Corsairs of Umbar
Encyclopedia
The Corsairs of Umbar were a fleet of Men
of Umbar
in J. R. R. Tolkien
's Middle-earth
legendarium
, allied to Sauron
in his war against Gondor
.
haven settled by the King's Men — a proud faction loyal to the King and opposed to the divine authority of the Valar
. (See also: Elendili). After the Downfall of Númenor, the inhabitants of Umbar further pursued independence, and were counted as rebels. They took to pillaging and piracy along the coasts of Gondor. At the end of the Kin-strife, the defeated rebels of Gondor (the Castamiri) fled to Umbar — by this time Umbar had become the chief southern port of Gondor.
The Castamiri took with them a large part of Gondor's fleet, thus weakening Gondor and strengthening the naval traditions of Umbar. Gondor later conquered Umbar, killing the last of Castamir's descendants, but lost it to the Haradrim soon after. By the time of the War of the Ring
, the Corsairs had mixed with the Haradrim, becoming a mixed people whose Númenórean blood was mostly gone. During the Battle of the Pelennor Fields
, a combined fleet amounting to "50 great ship
s [of Umbar] and smaller vessels beyond count" was raiding the port city of Pelargir in Lebennin, but these were captured by Aragorn
and the Army of the Dead
, and were sailed to Minas Tirith
to relieve the siege of the city.
's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
, the Corsairs are depicted as using ships reminiscent of junks
and dhow
s with lateen
sails (Eastern-style), whereas Tolkien specifically uses dromon
ds in the book (Western). The scene is not featured in the theatrical release; however, it is shown on the Extended Edition DVD. Many of the film's crew make cameo appearance
s in the scene, including Peter Jackson as a crewman shot by Legolas
.
The Finnish Metal band
Battlelore
has a song called Buccaneers Inn about the Corsairs of Umbar which was released on the album Sword's Song
.
The Corsairs of Umbar appear in the computer game The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II
as navy and infantry units. As an infantry unit, they can use knives or fire grenades at their enemies.
Man (Middle-earth)
The race of Men in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth books, such as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, refers to humanity and does not denote gender...
of Umbar
Umbar
Umbar is a fictional place in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. It was a great haven and seaport to the far south of Gondor in Middle-earth.'Umbar' was a name—of unknown meaning—given to the area by its original inhabitants...
in J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's Middle-earth
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
legendarium
Tolkien's legendarium
The phrase Tolkien's legendarium is used in the literary discipline of Tolkien studiesto refer to the part of J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy fiction being concerned with his Elven legends; that is, historic events that have become legendary from the perspective of the characters of The Lord of the...
, allied to Sauron
Sauron
Sauron is the primary antagonist and titular character of the epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.In the same work, he is revealed to be the same character as "the Necromancer" from Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit...
in his war against Gondor
Gondor
Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth by the end of the Third Age. The third volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, is concerned with the events in Gondor during the War of the Ring and with...
.
Literature
Umbar was an old NúmenóreanNúmenor
Númenor is a fictional place in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. It was a huge island located in the Sundering Seas to the west of Middle-earth, the main setting of Tolkien's writings, and was known to be the greatest realm of Men...
haven settled by the King's Men — a proud faction loyal to the King and opposed to the divine authority of the Valar
Vala (Middle-earth)
The Valar are fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. They are first mentioned in The Lord of the Rings, but The Silmarillion develops them into the Powers of Arda or the Powers of the World...
. (See also: Elendili). After the Downfall of Númenor, the inhabitants of Umbar further pursued independence, and were counted as rebels. They took to pillaging and piracy along the coasts of Gondor. At the end of the Kin-strife, the defeated rebels of Gondor (the Castamiri) fled to Umbar — by this time Umbar had become the chief southern port of Gondor.
The Castamiri took with them a large part of Gondor's fleet, thus weakening Gondor and strengthening the naval traditions of Umbar. Gondor later conquered Umbar, killing the last of Castamir's descendants, but lost it to the Haradrim soon after. By the time of the War of the Ring
War of the Ring
In the fictional high fantasy-world of J. R. R. Tolkien, the War of the Ring was fought between Sauron and the free peoples of Middle-earth for control of the One Ring and dominion over the continent. The War of the Ring took place at the end of the Third Age. Together with the Quest of Mount Doom,...
, the Corsairs had mixed with the Haradrim, becoming a mixed people whose Númenórean blood was mostly gone. During the Battle of the Pelennor Fields
Battle of the Pelennor Fields
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy fiction, the Battle of Pelennor Fields is the battle for the city of Minas Tirith between the forces of Gondor and its allies, and the forces of the Dark Lord Sauron...
, a combined fleet amounting to "50 great ship
Carrack
A carrack or nau was a three- or four-masted sailing ship developed in 15th century Western Europe for use in the Atlantic Ocean. It had a high rounded stern with large aftcastle, forecastle and bowsprit at the stem. It was first used by the Portuguese , and later by the Spanish, to explore and...
s [of Umbar] and smaller vessels beyond count" was raiding the port city of Pelargir in Lebennin, but these were captured by Aragorn
Aragorn
Aragorn II is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, one of the main protagonists of The Lord of the Rings. He is first introduced by the name Strider, which the hobbits continue to call him...
and the Army of the Dead
Dead Men of Dunharrow
The Dead Men of Dunharrow are fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium...
, and were sailed to Minas Tirith
Minas Tirith
Minas Tirith , originally named Minas Anor, is a fictional city and castle in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth writings. It became the heavily fortified capital of Gondor in the second half of the Third Age...
to relieve the siege of the city.
Adaptations
In Peter JacksonPeter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 epic fantasy-drama film directed by Peter Jackson that is based on the second and third volumes of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings...
, the Corsairs are depicted as using ships reminiscent of junks
Junk (ship)
A junk is an ancient Chinese sailing vessel design still in use today. Junks were developed during the Han Dynasty and were used as sea-going vessels as early as the 2nd century AD. They evolved in the later dynasties, and were used throughout Asia for extensive ocean voyages...
and dhow
Dhow
Dhow is the generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with lateen sails used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region. Some historians believe the dhow was invented by Arabs but this is disputed by some others. Dhows typically weigh 300 to 500 tons, and have a...
s with lateen
Lateen
A lateen or latin-rig is a triangular sail set on a long yard mounted at an angle on the mast, and running in a fore-and-aft direction....
sails (Eastern-style), whereas Tolkien specifically uses dromon
Dromon
The dromon was a type of galley and the most important warship of the Byzantine navy from the 6th to 12th centuries AD...
ds in the book (Western). The scene is not featured in the theatrical release; however, it is shown on the Extended Edition DVD. Many of the film's crew make cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
s in the scene, including Peter Jackson as a crewman shot by Legolas
Legolas
Legolas is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, featured in The Lord of the Rings. He is an Elf of the Woodland Realm and one of nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring.- Literature :...
.
The Finnish Metal band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
Battlelore
Battlelore
Battlelore is a metal band from Lappeenranta, Finland. All of Battlelore's lyrics concern J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth.-Style:Battlelore mixes female vocals with harsh male growling in "beauty and the beast" duet, backed by heavy guitar riffing and occasional keyboard interludes. The band's...
has a song called Buccaneers Inn about the Corsairs of Umbar which was released on the album Sword's Song
Sword's Song
Sword's Song is the second album released by the metal band Battlelore. As with all of the band's other albums, the lyrics are based on J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. The album essentially was similar to their debut but in the opinions of most reviewers and fans showed an improvement in both the...
.
The Corsairs of Umbar appear in the computer game The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II, abbreviated BFMEII, is a real-time strategy video game developed and published by Electronic Arts. It is based on the fantasy novels The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien and its live-action film trilogy adaptation...
as navy and infantry units. As an infantry unit, they can use knives or fire grenades at their enemies.