Wikia

For the book, see The Peoples of Middle-earth, for the full list of peoples see List of Middle-earth peoples

The Peoples and Races of Arda refers to all the peoples and races in the world of Arda.

The Free RacesEdit

AinurEdit

Main article: Ainur

Ainur were angelic spirits that are a direct off-shoot of the mind of Eru Ilúvatar himself. There are two groups of Ainur: the Valar and the Maiar.

ValarEdit

Main article: Valar

The Valar are the highest and most powerful of the Ainur in Arda and are comparable to Archangels in Abrahamic faiths. They are the guardians of the world and its highest authority under Eru.

MaiarEdit

Main article: Maiar

The Maiar are angelic spirits like the Valar but of lesser degree and more numerous. They are sometimes referred to as the people of the Valar. Gandalf, Melian, Saruman, and Sauron are all Maia. They are comparable to Angels.

DwarvesEdit

Main article: Dwarves

Dwarves were short, stocky, hairy humanoids, good at forging and mining. They had their own language, kept secret from others, and writing, though most, if not all, spoke and wrote the Common Tongue of Westron as well. Female Dwarves were rare, perhaps one in three, and look so much like male Dwarves that many Men believe there are none.

The dwarves were a race of Middle-earth who were miners and preferred to live in mountains and caves. Dwarves in Middle-earth lived in Erebor, the Lonely Mountain, The Iron Hills, and the Blue Mountains, and once lived in Moria or Khazad-dum in the Misty Mountains. Aulë the Smith created dwarves. They mined and worked precious metals throughout the mountains of Middle-earth. The Dwarven language was created by Aulë, and was known as Khuzdul. The seven different groups of Dwarf-folk originated in the locations where the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves first awoke before the First Age.

MenEdit

Main article: Men

Men were a mortal race of people and were the Second Born of the Children of Ilúvatar. The awoke in the First Age and spread throughout Middle-earth and most became allies of the elves against the Dark Lord Morgoth, and most were faithful to them. The dominant race on Middle-earth by the time of the War of the Ring. The Men of Gondor came across the sea from Númenor but the other races of Men were already there. Under King Elessar, the Free Peoples of Gondor and Rohan united and conquered the Easterlings and Haradrim thus uniting all the races of Men. They spoke Westron in most cases, though some cultures maintained their own tongue, such as Rohirric.

During the time of the Lord of the Rings, Men in Middle-earth were located in many locations, with the largest group of free men located in the countries of Gondor and Rohan. There were also free men at the village of Bree, at Laketown and Druadan forest. Men which served the evil powers of Sauron or Saruman included the men of Dunland, Rhun, Harad and Umbar. Men bear the so-called Gift of Men, mortality. When the island of Númenór fell, only the Faithful escaped and founded the twin kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.

BeorningsEdit

Main article: Beornings

Beornings were a race of Men, though they take the forms of Men in peace they are considered different due to their Bear forms.

EasterlingsEdit

Main article: Easterlings

Easterlings were race of Men that are under Sauron's dominion and possibly akin to the Balchoth and the Swarthy Men, made up of many tribes like the Wainriders and more.

HaradrimEdit

Main article: Haradrim

Haradrim were a race of Men, similar to the Easterlings and possibly the Variags of Khand.

VariagsEdit

Main article: Variags

Variags were a race of Men from the land of Khand, possibly related to the Haradrim and Easterlings.

NúmenóreansEdit

Main article: Númenóreans

Númenóreans were decedents of the Edain. They were high men of the Isle of Númenór or Westernesse who prospered and thrived until their corruption and fall towards the end of the Second Age.

Black NúmenóreansEdit

Main article: Black Númenóreans

Black Númenóreans were men of Númenórean heritage who are descended from the corrupted King's Men group.

RohirrimEdit

Main article: Rohirrim

Rohirrim are the decedents of the Éothéod, horsemen the came from the sources of the Great River Anduin, near where the Ered Mithrin(Grey Mountains) met the Misty Mountains.

Eagles Edit

Main article: Eagle

The Eagles were immense flying birds that were sentient, and could speak. The Eagles fought alongside the army of the Valar, Elves and Edain during the War of Wrath at the end of the First Age. In the Third Age, Thorondor's descendants Gwaihir and Landroval lived in an Eyrie to the east of the Misty Mountains in Wilderland. Soon during the Third Age, these magnificent birds lived in an eyrie to the east of the Misty Mountains in Wilderland.

Elves Edit

Main article: Elves

Elves were an Immortal race of people and were the First Born of the Children of Ilúvatar and awoke during the Years of the Trees, and quickly spread throughout Middle-earth and into the Far West. They were divided between the Wood-elves or East-elves who eventually settled in Mirkwood, and the West-elves or the Eldar or Noldor who settled in the lands west of Middle-earth. There were also the Sindar or Grey-elves. Many of the Noldor in Middle-earth lived in Lindon and Hollin. The Sindar lived in Lorien as well also in Lindon. Elves and loved music and beauty and are described as the fairest and wisest of all creatures in Middle-earth, lovers of art (particularly songs) and had beautiful voices. Elves have sharp senses, and many of them are excellent archers. They are immortal and do not age nor catch disease, though they could be killed or die of grief.

Their languages included Quenya spoken by the Vanyar and the Noldor and Sindarin spoken by the Sindar (Grey Elves) and others.

Ents Edit

Main article: Ent

Ents also known as Treeherders were an ancient race of tree-like creatures, having become like the trees that they shepherd. They were large, tree-like beings of great strength and they lived a long time. They cared for the forests and were their shepherds. By the time of the War of the Ring, there were few Ents left because the Entwives had disappeared and many Ents had grown sleepy and "tree-ish," according to Treebeard.

HobbitsEdit

Main article: Hobbit

Hobbits, an offshoot of the race of men, were a variety of Middle-earth people shorter than men and characterised by curly hair, and go without wearing shoes. Many hobbits live in The Shire as well as Bree, and they once lived in the vales of the Anduin. They are fond of an unadventurous life of farming, eating, and socializing. There were three types of Hobbits: The Harfoots, the most numerous, were almost identical to the Hobbits as they are described in The Hobbit. The Stoors had an affinity for water, boats and swimming; the Fallohides were an adventurous people.

Hobbits, smaller than Dwarves, they were the last race to appear on Middle-earth. They loved good food and Pipe-weed. They had curly hair & big, tough-soled feet. They spoke Westron but with a few words of their own mixed in.

Tom BombadilEdit

Main article: Tom Bombadil

Tom Bombadil is an enigma; it is unknown to which of the peoples of Middle-Earth he belongs. He is clearly sentient and humanoid, though. As to the nature of Bombadil, Tolkien himself said that some things should remain mysterious in any mythology, hidden even to its inventor.

The Enslaved and Evil RacesEdit

OrcsEdit

Main article: Orc

Orcs were a race of evil beings first bred by Morgoth from corrupted and tortured Elves. They mostly and lived in the darkness because their dislike of sunlight in mountain caves. Many of them lived in the Misty Mountains while others lived in Mordor. They are also described as being goblins.

They had many sub-races and dialects, including the Half-orcs, which were bred by Saruman. Different tribes had different dialects so they often used Westron to communicate with each other. Smaller kinds are called Goblins while larger kinds are called Uruk-Hai.

GoblinsEdit

Main article: Goblins

When Melkor was taken in chains to Valinor, the Orcs and other foul creatures were forced to flee from Angband. Their kingdoms spread throughout many mountains of Middle-earth; notable cities include Goblin-town near the High Pass above Rivendell, the Goblin-capital at Mount Gundabad, and the former Dwarf-kingdom of Moria, as well as those in the service of Isengard and Mordor.

Trolls Edit

Main article: Troll

Trolls were evil beings formed by Morgoth in mockery of Ents and disliked sunlight. Some kinds of trolls turned to stone because of sunlight. Trolls dwelt in the Misty Mountains as well as in Mordor.

Troll variations include Rock trolls formally known as Attack trolls the fighting trolls of Mordor, Mountain trolls the Working trolls of Mordor that push/carry all resources needed for battle, and a variation which is a cross breed of troll and orc (half troll) called the Olog-hai which live in dark places like Moria and the Misty Mountains.

Olog-haiEdit

Main article: Olog-hai

Olog-hai were a type of troll that was immune to sunlight and other traits and the normal Trolls, prone to being turned to stone by sunlight and weaker.

BalrogsEdit

Main article: Balrogs

Balrogs were originally Maia that were drawn to Morgoth's rebellion against Eru and the Valar. It appeared once on the movies when in the Mines of Moria the Fellowship was confronted by it, Gandalf died fighting the Balrog on a mountain.

Uruk-haiEdit

Main article: Uruk-hai

Uruk-hai were a stronger race of orc-kind, larger and more akin to Men and Elves than regular orcs and more resistant to the sunlight.

Wargs Edit

Main article: Wargs

Wargs were large wolf-like race bred and corrupted by the Dark Powers. They probably originated from Rhovanion or perhaps other places as well. They were often allies of Goblins and Orcs. In Peter Jackson’s film the Wargs are used as riding beasts of Saruman's Army.

DragonsEdit

Main article: Dragons

Dragons were great reptiles originally created by Morgoth. They are greedy and have power to match Balrogs.

Vampires and WerewolvesEdit

Main article: Vampire

Main article: Werewolves

Vampires and Werewolves were evil creatures that served Morgoth.

Giant SpidersEdit

Main Article: Giant Spiders

Giant Spiders were the Children of Ungoliant. Great Spiders were huge spider like creatures that bred in ancient days in the Beleriand and later lived in Northern Mirkwood. The greatest of their surviving number into the Third Age was Shelob.

NazgulEdit

Main Article: Nazgul

Nazgul, also known as the black riders, were the greatest servants of Sauron. They numbered 9 and were all originally human kings. Sauron gave each of them one of the 9 great rings, appealing to their lust for power. They were enslaved and made into servants of Sauron by the One Ring.