The Lord of the Rings was full of fantasy peoples, from Elves and Hobbits to Dwarves and Ents, but there were many parts of the story dedicated to the various civilizations of Men. Men reigned in Gondor and Rohan in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies, but fantasy luminary J.R.R. Tolkien also described their ancestors and the different realms they inhabited, as well as many more human tribes and realms. Peter Jackson’s second Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit, explored the Men of Dale, who formed their own group of Men in Tolkien’s world.
Among the numerous types of Men in Tolkien’s Middle-earth were heroes and villains, some corrupted by Sauron and others merely corrupted by greed and pride. Aragorn was the primary hero of the realm of Men in The Lord of the Rings movies, with Éowyn a close second, but Faramir and Théoden shone just as brightly in the book. With Peter Jackson’s movies based on Tolkien’s seminal The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit novels, a small part of Tolkien’s lore on Men did surface onto cinema screens, but there is much more to unearth.
15 Edain
Men Of The First Age
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The Edain were among the first Men on Middle-earth. Men first awoke in Hildórien and Morgoth managed to seduce and enslave some of them. However, those who resisted Morgoth were the Edain, and they were eventually split into three tribes. The Edain were the forefathers of the Númenóreans, the Dúnedain, the Gondorians, and the Northmen, among other groups.
Edain is the plural of ”
adan,
” which is Sindarin (Elvish) for ”
man.
“
The House of Bëor most resembled the Noldor Elves with their dark hair, and they were encountered by the Elf Finrod Felagund, who imparted a lot of wisdom to them. The House of Haleth included female Amazon-like warriors. The House of Hador most resembled the Vanyar Elves with their blonde hair. All Edain were considered noble races.
14 Númenóreans
Men Of Númenor
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Númenóreans lived on an island that the 15 Valar raised near their continent of Aman after the War of Wrath ended the First Age. This island was given in reward to the Edain for fighting Morgoth. The Valar also gave the Edain “wisdom and power and life more enduring than any others of mortal race have possessed.“
These Edain settled the island and, with their blessings from the Valar, formed one of the greatest civilizations in Middle-earth’s history. The island was called Númenor, also known as Westernesse. Númenóreans lived in prosperity for a long time but grew jealous of the immortality of the Elves, which Sauron eventually exploited to bring about the fall of Númenor.
13 Dúnedain
Descendants Of Númenóreans
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The Dúnedain were the last remnants of Númenórean society in Middle-earth. Númenóreans were keen mariners and many sailed to Middle-earth, forming settlements like Umbar and Pelargir. After Sauron tricked Ar-Pharazôn into triggering the destruction of Númenor by the One creator, Eru Ilúvatar, the island’s survivors fled to Middle-earth.
Númenórean survivor Elendil and his sons, Isildur and Anárion, formed the Realms in Exile on Middle-earth – Gondor and Arnor. Their descendants, along with those Númenóreans who had peopled Middle-earth before Númenor’s destruction, became known as the Dúnedain. Their numbers dwindled over the years, with some becoming Rangers and some remaining in Gondor.
12 Gondorians
Men Of Gondor
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When Isildur founded Gondor, the realm prospered and remained one of Middle-earth’s most powerful sites even up until the end of the Third Age and beyond. The Númenórean settlers were friendly with certain other local Men. Many of these Men were descended from the Edain, like the Númenóreans, but had never migrated west to Númenor.
|
Tolkienian Age |
Event Marking The Start |
Years |
Total Length In Solar Years |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Before time |
Indeterminate |
Indeterminate |
Indeterminate |
|
Days before Days |
The Ainur entered Eä |
1 – 3,500 Valian Years |
33,537 |
|
Pre-First Age Years of the Trees (Y.T.) |
Yavanna created the Two Trees |
Y.T. 1 – 1050 |
10,061 |
|
First Age (F.A.) |
Elves awoke in Cuiviénen |
Y.T. 1050 – Y.T. 1500, F.A. 1 – 590 |
4,902 |
|
Second Age (S.A.) |
The War of Wrath ended |
S.A. 1 – 3441 |
3,441 |
|
Third Age (T.A.) |
The Last Alliance defeated Sauron |
T.A. 1 – 3021 |
3,021 |
Númenóreans referred to these friendly folk as Middle Men – neither Men of Darkness nor Númenórean nobles. The realm of Gondor grew, absorbing these different peoples and cultures. Gradually, Númenórean descent dwindled, and the lifespans of Gondorians were gradually reduced.
11 Northmen
The Free Men Of The North
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The Northmen were one tribe of Men that was friendly to Gondor during its expansion. Northmen were historically a huge confederation of powerful groups but were considered a united people. They splintered into different groups over time. For the most part, Northmen inhabited Rhovanion, which Rings of Power watchers may recognize as the Harfoots’ territory.
The Men of Dale and Lake-town were Third Age Northmen, along with the Woodmen of Mirkwood.
Númenórean settlers counted Northmen as Middle Men, considering them descended from the Edain. The Northmen hadn’t crossed the Blue Mountains into Beleriand and hadn’t fought Morgoth, so had significantly shorter lifespans than the Dúnedain. The Men of Dale and Lake-town were Third Age Northmen, along with the Woodmen of Mirkwood.
10 Rohirrim
The Horse-Lords Of Rohan
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The Rohirrim were also known as the Eorlingas, after King Eorl, or the Horse-lords of Rohan. They were descended from the Éothéod, which was a group of Northmen. The Rohirrim were Gondor’s allies and the union of Gondor and Rohan ensured the victory of the War of the Ring.
Set in Rohan,
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
will be released on December 13, 2024.
Famous Rohirrim include Théoden and Éowyn, who was a character of primary importance in both The Lord of the Rings book and the movies. Théoden was an even greater hero in the book, proving Rohan’s worth. Tolkien based Rohan on Anglo-Saxon culture – out of all of Middle-earth in The Lord of the Rings novel, Rohan represented humanity the most.
9 Dunlendings
Wild Men Of Dunland
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The Dunlendings were at war with the Rohirrim throughout history. They will appear fighting the Rohirrim in The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim movie and they also appeared as Saruman’s allies in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. The upcoming anime movie and Peter Jackson’s iconic saga both adapt the Wild Men of Dunland, a ferocious race descended from the Edain.
Descended from the isolated House of Haleth, the Dunlendings developed a different language and culture from other Edain and Northmen. As such, some Númenórean colonizers didn’t recognize them as Middle Men. They treated the Dunlendings with hostility, devastating their forests for timber. A chequered history ensued between the Dunlendings and the Gondorian Men and their allies.
8 Easterlings
Folk Of The East
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Easterlings was a general term used to describe folk of the East in The Lord of the Rings. Some of the earliest Easterlings described in Tolkien’s lore, Bór and Ulfang, were allied with Morgoth. Bór and Ulfang and their followers can be counted among those that Morgoth managed to corrupt to his service after finding Men awakened in the eastern Hildórien.
Sauron continued Morgoth’s work after Morgoth was thrown into the void, dominating many eastern folk. At some point during the Second Age of Middle-earth, Sauron forged Rings of Power made to control their wearers. Sauron gave nine rings to Men who became powerful Lords, and one of these was Khamûl the Easterling. Of course, he became a Ringwraith eventually.
7 Haradrim
Southrons
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Haradrim were also known as Southrons and were one of the races that fell under Sauron’s sway. Samwise Gamgee and Frodo Baggins looked on in awe as they spied the Haradrim passing their hiding place. They noted Tolkien’s epic oliphaunts, who the Haradrim rode into battle. The Haradrim were the Men of Harad, who had originally woken up in Hildórien like the Edain but hadn’t fought Morgoth in the wars of Beleriand.
Morgoth seduced many Haradrim to his allegiance. Many powerful Númenórean settlers treated the Haradrim as well as they treated the Dunlendings, with The Peoples of Middle-earth even stating that they sold them into slavery. This helped Sauron turn the Haradrim further against Gondor and their allies, the Elves.
6 Corsairs of Umbar
Men Of Umbar
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The Corsairs of Umbar were Men of the coastal settlement of Umbar, which had a complex history. Located on the coast just south of Gondor, Umbar was perhaps originally founded by the Númenórean Aldarion in the Second Age and remained a Númenórean colony for a while.
Many Black Númenóreans came to live in Umbar – these Númenóreans were from a political group that opposed Elendil. Called the King’s Men, this group continued to oppose Elendil’s leadership in Gondor and Arnor. This formed the foundation of much war to come. The Corsairs of Umbar fought on Sauron’s side in the War of the Ring.
5 Variags
Men Of Khand
Variags were the Men of Khand, a southeastern realm of Middle-earth. Khand was even further south than Mordor and even further east than Near Harad, making it one of Tolkien’s most mysterious realms. Khand was allied with Mordor, and Variags fought for Sauron in the War of the Ring.
The Lord of the Rings dispensed little detail on Khand society or why they had allied with Sauron, and whether this was down to fear or some kind of genuine belief in his world order. There was a chance that Sauron had plied one or some of them with one of his Rings of Power. The Easterlings formed an alliance with Khand for a time.
4 Lossoth
Forodwaith
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The Lossoth were descended from the Forodwaith. The Forodwaith were noted by Tolkien as being one of the lesser-known peoples in Eldar lore. They lived far to the north in icy wastelands. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power depicted this realm, showing Galadriel discovering a snowy outpost of Sauron’s ferreted away in Forodwaith, named for its ancient people.
Forodwaith was located close to Morgoth’s ancient stronghold of Angband, which may be why Rings of Power chose to invent a dark outpost of Sauron’s there. By the Third Age, the Forodwaith had diminished and only the Lossoth remained. The Lossoth lived mostly on the Cape of Forochel.
3 Drúedain
Woses
The Woses, or Drúedain, were a hardy race of wild Men whose ancestors were the Edain. The Drúedain had started the Edain’s migration west from Hildórien but became sundered in culture. The Drúedain had a primitive society and a distinctive appearance, at one point carving the Púkel-men noted in The Lord of the Rings.
These enigmatic stone statues were one of the few signs of the Woses available to the wider civilizations of Elves and Men, as the Drúedain kept themselves to themselves. They spoke their own language, Drúedan, which was very different from other languages of Men. Tolkien also noted that the average height of a Drúedan was four feet and that they resembled Dwarves in a few other ways.
2 Pre-Númenóreans
Men Of The Mountains, Bree-Landers, And Enedwaith
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Pre-Númenóreans was the term used by Tolkien to describe the peoples who had remained in Middle-earth when the Edain left for Númenor. Although most Edain left for Númenor, some remained, and there were many Men who were not of the Edain still in Middle-earth. Not all the Men who had not chosen to fight Morgoth, Edain or not, fell into darkness.
The Men of the Mountains were considered to be Pre-Númenóreans, and it was these who became the ghosts of Dunharrow. These Dead Men of Dunharrow eventually helped Aragorn fight in the War of the Ring, despite earlier treachery. The people of Enedwaith were Pre-Númenóreans, and Bree-landers also descended from Pre-Númenóreans.
1 Hillmen
Men Of Rhudaur
The Hillmen of Tolkien’s world inhabited Arnor. Rhudaur was a Second Age colony in the Realms of Exile, once a part of Arnor, and it was overtaken by Hillmen in the Third Age. These men were described in the appendices to The Lord of the Rings. The vicious Hillmen were described as being in league with Angmar, which was the realm of the Witch-king of Angmar.
The Witch-king was the leader of Sauron’s Ringwraiths, so these Hillmen were on Sauron’s side, by default. These Hillmen killed the King of Arthedain and the Dúnedain of Rhudaur, also invading Cardolan. Having dominated all of Arnor’s subdivisions, Hillmen reigned for many years before Elvish troops defeated them in The Lord of the Rings.
The Lord of the Rings 15
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The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
Movie(s) The Lord of the Rings (1978) , The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring , The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers , The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King , The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey , The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug , The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies , The Lord of The Rings: The War of The Rohirrim Created by J.R.R. Tolkien First Film The Lord of the Rings (1978) Cast Norman Bird , Anthony Daniels , Elijah Wood , Ian McKellen , Liv Tyler , Viggo Mortensen , Sean Astin , Cate Blanchett , John Rhys-Davies , Billy Boyd , Dominic Monaghan , Orlando Bloom , Christopher Lee , Hugo Weaving , Sean Bean , Ian Holm , Andy Serkis , Brad Dourif , Karl Urban , Martin Freeman , Richard Armitage , James Nesbitt , Ken Stott , Benedict Cumberbatch , Evangeline Lilly , Lee Pace , Luke Evans , Morfydd Clark , Mike Wood , Ismael Cruz Cordova , Charlie Vickers , Markella Kavenagh , Megan Richards , Sara Zwangobani , Daniel Weyman , Cynthia Addai-Robinson , Lenny Henry , Brian Cox , Shaun Dooley , Miranda Otto , Bilal Hasna , Benjamin Wainwright , Luke Pasqualino , Christopher Guard , William Squire , Michael Scholes , John Hurt TV Show(s) The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Character(s) Frodo Baggins , Gandalf , Legolas , Boromir , Sauron , Gollum , Samwise Gamgee , Pippin Took , Celeborn , Aragorn , Galadriel , Bilbo Baggins , Saruman , Aldor , Wormtongue , Thorin Oakenshield , Balin Dwalin , Bifur , Bofur , Bombur , Fili , Kili , Oin , Gloin , Nori , Dori , Ori , Tauriel , King Thranduil , Smaug , Radagast , Arondir , Nori Brandyfoot , Poppy Proudfellow , Marigold Brandyfoot , Queen Regent Míriel , Sadoc Burrows Video Game(s) The Lord of the Rings Online , Middle-Earth: Shadow of War , The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum , The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria Expand