Northmen

The **Northmen**, also known as the **Free Men of the North**, were Men that lived in the north of Rhovanion in Middle-earth, and were friendly to Gondor.

## History

The Northmen who dwelt east of the Greenwood and other parts of Rhovanion were friendly to the Dúnedain and were, after the Dúnedain, some of the noblest Men in Arda. They were known as Middle Men by the Dúnedain, allegedly descended from the same group as the Edain, the Atanatári. The only difference was that they didn't cross the Blue Mountains into Beleriand, and therefore did not journey to Númenor. Their lack of participation in the war against Morgoth was due to their shorter lifespan, opposing the Dunédains' own, which was lengthened by the Valar after the War of Wrath. However, they were allies of Gondor and served as a buffer against the Easterlings and other foes. They even became subjects of Gondor, as the realm extended beyond the river Anduin.

The main Northmen Principalities lay east of Greenwood, including the centuries when Gondor's power was at its height; as a result, the Northmen flourished under its protection. In the fourteenth century of the Third Age, King Rómendacil II of Gondor sent his son Valacar as an ambassador to Vidugavia, the alleged King of Rhovanion". Valacar cherished Rhovanion and fell in love with Vidugavia's daughter, Princess Vidumavi. The couple married and had one son, Eldacar. In Gondor, Eldacar became known as King Eldacar and caused a civil war, the Kin-strife, because of his mixed Dúnedain/Northmen blood.

In early T.A. 1900, a group of Northmen, who called themselves the Éothéod, moved to the vales of the Anduin between the Gladden Fields and the Mirkwood, probably to flee from the Wainriders, who had enslaved much of the people of Rhovanion. After the evil Kingdom of Angmar was defeated by Gondor and the remains of Arnor in TA 1977, the Éothéod moved north to the land near the sources of the Anduin. They were skilled horse breeders and horsemen. In TA 2510 they responded to a plea of help from the trapped Gondor army at the Field of Celebrant. After they helped Gondor win this important victory, they were rewarded the province of Calenardhon and became known as the Rohirrim.

The Men of Dale and Lake-town were also counted under the Northmen, as were the Woodmen of Mirkwood. Most of Rhovanion had been depopulated after the Wainrider War and the Great Plague. Their range was extremely wide; the Men of the North ranged to the western eaves of Mirkwood to the southern slopes of the Grey Mountains and from the Long Lake to Dorwinion on the Sea of Rhûn.

In *The Hobbit,* these men carved out a potentially precarious living in the eaves of Mirkwood, living as hunters, loggers, trappers, and fishermen on the Anduin and its tributaries. They also lived in constant fear of attack from Dol Guldur.

## Languages

The Northmen spoke the Common Speech, however, they also have native languages. For example, the Rohirrim spoke Rohirric, for which Tolkien appears to have been inspired by Old English, seeing names like "Éowyn" and "Thengel". Whereas the Bardings and Wood-men spoke a similar language to the men of Rohan in terms of gross language group, as seen in Old Norse names (akin to Old English and Norse being in the same language group), i.e. the name "Brand" translating to "torch". The language was not similar to Dwarvish; rather the Dwarf names appearing in *The Hobbit* and *The Lord of the Rings* are Dwarf names given in the language of the Men of Dale, not the native Dwarf language.  They never shared languages with the Elves or with their Western, Southern, and Eastern counterparts; other than Westron.