Dunland

Dunland is the hilly region in the southeast of Enedwaith, inhabited by the Dunlending Men.

Summary

Dunland consists of hills at the feet of the Misty Mountains, open country and wood. Northern Dunland is a green, pleasant and uninhabited country.

In the early Second Age, Dunland first acquired a significant population of Men when those who had dwelt in the forests of Enedwaith south of the Gwathló fled from the Númenóreans after they began to cut down all of the trees. When the kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor were established early in the Third Age the land of Enedwaith (and the region of Dunland) were largely ignored, although the inhabitants were nominally subjects of Gondor.

After the end of the royal line in Gondor the Dunlendings ceased to be subjects of the realm. During the years of the Watchful Peace (1975 – 2050), as the people of Calenardhon dwindled, the Dunlendings began drifting across the Isen. The expansion of the Dunlendings to the southeast of Dunland was checked when the new realm of Rohan was established in 2510. In the subsequent centuries there was tension between the Dunlendings and the Rohirrim.

After T.A. 2770, Dwarves fleeing the Sack of Erebor settled in Dunland. However, they left around thirty years later, eventually settling in the east of the Ered Luin beyond the river Lhûn in T.A. 2802.

Climate and ecology

The climate of Dunland is based on the countryside of Jura in eastern France. It contains the following vegetation zones:

• C20 - Rhododendron-mountain pine scrub (Pinus mugo, Rhododendron hirsutum), dwarf shrub communities (Arctostaphylos alpinus), grasslands and tall-herb communities in the Alps, partly with rock and scree vegetation on carbonate rocks, in the east Alps with Rhodothamnus chamaecistus
• D35 - Homogyne alpina- and Adenostyles alliariae-spruce forests (Picea abies) in the Alps, partly alternating with Pinus mugo and Alnus alnobetula scrub
• F2 - East Irish-British oak forests (Quercus robur, Quercus petraea), mostly with Betula pubescens, Ilex aquifolium, with Blechnum spicant, Conopodium majus, Hyacinthoides non-scripta
• F32 - Irish-British-Norman mixed pedunculate ash-oak forests (Quercus robur, Quercus petraea, Fraxinus excelsior, partly with Fagus sylvatica) with Hyacinthoides non-scripta
• T1 - Alder carrs (Alnus glutinosa), partly with Betula pubescens, Salix cinerea, Salix pentandra, Picea abies, often in combination with alder-ash forests (Fraxinus excelsior, Alnus glutinosa, in the west and south with Fraxinus angustifolia s.l.), tall reed vegetation and sedge swamps

Architecture

Drawing from the Iron Age Celts, the distinctive feature of Dunlending architecture is the roundhouse. These houses are built of stacked stones, plastered with mud (in lowland areas) or whitewashed (in mountainous areas). They feature conical thatched roofs, which are generally steeper in the eastern upland areas.

Large settlements are always bounded by primitive fortifications, though these vary greatly in their size and complexity. Villages in the Plains and West Tribes use earthen walls, while those in the Central and South Tribes feature walls of stacked stones.

Government

Dunland is divided into five tribes, ruled by hereditary chieftains.

• The Plains Tribe, containing Cois Abhann, Loch Thiar and Mai Dun
• The West Tribe, containing Riascach and Cae Uchel
• The South Tribe, containing Ard Phuing and Cartrefi
• The Central Tribe, containing Dun Thuaidh
• The Isengard Tribe [not started]

Culture

Dunlending culture is heavily inspired by the various Celtic tribes of the late Iron Age, and their religious practices are no exception: overall, their beliefs can be described as polytheistic with aspects of animism. They are descended from the folk who were visited by the Numenoreans in the seventh century S.A. and “unlearned their terror of the dark.” As a result, their pantheon took on some similarities to the angelic Powers, though the connection is often tenuous.

Dunlending deities

• The All-Father (based on Eru): the creator god, seen as unknowable/unapproachable. He is worshiped on hilltops, with rings of standing stones. No sacrifice is made to him, only prayers of praise, petition, and thanksgiving. Ceremonies such as weddings would be conducted at these shrines.
• The Smith of Worlds (a combination of Aulë/Melkor): the younger brother of the All-Father. According to legend, he stole fire from the All-Father to create the Dwarves, and the slag from his furnace formed the Orcs. He is associated with fire, which is both creative and destructive. The Dunlendings honor him with burnt offerings, including human sacrifices, on a pyre surrounded by wooden pillars. There is one such pyre at Cartrefi, but this practice will be much more common in the clans surrounding Isengard. Saruman encourages this belief, and presents himself as the herald of a new age, sent by the Smith himself (which isn’t entirely untrue, as he was an emissary of Aulë). He promises them a return to their homeland if they follow his commands.
• The Green Man (a corruption of Yavanna): a forest guardian. He is said to send his servants to attack people if forests are cut down wantonly (a belief that stems from ancient memory of the Ents, who used to inhabit Dunland when it was covered with primeval forest). The Green Man is worshiped at a sacred tree, generally the largest/oldest tree in an area, with buried offerings.
• The Huntsman (based on Oromë): a god of the wilderness, and one of the more popular figures in Dunlending mythology. He is worshiped with blood sacrifices on a stone altar, always surrounded by at least two standing stones. In one case, near Ard Phuing, the Dunlendings raised a series of stones in the shape of the constellation Orion, which is also called the Huntsman in their culture.
• The Dawn-Maiden (based on Arien): a youthful goddess, seen as the embodiment of the rising sun. There are no religious sites to her, but out of devotion to her, most Dunlendings build their houses with the doors facing east towards the rising sun. This practice is particularly prevalent in the western tribes, whose view of the sunrise is less obstructed by the Misty Mountains.
• The Man in the Moon (a combination of Mandos/Tilion): the ruler of the moon and of the underworld. Temples to this deity, shaped like large roundhouses, include imagery of a large wheel, representative of his moon-chariot. He is worshiped with bog sacrifice, either material goods or humans.
• The Lord of Stars (a combination of Irmo/Varda): god of the stars, as well as dreams and illusion. He is a shape-shifter, with both male and female aspects. He is not worshiped, rather warded off with iron talismans and other charms.
• The Lord of Plenty: one of the more commonly-worshiped gods, and one that predates Numenorean influence. He is represented with a phallic wooden pillar often placed near crop fields. Offerings of agricultural goods are left at the base of this pillar.

There are also many minor spirits in their folklore, mostly drawing from their encounters with the other peoples of Middle-earth. Dwarves, the Children of the Smith, are seen as helpful but mysterious, sharing their craftsmanship and knowledge in exchange for grain and other foodstuffs (this draws from their ancient relationship with the kingdom of Moria, and more recently, Thror and his family). Elves, meanwhile, belong to the Lord of the Stars, and are seen as harbingers of doom. Lastly, Orcs are the other Children of the Smith, and are greatly feared. Offerings to the Smith are often accompanied by prayer for deliverance from these “demons,” especially in the Misty Mountains where they are more populous. The Dunlendings living in and around Isengard are forced to coexist with Orcs; though the Men are undoubtedly apprehensive, they believe that Saruman’s status as an emissary of the Smith means that he has power over Orcs.