 | |
| Region | |
| Far Harad | |
|---|---|
| General Information | |
| Location | Far south of Gondor and Mordor |
| Type | Region |
| Description | A vast hot area |
| People and History | |
| Inhabitants | Haradrim |
Far Harad, a part of the larger region known as Harad, was a name used in Northwestern Middle-earth for a distant, unknown land far to the south of Gondor.[1] The name simply means the Far South (Sindarin harad, "south"),[2] as opposed to Near Harad, the Near South.
Some men from Far Harad travelled north at the time of the War of the Ring, and fought on the side of Sauron at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. These warriors were described as black men with white eyes and red tongues like half-trolls.[1]
Other versions of the legendarium
Tolkien stated that Gandalf might have made (although unlikely) a visit to Far Harad during one of his travels, but that it was too short a visit for there having "acquired a special name".[3]
Portrayal in adaptations
1982-97: Middle-earth Role Playing:
- The land is detailed in the Far Harad: The Scorched Land supplement, where Bozisha-Miraz (“Dowry of the Goddess”) is given as the local name. Its only small fertile region was called Raj (“Paradise”), and as such this name was also commonly used for the entire land. The river Rijesha flowed through the region. Bozisha-Dar, known as Harshport in the Common Speech, was a major port city located at the place where the river met the sea. Its old cultural capital was Tresti, where the local cult of a moon goddess was centred around a well.
- Far Harad was already a strong kingdom by the time the Númenóreans landed, though after its king was assassinated on the orders of Akhôrahil of Ciryatanor it was ruled by a council of regents for thousands of years. For a long time, the region resisted Sauron, but by T.A. 2000 a new cult arose that replaced traditional moon goddess worship with a new Sun God whose symbol was a burning, lidless eye. The well of Tresti was sabotaged, and the city was abandoned in T.A. 2178. In T.A. 2194, Far Harad became a kingdom again under the cruel Sun Lords. Only after the defeat of Sauron was Tresti rebuilt and a new king crowned.[4][5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix E, "Pronunciation of Words and Names", "Consonants"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The Istari"
- ↑ Charles Crutchfield (1988), Far Harad: The Scorched Land (#3800), pp. 6-9
- ↑ Mark R. Feil (1997), Hands of the Healer (#2026), pp. 66-68