Thread:Sppople/@comment-31330278-20200217214039/@comment-4851935-20200221211500

1. I never saw Frodo and Sam as holocaust survivors, more like friends making it through the horrors of war and overcoming the seemingly unstoppable horrors (Sauron). The dead marshes were based off of dead bodies in the trenches of WW1. Gandalf, Morgoth and Eru Illuvatar were all based on religious figures - Jesus, Satan and God respectively. Azog wasn't in the books much. His role in the films was expanded by Peter Jackson. Therefore it's likely Tolkien wasn't using him to symbolize anything, just another monster.

2. Smaug represented the Western concept of Dragons in mythology, such as Christianity. He is portrayed as a destructive, winged, snake like, fire breathing animal with a greedy lust for gold and who guard treasure and must be slain. Very different to Asian and Chinese mythological concepts of dragons, where dragons are portrayed as wise gods that give wisdom and fortune and are to be worshipped, not slain. You could loosely compare his fiery breath to the cannon fire of WWI. Similar to how Sauron and his forces represent the unmatchable odds and terrors you face in war, as well as the evil and corruption in the world.

3. I don't believe Azog was that much stronger than the average Uruk-Hai, if at all. He was only the strongest Orc for his time, 60 years before the Uruk-Hai were bred. I believe Aragorn could have killed Azog in a duel - albeit a difficult one. Saruman definitely believed he could surpass Azog, and all orcs in general, with the Uruk-Hai, which he called the orcs "perfected". The Uruk-Hai even looked down on regular Orcs, as "maggots". I'm sure Azog could kill a Uruk-Hai, due to his strength and skills, but he wasn't too much better than them, and all other Orcs certainly weren't at all.