Newsgroups: rec.arts.books.tolkien From: Michael@xenite.org (Michael Martinez) Subject: Edainic Origins (was Re: Hobbit Origins Theory [REPOST]) Organization: Xenite.Org: Science Fiction and Fantasy Message-ID: <86cti5$10k_024@news.uswest.net> References: <8659i8$35o_020@news.uswest.net> <20000120132212.02618.00000604@nso-fg.aol.com> <86ar2c$95k$1@merkurius.lu.se> X-Newsreader: News Xpress 2.01 Lines: 113 Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2000 18:40:05 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 207.224.149.230 X-Trace: news.uswest.net 948566057 207.224.149.230 (Sat, 22 Jan 2000 12:34:17 CST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2000 12:34:17 CST Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!newsfeed-zh.ip-plus.net!news.ip-plus.net!news.datacomm.ch!newsmaster-01.vbs.at!newsrouter.chello.at!newsfeed01.sul.t-online.de!newsfeed00.sul.t-online.de!t-online.de!newsfeed.icl.net!newsfeed.icl.net!colt.net!news.maxwell.syr.edu!logbridge.uoregon.edu!news-out.uswest.net!news.uswest.net.POSTED!xenite1 Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch rec.arts.books.tolkien:12816 In article , sbjensen@midway.uchicago.edu (Steuard Jensen) wrote: > "But it is told that there were a few that escaped us, and went away > into far countries, fleeing from the shadow. Yet they did not > escape the anger of [Iluvatar]; for they had built the House [the > temple of Melkor--SJ] and bowed down in it. And they came at last > to the land's end and the shores of the impassable water; and > behold! the Enemy was there before them." > >Now, the context of this passage indicates that the speaker Adanel was >of the people of Marach, who came to Beleriand after the people of >Beor; presumably, those who are said here to have escaped the hunting >included the people of Beor, who left while the Marachians remained in >service to Melkor out of fear. (That is my take on "we hunted them" >and "who escaped us", at any rate.) Perhaps guilt at their treatment >of the Beorians played a part in the eventual Marachian rebellion and >escape. > >The wording of this passage suggests that _all_ those who escaped went >West to Beleriand. This is consistent with what we know from numerous >other sources: that the rumor of the good of the Valar in the West had >come to the humans' ears from the Avari, and that the humans fleeing >Melkor naturally sought out the rumored home of his enemies. > >However, I have started to wonder if that implicit "all" is correct. >It seems likely that at least some groups that escaped would simply >flee, in any direction, and not put their hope in the tales of the >Avari (after all, the Avari didn't go to the West, so they probably >didn't have much desire to advertise it). This raises the possibility >of populations of humans opposed to Morgoth throughout the world, >although none so organized or so well-tutored as those who found the >Eldar in Beleriand. The pre-history of the Edain, as revealed in THE PEOPLES OF MIDDLE-EARTH, MORGOTH'S RING, and THE WAR OF THE JEWELS, implies the following sequence of events: 1) All Men are seduced by Morgoth in Hildorien. 2) Some Men repent and speak against Morgoth. These are hunted. 3) Other Men repent and flee west. These can be divided into five groups: A) The Druedain (who may never have given in to Morgoth) B) The Beor-Marachians (see below for explanation) C) The Gwathuirim D) The Proto-Borians E) The Proto-Hobbits All other Men, so far as we know, served Morgoth. 5) The paths of flight of the various "good" peoples appear to be: A) The Druedain fled west below the sea of Rhun. B) The Beor-Marachians fled directly west to the sea of Rhun. C) The Gwathuirim fled in the path of the Druedain. D) The Proto-Borians fled in the path of the Beor-Marachians. E) The Proto-Hobbits fled north. 6) The Beor-Marachians became divided into the Beorians (who passed south around the sea of Rhun behind the Gwathuirim) and the Marachians (who passed north around the sea of Rhun). 7) The Druedain passed over Anduin at Cair Andros, settled in the foothills of the Ered Nimrais, and from there spread to the coastlands. 8) The Gwathuirim passed over Anduin and through Calenardhon. Some of them appear to have entered the Ered Nimrais. Others appear to have befriended Druedain. Many of the Gwathuirim spread northward and some crossed the Gwathlo into Eriador. 9) The Beorians passed south under the Greenwood and up into the Vales of Anduin. Most of them passed over the Misty Mountains into Eriador. 10) The Marachians spread up the Celduin and Carnen rivers, and some passed through the Greenwood to settle in the Vales of Anduin. 11) A group of Marachians left Wilderland and entered Eriador. 12) A group of Beorians left Eriador (perhaps because of the arrival of the Marachians). Some of the Marachians and Gwathuirim followed them westward into Beleriand. 13) The Proto-Borians (and other Easterlings) passed through Wilderland and crossed into Eriador. The Folk of Ulfang crossed the Ered Luin, but the Proto-Borians settled in northern Eriador. The Folk of Bor passed around the northern end of the Ered Luin. 14) Thousands of years later, the Hobbits passed west to the Vales of Anduin. The Folk of Bor (and presumably all the Proto-Borians) were farmers. Their westward movements may have been driven by the other Easterlings. The Folk of Ulfang appear to have been a nomadic people, and were perhaps modelled on early steppe peoples like the Scythians. The Marachians and Beorians also appear to have been farmers, but the Marachians were better organized and more numerous. They seem to have favored open lands, whereas the Beorians seem to have favored woodlands (like the Gwathuirim). Culturally the Beorians and Gwathuirim may not have been very distinguishable from one another, even though their languages were quite different. -- \\ // Science Fiction and Fantasy info@xenite.org \\// LOTR Movie News: http://www.xenite.org/faqs/lotr_movie/ //\\ 1500+ Xena Links: http://www.xenite.org/xor/home.shtml // \\ENITE.org...............................................