The "black serpent upon scarlet" was an emblem on the standard of a Haradrim chieftain at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. It depicted a scarlet field behind a black serpent.[1]
History[]
During the battle, the horsemen of "the main force of the Haradrim" gathered around the standard of the "black serpent upon scarlet" as their chieftain spotted the standard of the White Horse upon Green used by King Théoden of Rohan, noticing few riders around it. The chieftain displayed the "black serpent upon scarlet" and led his men against the Rohirrim. However, Théoden gathered his men and charged "like a fire bolt in the forest". After throwing down the chieftain with his spear, Théoden "spurred to the standard" of the "black serpent upon scarlet" and hewed the staff and the bearer of the standard with his sword, causing the "black serpent upon scarlet" to founder as the other Haradrim "fled far away".[1][2]
Later, after being mortally wounded by the Witch-king of Angmar, Théoden claimed to Meriadoc Brandybuck on the Pelennor Fields that he was satisfied because he felled the "black serpent upon scarlet"[1] before dying.[3]
In other versions[]
In an early manuscript entitled with the name Fall of Théoden in the Battle of Osgiliath, the "black serpent upon scarlet"[1] was never named, being referred to only as "the standard of the Haradoth", which later changed to Haradhoth. Théoden also never hewed the standard nor did he fight any chieftain.[4]
Inspiration[]
Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull mention in their reader's companion book that serpents are traditionally seen as being emblems of evil.[5]
In adaptations[]
The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)[]
In The Lord of the Rings radio series in 1981, Dernhelm warns Théoden of the coming of the chieftain. He kills the chieftain, but is killed by the Witch-king almost immediately after.
The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game[]
Suladân on horseback and on foot, as depicted in The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game
In The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game, which is based on The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the name of the chieftain whose standard was the "black serpent upon scarlet"[1] was Suladân, also known as the Serpent Lord and the Leader of the Sandy Regions. He led the Desert-Men forces with merciless precision and was considered a mysterious being, perhaps even a monster of sorts, by the soldiers of Gondor, a shadow that would strike like an assassin and kill without fault, and even by his own loyal troops. Suladân was the general of the Serpent Horde already a well-known as a chieftain in the armies of Harad when he went to the ruined Kârna and found King Mardat's sword. Since then, his name once more became famous throughout Harad, growing further with each victory. Unlike the haphazard weaponry of his soldiers, Suladân reserved the finest armor, bows, and poison darts for himself, using them with deadly efficiency. He was mentioned as one of the Mûmak-riders in a sourcebook supplement.[6]
Appearance[]
It was no coincidence that Suladân was considered a monster, even among his own troops. However, he had no disfigurations. He wore golden plated armour high above the likes of any eastern craftsmanship. Turquoise stones and jewels were encrusted into his armour. His sword is that of Mardat, the former serpent lord of Harad. It was a crooked scimitar, angled so as to decapitate a foe with ease. His helm was the shape of a golden serpent. On his back he wears a large red banner with the symbol of the eye of Sauron in black. He rides a white war horse, trained by the serpent guard, plated in fine gold armour. He wears fabrics of grey, red and rich purple. Suladân's hair is grey and long, with a grey beard and mustache. He was a true terror to behold on the field of battle.
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Suladan art from Battle Games in Middle Earth
The Lord of the Rings Online[]
Kâlach Hûl, the Black Serpent, in The Lord of the Rings Online
In a 2016 expansion for The Lord of the Rings Online, the name of the chieftain bearing this banner was Kâlach Hûl, The Black Serpent.[7] He appears as the "King of Harad" with his two sons, Princes Raghtâ Sai and Methân Sai, in a world instance before he is killed by Théoden after his sons are killed by the player.[8]
Middle-earth: Shadow of War[]
In the 2017 video game, Middle-earth: Shadow of War, a King of Harad named Suladân, based on the character from The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game, served Sauron as one of his Nazgûl who was given a Ring of Power.
"Suladân" from Middle-earth: Shadow of War
The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War[]
In The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War mobile strategy game in 2022, which is based on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, the Black Serpent is the name of one of the evil faction commanders. He is specifically skilled in battling other evil faction commanders due to his High Alert ability. He is based on the Mûmakil rider and chieftain of the Haradrim forces in the Battle of Pelennor Fields in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The Black Serpent counters Théoden's charge at the battle by sounding the bone-chilling and signature Haradrim war horn while mounted from the most painted Mûmakil.
Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Afrikaans | Swart Slang |
| Albanian | Gjarprin e Zezë |
| Amharic | ጥቁር እባብ |
| Armenian | Սեւ օձ |
| Arabic | الثعبان الأسود |
| Assamese | ক'লা সাপ |
| Azerbaijani | Qara ilana |
| Basque | Suge beltza |
| Belarusian Cyrillic | Чорная змяя |
| Bengali | কালো সাপ |
| Bosnian | Crna zmija |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Черна змия |
| Burmese | အနက်ရောင်မြွေ |
| Cambodian | សត្វពស់ខ្មៅ |
| Catalan | Serp Negra |
| Cebuano | Itom nga halas |
| Chinese | 黑蛇 |
| Cornish | Du Serpont |
| Croatian | Crna zmija |
| Czech | Černý had |
| Danish | Sort slange |
| Dutch | Zwarte Slang |
| Estonian | Must madu |
| Faroese | Svartur Ormur |
| Filipino | Itim na ahas |
| Finnish | Musta käärme |
| French | Serpent Noir |
| Frisian | Swarte Slange |
| Galician | Serpe Negra |
| Georgian | შავი სერპენტი |
| German | Schwarze Schlange |
| Greek | Μαύρο φίδι |
| Gujarati | બ્લેક સર્પન્ટ |
| Haitian Creole | Nwa sèpan |
| Hebrew | הנחש השחור |
| Hungarian | Fekete kígyó |
| Icelandic | Svartur Höggormur |
| Indonesian | Ular Hitam |
| Irish Gaelic | Nathair Dubh |
| Italian | Serpente Nero |
| Japanese | 黒蛇 |
| Javanese | Ireng Ula naga |
| Kannada | ಕಪ್ಪು ಸರ್ಪ |
| Korean | 검은 독사 |
| Kurdish | Mar serokê (Latin) |
| Kyrgyz Cyrillic | Кара жылан |
| Laotian | ງູສີດໍາ |
| Latin | Nigrum Draco |
| Latvian | Melnais čūskas |
| Lithuanian | Juoda gyvatė |
| Luxembourgish | Schwaarz Schlaang |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | Црна змија |
| Malayalam | കറുത്ത സർപ്പം |
| Malaysian | Ular hitam |
| Maltese | Serp Iswed |
| Maori | Nakahi pango |
| Marathi | काळ्या साप |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Хар могой |
| Nepalese | कालो सर्पले |
| Norwegian | Sorte Orm |
| Persian | مار سیاه |
| Polish | Czarny Wąż |
| Portuguese | Serpente preta |
| Punjabi | ਕਾਲੀ ਸਰਪ |
| Romanian | Negru Şarpe |
| Romansh | serp Blau |
| Russian | Черный Змей |
| Samoan | Lanu uliuli gata |
| Scottish Gaelic | Dubh Nathair |
| Serbian | Црна змија (Cyrillic) Crna zmija (Latin) |
| Sesotho | Nyoka e Lefifi |
| Sinhalese | කළු සර්පයා |
| Slovak | Čierny had |
| Slovenian | Črna kača |
| Somali | Abeesadii Madow |
| Spanish | Serpiente Negra |
| Sundanese | Hideung Naga |
| Swedish | Svart Orm |
| Swahili | Nyoka Mweusi |
| Tajik Cyrillic | мисин сиёҳ |
| Tahitian | Ophi ereere |
| Tamil | கருப்பு பாம்பு |
| Telugu | నల్ల పాము |
| Thai | พญานาคสีดำ |
| Turkish | Siyah yılan |
| Turkmen | ýylan Garaltmak |
| Urdu | سیاہ سانپ |
| Ukrainian Cyrillic | Чорна змія |
| Uzbek | Qora ilon (Cyrillic) Qora ilon (Latin) |
| Vietnamese | Con rắn đen |
| Welsh | Sarff Du |
| Xhosa | Inyoka Ebomnyama |
| Yiddish | שוואַרץ סערפּענט |
| Zulu | Inyoka Emnyama |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 The Lord of the Rings, vol. III: The Return of the King, Book Five, ch. VI: "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields", pgs. 839-40, 842
- ↑ The Atlas of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings, "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, vol. III: The Return of the King, Book Five, ch. VI: "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields", pg. 842
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, vol. VIII: The War of the Ring, Part Three: Minas Tirith, IX: "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields", pg. 365
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, pg. 562
- ↑ Matthew Ward, The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game: Harad (2008)
- ↑ Kâlach Hûl, The Black Serpent on lotro-wiki.com
- ↑ Blood of the Black Serpent on lotro-wiki.com