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The Variags were Men from the land of Khand in southeastern Middle-earth.

J.R.R. Tolkien does not describe the Variags closely in any published work.

History[]

Little about the Variags is told apart from that they fought for Sauron and his allies. In the year TA 1944, the Easterling war band known as the Wainriders came to the south of Mordor and recruited Variags and Haradrim, using their numbers to carry out an assault on Gondor during the Wars of the Wainriders.[1]

Hundreds of years later on March 14 - 15 of TA 3019, the Variags fought in the Morgul-host against Gondor at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.[2]

In adaptations[]

No Variags appear in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, likely due to their Variags' scant appearance and description in the books.

They are featured in The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game, based mostly on Jackson's films. More often called the Khandish, they are depicted in an oriental, East Asian theme, much like the Easterlings, their close allies. They are portrayed as axe-wielders as well as using bows. They are skilled horsemen in the game, using chariots in battle. They have banners attached to their backs, similarly to the Japanese samurai of the Medieval period.[3][4]

In Standing Stone Games' The Lord of the Rings Online, Variags are first encountered as enemies in Anórien, guarding the road to Minas Tirith against the passage of Rohirrim. Another group of Variags is found in North Ithilien after the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, attempting to retreat home into Khand. Unlike the Easterlings and the Haradrim, the Variags are mercenaries, following Sauron not out of fear or worship but because of the riches promised to them. As such, they hold no real hatred against the Men of the West and at several points players have the option to simply pay them to defuse an armed situation.

Gallery[]

Translations[]

Foreign Language Translated name
Amharic ቫሪኣግስ
Arabic فارياجس
Armenian Վարիագս
Belarusian Cyrillic Варіагс
Bengali ভারিয়াগস
Bulgarian Cyrillic Варяги
Chinese (Simplified) 了維瑞亞人
Georgian ვარიაგები
Greek Βάριαγγς
Gujarati વેરિઅગ્સ
Hebrew ואריאגים
Hindi वरिअग्स
Japanese ヴァリアグ
Kannada ವರಿಅಗ್ಸ್
Kazakh Варіагс (Cyrillic) Variags (Latin)
Korean 바리악
Kyrgyz Cyrillic Вариагс
Macedonian Cyrillic Вариагс
Marathi व्हेरियॅग्ज
Mongolian Cyrillic Вариагс
Nepalese भेरियाग्स
Pashto واریاګس
Persian واریاگس ?
Punjabi ਵਰਾਇਗੇਟਸ
Sanskrit वरिअग्स्
Serbian Вариагс (Cyrillic) Variags (Latin)
Sinhalese වරිඅග්ස්
Tajik Cyrillic Вариагс
Tamil வரிஅக்ஸ்
Telugu వరిఅగ్స
Ukrainian Cyrillic варягів
Urdu واریاگس
Uzbek Вариагс (Cyrillic) Variags (Latin)
Yiddish וואַריאַגס
The People of Middle-earth

Edain | Dúnedain | Númenóreans | Haradrim | Easterlings | Variags | Northmen | Dunlendings | Drúedain | Forodwaith (Lossoth)

Vanyar | Ñoldor | Teleri | Sindar | Nandor | Avari

Durin's Folk | Firebeards | Broadbeams | Ironfists | Blacklocks | Stonefoots | Stiffbeards


References[]

  1. The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, Annals of the Kings and Rulers, I. "The Númenorean Kings", iv. "Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion"
  2. Matthew Ward, A Shadow in the East, 2005, ISBN 1 84154 695 X, p 48
  3. Ibid p 18
  4. Ibid pp 4–5
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