ring at Amon Hen. Lurtz also appeared to be the largest Uruk-hai, and his strength is highlighted when he strangles an Orc immediately after being spawned. In the book, Boromir is slain by an unnamed orc or orcs; he is described as having been "pierced by many arrows". In the film he is killed by Lurtz, who shot him three times. Before he could shoot a fourth arrow into Boromir, Aragorn intervened and a duel ensued. While Lurtz seemed to have the upper hand in the beginning due to his brute strength, he fell utterly short when it came to swordfighting; Aragorn quickly severed his opponent's sword arm and delivered a fatal thrust to the stomach. Lurtz tried to taunt Aragorn one last time, but was shortly after decapitated.

After his death, leadership of the troop of Uruk-hai passed to Uglúk, as was always the case in the books.

Etymology[edit | edit source]

The name "Lurtz" may have been derived by Peter Jackson and his co-writers from the style of Tolkien's Orkish language, specifically the name Lugbúrz.

Lurtz's name is never spoken aloud in the film, and is only known from the franchise and credits.

Other versions[edit | edit source]

In video games, Lurtz has been voiced by Isaac C. Singleton Jr..

Lurtz is one of the playable heroes of the Isengard Faction in EA's The Battle for Middle-earth Anthology.

References


The Lord of the Rings film series
Source material: The Hobbit · The Lord of the Rings
Films The Fellowship of the Ring (extended editionThe Two Towers (extended edition) · The Return of the King (extended edition)
Music The Fellowship of the Ring (The Complete Recordings) · The Two Towers (The Complete Recordings) · The Return of the King (The Complete Recordings) · "May It Be" · "Gollum's Song" · "Into the West"
Tie-in books Official Movie Guide · The Making of the Movie Trilogy · Complete Visual Companion · Gollum: How We Made Movie Magic · There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale · Weapons and Warfare · The Art of The Lord of the Rings · Sketchbook
The Fellowship of the Ring Visual Companion · The Art of The Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers Visual Companion · Photo Guide · The Art of The Two Towers
The Return of the King Visual Companion · The Art of The Return of the King
Video games The Two Towers · The Return of the King · The Third Age · Tactics · Conquest · Aragorn's Quest · Lego The Lord of the Rings
Characters Frodo · Bilbo · Gandalf · Sam · Merry · Pippin · Gandalf · Aragorn · Boromir · Legolas · Gimli · Elrond · Galadriel · Théoden · Éomer · Éowyn · Saruman · Sauron · Witch-king · Denethor · Faramir · Gollum · Gríma · Treebeard · Celeborn · Haldir · Lurtz · Sharku · Grishnákh