The Lord of the Ringswas 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 inPeter Jackson’sLord of the Ringsmovies,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 secondLord of the Ringstrilogy,The Hobbit,explored the Men of Dale, who formed their own group of Men in Tolkien’s world.
Among the numerous types of Men inTolkien’s Middle-earthwere 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 inThe Lord of the Ringsmovies, 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 seminalThe Lord of the RingsandThe Hobbitnovels, a small part of Tolkien’s lore on Men did surface onto cinema screens, but there is much more to unearth.
15Edain
Men Of The First Age
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 bythe 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. AllEdain were considered nobleraces.
14Númenóreans
Men Of Númenor
Númenóreans lived on an island thatthe 15 Valarraised 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 powerand 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 prosperityfor a long time but grew jealous of the immortality of the Elves, which Sauron eventually exploited to bring aboutthe fall of Númenor.
13Dúnedain
Descendants Of Númenóreans
The Dúnedain were the last remnants of Númenórean society in Middle-earth.Númenóreans were keen marinersand 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.
12Gondorians
Men Of Gondor
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 friendlywith certain other local Men. Many of these Men were descended from the Edain, like the Númenóreans, but had never migrated west to Númenor.
Before time
33,537
10,061
Elves awoke in Cuiviénen
4,902
3,441
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.
11Northmen
The Free Men Of The North
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, whichRings of Powerwatchers 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. TheNorthmen hadn’t crossed the Blue Mountains into Beleriandand 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.
10Rohirrim
The Horse-Lords Of Rohan
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 alliesand 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 Rohirrimwill be released on July 12, 2025.
Famous Rohirrim include Théoden and Éowyn, who was a character of primary importance in bothThe Lord of the Ringsbook 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 inThe Lord of the Ringsnovel, Rohan represented humanity the most.
9Dunlendings
Wild Men Of Dunland
The Dunlendings were at war with the Rohirrim throughout history. They will appear fighting the Rohirrim inThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimmovie and they also appeared as Saruman’s allies inThe 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, theDunlendings developed a different languageand 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.
8Easterlings
Folk Of The East
Easterlings was a general term used to describe folk of the East inThe 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 corruptto 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 duringthe Second Age of Middle-earth, Sauron forged Rings of Power made to control their wearers.Sauron gave nine rings to Menwho became powerful Lords, and one of these was Khamûl the Easterling. Of course, he became a Ringwraith eventually.
7Haradrim
Southrons
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 Haradrimpassing 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 powerfulNúmenórean settlers treated the Haradrim as well as they treated the Dunlendings, withThe Peoples of Middle-eartheven stating that they sold them into slavery. This helped Sauron turn the Haradrim further against Gondor and their allies, the Elves.
6Corsairs of Umbar
Men Of Umbar
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 Aldarionin 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.
