Depiction of Lossoth tribeswomen
Lossoth, or the Snowmen of Forochel, was the name of a race of Men living mainly on the shores of the Icebay of Forochel.
History
The Lossoth were a remnant of the Forodwaith that survived the ravages of the end of the First Age. They dwelt in the far northwest of Middle-earth during the time of The Lord of the Rings, in a land of bitter cold. The Lossoth were described as using bones tied to their feet as ice skates, and were a semi-nomadic people. They were not akin to the Edain, but more like to the Men of Dunland.
They appear most prominently in J.R.R. Tolkien's works when they harbor the exiled King Arvedui of Arnor in the year 1975 of the Third Age. Arvedui, Arnor's last king, was forced to flee his homeland of Arthedain by the forces of Angmar under the Witch-king. The Lossoth reluctantly helped Arvedui and a few of his men, until Cirdan sent ships to rescue him from Lindon. The chieftain of the Lossoth counseled Arvedui not to go aboard the ships and face the bitter northern winter, but the King refused and went anyway. In payment for his safekeeping, King Arvedui gave to the Lossoth his ring, the Ring of Barahir, and bade them ransom it to his kin when the Lossoth had need. Unfortunately, the chieftain's counsel proved wise, and Arvedui was lost at sea, thus ended the Kings of Arnor, and their line continued as the Chieftains of the Dúnedain of Arnor (Rangers).[1][2]
Portrayal in adaptations
The Lord of the Rings Online
Lossoth in The Lord of the Rings Online
In The Lord of the Rings Online, the Lossoth appear to be inspired by Uralic peoples, with Finnish or Ugric names. Their capital is Suri-kyla, located on the northern cape of the ice-bay Forochel. "Suuri-kylä" literally means "Large Village" in Finnish.
Lossoth Elder is named Yrjana, and he can be found in the Great Lodge of Suri-kyla.
There are many names in the game that are directly taken from Finnish, such as Jalmari, Matti and Kekkonen (a former president of Finland) and many names of places such as Jä-rannit (from Finnish Jäärannikko, which means Ice Coast) and Kauppa-kohta (that means "Trade point").
Translations around the world
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
|---|---|
| Bengali | লস্সথ |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Лоссот |
| Gujarati | લોસ્સોથ |
| Kannada | ಲಾಸ್ಸೋತ್ |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | Лоссот |
| Malayalam | ലൊഷൊഥ് |
| Polish | Lossothowie |
| Russian | Лоссот |
| Tamil | லொசூத் |
| Telugu | లోసత్ |
| Yiddish | לאָססאָטה |
References
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers, I: The Númenórean Kings, (iii): "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur"
- ↑ The Atlas of Middle-earth, The Third Age, "Wainriders and Angmar"