Harad

**Harad** was the Westlands to the South of Gondor and Mordor.

## History

Harad was the home of many tribes and realms of Men, some of which were unknown to the Men of the Westlands and of different complexions. It was roughly separated into Near-Harad to the North, bordering in Gondor and terminating around the latitude of Umbar, a Númenoreans port-city; and Far-Harad, further to the South and East. Near-Harad was riddled with desert, and its inhabitants were for prolonged periods dominated by Sauron and made to man his armies and cultivate the Southern reaches of his land. Far Harad is said to extend beyond the equator, and contains jungles.

The boundary between Near and Far Harad is indistinct, but compared to the other regions of Middle-earth Far Harad was immense, with likely an extremely varied climate. Much of the southern extents of Far Harad were covered in forests and jungle. The great Mûmakil, called Oliphaunts in legend by the Hobbits, were native to this area. The Mûmakil were rarely seen outside of Far Harad after the Third Age.

When the Men of Númenor began sailing east they explored the coasts of Middle-earth, including the coast lands of Harad. The Númenóreans initially benefited the people in the lands they explored by teaching them many things about agriculture and craftsmanship. The Númenóreans later made settlements on the southern coasts, including the Havens of Umbar.

After the reign of Tar-Ciryatan, the Númenóreans began to set themselves up as lords in Middle-earth as they demanded tribute of goods and wealth, causing the oppression of the Haradrim. But after the forging of the Rings of Power and the emergence of the Nazgûl, Sauron began to attack the Númenórean settlements on the coast.

After the forging of the Rings of Power almost all men east and south of the Ered Luin were under Sauron's rule. Sauron was both their king and their god. These men grew strong and built many towns and walls made from stone and they were fierce in war and armed with iron.

Ar-Pharazôn, the king of Númenor, landed at Umbar in 3261 with a great fleet and the people on the coasts fled before them. Under Sauron's influence, the Númenóreans became even more ruthless to the locals of Harad, enslaving them and using them for sacrifices.

The settlements of the Númenóreans beyond Umbar had been absorbed or had become hostile to Gondor and parts of Sauron's dominions because they were made by men that were already corrupted by Sauron in Númenor.

Much of Far Harad was a jungle, although there also was a desert. In Far Harad lived the great beasts known as Mûmakil or Oliphaunts native to Far Harad used by the Haradrim as moving war towers. Massive, often ferocious beasts, their legs were like trees, their bodies were larger than a house, they had enormous sail-like ears, and they had a long snout like a huge serpent. Somehow the Haradrim tamed them and the result was possibly the most brutally effective beast of war that Middle-earth ever saw.

Near Harad later formed an alliance or maybe even a coalition of some sort with the Corsairs of Umbar, and was involved in a series of continual battles with Gondor over South Gondor or Harondor, with Gondor claiming the river Harnen as it's southern border and the Haradrim claiming the Poros as their northern border. By the time of the War of the Ring all the land south of the river Poros was under the influence of the Haradrim and they sent large forces to aid in the Siege of Gondor.

The Haradrim did not trouble the Realms in Exile for many centuries. There were dealings between the southlands and Gondor in these days, though it is said that there was never friendship between the two realms. When Gondor took the haven of Umbar from the Black Númenóreans, in the year T.A. 1015 they followed the Black Númenóreans against Umbar to recapture it. Their great power was not enough against the sea-power of Gondor. The attempts lasted for 35 years until, in T.A. 1050, Ciryaher defeated the Haradrim force by sending troops by land. They acknowledged the overlordship of Gondor; the kings of Harad did homage and their sons were given as hostages in the court of the King of Gondor.

Later however kings of Harad who were in league with Umbar rebelled against Gondor. King Aldamir fell in battle against them and the Corsairs of Umbar (T.A. 1540); but his son Vinyarion won a great victory in Harad in T.A. 1551.

The Haradrim later were allied with the Wainriders, a confederation of Easterlings, and the Men of Khand. During that time they conquered Umbar. The simultaneous assaults from the north and the south brought the South-kingdom close to destruction. The Haradrim crossed the river Poros into South Ithilien, but the Southern Army, destroyed them. The campaigns ended with the Wainriders' definite defeat in the Battle of the Camp in T.A. 1944.

In the later years three great fleets were prepared in Umbar and Harad. Around the Long Winter they assailed the coasts of Gondor, even Rohan. It was Beregond who defeated the invaders.

The Haradrim occupied Harondor and there was a long fight along the Poros. Stirred by emissaries of Sauron, they attempted once more to invade into Ithilien (T.A. 2885) but a combined force of Gondorians and Rohirrim defeated them at the Crossing of Poros.

At the time of the War of the Ring, the Southrons were in league with Sauron and fought alongside his Orc army. The Haradrim were among the forces led by the Witch-king that attacked Osgiliath on June 20, T.A. 3018, at the beginning of the War. They captured the eastern half of Osgiliath, but Boromir and Faramir cast down the bridge across the Anduin and defended the western half of the city. More Haradrim continued to come up the Harad Road to Mordor. Faramir and the Rangers of Ithilien ambushed some companies of Haradrim, but they could not stop them all.

In the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, they deployed cavalry and gigantic, elephant-like Mûmakil. Regiments of Haradrim joined the host from Minas Morgul marching to the Pelennor Fields. Sauron's forces besieged Minas Tirith, and the Mûmakil of Harad were used to bring forward war-towers and siege-engines to test the City's defences. One of the leaders of the Haradrim at this time bore the standard of the Black Serpent and was slain by King Théoden of Rohan at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields on 15 March 3019.

After the revival of the Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor in the Fourth Age, many of the Haradrim were pardoned and allowed to live in peace. They were required to relinquish South Gondor and Umbar, but remained a free people.