Rhudaur was the smallest of the kingdoms that originated from the break-up of Arnor in TA 861. The other kingdoms were Arthedain and Cardolan. The Dúnedain were never numerous in Rhudaur; a large part of its population was native Hill-men.
History[]
Rhudaur formed the eastern part of Arnor, and stretched from the Weather Hills with Weathertop to the River Bruinen. It shared a long border with Cardolan along the Great East Road, and with Arthedain along the line of the Weather Hills.[1]
The land between the rivers Hoarwell and Loudwater was also considered part of Rhudaur. It was called the Angle, and it is here that the first Stoor Hobbits came into Eriador around TA 1150. However, due to the increasing hostility of Angmar these Stoors fled the region around TA 1356, with some of them moving west, and others moving back to Wilderland.
A view of Rhudaur, as depicted by Ted Nasmith
From the start of its existence, Rhudaur was unfriendly towards the two other successor states, and took part in a bitter conflict with Arthedain over the Tower of Amon Sûl and the palantír associated with the tower.
The House of Isildur failed first in Rhudaur, and the last Kings were not of Númenórean blood, but were Hill-men in service of Angmar. Under their rule the land became a vassal of Angmar (after TA 1349) and thus enemies of Cardolan and Arthedain.
Angmar annexed and terminated the kingdom in TA 1409. The last Dúnedain fled around this time[1] and the remaining population of Hill-men died out at some point after this.
There is evidence that after the fall of Angmar at the Battle of Fornost, the Angle became home to the remainder of the Dúnedain, and the Rangers of the North established several villages there, where their people lived until the resurrection of the northern Kingdom under King Aragorn II Elessar at the end of the Third Age.[citation needed]
Etymology[]
The name Rhudaur appears to be dialect Sindarin for 'East Forests'.[2]
In adaptations[]
Middle-earth Role Playing[]
Cameth Brin, Rhudaur's capital city in the Middle-earth Role Playing game
The structure and details of Rhudaur are significantly fleshed out in the Middle-earth Role Playing game:
The Haeranedain (S."Far Wandering Edain") were Rhudaurians of Númenórean descent, most were actually mix-blooded Tergil. Most Rhudaurian Dúnedain belonged to one of seven greater Noble Houses of Hiri, House Amrothar, House Eldanar, House Enedil, House Melosse, House Mithlad, House Rhudainor and House Rómentir.
The Rhudaurians (S."Rhudaurim") were the inhabitants of the fallen Kingdom of Rhudaur, in the closer sense those of Númenórean blood, the Haeranedain, in a wider sense all those Eriadorian tribes living inside the borders of Rhudaur including:
- Hill-men of the Trollshaws and Coldfells
- Vulseggi or "Northrons" of the Egladil
- Dunmen of the southern borderlands to Eregion and Cardolan
- Forodrim of the Northern marches
The Haeranedain were a bit smaller and darker than the high Dúnedain, although 6 ft for men was not uncommon.
In daily life most had adapted clothes much similar to those of the indigenous Hillmen, the Kailth, a skirt or kilt, and the Kullodoo.[citation needed]
The Battle for Middle-earth II[]
Rhudaur appears in the expansion The Rise of the Witch-king to the game The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II by Electronic Arts.
View of the Misty Mountains within Rhudaur as seen in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The Hobbit film trilogy[]
Rhudaur appears briefly in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) as the location of the High Fells, where, in the film's continuity, the Nazgûl were buried following their defeat by the Men of Arnor.
Gallery[]
Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Amharic | ርሁዳኡር |
| Arabic | رهوداور |
| Armenian | Րհուդաուր |
| Assamese | ৰুদৌৰ |
| Belarusian Cyrillic | Рудаур |
| Bengali | ঢ়ুদ্ঔর |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Рудаур |
| Georgian | რუდაური |
| Greek | Ρούνταουρ |
| Gujarati | રહુંદૌર |
| Hebrew | רהודאור |
| Hindi | रहदउर |
| Japanese | ルダウア |
| Kannada | ರಹುದೌರ್ |
| Kazakh | Рһұдаұр (Cyrillic) Rhudaur (Latin) |
| Korean | 루다 우르 |
| Kyrgyz Cyrillic | Рhудаур |
| Latvian | Rudaūra |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | Рудаур |
| Malayalam | റുദൗർ |
| Marathi | रडूोर |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Рhудаур |
| Nepalese | ढ़ुदौर |
| Persian | رودآئور |
| Punjabi | ਰੂਦਰ |
| Russian | Рудаур |
| Sanskrit | र्हुद्और् |
| Serbian | Рудаур (Cyrillic) Rudaur (Latin) |
| Sinhalese | ර්හුද්ඖර් |
| Tajik Cyrillic | Рҳудаур |
| Tamil | ற்ஹுத்ஔர் |
| Telugu | ర్హుడర్ |
| Thai | รูห์เดาร์ |
| Ukrainian Cyrillic | Рудаур |
| Urdu | رحداور |
| Uzbek | Рҳудаур (Cyrillic) Rhudaur (Latin) |
| Yiddish | רהודאַור |
| Realms of Men of Middle-earth throughout the Ages | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Age | Amon Ereb • Forest of Brethil • Dor-lómin • Eriador • Estolad • Ladros | |
| Second Age | Arnor • Dunland • Gondor • Haradwaith • Númenor• Rhovanion • Rhûn • Umbar | |
| Third Age | Arnor (later split into Arthedain, Cardolan, and Rhudaur) • Dale • Dunland • Lake-town (later part of the kingdom of Dale) • Gondor • Haradwaith • Khand • Rhovanion • Rohan • Rhûn • Umbar • Vales of Anduin | |
| Fourth Age | Dale • Haradwaith • Núrn • Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor • Rhovanion • Rohan • Rhûn • Khand • Eriador • Vales of Anduin | |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenórean Kings", "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur"
- ↑ The Complete Guide to Middle-earth