rhun – Aw Yiss

Okay, this is just my understanding of the term, but ‘Easterling’ doesn’t actually mean the Haradrim, who are, as you have pointed out, from south of Gondor. It more accurately describes the people of Khand and Rhun, rather than of Harad (the Haradrim are, in fact, called ‘Southrons’ in the books).

It’s fairly common not to make the distinction though, and to call both the people of Harad and the people of Khand and Rhun ‘Easterlings’ as an umbrella term… probably to delineate those nations that sided together against the West.

And there we have another ‘direction’ grouping – Arnor is North-west, and Erebor is p much directly north (the Iron Hills are more or less in Rhun!), but they are generally lumped in with ‘the West’. The central point of the compass appears to be Gondor, mostly. IDK, it’s probably got something to do with the Numenoreans, It usually does.

Check askmiddlearth‘s post on Rhun and Easterlings here. It includes a map that shows the Orocarni Mountains – which are indeed, to the east. There are some other good maps that show the lie of the continent as well. Here’s some of them:

Haradrim – Southrons, south of Gondor & Mordor

The Variags of Khand – South-East of Mordor

Rhun – Easterlings, east of Rhovanion (incl. Orocarni)

The maps are reproduced from the Appendices of LOTR and from excerpts from Karen Wynn Fonstad’s Atlas of Middle Earth.

dain-mothafocka:

poplitealqueen:

poplitealqueen:

Rhun is a large place. Triple the size of Eriador, with a populace as diverse as it’s landscapes. Due to it’s almost unthinkable size, different cultures have sprung up with vastly different looks, tastes, ideals, and even languages. Some had cities grander than even Minas…

Please, use it every which way you see fit! I would be honored.

Thanks. I laid down some headcanons ages ago as to the makeup of the Sea of Rhun – which I have named Oszrahank in my story, based off of some previous created maps. Here’s what I got – I suspect the Tagath can fit in nicely as a settled people around the Sea!! Idk if you’re even interested but #yolo

[in the previous paragraphs above I’m talking about basically some of the inter Clan relationships the nomadic Easterling people have blah blah blah, so this is their relationship with settled communities]

The Clans of nomadic
steppe Easterlings pay tribute to some of the key cities along the
waterways [in Rhun] as they are specific trading points for them to get goods
from outside the steppe. The settled Easterlings make a difference
between them and the tribal Clans, viewing them as a separate
indigenous people, ones who have a lot of military power in the area
and who act as a barrier between the cities and the rest of Western Middle-Earth. One of the cities heavily populated by
people that are descendants from the nomads is the city of Oszrahank
by the Sea of Rhun, which
sprawls on all sides, bringing men of Rhovanion and the semi-settled
Easterling population together. It is a centre for some of the
Central Easterling cattle trade, with large cattle markets, and also
a space for them to sell wares and obtain food they cannot get
themselves through agriculture. This are has a large guard presence
of Rhovani men (men who are also linked to Dalish men) due to the
history of conflicts; but there is a strong split in culture between
the Eastern and Western shores, with Oszrahank in the middle of the
fork. The vinyards effectively belong to the Easterling populations,
but a great number of Rhovani people work in them and live side by
side with the Easterlings; a lot of intermarriage has gone on over
the centuries as the Easterling population colonised the area. The
overseer of the the capital city is Rhovani, and she oversees timber
production from the wood of the area, ensuring most importantly that the cultivation of
the land is maintained in accordance with Easterling/Wainrider Common
Law of the Earth: that timber production is kept to adequate levels around the
Sea, and does not damage the land.

It was with the
guidance from the Central Clans of Easterling people that crops are
grown, as the fertile fields around Rhun feed the Central and
Southern Clans – they buy in bulk to store in houses around the
steppes. Seafood, wine, tobacco, salt, spices, and other vegetables
like tomatoes are traded with the Clans in return for cheeses,
metalwork, hides, textiles, and livestock. Some roads have been created
in the area, such as the one leading up from Hildorien and Southern
Rhun to Oszrahank, an ancient road that has been maintained by the
pastoral Clans through the Ages, and has been a means of linking the
Southern Clans with those over the mountain behind the Orocarni,
before water transport was utilised and the areas around were more
populated.

Locally produced gin and a rich variety of cheeses are enjoyed as pub foods around the area that have a culture originating in Oszrahank, and is now enjoyed in Dalish taverns. It is served
with a selection of breads, usually with lots of grain and seeds in
them, particularly pumpkin seed. The day for the Easterling people of Oszrahank usually begins with a dark coffee, lentils and dark bread. Lentils are also grown
around Oszrahank, as well as forms of root vegetable like potato and
sweet potato.

Other trades of
Oszrahank include coffee, lemons and citrus, spice, rum, opium and
medicine that is shipped to hospitals in Dale, mahogany, ores and
gold from the Orocarni. The SoR is a major port before it reaches
Dale, and so many of the houses and buildings there are rich, and the
area is multicultural and bustling, with their own system of currency
and barter.

Just FYI – one of the most prominent Central Easterling Clans is the Banyuk; these people also inhabit Oszrahank, and move both north and south of the Sea of Rhun. The Central Easterling Clan has had a culture of not being receptive to Sauron’s demands, living by their own hand more than anything else.

Poplitealqueen’s Headcanons: The Tagash People of Rhun