Posted: November 25, 1999 at 13:47:00: by Michael Martinez
: I'm starting to think that there might be a possible
: re-evaluation of the "hill-men" of Rhudaur, along the lines of
: the late redefinition of the Dunlandings as descendants of the
: House of Haleth. The distance between Bree and Rhudaur isn't
: that much so couldn't these hill-men have been kin to the
: Dunlandings (and Bree-folk)? In that light, as the Dundlandings
: turned to Sauron for protection against the Númenoreans who
: were devastating their lands (the enemy of my enemy is my
: ally), these indigenous hill-men might have sought the
: 'protection' of Angmar against the Dúnedain outlanders.
: What do you think?You are not the only person to suggest the Hill-folk may have been Gwathuirim, but I have my strong doubts. Morgoth's Easterlings didn't all seem to return to the east at the end of the First Age. There were non-Edainic peoples living in Eriador at that time and Tolkien doesn't seem to suggest they all left. For example, in THE WAR OF THE JEWELS, there is a footnote which says that the Folk of Bor had relatives living in Eriador who were the ancestors of the northernmost Men living in Eriador in later ages. These Men, not referred to anywhere else, lived north of Lake Evendim (I believe). Other Easterlings seem to have lived or settled eastward of their lands. As these Borians probably became absorbed into the population of Arnor (or, alternatively, became the Lossoth), I believe the Forodwaith were descended from the Easterlings who fled Beleriand (or at least some of them), and that the Men of Angmar and the Hill-folk of Rhudaur were probably derived from those peoples. : :This is perhaps why the Dunedain's population was so wiped out
: : when Fornost and Annuminas fell, because most all the
: : Dunedain of Arnor gathered near those cities, and when they
: : were sacked, most of the people died. : Good point. I had never thought about it that way. I'd always
: assumed that the Dúnedain of Cardolan had become the
: forefathers of the Rangers who centuries later recognized
: Aranarth (Arvedui's son) as their legitimate lord, i.e. their
: first official chieftain. Tolkien's description of the war indicates that many of the Dunedain fled through the Shire to Mithlond. He doesn't really say how many people perished, but I suspect that many smaller towns were destroyed at this time. Aranarth probably had enough Dunedain to rule a kingdom but not enough people to actually possess the full realm of Arnor (or even Arthedain). His story would be, I think, an interesting read. I'm sorry Tolkien seems never to have taken up the subject in detail.
------------------
Xenite.Org: Science Fiction and Fantasy
|
