Easterling (Middle-earth)
The Easterlings are a species that feature in Middle-earth.
Contents |
History
The Easterlings were a race of Man who inhabited the world of Middle-Earth. Their origins were traced to the First Age when the sons of Bór and Ulfang were called Easterlings and Swarthy Men. They had come into Beleriand much later than the Edain, and were part of a group that had secretly been in league with Dark Lord Morgoth.
In the Second Age Sauron escaped the judgment of the Valar and continued his former master's work, turning the Men of the East and South to evil and dominating them. Under the authority of the Dark Lord, many towns and walls of stone were built, and those under his influence became numerous and armed with iron. To these men, Sauron was feared as a king and god.
During the Dark Years Sauron dominated most of the Westlands, also urging men from the East to go to the west for loot. Those troubled the Northmen who waged a war against them and the orcs. When Sauron was driven back to Mordor, he continued his expansions eastwards gaining servants and worshippers.
After Sauron's defeat in the War of the Last Alliance, these 'Wild Men' were released by his tyranny but they still had darkness in their hearts. Evil and restless, they battled against each other and some withdrew to the hated west. Thus they encountered the lands of Gondor and since then, tribes brought trouble periodically with several attacks and migrations.
Overview
In appearance, the Easterlings were a race of Men that came to inhabit the lands of Middle-earth. During the early ages, they also came to be known as the Swarthy Men.
Some groupings of Easterlings included:
- Wainriders :
- Balchoth :
Some like the Wainriders and the Balchoth had large chariots, wagons and wains which they used to run their foes down, as well as live in and used to fortify their camps.
They populated the vast, uncharted lands of Rhûn located to the east of Mordor and the Sea of Rhûn.
Members
- Bór :
- Blodren :
- Borlad :
- Uldor :
- Ulfang :
- Ulfast :
- Ulwarth :
- Khamûl :
- Lorgan :
Notes
- Easterlings were created by J. R. R. Tolkien where they featured in the setting of the Middle-earth universe.
In other media
Television
Films
- In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the Easterlings appeared in the setting of the live-action film. An army from Rhûn was seen by Frodo, Gollum, and Sam entering the Black Gate.
Video games
- In The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, Tribesmen of Rhûn appeared in the setting of the 2004 video game.
- In The Lord of the Rings Online, the Easterlings appeared in the setting of the MMORPG video game. The Men collectively referred to as Easterlings by the Free Peoples of the West were portrayed as several clans each of which had a distinct appearance that were united only by the might of Sauron. The Khundolar Easterlings attack the Wold of Rohan from the Brown Lands and also fight on Sauron's side at the Battle of the Morannon. The Jangovar Easterlings attack Dale and the Lonely Mountain in the north, and after Sauron's defeat the remainder of that army continues to linger in those lands. The Sûhalar Easterlings are shorter in statue and armed with axes, to the point where some mistake them for dwarves, their armies participate in the Siege of Gondor. The Chayasír Easterlings were craftsmen and tradesmen with no love for Sauron and take no part in the Great War of the Ring. However, on the same day when The One Ring was destroyed, an unknown calamity had taken place in Rhûn, and in the weeks afterwards streams of Chayasír refugees begin arriving into the Iron Hills and the Dale-lands. The men and dwarves of those lands had only just won a bloody war against the Easterlings and hold a great deal of both prejudice an outward hostility towards them, despite the Chayasír seeing themselves as having nothing in common with the Jangovar who fought in that war. None of the refugees would speak in detail about what exactly had happened in Rhûn, other than it is absolutely impossible for any of the Easterlings, soldiers of refugees, to go back.
- In Middle-earth: Shadow of War, Easterlings appeared in the Desolation of Mordor DLC for the video game. The player-character Baranor was able to hire Easterling mercenaries whose depiction was similar to that from the film.
RPGs
- In The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game, the Easterlings appeared in the setting of the tabletop game. Their leader was the Dragon Emperor of Rhûn who was the greatest of all the Easterlings, ruling the lands and people of Rhûn with an iron fist. It was under the Dragon Emperor's command that Amdûr founded the Order of the Black Dragons that were a warrior cult dedicated to their liege with their sole purpose to carry out his will. When Sauron commanded that the Easterlings wage war upon the north leading to the Dragon Emperor himself heading into battle standing upon his Royal Palanquin. Easterling warriors were amongst the most fanatical followers of the Dark Lord and the best equipped of all the warriors at his command. Unlike the rabble of Orcs that spew forth from the Black Gate, the armies of the East were well-trained and disciplined warriors that will fight fiercely for Sauron, who they view as a vengeful deity. As children they were schooled in the art of war, and their womenfolk fight alongside the men as equals - in Rhûn all were prepared to fight for the Dark Lord. Trained to fight in deadly phalanxes, their spears formed a hedge of sharpened blades that were virtually impenetrable. Amongst these stood the Easterling Commanders who served as Captains and heralds of the Easterling Realm - those who have fought for The Dark Lord Sauron for many years, and who now lead his armies into battle, inspiring their men to fight harder and stronger than ever before. Easterling Kataphrakts were heavy cavalry that were nigh unstoppable killing machines that will sweep enemy cavalrymen from their saddles and ride down unprepared foot soldiers like a scythe through wheat. They served as the elite of the Easterling armed force, and an enemy general should be wary of their devastating charges. At the highest echelons of the Easterling army stood the Black Dragons where this mysterious warrior cult were fanatically dedicated to warfare in the name of Sauron. Within its ranks, many Easterlings undergo vigorous and ruthless training in order to hone their martial skills and dexterity. Should they survive their training, they will advance to Dragon Cult Acolytes, before finally becoming fully-fledged Dragon Knights, and one of the most elite warriors in the Easterling armies. Rhûnish Drakes were a rare sight even in the eastern lands of Middle-earth. Held in high esteem by the Easterlings – and the Dragon Cult in particular – these stocky, venomous lizards confer status to their owner.
Appearances
- The Lord of the Rings:
External Links
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