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Almost 200 years ago the sons of High King Eärendur divided the former realm of Arnor between themselves. Amlaith, the
Search all subdomains on Xenite.Org. Results eldest, defiantly asserted his claim to rule all of the northern Dunedain by naming his realm Arthedain. The younger
appear on search.xenite.org. princes, sometimes called Harmuindor (“South Brother”) and Rhumuindor (“East Brother”), established the kingdoms of
Cardolan (“Land of Red Hills”) and Rhudaur (“Evil Forest”) respectively. Among the common folk and those who wish not
to offend any princes who may be in earshot the three royal families are sometimes named Cardh Forod (“the North
House”), Cardh Harad (“the South House”), and Cardh Rhun (“the East House”).
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Michael's personal Twitter account is Rhudaur means ‘evil stop (march, borderland)’ and was
The Rhunen Erain are perhaps the most proud and arrogant of the
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Dunadan kings if only because their realm has historically had the
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fewest Dunedain among their peoples. Until recently the greater part
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of the folk of Rhudaur have been drawn from the hill-clans, ancient tribes who dwelt in the foot-hills of the mountains north
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of Imladris. They were not particularly hostile to Lord Elrond and his Elvish folk but neither have they been the warmest of
friends to the Elves. Caras Bennas (“(fortified) City of the Angle”) counts few hill-men among its citizens. The city is small
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and is more like a fortress than an actual city, but one learns quickly not to use the term Barad Bennas within hearing of
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Confusing as all this may seem, imagine what it must be like for the
newcomers to absorb all of these pretentious political panderings.
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They are simple folk, farmers for the most part, who speak an ancient
https://middle-earth.xenite.org/feed/ form of Adûnaic akin to the dialects of the Free Men of the Vales of
Anduin. Standing only about half the height of a tall Numenorean
OTHER ARTICLES man, these Little Folk call themselves Groba-Timrjaz or “hole-
builders”. The Dunedain have welcomed them with warm smiles. The
Read articles Michael has written for other hill-folk seem only to look down upon them (which is ironic, given that
Websites Elsewhere on the Web the hill-men are not accounted very tall among the peoples of
Eriador).
Caras Bennas is the chief city of Rhudaur and the seat of
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the king.
Why Did Frodo Wait 17 Years to Mitheithel (“the Hoarwell” or “Greyflood”) and Emyn Sûl (“the Weather Hills”). The lightly wooded area is suitable for
Leave the Shire? farming and the pasturing of sheep, cattle, horses, and the occasional pig. The Emyn Sûl may be favored by goats. And
the occasional warring army.
When Does Gandalf Die?
Emyn Sûl, of course, stands along the border between Rhudaur and
Arthedain — that is, the North Kingdom. The two realms barely tolerate
Are There Two Hobbit Books?
each other most years. Every now and then they test each other’s
mettle. Because the North Kingdom’s forces patrol the gap between the
Did J.R.R. Tolkien Invent Orcs North Downs and the Weather Hills and because Cardolan, sometimes
referred to as “the Other Kingdom”, maintains forces on or near Amon
Sûl (“Weathertop”) the Little Folk are constrained dwell only near the
Did Sauron Die When the One
center of the Emyn Sûl or in the forested lands eastward to the
Ring was Destroyed?
Mitheithel.
They came over the mountains only a few years ago, fleeing wars in the
SUBMIT A QUESTION Vales of Anduin. The Free Men of the North have been assailed by
Easterlings. Thranduil, King of the Silvan Elves of Greenwood the Great,
Have a question you would like to see featured has led his people into the northern forest. The Longbeard Dwarves of
here? Use this form to contact Michael Martinez. If The tower on Amon Sûl is claimed by both Rhudaur
Moria now use Cirith Forn en Andrath (“the High Pass of the North”)
and Cardolan. Wars have been fought over its
you think you see an error in an article and the much more often than in olden days. The loss of so many trading
possession.
comments are closed, you’re welcome to use the partners in the Vales of Anduin has forced them to look westward.
form to point it out. Thank you.
The Little Folk are hardy and valiant at need but they are peaceful.
They have freely accepted lands between Mitheithel and Emyn
Sûlnorth of the Great Road despite the threat of incursions from the
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wild areas north of Rhudaur. The untamed tribes of Men and dark
creatures that sometimes wander into Rhudaur force the kings to
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maintain a line of forts across the northern border. The farms and
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villages of the Little Folk stretch in a thin line across western
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Rhudaur. They barely maintain their thin roads but their crops and
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trade have reinvigorated Rhudaur.
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spam/junk folders and whitelist us. Thank you. The Little Folk live in large family groups, often 100-150 together in
small enclaves. Where they can dig their homes under hills they
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establish themselves quickly. A few clans have adapted to the open
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countryside. They settle near the few villages of Men, enjoying the
friendship and protection of the Big Folk. Each family has a Master, a The central Emyn Sûl shelter many farms of both Big
Subscribe Unsubscribe Folk and Little Folk that supply the border forces of
clan-chief, who speaks for them all at the local moots. The moots
Rhudaur.
receive the king’s messengers and fulfill the families’ obligations to
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filters. AN ALTERNATIVE is to subscribe to our RSS Their needs are simple. Every year new land is broken. New roads
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They welcome Dwarven traders but the Dunadan lords of Rhudaur
have also made arrangements to purchase wool, food, and such
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small crafts as the Little Folk can provide. They require little metal
and do not love to travel. In fact, they largely keep to their own lands
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mountains, although a few wanderers from among their kin have
come down into Rhudaur from the east.
The Fal-huljaniz are the tallest and lightest skinned among the Little
Folk. They are more adventurous than the others and the wanderers
who enter Rhudaur singly or in small groups are often drawn from the
Fal-huljaniz clans in the east. Some of them speak a rustic Elven
tongue, perhaps the language of the Silvan Elves from Greenwood —
perhaps a blend of Mannish and Elvish words. It is from the Fal-huljaniz
that word has reached Eriador of mysterious creatures called draugar.
The Lambengolmor of Caras Bennas say the word may mean
something like “phantom” or “ghost”, but there is a dread associated
with the name such that they think it refers to something more than a
mere haunt.
The third group of Little Folk are called the Sturi, which our
Lambengolmor say means something like “the strong ones”. They are Aran Barad overlooks Caras Bennas.
larger than the Fal-huljaniz and live close to the Great River. The Sturi
may be mistaken for very young Dwarves, except for their lack of
beards. They are more likely to live above ground than the more numerous Hasafotuns and the slender Fal-huljaniz.
Whereas the Hasafotuns borrow many words from the Dwarves, the Sturi seem to favor Mannish languages the most.
Their names for themselves are just as strange as the names of their tribes. One clan call themselves the Thahsusaz or
“badgers”. Another clan call themselves Karpaz, “carps” (for the fish). Another clan is called the Balgs-deganiz, the “wine-
skin makers”. Goat-herding families are often called Bukksiz. These are the older forms of the names. Some of the clans
use a softer speech, changing the pronunciation of the old words according to the customs of the Elves or Dwarves.
The families do have special skills. There are rope-makers, wine-growers, farmers, hunters, fishers (a rare skill), and
others. They trade their specialties with each other. Some of the more common names are said to stem from large family
groups that broke up one or more generations ago. Although few of the Little Folk write at all, the family groups remain in
close communication with each other. They do not wander far when establishing new farms or villages.
Much like Elves and Men the Little Folk love song. Their songs are
strange, slow and sonorous. They do not sing of war or the great
deeds of warriors and kings. Their songs are filled with the joy they
find in the world around them. They may sing about butterflies or
dancing sheep. They may sing about rivers walking across the land.
It is almost as if they want to lose themselves in the merry ideas of
children. Indeed, but for the serious attitude of the elders one might
mistake them for children from a distance.
No one knows their place of origin. “From the east,” they say simply
in their strange accent if you ask them where their fathers came from.
A loremaster from Gondor says their speech resembles that of the
Northmen who live beyond Greenwood the Great; and yet he notes a
few differences. There is a twinge of something more ancient in the The many wars have left ruinous old border forts strewn
across Rhudaur.
words they use among themselves, or in the names they give their
children. “They are Men of a special kind,” he concludes, whose
fathers must have awakened with the fathers of the Edain, the Druedain, and the Easterlings.
If the Men of Rhovanion, that far distant kingdom that Gondor has made friendship with, know aught of the Little Folk they
have sent no tales to the west. It may be that they have not had discourse with the Little Folk for a thousand years. It is the
Men of the Vales of Anduin who know them, who shelter them and trade with them. The little tribes shun other folk but are
friendly with the Dwarves and the Elves.
Rhudaur has benefitted from their arrival. The kingdom’s wealth has increased and it is able to field more soldiers,
although few of them are Dunedain. Most of Rhudaur’s soldiers are drawn from the hill-clans of the northeastern shire of
Ardhon For-eryn. A dark, grim people, they have little to do with the Groba-Timrjaz. And the Groba-Timrjaz are displeased
when the hill-folk come near their villages. They do not trust strangers easily.
But they are in awe of the Dunedain, especially those who are friendly with the Elves. A few of the clan-chiefs are said to
have visited Master Elrond in Imladris. These are the rare travelers most likely to visit Caras Bennas on business
representing their communities; or they may perhaps be young and curious, seeking knowledge of the wider world much to
the bemusement of their elders. If ever a Dunadan or an Elf visits the land of the Little Folk he is welcomed and treated
with respect. But if the traveler is unconcerned with them or disrespectful they slip quietly into the woods and wait until the
interloper has departed from their region.
Indeed, if there were no kings among Men, the Little Folk would get
along just fine. It is quite apparent they have always taken care of
their own affairs without meddling in the affairs of others. They have
few if any enemies in the wide world. They have neither love for nor
The Big Folk of western Rhudaur oppose a special shire discourse with dark creatures such as Orcs and Trolls. But neither do
for the Little Folk.
they seek out such foes for fame or fury.
Looking to the future the Little Folk say they feel safer in Rhudaur,
despite its occasional conflicts with the other kingdoms and the wild creatures. One can almost feel the dread in their
hearts should they look to the east and think of what lies beyond the mountains. They have come west for a purpose and
perhaps forever. And it is that conviction which has led the loremasters of Rhudaur and Arthedain to ask if there not some
great evil brewing in the Wilderland. If there is, it may not be long before the other tribes of Little Folk begin migrating over
the mountains. Although their numbers are not great they may change the balance of power among the little kingdoms.
And that is worrisome to a few far-sighted individuals here and there. But the Hasafotuns simply shrug and say, “If come
they must, room will be found for them. They have no interest in wars.” And that may be the Little Folk’s saving grace.
###
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