Have orcs always been the best shamans?

[cenkiss]

That friend of me have claimed that orcs were super shamans before burning legion.They were the best shamans in draenor.In fact they were the only shamans in draenor.There were no shamanism in Azeroth then.Then orcs came to azeroth,then Thrall came around and thought the other races about shamansim.Is he right?

[Wabbajack]

Tauren where shamans before the Orcs came to Azeroth, and the Wildhammer Dwarves didn't learn shamanism from Orcs^^

[handclaw]

No, he isn't...

Thrall only brought back shamanism to the orcish horde, but other races learnt of it by their own.

Tauren for example were shamans for a long time.

With the trolls, I'm not so sure, but I believe there were Troll shamans before the Orcs came...

Also, ogres have also shamans of their own and so far, nothing indicates that they learnt it from orcs.

edit: And as Wabbajack said: Wildhammer Dwarves ^^

[cenkiss]

And he also claimed that only orcs and taurens were able to talk to all kind of elements and they were the most powerful shamans.Other races were just minor races that could only talk one kind of element.And his only thing in it LOOK AT THRALL,he is awesome shaman,so orcs are the best shamans.

[Foppish]

No, he isn't...

Thrall only brought back shamanism to the orcish horde, but other races learnt of it by their own.

Tauren for example were shamans for a long time.

With the trolls, I'm not so sure, but I believe there were Troll shamans before the Orcs came...

Also, ogres have also shamans of their own and so far, nothing indicates that they learnt it from orcs.

edit: And as Wabbajack said: Wildhammer Dwarves ^^


Yeah, what Handclaw said.

Orcs just seem to be "the best" Shamans I'd say since so much of the story and lore is focused on Orcs while the other races kinda get ignored.

In regards to Trolls, the Horde players Guide (I know, the RPG books lore is somewhat suspect) claims that actual Shamanism like the Tauren and Orcs practice is relatively new among the Darkspear (p.87 of Horde Players guide). Basically when Thrall saved the Darkspear, he earned their respect and his strength and spirituality intrigued them, and his teachings had some merit.

So actual Shaman as we know them are pretty new among the Darkspear, but some aspects of Shamanism, like totems, calling on spirits, elements, animal spirits could be considered superficially similar to the practices of Voodoo Priests among the Darkspear and other Troll tribes (creating fetishes, calling upon spirits/Loa etc).

In the end (I know I'm just kind of repeating myself) Shamanism wasn't widespread, if practiced at all, among the Darkspear until the joined the Horde and the influence of Thrall/Orcs and the Tauren. As for other Troll tribes, I imagine Voodoo took precedence.

I could potentially see Trolls that live in more extreme environmental conditions like the Sandfury and Drakkari calling on elementals, but they were still probably considered manifestations of the Loa's power.

sorry for going off on a tangent on Trolls and Shamanism.

[Timolas]

And he also claimed that only orcs and taurens were able to talk to all kind of elements and they were the most powerful shamans.Other races were just minor races that could only talk one kind of element.And his only thing in it LOOK AT THRALL,he is awesome shaman,so orcs are the best shamans.

At least as far as talking to the elements is concerned, that is most definately not limited to orcs. Just look at any shaman's class quests.

I don't think there's anything racial that makes orcs better than other races at shamanism. It just happens to be a defining feature of the New Horde, which they are the heart of.

[Gurtogg_Bloodboil]

So actual Shaman as we know them are pretty new among the Darkspear, but some aspects of Shamanism, like totems, calling on spirits, elements, animal spirits could be considered superficially similar to the practices of Voodoo Priests among the Darkspear and other Troll tribes (creating fetishes, calling upon spirits/Loa etc).

The existence of Shamanism amongst other Troll tribes, however, do suggest that some Trolls did know and practice Shamanism before Thrall, because he certainly didn’t teach the Drakkari (http://thottbot.com/c31345) or Bloodscalp (http://thottbot.com/c697).

[Saim]

As far as I understand it, Witch Doctors used shamanistic powers but unlike 'true' shamans also used arcane magic. That's why we have troll magi as well. The way I thought of it was that troll magi, shamans and priests were all just witch doctors.