THE PEOPLES OF ERIADOR IN THE SECOND AGE

Michael Martinez [email protected]

©1997 Michael Martinez; first published in Other Hands 15/16.

As the majority of recorded history for Middle-earth in the First Age concentrates on the wars of Beleriand, so the majority of the anecdotes we have concerning the Second Age concentrates on events in Eriador. In the wake of the destruction of Beleriand there was an eastward migration of Elves, Dwarves, and Men. The inevitable clash of peoples came about largely as a result of Sauron's influence in Middle-earth, but even before open warfare broke out between the Elves and Sauron there were other conflicts and other areas where peoples mingled.

Eriador properly included all the lands between the Ered Luin and Hithaeglir, bounded on the north by the Ice Bay of Forochel (where in the First Age had been the great plain of Lothlann, patrolled by the Fëanorians' cavalry based on Mount Rerir) and the hills and mountains of Angmar (a name from the Third Age). The southern boundary of the region was the river Glanduin,¹ which flowed from the Hithaeglir toward the Gwathló, and the boundary ran southwest from the confluence of the two rivers to Belegaer. The total land area probably comprised more than 200,000 square miles.² The region was originally thickly forested, but there were wide open spaces enough to allow the pasturing of flocks and herds.3

The earliest peoples to live in Eriador were the Eldar, who passed through it on their way to the Sea. Many years later both Dwarves and Nandor filtered into the land. The Dwarves of Nogrod and Belegost maintained contacts with their kindred in the east, and apparently also traded with the Nandor and Avari wherever they encountered them.⁴ When Men started moving into Eriador, the Dwarves of Ered Luin also traded with them.5

By the end of the First Age many of the upheavals in Beleriand had had an effect on Eriador. Sindarin Elves had fled the wars in the west to settle in the northwestern portions of Eriador, mostly about the Lhûn and Nenuial.6

In "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn," in the essay "Concerning Galadriel and Celeborn," Tolkien writes that they settled near Lake Nenuial with many Sindar and Laegrim (Green-elves of Ossiriand), but mentions there were already many Nandor living in Eriador (Unfinished Tales, p. 234). Some of the Edain, too, had returned to Eriador in two or three groups, settling among those of their kin who had not crossed the mountains.7

In several places Tolkien indicates some of the Edain had actually stayed in Eriador. This would mean that those who fled Beleriand were probably absorbed by the Edain in the eastern lands, although Bereg's group may have ended up settling in an entirely different region. And many of the Easterlings who had served Morgoth also apparently returned to Eriador,⁸ but they may have fled even further east out of fear or respect for the Elves.

The ethnography of Eriador changed throughout the Second Age. Who came, who stayed, and who left is not always clear. But we can arbitrarily divide the chronology of the Second Age into periods when the peoples of Eriador were relatively stable and when there were significant migrations or periods of instability:

1 - 50 The Migration Years
50 - 600 The Early Lindon Years
600 - 1000 The Expansion Years
1000 - 1500 The Years of Isolation
1500 - 1701 The Years of the Rings
1701 - 2251 The Black Years: Days of Flight
2251 - 3261 The Years of Conflict
3261 - 3319 The Respite Years
3320 - 3441 The Arnorian Years

The Migration Years (SA 1 - 50)
This was the period which most determined the makeup of Eriador for the first half of the Second Age. The Eldar and the Edain shared Beleriand (Lindon) for a few years, but in S.A. 32 the Edain set sail for their new home on the isle of Elenna. Soon after the departure of the Edain, the Eldar and Dwarves began moving eastward. Belegost, the ancient northern city of the Ered Luin, was abandoned and its people made the long trek to Khazad-dûm, which in that time required that they cross the Hithaeglir and journey south through the Vales of Anduin to Azanulbizar.9

There were, however, at least two groups of Elves and two groups of Men already living in Eriador during this period. The Elves were mostly Nandor, but some of the Sindar who had lived in Dorthonion and Hithlum, and near Himring, had some 135 years before fled Beleriand (after the Dagor Bragollach) and settled in the lands east of the Ered Luin.¹⁰ From the mountains to the Baranduin and the Hills of Evendim (by lake Nenuial) was Elvish country.¹¹ The Nandor were related to the Laegrim. As there is no mention of towns or cities among these Elves, they may have lived a woodland life, hunting and gathering the fruits of the forest, wandering through the land.12

Although the Edain had entered Beleriand 300 years earlier, not all seem to have left Eriador, and in fact at least two groups fled the wars in the west to return to Eriador. These were Edain of the First and Third Houses (Bëorians and Marachians).¹³ Their homelands in the east appear to have been the North Downs and the South Downs, and all the lands in-between. The small group of hills known as Tyrn Gorthad, the western-most rim of the South Downs (and later known as the Barrow-downs) also appear to have housed Edainic peoples.¹⁴ The Weather Hills marked the easternmost boundary of the lands of the Edain in Eriador.

These Men had not had contact with their western kin for more than 150 years when the Edain of Beleriand set sail into the west.¹⁵ In Eriador the Edain grazed their flocks on the hills, and perhaps herded cattle as well.¹⁶ However, as the Edain of Beleriand had remained in friendship with the Elves, so the Edain of Eriador did, too. They occasionally visited the Elvish lands beyond the Baranduin, although they seem not to have established contact with Lindon and Mithlond until sometime after this period.17

The Swarthy Men, from whom had come the peoples of Bór and Ulfang, also continued to live in northern Eriador.¹⁸ They apparently were the Forodwaith, some of whom had undoubtedly served Morgoth. But a few clans seem to have stayed out of the wars entirely, and these dwelt north of the Elvish and Edainic lands. From them may have come the Lossoth who in the Third Age gave aid to Arvedui in his last winter. It is conceivable that some of the Swarthy Men settled near the Mountains of Angmar and in the lands between the Hithaeglir and the domain of the Edainic peoples. Although other Men may already have dwelt there, the Forodwaith may have been the ancestors of the Men of Angmar and the hill tribes of Rhudaur in the Third Age.

Culturally the Edain of Eriador must have been similar to the Dúnedain before they left Beleriand. The Dúnedain (in Beleriand) had built homesteads in the woods and hills, stockades in times of need, and generally were a wood-using rather than stone-using people. The possible exception would have been the Marachians of Hithlum, who dwelt amid the Noldor, who themselves built with stone. But the Marachians and Bëorians who returned to Eriador in the First Age had come from Estolad, not Hithlum (or Ladros, the region in Dorthonion which had been given to the Bëorians).

The Swarthy Men seem to have adopted the customs of their slaves in Beleriand, taking over their estates and homesteads. But we cannot know whether they came from an inferior culture in the east. Yet, it seems that until the Dúnedain returned to Middle-earth most Men lived in primitive societies. So perhaps the eastern clans who became the Forodwaith were more primitive than the Edain and must have had no large communities throughout the Second Age.

The Early Lindon Years (S.A. 50 - 600)

In this time Gil-galad and other Eldarin lords turned their attention to the east. The Sindar began migrating east.19

Since Sauron began building the Barad-dûr in S.A. 1000, the migration of the Sindar could have occurred at almost any time, but "The Tale of Years" continues with: "Later some of the Noldor went to Eregion......" Now, we know that Eregion was settled at the earliest in S.A. 700 (Unfinished Tales, p. 235) but no later than S.A. 750. So, the Sindarin migration must have occurred before 700. This work infers a gradual or multi-step migration; i.e., the Sindar at first settled in Eriador, but when the Noldor started moving east some of the Sindar then left Eriador altogether. Other interpretations are possible. Although Círdan's Falathrim were at ease with the Noldor, the Eglath of Doriath seem to have generally disliked the Noldor, blaming them for the destruction of Beleriand and particularly for the ruin of Doriath and Arvernien (though only a few of the Noldor had had any part in those misdeeds).20

We know only that Celeborn ruled the Sindar in Harlindon during the early years. However, Sindarin (Doriathian) influence in Eriador must have gradually increased as more Elves passed eastward. Perhaps Celeborn himself led the expansion of Beleriandic culture into Eriador. But eventually it was Gil-galad, High King of the Elves of the West, whose authority was recognized through the Elvish lands between Baranduin and the Sea. This extension of Gil-galad's authority may be one of two reasons why princes like Oropher and Amdír led some of their people east.

Since word eventually reached the Noldor in Lindon about the discovery of mithril in Khazad-dûm, it seems that during this period they maintained their friendship with the Dwarves, even though most of the Dwarves in Ered Luin after the Migration Years were descended from the Dwarves of Nogrod.²¹ It was the Host of Nogrod which had sacked Menegroth, and the Dwarves of that city had slain Thingol. Nogrod's dwarves may have relocated in the region of the Ered Luin which bordered Harlindon, and this may be the second reason why the Sindar undertook their migrations into the East.22

Appendix A to The Lord of the Rings says: "....Dwarves dwelt, and still dwell, in the east side of the Blue Mountains, especially in those parts south of the Gulf of Lhûn, where they have mines that are still in use" (The Return of the King, p. 319).

Belegost was said to have been built on the northern side of Mount Dolmed, which was near the center of the Ered Luin (The Silmarillion, p. 91). If Mount Dolmed was in fact about even with Lake Nenuial, then probably the Dwarves of Nogrod migrated southward after their city was destroyed, establishing new mines near Harlindon. It seems that some traffic between the Noldor and Dwarves continued from the beginning of the age, and that the Dwarves who remained in Ered Luin communicated (probably traded with) the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm.

The Expansion Years (S.A. 600 - 1000)

These years differ from the Migration Years in that the ultimate destinations of the peoples who moved existed within Eriador, rather than outside of it. The Noldor (and some Sindar) passed eastward to establish Eregion. The Dwarves of Khazad-dûm extended their realm west through the mountains so they could trade with Eregion. The Dúnedain returned to Middle-earth during these years, not yet to stay but simply to visit. But Aldarion and his Venturers' Guild built a haven at the mouth of the Gwathló, and they established forts along the river.²³ Eventually, a small port was established near Eregion itself at the later site of Tharbad.24

It was interest in mithril which led the Noldor to Eregion, but they built their city of Ost-in-Edhil and other dwellings there, and they established a guild of jewel-smiths (the Gwaith-i-Mírdain). The Dúnedain were interested in mithril, too, but they also harvested the forests for timber, which was used to build ships or taken back to Númenor. And during these years two kindreds of Men drifted north into Enedwaith and Minhiriath, the southern region of Eriador.

The Drúedain of Eriador were akin to those who had lived in Beleriand and Númenor, and may in fact have been reinforced by them as the western Drúedain abandoned Númenor. These dwelt mostly in the coastal lands.²⁵ The Dunlendings had pushed their way north, settling in many lands.26

If we accept this tradition as correct, then the arrival of the Eldar began a series of migrations which had an impact on all of Eriador and Gondor's history. The "fisher-folk" pushed into the mountains, displacing the Drúedain, who appear to have spread east and west. From the mountains the new Men spread into Calenardhon, Enedwaith, and Minhiriath.

Eventually, groups settled in the Cape of Eryn Vorn, the Bree land in the middle of Eriador (where previously the Edain had dwelt), Dunland in the east of Enedwaith, and in regions that later became part of Gondor.

Although he leaves in doubt the origin of these Men, Tolkien does confirm the rest of their history as mentioned in Unfinished Tales in Appendix F of The Lord of the Rings: "....Alien, too, or only remotely akin, was the language of the Dunlendings. These were a remnant of the peoples that had dwelt in the vales of the White Mountains in ages past. The Dead Men of Dunharrow were of their kin. But in the Dark Years others had removed to the southern dales of the Misty Mountains; and thence some had passed into the empty lands as far north as the Barrow-downs. From them came the Men of Bree...." (The Return of the King, pp. 407-8). They feared the Elves, however, and did not traffic with Eregion or Gil-galad's domains. At first they did engage in friendly exchanges with the Dúnedain, who taught them the use of iron among other skills.²⁷ But these were a primitive, forest-dwelling people who were appalled at the great destruction of the woods, and in time they began raiding the Dúnadan forts.28

The Years of Isolation (S.A. 1000 - 1500)

After Tar-Aldarion's death in S.A. 1075 the Dúnedain took less interest in Middle-earth (largely because his daughter, Tar-Ancalimë, had no interest in it).²⁹ The Dúnedain undoubtedly continued to visit Lindon and Eregion, but were not led by a great lord with an active interest in such ventures as Aldarion had been.

Sauron's activity in Middle-earth became more ominous. He established himself in Mordor and began to work against the Eldar by trying to seduce them. His success in Eregion despite Gil-galad's attempts to oppose Sauron implies that Celebrimbor chose not to adhere to all of Gil-galad's policies. Hence, these years represent a time of division, however slight, among the Eldar.

The Years of the Rings (S.A. 1500 - 1701)

Once the Gwaith-i-Mírdain started forging the Rings of Power, they must have caused quite a stir among the Elven lords even though the Rings themselves appear not to have been matters of common knowledge (even the Dúnedain seem not to have known about the Rings at this time).³⁰ The prospect of being able to extend the Eldar's joy in Middle-earth through the Rings—to delay the "world-weariness" that was inevitable for every Elf—would have done much to restore the ancient friendships between the Elven kindreds. But that plan never reached fruition.

Within 10 years of the creation of the three greatest Rings of Power, Sauron forged the One Ring in Orodruin, and the Elves knew they would soon be embroiled in another war.³¹ The Dúnedain, though ignorant of its causes, did not just show up at the last minute once the war had begun. They established a haven in Lindon where they built up troops and supplies over a period of years. And they maintained, perhaps even strengthened, their forts on the Gwathló from Lond Daer to Tharbad.

On the other hand Sauron was able to use the Dunlendings to harass the Dúnedain.³² It may be even that the Edainic peoples of central Eriador, by now quite an ancient culture, were drawn into the preliminary conflicts. At the very least when Sauron invaded Eriador he overran all their lands as well as Eregion. Although Sauron was aided by the Dunlendings, some of them may have come to regret giving such aid once Sauron burned all the ancient forests away. It could be that the group who became the Men of Bree settled in that region (Tyrn Gorthad) shortly after the War of the Elves and Sauron.

The Black Years (S.A. 1701 - 2251)

These may have been the days of flight for more than just the Elves. Since Eriador was laid waste during the war, the Edainic peoples were either destroyed or driven off.³³ Elrond gathered many Men and Elves when he fled north with the remnants of his army and the survivors of Eregion. Thus, it is possible that the Edain left Eriador at this time, migrating eastward to settle in the Vales of Anduin, where other Elvish peoples dwelt, but also far removed from the devastations of Sauron's war.34

Although Khazad-dûm's western gate was closed, Gil-galad seems to have maintained contact with the Dwarves.³⁵ Elrond's establishment of Imladris indicates the Elves retained an interest in Eriador, but their lands between the Lhûn and Baranduin had been overrun during the war. It's unlikely this region ever fully recovered from that disaster, as many centuries later Gil-galad ceded it to Elendil and the Dúnedain for the establishment of Arnor.

Thus, most of Eriador must have been a wasteland through these years. The ancient forests never grew back, but the lands recovered to some extent from Sauron's scorched earth policies. The Dunlendings who lived north of the Gwathló withdrew into the few remaining forests (like Eryn Vorn and the woods of the Bree-land), but there may have been a mixed people, partly of Edainic blood, partly of Dunlending blood, who lived throughout Minhiriath and other parts of Eriador, and who eventually were absorbed into Elendil's realm.

The Years of Conflict (SA 2251 - 3261)

Although no further wars occurred in Eriador, Sauron continued to harass the Elves throughout the rest of the age.³⁶ The conflicts, however, gradually shifted from the Elves to the Dúnedain, who began establishing permanent fortresses and cities in Middle-earth soon after the War of the Elves and Sauron. The Nazgûl first appeared during this time, and the Númenóreans became a divided people. Gradually, more and more of the Faithful Númenóreans settled in northwestern Middle-earth, close to the Eldar of Edhellond and Lindon.

Although Pelargir became the greatest haven of the Faithful, many Dúnedain must also have settled in Eriador, spreading north from Lond Daer and Tharbad into Minhiriath and the lands of the downs where the Edainic peoples had lived previously. It may be that some Dúnedain also settled north and west of the Baranduin and in the hills of Evendim during these years.

It was also during these years that the Drúedain left Númenor, fearful of the shadow which had fallen upon the Dúnedain.³⁷ They appear to have settled along the coasts of Middle-earth from Andrast to the Gwathló. They did not get along with the Dunlendings and their kin. Thus, it may be there were small conflicts in Calenardhon, Enedwaith, and Eriador between the Dunlendings and the other peoples.

The Breefolk of the Third Age lived in stone houses, built fences, and engaged in some commerce, but these activities may all have been developed under Dúnadan rule. In the Second Age the Dunlendings and their kin must have been forced to make a gradual transition from forest-dwellers to farmers, fishers, and raiders. Their villages would be scattered far and wide, but must have been numerous and large enough to warrant the maintenance of the ancient forts on the Gwathló.

The Respite Years (SA 3261 - 3319)

These were the years of Sauron's internment in Númenor. While he seduced the greater part of the Dúnedain to his cause many of the Faithful sailed to Middle-earth, and some undoubtedly settled in Eriador as well as in or near Pelargir.³⁸ But these were also the years in which Gil-galad extended his power deep into Middle-earth. Eriador's conflicts, however small and sporadic, must have ceased in this time. The Eldar began to re-establish links among the Elven realms so that Gil-galad's authority and military strength extended beyond Eriador.39

Since Elendil was able to establish a large kingdom soon after the destruction of Númenor, this peaceful phase must have seen a growth in Eriador's population. The Dúnedain may have been actively colonizing the former Elvish lands east of the Lhûn even during these years, and other Men would be settling quietly throughout Minhiriath.

The prospect of increased commerce could not have gone unnoticed by the Dwarves. Even if the Dwarves of Ered Luin were too few to take advantage of the renewal of civilization in Eriador the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm had the numbers and the historical interests for doing so.

The Arnorian Years (SA 3319 - 3441)

The last phase of Eriador's history in the Second Age was ushered in with the arrival of Elendil's four ships in Mithlond. Gil-galad built the three towers of Emyn Beraid for his friend but the Númenórean Dúnedain must have quickly contacted the Dúnedain of Eriador, or perhaps hearing that a descendant of Elros had survived the wreck of their homeland the Dúnedain living there asked Elendil to be their king.

In any event, new cities arose at Annúminas and Fornost, and the kingdom of Arnor spread out across the region. Although no mention is made of Elves continuing to dwell in the lands that became Arnor, the Wandering Companies must have continued to pass through the lands they had known for thousands of years. Arnor must have seemed quite the melting pot for more than a hundred years: Elves, Dúnedain, Dunlendings, Dwarves, and perhaps other Men of mixed stock, or of the ancient Edainic and Forodwaith clans all dwelt under the crowns of Elendil and Gil-galad.

Although much traffic had passed through Eriador for thousands of years, the Númenóreans were credited with building the great highways which ran from Lindon to Imladris, and from Fornost to Tharbad.⁴⁰ They also built many towers throughout the land, which work required stone from appropriate quarries. The Gwathló was used as a highway as well, for it was thought that the fastest route from Gondor to Arnor (at least when the kingdoms were first established) was to sail north to the Gwathló and then up to Tharbad, and then the reverse.⁴¹ The ancient harbor at Lond Daer was abandoned by this time, perhaps destroyed by the great cataclysm which sank Númenor beneath the waves forever.42

Tharbad itself must have become prominent in the wake of Lond Daer's destruction (or deterioration). It was actually two cities, with garrisons maintained on both sides of the river, one from each kingdom.⁴³ Serving also as Elendil's chief port and being close to Khazad-dûm, the city may have enjoyed a rich and interesting culture for many years into the Third Age.

Footnotes
1. In fact, "Glanduin" means "border river" and it was recognized as the southern boundary of Eregion (Unfinished Tales, p. 441).
2. Karen Wynn Fonstad estimates the total area of Arnor was 245,847 square miles (The Atlas of Middle-earth, Revised Edition, p. 191). However, the revised map of Middle-earth published by Christopher Tolkien with the "final" edition of The Lord of the Rings implies a smaller area.
3. In the commentary he provides on "Aldarion and Erendis," Christopher Tolkien notes that Ancalimë's lover "sang to her songs that came out of far-off days, when the Edain pastured their flocks in Eriador long ago, before ever they met the Eldar" (Unfinished Tales, p. 209).
4. Many references support this in the unpublished works which have appeared in The History Of Middle-earth. However, only the chapter "Of the Sindar" in The Silmarillion seems to represent any final form of substantiation for such early linkages between Beleriand's peoples and the peoples of Eriador or more distant lands.
5. The Edain appear to have had dealings with the Dwarves in Eriador, not always friendly, because Androg, one of Turin's outlaws, says to Mîm the Petty-dwarf: "'...For Androg does not like Dwarves. His people brought few good tales of that race out of the East.'" (Unfinished Tales, p. 97).
6. "Thus ended the Siege of Angband....The most part of the Grey-elves fled south and forsook the northern war....and some fled the land and hid themselves in Ossiriand, or passing the mountains wandered homeless in the wild...." (The Silmarillion, p. 151).
7. The Edain dwelling in Estolad (Bëorians and Marachians, the First and Third Houses of the Edain) held a great council in which they debated the merits of staying in Beleriand. Afterwards, Amlach, a grandson of Marach, came back to find he had been impersonated: ."..Many therefore of those that yet remained in Estolad made ready to depart; and Bereg [a grandson of Bëor] led a thousand of the people of Bëor away southwards, and they passed out of the songs of those days. But Amlach repented, saying: 'I have now a quarrel of my own with this Master of Lies, which will last to my life's end,'....But those of his people who were of like mind with Bereg chose a new leader, and they went back over the mountains into Eriador, and are forgotten" (The Silmarillion, p. 145). Earlier it is written: "But many men remained in Estolad, and there was still a mingled people living there long years after, until in the ruin of Beleriand they were overwhelmed or fled back into the East" (ibid., p. 144). The "ruin of Beleriand" occurred after the Dagor Bragollach in FA 455.
8. "..And after the victory of the Lords of the West those of the evil Men who were not destroyed fled back east, where many of their race were still wandering in the unharvested lands, wild and lawless, refusing alike the summons of the Valar and of Morgoth" (The Silmarillion, p. 259).
9. The West-gate of Moria (Khazad-dûm) was not built until Eregion was founded. Hence, the only entrance to Khazad-dûm was on the eastern side of the mountains. Although there was the Redhorn Pass and at least one other close by, traffic seems to have been more northerly. The ancient Dwarf Road of Rhovanion ran to the High Pass above Imladris.
10. Cf. note 6 above. It may be erroneous to suggest that any of the Sindar were still recognizably Sindar.
11. In relating the first meeting of the Dúnedain with the Edain of Eriador, Christopher Tolkien writes: ."..Elsewhere in this essay it is explained that these Men dwelt about Lake Evendim, in the North Downs and Weather Hills, and in the lands between as far as the Brandywine, west of which they often wandered though they did not dwell there" (Unfinished Tales, p. 214).
12. In The Fellowship of the Ring we are given a rare sight of how the Elves might have lived in ancient Eriador in the chapter "Three's Company," when Frodo, Sam, and Pippin are given a night's shelter by Gildor Inglorion's company. However, his folk were Noldor and they mentioned having halls in a more distant region (probably close to Imladris, according to The Road Goes Ever On, p. 66). Except for the Elvenking's feasts in The Hobbit, Tolkien does not reveal how the woodland Elves lived in any region, and Thranduil actually dwelt in an underground cavern city.
13. In a continuation of his commentary cited in note 11 above, Christopher Tolkien writes: ."..It appears that they were in origin Men of the same stock as the Peoples of Bëor and Hador who had not crossed the Blue Mountains into Beleriand during the First Age" (Unfinished Tales, p. 214). The essay referred to does not necessarily conflict with the accounts in The Silmarillion if we assume the refugees from Beleriand were absorbed into existing populations.
14. I include the South Downs because Tolkien included the following passage in the history of Arnor: "'It is said that the mounds of Tyrn Gorthad, as the Barrow-downs were called of old, are very ancient, and that many were built in the days of the old world of the First Age by the forefathers of the Edain, before they crossed the Blue Mountains into Beleriand...'" (The Return of the King, p. 321). Tyrn Gorthad was separated from the South Downs by the defile named "andrath" (Unfinished Tales, p. 348).
15. The First Age lasted 590 years, and the last group of Edain to flee Beleriand did so in the year 455. Thus, from FA 455 to SA 32 was 167 years. On the length of the First Age see The War of the Jewels, p. 346.
16. "..For it was this Brodda who had seized the people, the goods, and the cattle of Húrin's homelands..." (Unfinished Tales, p. 69). Tolkien does not indicate where or when the Edain began herding cattle, but if they were herding sheep in Eriador then they may also have herded cattle. Since the shepherds of Númenor seem to have come largely from the Bëorians, it may be that the flocks of Eriador were Bëorian flocks, rather than Marachian flocks.
17. Cf. notes 11 and 13 above. It would be strange for the Edain of Eriador to have established contact with the Eldar of Lindon soon after the departure of the Dúnedain and to have heard nothing of their sailing. Hence, it must be that the renewal of friendship between Eldar and Edain in Middle-earth was at least one or two generations after SA 32, but perhaps before SA 100.
18. "It was after thought that the people of Ulfang were already secretly in the service of Morgoth ere they came to Beleriand. Not so the people of Bór, who were worthy folk and tillers of the earth. Of them, it is said, came the most ancient of the Men that dwelt in the north of Eriador in the Second Age and [? read in] after-days" (The War of the Jewels, p. 61).
19. This is based upon "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn" in Unfinished Tales, which implies an early migration. The Appendix in The Lord of the Rings says only "in the beginning of [the Second Age] many of the High Elves still remained. Most of these dwelt in Lindon west of the Ered Luin; but before the building of the Barad-dûr many of the Sindar passed eastward, and some established realms in the forests far away..." (The Return of the King, p. 363).
20. Unfinished Tales, p. 258. Of course, this passage is at a slight variance with that given on pp. 280-1. Yet Celeborn was mistrustful toward Dwarves, as Oropher was said to be. Since he was married to Galadriel, Celeborn may have been much less judgmental of the Noldor in general. Also, one of the traditions for the founding of Edhellond suggests that Sindar of Doriath, wishing to get away from the Noldor, established the southern haven (ibid., p. 247).
21. In the essay "Concerning Galadriel and Celeborn" Tolkien writes "There were and always remained some Dwarves on the eastern side of Ered Lindon, where the very ancient mansions of Nogrod and Belegost had been — not far from Nenuial; but they had transferred most of their strength to Khazad-dûm....The Dwarves of Belegost were filled with dismay at the [sack of Menegroth] and fear for its outcome, and this hastened their departure eastwards to Khazad-dûm" (Unfinished Tales, p. 235).
22. Of course, placing Nogrod and Belegost on the maps which show Eriador is not easy. Karen Wynn Fonstad's maps of Beleriand and Eriador indicate that Belegost was located in the southern Ered Luin near Harlindon, but this placement contradicts Tolkien's own writings and is puzzling.
23. Tolkien does not say when the forts were built, but they seem to be derived from the ongoing conflicts between the Númenóreans and the Dunlendings who lived in Enedwaith and Minhiriath. The clearest mention of these forts is made in Appendix D to "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn," titled "The Port of Lond Daer," in Unfinished Tales, p. 263.
24. Ibid. ."..But later they penetrated northward [up the Gwath-hir > Gwathló] as far as the beginning of the great fenlands; though it was still long before they had the need or sufficient men to undertake the great works of drainage and dyke-building that made a great port on the site where Tharbad stood in the days of the Two Kingdoms."
25. Some of the commentary in "The Battles of the Fords of Isen" identifies the barbarous fisher-folk mentioned in "The Port of Lond Daer" with Drúedain. These peoples lived along the coast of Enedwaith rather than in Eriador. Probably those who left Númenor were taken to Lond Daer rather than Pelargir or other havens on the coasts. Cf. Unfinished Tales, pp. 262, 370, 377-87.
26. It may be more appropriate to refer to them as the Men of Ered Nimrais than Dunlendings, but even this appellation fails to convey the immense breadth of their dispersal and history. The earliest mention of a race of Men who might be the forefathers of the barbarians who fought with the Númenóreans are a small tribe of fisher-folk displaced by the Elves who founded Edhellond (in one of the traditions concerning that haven). They are said to have fled north to the mountains (Unfinished Tales, p. 247).
27. "Akallabêth" states that the Númenóreans taught the Men of Middle-earth to till the lands, but in "A Description of Númenor" Tolkien writes: "It was indeed their grievance, when the Shadow crept along the coasts and men whom they had befriended became afraid or hostile, that iron was used against them by those to whom they had revealed it" (Unfinished Tales, pp. 170-1).
28. Cf. "The Port of Lond Daer" in Unfinished Tales, pp. 261-5.
29. "After Aldarion's death she neglected all his policies, and gave no further aid to Gil-galad" (ibid., p. 220).
30. In 1958 Tolkien mentioned in a letter to Rhona Beare the secrecy surrounding the Rings of Power: ."..(I do not think Ar-Pharazôn knew anything about the One Ring. The Elves kept the matter of the Rings very secret, as long as they could...)" (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, p. 279).
31. "The Tale of Years" indicates Celebrimbor forged the Three around the year SA 1590, and Sauron forged the One around the year SA 1600 (The Return of the King, p. 364). Presumably, all of the Elves who were wearing Great Rings when Sauron spoke the ominous words "One Ring to rule them All, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the Darkness bind them" perished in the war, and the chronicle of those events was written down from second-hand sources. The only account of how they received their Rings indicates that Gil-galad and Galadriel were not original Keepers, but were entrusted with the Rings after Celebrimbor discovered Sauron's treachery (Unfinished Tales, p. 237).
32. "..The denuding of the lands was increased during the war in Eriador; for the exiled natives welcomed Sauron and hoped for his victory over the Men of the Sea. Sauron knew of the importance to his enemies of the Great Haven and its ship-yards, and he used these haters of Númenor as spies and guides for his raiders..." (Unfinished Tales, p. 263).
33. "But now Sauron attempted to gain the mastery of Eriador: Lórinand could wait. But as he ravaged the lands, slaying or driving off all the small groups of Men and hunting the remaining Elves, many fled to swell Elrond's host to the northward....Eriador was cleared of the enemy, but lay largely in ruins" (ibid., pp. 238-9).
34. This migration is purely speculative. However, there are several reasons why it seems this is what happened:
A) In describing the Rohirrim to Frodo, Faramir says of them: ."..Indeed it is said by our lore-masters that they have from of old this affinity with us that they are come from those same Three Houses of Men as were the Númenóreans in their beginning; not from Hador the Goldenhaired, the Elf-friend, maybe, yet from such of his sons and people as went not over Sea into the West, refusing the call" (The Two Towers, p. 287).
B) Appendix A says of the relationship between Gondor and the Northmen "the kings showed them favour, since they were the nearest in kin of lesser Men to the Dúnedain (being for the most part descendants of those peoples from whom the Edain of old had come)...." (The Return of the King, p. 326).
C) Appendix F says "most of the Men of the northern regions of West-lands were descended from the Edain of the First Age, or from their close kin" (ibid., p. 407).
D) The essay "The Northmen and the Wainriders" in "Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan" says "these Northmen were descendants of the same race of Men as those who in the First Age passed into the West of Middle-earth [Beleriand] and became the allies of the Eldar in their wars with Morgoth" (Unfinished Tales, p. 288). A note appended to this sentence reads: "The Northmen appear to have been most nearly akin to the third and greatest of the peoples of the Elf-friends, ruled by the House of Hador. [Author's note.]" (p. 310).
E) The Northmen were those Men who lived in the Vales of Anduin and along the Celduin in the Third Age, according to the Appendix in The Return of the King (p. 407). The earliest mentions of these Men are provided in "The Sindarin Princes of the Silvan Elves" and "The Disaster of the Gladden Fields" (Unfinished Tales, pp. 259, 276) where they are named as the Free Men of the North and "certain Woodmen who got news to Thranduil by runners......" Both essays indicate the times when these Northmen enter into the tales are early in the Third Age (i.e., more-or-less contemporary events).
F) No further mention is made of Edainic peoples in Eriador until the Faithful begin settling in Middle-earth close to Lindon. The only other Men who are specifically placed in the north are the Men of Bree, who came from a branch of the Dunlendings who settled in Tyrn Gorthad (Cf. note 26 above). It would seem the Edainic peoples had, by the end of the Second Age, disappeared completely from Eriador, or at least no longer controlled the vast region they once had.
G) Since many Men had fled to Elrond during the War of the Elves and Sauron, they would have been in a position to pass east over the mountains into the Vales of Anduin. Eriador had been laid waste and the great forests had been burned off by Sauron. There was probably no where else they could have settled for many years after the war...
35. Or renewed contact with them, since they marched with him against Sauron at the end of the Second Age.
36. "From that time war never ceased between Sauron and the Elves;....Yet there came at length a stay in the onslaught of Sauron upon the westlands. For, as is told in Akallabêth, he was challenged by the might of Númenor" (The Silmarillion, pp. 288, 290).
37. In fact, they began leaving Númenor during Tar-Aldarion's time, but the sources do not agree on when there were no more Drúedain in Númenor. One account says the last departed when Sauron was brought to Númenor by Ar-Pharazôn (Unfinished Tales, p. 386).
38. This seems to be implied by the passage which reads: "Now the Elendili dwelt mostly in the western regions of Númenor; but Ar-Gimilzôr commanded all that he could discover to be of this party to remove from the west and dwell in the east of the land; and there they were watched. And the chief dwelling of the Faithful in the later days was thus nigh to the harbour of Rómenna; thence many set sail to Middle-earth, seeking the northern coasts where they might speak still with the Eldar in the kingdom of Gil-galad. This was known to the kings, but they hindered it not, so long as the Elendili departed from their lands and did not return..." (The Silmarillion, p. 268). There was only one king after Ar-Gimilzôr who was unfriendly to the Faithful, and that was Ar-Pharazôn, his grandson. Nothing in the tale of Ar-Pharazôn indicates that the Faithful stopped sailing to Middle-earth.
39. After the destruction of Númenor Sauron returned to Middle-earth, and "there he found that the power of Gil-galad had grown great in the years of his absence, and it was spread now over wide regions of the north and west, and had passed beyond the Misty Mountains and the Great River even to the borders of Greenwood the Great, and was drawing night to the strong places where once he had dwelt secure" (ibid., p. 290).
40. "..in those days the only Númenórean roads were the great road linking Gondor and Arnor, through Calenardhon, then north over the Gwathló at Tharbad, and so at last to Fornost; and the East-West Road from the Grey Havens to Imladris..." (Unfinished Tales, p. 278).
41. "In the early days of the kingdoms the most expeditious route from one to the other (except for great armaments) was found to be by sea to the ancient port at the head of the estuary of the Gwathló and so to the river-port of Tharbad, and thence by Road" (ibid., p. 264).
42. "..And all the coasts and seaward regions of the western world suffered great change and ruin in that time; for the seas invaded the lands, and shores foundered, and ancient isles were drowned, and new isles were uplifted; and hills crumbled and rivers were turned into strange courses" (The Silmarillion, p. 280).
43. "..Before the decay of the North Kingdom...both kingdoms shared an interest in this region [Enedwaith], and together built and maintained the Bridge of Tharbad and the long causeways that carried the road to it on either side of the Gwathló and Mitheithel across the fens in the plains of Minhiriath and Enedwaith [Cf. note 41 above]. A considerable garrison of soldiers, mariners, and engineers had been kept there until the seventeenth century of the Third Age..." (Unfinished Tales, p. 264).

Sources
Carpenter, Humphrey (ed.)
1981 The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0-395-31555-7
Fonstad, Karen Wynn
1991 The Atlas of Middle-earth (Revised Edition), Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0-395-53516-6
Tolkien, John Ronald Reuel
1967 The Road Goes Ever On, with Donald Swan, Ballantine.
1977 The Silmarillion, Christopher Tolkien, ed., Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0-395-25730-1
1980 Unfinished Tales, Christopher Tolkien, ed., Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0-395-29917-9
1993 The Fellowship of the Ring (2^nd Edition), Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0-395-48931-8
1993 The Return of the King (2^nd Edition), Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0-395-48930-X
1993 The Two Towers (2^nd Edition), Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0-395-48933-4