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Middle-earth peoples
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the book, see The Peoples of Middle-earth, for the full list of peoples see List of Middle-earth peoples
Peoples of Middle-earth refers to the many different peoples or races in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional fantasy world of Middle-earth.
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The race of Dwarves preferred to live in mountains and caves. Among the places where they lived were Erebor the Lonely Mountain, the Iron Hills, the Blue Mountains, and Moria or Khazad-dûm in the Misty Mountains. Dwarves were created by Aulë the Smith. They mined and worked precious metals throughout the mountains of Middle-earth. The Dwarven language was created by Aulë, and was known as Khuzdul. The seven different groups of Dwarf-folk originated in the locations where the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves first awoke before the First Age.
The Eagles were immense flying birds that were sentient, and could speak. The Eagles fought alongside the army of the Valar, Elves and Edain during the War of Wrath at the end of the First Age. In the Third Age, Thorondor's descendants Gwaihir and Landroval lived in an eyrie to the east of the Misty Mountains in Wilderland.
The race of Elves were among the most ancient in Middle-earth. They were divided between the Wood-elves or East-elves who eventually settled in Mirkwood, and the West-elves or the Eldar or Noldor who settled in the lands west of Middle-earth. There were also the Sindar or Grey-elves. Many of the Noldor in Middle-earth lived in Lindon and Hollin. The Sindar lived in Lórien as well also in Lindon. Elves are described as the fairest and wisest of all creatures in Middle-earth, lovers of art (particularly songs). Elves have sharp senses, and many of them are excellent archers. They are immortal and do not age nor catch disease. However, they can be slain, or die of grief and/or weariness.
Ents were an ancient race of tree-like creatures, having become like the trees that they shepherd.
Often erroneously considered a different race, Hobbits were a subset of Middle-earth Men, shorter than them and characterized by curly hair on their heads and leathery feet, and go without wearing shoes. Many hobbits live in The Shire as well as Bree, and they once lived in the vales of the Anduin. They are fond of an unadventurous life of farming, eating, and socializing. There were three types of Hobbits: The Harfoots, the most numerous, were almost identical to the Hobbits as they are described in The Hobbit. The Stoors had an affinity for water, boats and swimming; the Fallohides were an adventurous people.
During the time of The Lord of the Rings, Men in Middle-earth were located in many locations, with the largest group of free men located in the countries of Gondor and Rohan. There were also free men at the village of Bree, at Esgaroth and Drúadan Forest. Men which served the evil powers of Sauron or Saruman included the men of Dunland, Rhûn, Harad and Umbar. Men bear the so-called Gift of Men, mortality. When the island of Númenor fell, only the Faithful escaped and founded the twin kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.
Tom Bombadil is an enigma; it is unknown to which of the peoples of Middle-earth he belongs. He is clearly sentient and humanoid, though. As to the nature of Bombadil, Tolkien himself said that some things should remain mysterious in any mythology, "especially if an explanation actually exists."
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Orcs were a race first bred by Morgoth, which mostly lived in mountain caves and disliked sunlight. Many of them lived in the Misty Mountains while others lived in Mordor. They are also called goblins. The Orcs were not created, since "evil cannot create, only corrupt" in Tolkien's philosophical perspective. One version of their origin, the most widely known (in part due to the Peter Jackson films), postulates that they were transformed Elves; however, Tolkien wrote other possible origins for them.
Trolls were created by Morgoth, disliked sunlight and were said to be "made in mockery of" the Ents. Some kinds of trolls turned to stone because of sunlight. Trolls dwelt in the Misty Mountains as well as in Mordor.
A race of great demonic wolves, many of which dwelt near Dunland. In Peter Jackson's films they are depicted as part of Saruman's army.
Not all Men were on the side of good; the Men who lived in the east and south were under Sauron's dominion. They included the Haradrim or Southrons and the Black Númenóreans (later Corsairs of Umbar) who pledged their allegiance to Mordor, and the many different Easterling peoples such as the Balchoth, Wainriders and the Men of Khand, who attacked Gondor and Rohan on numerous occasions.
In the First Age, some (but not all) Easterlings were also under Morgoth's dominion.