InJ. R. R. Tolkien'sMiddle-earth fiction,Man andMen denotehumans, whether male or female, in contrast toElves,Dwarves,Orcs, andother humanoid races.[1] Men are described as the second or younger people, created after the Elves, and differing from them in being mortal. Along withEnts and Dwarves, these are the "free peoples" of Middle-earth, differing from the enslaved peoples such asOrcs.
Tolkien uses the Men of Middle-earth, interacting with immortal Elves, to explore a variety ofthemes inThe Lord of the Rings, especially death and immortality. This appears throughout, but is the central theme of an appendix, "The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen". Where theHobbits stand for simple, earthbound, comfort-loving people, Men are far more varied, from petty villains and slow-witted publicans to the gentle warriorFaramir and the genuinely heroicAragorn; Tolkien had wanted to create aheroic romance suitable for the modern age. Scholars have identified real-world analogues for each of the varied races of Men, whether frommedieval times orclassical antiquity.
The weakness of Men,The Lord of the Rings asserts, is the desire for power; theOne Ring promises enormous power, butis both evil and addictive. Tolkien uses Aragorn and the warriorBoromir, the two Men inthe Fellowship that was created to destroy the Ring, to show opposite reactions to that temptation. It becomes clear that, except for Men, all thepeoples of Middle-earth are dwindling and fading: the Elves are leaving, and the Ents are childless. By the Fourth Age, Middle-earth is peopled with Men, and indeed Tolkien intended it to represent the real world in the distant past.
Commentators have questioned Tolkien's attitude to race, given that good peoples are white and live in the West, while enemies may be dark and live in the East and South.[2][3][4] However, others note thatTolkien was strongly anti-racist in real life.[5]
The race of Men inJ. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world, in his booksThe Hobbit,The Lord of the Rings andThe Silmarillion, is the second race of beings, the "younger children", created by theOne God,Ilúvatar. Because they awoke in theFirst Age at the start of theYears of the Sun, long after theElves, the Elves called them the "afterborn", or inQuenya theAtani, the "Second People". Like Elves, Men first awoke inthe East ofMiddle-earth, spreading all over the continent and developing a variety of cultures and ethnicities. Unlike Tolkien's Elves, Men are mortal; when they die, they depart to a world unknown even to the godlikeValar.[1]
Men are one of the four "free peoples" in the list-poem spoken by theEntTreebeard; the others being Elves,Dwarves, and Ents.[T 1]Hobbits, not included on that list, were a branch of the lineage of Men.[T 2][T 3][T 4] Hobbits were not known to the Ents, but on meetingMerry andPippin, Treebeard at once worked that people into the list.[T 1]
The concept of the free peoples is shared byElrond.[T 5] The Tolkien scholarPaul H. Kocher writes that, in the style of the medievalGreat Chain of Being, this list places Men and the other speaking peoples higher than the beasts, birds, and reptiles which he lists next. "Man the mortal, master of horses" is listed last among the free peoples, who were created separately.[6]
Although all Men inTolkien's legendarium are related to one another, there are many different groups with different cultures. Those on the side of the hobbits inThe Lord of the Rings are theDúnedain, the men who fought on the side of theElves in the First Age againstMorgoth inBeleriand, from whom other friendly groups, the Rangers includingAragorn, and the men ofGondor are descended; and their allies theRohirrim.[1]
The main human adversaries inThe Lord of the Rings are theHaradrim and the Easterlings.[1] The Haradrim or Southrons were hostile to Gondor, and used elephants in war. Tolkien describes them as "swart",[4] meaning "dark-skinned".[9] The Easterlings lived in Rhûn, the vast eastern region of Middle-earth; they fought in the armies ofMorgoth andSauron. Tolkien describes them as "slant-eyed";[4] they ride horses or wagons, leading to the name "wain-riders".[1] The Variags of Khand formed a third but smaller group, who appear as vassals of Mordor in theBattle of the Pelennor Fields. Their name is fromRussian:Варяги (Variag), meaning theVarangians, Viking or other Germanic warriors who served asmercenaries.[1] Other human adversaries include the Black Númenóreans, good men gone wrong;[10] and theCorsairs of Umbar, rebels of Gondor.[11]
| Nation/group | Culture | Language | Real-world analogues |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bree[T 6] | Village; agriculture; houses of wood, earth, stone | Westron | Medieval England[12] |
| Beornings[T 7] | Wooden hall;beekeeping, dairy | Westron | Norse myth (Bödvar Bjarki); Beowulf[13] |
| Dale[T 8] | Towns, trade, taverns | their own | Germanic medieval Europe |
| Drúedain[T 9][T 10] Wild men,[T 10] Púkel-men,[T 9] Woses[T 10] | Forest | their own | Wild man legends of medieval Europe[14] |
| Dunlendings[T 11] Wild men of Dunland | Agriculture | Westron, Dunlendish | Celtic Britons[15] |
| Easterlings[T 12] People of Rhûn, Wainriders | Horses, war-wagons | their own | Huns[16] |
| Gondor and theDúnedain[T 13] | Cities, stone architecture; literature, music | Westron, Sindarin, Quenya | Byzantine Empire,[17] Ancient Egypt,[18] Goths,[17] Langobards[17] |
| Haradrim[T 14] Southrons | Desert; war-elephants; raiding in ships | their own | Enemies ofAncient Rome[8] |
| Riders of Rohan[T 15] | Woodenmead-halls, agriculture, horsemanship | Rohirric, Westron | Anglo-Saxons, Goths[19] |
| Variags ofKhand[T 16] | Mercenaries | their own | Varangians[1] |
Sandra Ballif Straubhaar notes inThe J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia thatFaramir, son of theSteward of Gondor, makes an "arrogant"[1] speech, of which he later "has cause to repent",[1] classifying the types of Men as seen by the Men ofNúmenórean origin at the end of theThird Age; she notes, too, that his taxonomy is probably not to be taken at face value.[1]
| High Men Men of the West Númenóreans | Middle Men Men of the Twilight | Wild Men Men of the Darkness |
|---|---|---|
| The Three Houses of Edain who went toNúmenor, and their descendants | Edain of other houses who stayed in Middle-earth; they became the barbarian nations of Rhovanion,Dale, the House ofBeorn, and theRohirrim. | All other Men, not connected to the Elves, including Easterlings and Dunlendings.[1][a] |
In a world with other intelligent and cultured races, Men in Middle-earth interact with each other and with the other races in a complex history, narrated mainly inThe Silmarillion. Men are in general friendly with the other free peoples, especially Elves; they are implacable enemies of the enslaved peoples, especiallyOrcs. In the First Age, Men, theEdain, lived inBeleriand on the extreme West of Middle-earth. They form an alliance with the Elves and join a disastrous war against the first Dark Lord,Morgoth, which destroys Beleriand. As a reward for fighting in the war, the creator,Eru Iluvatar, gives the Edain the new island ofNúmenor as their home.[20][T 17]
The key difference between Men and Elves now becomes central to the story: Elves areimmortal, and return toValinor, home of the godlikeValar, when they become weary of Middle-earth, or are killed in battle. Men, however, are mortal.[21][22] Morgoth's servant,Sauron, tempts the Men of Númenor to attack Valinor, in their search for immortality: Sauron has falsely insinuated that Men can become immortal just by being in that place. The Men and Númenor are destroyed: the island is drowned,Atlantis-like, beneath the waves; the world is made round; and Valinor is removed from the world, so that only the Elves can reach it. Sauron's body is destroyed, but his spirit escapes to become the new Dark Lord of Middle-earth. A remnant of the Men of Númenor who remained faithful, underElendil, sail to Middle-earth, where they found the kingdoms ofArnor in the North andGondor in the South, remaining known as the Dúnedain, "Men of the West". Arnor becomes fragmented, and declines until its kings become Rangers in the wilds, but they retain their memory of Númenor or "Westernesse", through many generations down toAragorn, a protagonist inThe Lord of the Rings. The line of kings in Gondor eventually dies out, and the country is ruled byStewards, the throne empty, until Aragorn returns.[20][T 17]
Tolkien stated that the coretheme ofThe Lord of the Rings was death and the human desire to escape it.[T 18][T 19] The theme, which recurs throughout the work, is sharply visible in an appendix, "The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen", in which the immortal ElfArwen chooses mortality so that she can marry the mortal ManAragorn. The result, as with the earlier intermarriage of their ancestorsLúthien and Beren in theFirst Age in Beleriand, was to make Aragorn's line exceptionally long-lived among Men, and as the royal family intermarried with other people of Gondor, to maintain or extend the lifespan of the entire race.[T 20][23][24][25]
The overall feeling inThe Lord of the Rings, however, despite the victories and Aragorn's long-awaited kingship and marriage, is ofdecline and fall, echoingthe view of Norse mythology that everything will inevitably be destroyed.[28] As the Tolkien scholarMarjorie Burns put it, "Here is a mythology where even the gods can die, and it leaves the reader with a vivid sense of life's cycles, with an awareness that everything comes to an end, that, though [the evil] Sauron may go, the elves will fade as well."[29] This fits with Tolkien's equation of Middle-earth with the real Earth at some distant epoch in the past, and with his apparent intention to create amythology for England. He could combine medieval myths and legends, hints from poems and nearly-forgotten names to build a world ofWizards and Elves, Dwarves,Rings of Power, Hobbits, Orcs,Trolls andRingwraiths, and heroic Men with Elvish blood in their veins, and follow their history through long ages, provided that at the end he tore it all down again, leaving nothing, once again, but dim memories. By the end ofThe Lord of the Rings, the reader has learnt that the Elves have left for the Uttermost West, never to return, and that the other peoples, Dwarves, Hobbits, Ents and all the rest, are dwindling and fading, leaving only a world of Men.[27][29][23]
Kocher writes that the furthest look into Man's future inThe Lord of the Rings is the conversation between the ElfLegolas and the DwarfGimli, close friends, at the moment when they first visitMinas Tirith, the capital city of the Men of Gondor, "and see the marks of decay around them".[30] Gimli says that the works of Men always "fail of their promise"; Legolas replies that even if that's so, "seldom do they fail of their seed", in marked contrast to the scarcity of children among Elves and Dwarves, implying that Men will outlast the other races. Gimli suggests again that Men's projects "come to naught in the end but might-have-beens". Legolas just replies "To that the Elves know not the answer".[30][T 21] Kocher comments that this "sad little fugue" is at variance with the hopeful tone of the rest of the work, remaining cheerful even in the face of apparently insuperable odds.[30]
Kocher writes that theRings of Power reflected the characteristics of the race that was to wear them. Those for Men "stimulated and implemented their ambition for power". Whereas the tough Dwarves resisted Sauron's domination, and the Elves hidtheir Rings from him, with Men his plan "works perfectly", turning the ambitious kings intoRingwraiths, the nine Black Riders. With theOne Ring to rule them, Sauron gains complete control over them, and they become his most powerful servants. Kocher comments that for Tolkien, the exercise of personalfree will, the most precious gift, is "the distinguishing mark of his individuality". The wise, like theWizardGandalf and the Elf-queenGaladriel, therefore avoid putting pressure on anybody. In contrast, Sauron is evil exactly because he seeks to dominate the wills of others; the Ringwraiths, the nine fallen kings of Men, are the clearest exemplars of the process.[31]
Kocher states that the leading Man inThe Lord of the Rings is Aragorn, though critics often overlooked him in favour of Frodo asprotagonist.[32] Aragorn is one of two Men in theFellowship of the Ring, the nine walkers from the Free Peoples opposed to the nine Black Riders. The other isBoromir, elder son of the Steward of Gondor, and the two Men are sharply opposed. Both are ambitious, and both intend one day to rule Gondor. Boromir means to fight valiantly, to save Gondor, with any help he can get, and to inherit the Stewardship. Aragorn knows he is in the line of kings by his ancestry, but he is unknown in Gondor. When they meet at theCouncil of Elrond, they dispute who has been holding back Sauron. Aragorn presents the shards of the broken sword of his ancestor, Elendil, and asks Boromir if he wants the House of Elendil (the line of kings) to return. Boromir evasively[33] replies that he would welcome the sword. The One Ring is then shown to the Council. Boromir at once thinks of using it himself. Elrond explains how dangerous the Ring is; Boromir reluctantly sets the idea of using it aside for the moment, and suggests again that Elendil's sword might help save Gondor, if Aragorn is strong enough. Aragorn replies gracefully to the tactless suggestion. Kocher comments that by being both bold and tactful, Aragorn has won all that he wanted from Boromir: the sword is genuine, as is Aragorn's claim to own it, and he has been invited back to Gondor. The Fellowship set off, temporarily united; when they reachParth Galen, Boromir tries to seize the Ring from Frodo, causing Frodo to use the Ring to escape; the Fellowship is scattered. Orcs attack, seeking the Ring; Boromir repents, and dies trying to save the Hobbits, an act which redeems him.[34] Aragorn gives Boromir an honourableboat-funeral. The quest eventually succeeds, and Aragorn, growing in strength through many perils and wise decisions[35] is crowned King. Boromir gave in to the temptation of power, and fell; Aragorn responded rightfully, and rose.[T 22][33][36]
The status of the friendly races has been debated by critics. David Ibata, writing inThe Chicago Tribune, asserts that the protagonists inThe Lord of the Rings all have fair skin, and they are mainly blond-haired and blue-eyed as well. Ibata suggests that having the "good guys" white and their opponents of other races, in both book and film, is uncomfortably close to racism.[3] ThetheologianFleming Rutledge states that the leader of the Drúedain, Ghân-buri-Ghân, is treated as anoble savage.[37][38] Michael N. Stanton writes inThe J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia thatHobbits were "a distinctive form of human beings", and notes that their speech contains "vestigial elements" which hint that they originated in the North of Middle-earth.[39]
The scholar Margaret Sinex states that Tolkiens' construction of the Easterlings and Southrons draws on centuries of Christian tradition of creating an "imaginary Saracen".[4] Zakarya Anwar judges that while Tolkien himself was anti-racist, his fantasy writings can certainly be taken the wrong way.[5]
With his different races of Men arranged from good in the West to evil in the East, simple in the North and sophisticated in the South, Tolkien had, in the view of John Magoun, constructed a "fully expressedmoral geography":Gondor is both virtuous, being West, and has problems, being South;Mordor in the Southeast is hellish, whileHarad in the extreme South "regresses into hot savagery".[40] The film-maker Andrew Stewart, writing inCounterPunch, concurs that the geography of Middle-earth deliberately pits the good Men of the West against the evil Men and Orcs of the East.[41]
Peter Jackson, in hisThe Lord of the Rings film trilogy, clothes the Haradrim in long red robes andturbans, and has them riding their elephants, giving them the look in Ibata's opinion of "North African or Middle Eastern tribesmen".[1][3] Ibata notes that the film companion book,The Lord of the Rings: Creatures, describes them as "exotic outlanders" inspired by "12th centurySaracen warriors".[3] Jackson's Easterling soldiers are covered in armour, revealing only their "coal-black eyes" through their helmet's eye-slits.[3] Ibata comments that they look Asian, their headgear recalling bothSamurai helmets and conical "Coolie" hats.[3]
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The Tolkien scholar Deborah C. Rogers compares the Men ofThe Lord of the Rings with theHobbits. She notes that the Hobbits are to an extent the low, simple, earthbound "clods" of the story who like beer and comfort and do not wish to go on adventures;[b] they fit theantihero of modern literature andNorthrop Frye's lowerliterary modes including various forms of humour.[42]
In contrast, Tolkien's Men are not all of a piece: Rogers mentions the "petty villain",Bill Ferny; the "loathsome"Grima Wormtongue; the "slow-thinking" publicanBarliman Butterbur ofBree; "that portrait of damnation",Denethor,Steward of Gondor; and at the upper end of the scale, the kinglyThéoden, brought back to life from Wormtongue's corruption; the "gentle warrior" Faramir and his brother the hero-villain Boromir; and finally theranger Aragorn, who becomes king.[42]
Aragorn is the opposite of hobbitish: tall, not provincial, untroubled by the discomforts of the wild. At the start, in Bree, he appears as a Ranger of the North, a weatherbeaten man named Strider. Gradually the reader discovers he is heir to the throne ofGondor, engaged to be married toArwen, an Elf-woman. Equipped with anamed magical sword, he emerges as an unqualifiedhero, in Frye's "High Mimetic" or "Romantic" literary mode, making the whole novel indeed aheroic romance: he regains his throne, marries Arwen, and has a long, peaceful, and happy reign.[42][43]
Old Englishsweart; related toOld Frisianswart,Old Norsesvartr,Old High Germanswarz black,Latinsordēs dirt
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