Middle Men
Encyclopedia
In the fiction
of J. R. R. Tolkien
, Men of Twilight was a term used by the Númenóreans
for Men of Middle-earth
who were related to the Edain
, the ancestors of the Númenóreans themselves. This contrasts with the Gondorians, "Men of Light", and the Haradrim and Easterlings
, "Men of Darkness").
In The Two Towers
Chapter 5 The Window on the West the Men of Twilight are also called Middle Men: "We are become Middle Men, of the Twilight, but with memory of other things."
When the Númenóreans returned to the coasts of Middle-earth
in the Second Age
, they found a people who spoke languages which were distantly related to the Númenórean tongue, Adûnaic
. Númenórean scholars declared that this was because these Men were descendants of the fathers of the Edain, the Atanatári, who had not crossed the Ered Luin and entered Beleriand
during the First Age
. The Númenóreans set up friendly relations with them, and declared them to be Middle Men, as opposed to the High Men (the Edain) or the Men of the Shadow, meaning those hostile to Númenor or in the service of Sauron
.
After the founding of the Realms in Exile, Arnor
and Gondor
, many Men of Twilight became subjects of the Dúnedain
, and eventually intermarried with them until they became one people.
The Northmen
of Rhovanion
were counted as Men of Twilight, as were most people living in Eriador
. During the Third Age
the term Middle Men was still applied to the Men of Bree
, and the remaining Northmen, such as the Men of Dale and Esgaroth
the Lake-town, and of course the Rohirrim. King Valacar of Gondor became so friendly with the Middle Men of Rhovanion that he married Vidumavi, a princess of the Northmen, and his son Eldacar was of mixed blood. This led to the disastrous Kinstrife of Gondor.
Most Middle Men had kinship with the Houses of Bëor
or Marach
. There were also Men in Middle-earth related to the Second House, the Haladin — Men of Enedwaith and Minhiriath, later to be known as the Dunlendings. But because they spoke a language that was unknown to the Númenóreans they were not at first recognised as Middle Men. Hostility developed between these Middle Men and the Númenóreans, which would endure until the end of the Third Age.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
of 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,...
, Men of Twilight was a term used by the Númenóreans
Númenor
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...
for Men of Middle-earth
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...
who were related to the Edain
Edain
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Edain were men who made their way into Beleriand in the First Age, and were friendly to the Elves....
, the ancestors of the Númenóreans themselves. This contrasts with the Gondorians, "Men of Light", and the Haradrim and Easterlings
Easterlings
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, "Easterling" and "Easterlings" were generic terms for Men who lived in the east of Middle-earth, who mostly fought under Morgoth and Sauron, not directly but rather on behalf of their own High Lord....
, "Men of Darkness").
In The Two Towers
The Two Towers
The Two Towers is the second volume of J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. It is preceded by The Fellowship of the Ring and followed by The Return of the King.-Title:...
Chapter 5 The Window on the West the Men of Twilight are also called Middle Men: "We are become Middle Men, of the Twilight, but with memory of other things."
When the Númenóreans returned to the coasts of 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....
in the Second Age
Second Age
The Second Age is a time period from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. Tolkien intended for the history of Middle-earth to be considered fictionally as a precursor to the history of the real Earth....
, they found a people who spoke languages which were distantly related to the Númenórean tongue, Adûnaic
Adûnaic
Adûnaic is a fictional language in the fantasy works of J. R. R. Tolkien.One of the languages of Arda in Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, it was spoken by the Men of Númenor during the Second Age.-Fictional history:...
. Númenórean scholars declared that this was because these Men were descendants of the fathers of the Edain, the Atanatári, who had not crossed the Ered Luin and entered Beleriand
Beleriand
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional legendarium, Beleriand was a region in northwestern Middle-earth during the First Age. Events in Beleriand are described chiefly in his work The Silmarillion, which tells the story of the early ages of Middle-earth in a style similar to the epic hero tales of Nordic...
during the First Age
First Age
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the First Age, or First Age of the Children of Ilúvatar is the heroic period in which most of Tolkien's early legends are set...
. The Númenóreans set up friendly relations with them, and declared them to be Middle Men, as opposed to the High Men (the Edain) or the Men of the Shadow, meaning those hostile to Númenor or in the service of 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...
.
After the founding of the Realms in Exile, Arnor
Arnor
Arnor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. Arnor, or the Northern Kingdom, was a kingdom of the Dúnedain in the land of Eriador in Middle-earth. The name probably means "Land of the King", from Sindarin Ara- + dor...
and 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...
, many Men of Twilight became subjects of the Dúnedain
Dúnedain
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the Dúnedain were a race of Men descended from the Númenóreans who survived the sinking of their island kingdom and came to Eriador in Middle-earth, led by Elendil and his sons, Isildur and Anárion...
, and eventually intermarried with them until they became one people.
The Northmen
Northmen (Middle-earth)
J. R. R. Tolkien adopted the term Northmen in his fiction; his "Northmen" were Men that lived in the north of Rhovanion in Middle-earth, and were friendly to Gondor....
of Rhovanion
Rhovanion
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Rhovanion or Wilderland was a large region of northern Middle-earth. It extended to the east as far as the inland Sea of Rhûn; north to the Grey Mountains and Iron Hills, home of the Dwarves; west to the range of the Hithaeglir, or Misty Mountains; and south to...
were counted as Men of Twilight, as were most people living in Eriador
Eriador
Eriador is a large region in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-earth. In the Second Age, and possibly much earlier, it was largely forested, but the Dúnedain felled most of the forests to build ships. Much of it was encompassed in the early Third Age by the kingdom of Arnor, which...
. During the Third Age
Third Age
The Third Age is a time period from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. The history of Middle-earth is to be taken fictionally as a history of the real Earth....
the term Middle Men was still applied to the Men of Bree
Bree (Middle-earth)
Bree is a fictional village in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, east of the Shire and south of Fornost Erain. It is thought to have been inspired by the Buckinghamshire village of Brill, which Tolkien visited regularly in his early years at Oxford...
, and the remaining Northmen, such as the Men of Dale and Esgaroth
Esgaroth
Esgaroth, or Lake-town is a fictitious community of Men upon the Long Lake, in The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. The town is constructed entirely of wood and stands upon wooden pillars sunk into the bed of the Long Lake, south of the Lonely Mountain and east of Mirkwood...
the Lake-town, and of course the Rohirrim. King Valacar of Gondor became so friendly with the Middle Men of Rhovanion that he married Vidumavi, a princess of the Northmen, and his son Eldacar was of mixed blood. This led to the disastrous Kinstrife of Gondor.
Most Middle Men had kinship with the Houses of Bëor
Bëor
Bëor the Old is a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in The Silmarillion as the leader of the First House of the Edain in the First Age, which was called the Folk of Bëor after him...
or Marach
Marach
In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, Marach was the leader of the Third House of the Edain in the First Age, called the Folk of Marach after him. He was the father of Malach and Imlach and ancestor of Túrin Turambar....
. There were also Men in Middle-earth related to the Second House, the Haladin — Men of Enedwaith and Minhiriath, later to be known as the Dunlendings. But because they spoke a language that was unknown to the Númenóreans they were not at first recognised as Middle Men. Hostility developed between these Middle Men and the Númenóreans, which would endure until the end of the Third Age.