Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies, but fantasy luminary J.R.R. Tolkien also described their ancestors and the different realms they inhabited, as well as many more human tribes and realms. Peter Jackson's second Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit, explored the Men of Dale, who formed their own group of Men in Tolkien's world.

Among the numerous types of Men in Tolkien's Middle-earth were heroes and villains, some corrupted by Sauron and others merely corrupted by greed and pride. Aragorn was the primary hero of the realm of Men in The Lord of the Rings movies, with Éowyn a close second, but Faramir and Théoden shone just as brightly in the book. With Peter Jackson's movies based on Tolkien's seminal The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit novels, a small part of Tolkien's lore on Men did surface onto cinema screens, but there is much more to unearth.

15 Edain

Men Of The First Age

The Edain were among the first Men on Middle-earth. Men first awoke in Hildórien and Morgoth managed to seduce and enslave some of them. However, those who resisted Morgoth were the Edain, and they were eventually split into three tribes. The Edain were the forefathers of the Númenóreans, the Dúnedain, the Gondorians, and the Northmen, among other groups.

Edain is the plural of "adan," which is Sindarin (Elvish) for "man."

The House of Bëor most resembled the Noldor Elves with their dark hair, and they were encountered by the Elf Finrod Felagund, who imparted a lot of wisdom to them. The House of Haleth included female Amazon-like warriors. The House of Hador most resembled the Vanyar Elves with their blonde hair. All Edain were considered noble races.

14 Númenóreans

Men Of Númenor

Númenóreans lived on an island that the 15 Valar raised near their continent of Aman after the War of Wrath ended the First Age. This island was given in reward to the Edain for fighting Morgoth. The Valar also gave the Edain "wisdom and power and life more enduring than any others of mortal race have possessed."

These Edain settled the island and, with their blessings from the Valar, formed one of the greatest civilizations in Middle-earth's history. The island was called Númenor, also known as Westernesse. Númenóreans lived in prosperity for a long time but grew jealous of the immortality of the Elves, which Sauron eventually exploited to bring about the fall of Númenor.

13 Dúnedain

Descendants Of Númenóreans

The Dúnedain were the last remnants of Númenórean society in Middle-earth. Númenóreans were keen mariners and many sailed to Middle-earth, forming settlements like Umbar and Pelargir. After Sauron tricked Ar-Pharazôn into triggering the destruction of Númenor by the One creator, Eru Ilúvatar, the island's survivors fled to Middle-earth.

Númenórean survivor Elendil and his sons, Isildur and Anárion, formed the Realms in Exile on Middle-earth - Gondor and Arnor. Their descendants, along with those Númenóreans who had peopled Middle-earth before Númenor's destruction, became known as the Dúnedain. Their numbers dwindled over the years, with some becoming Rangers and some remaining in Gondor.

12 Gondorians

Men Of Gondor

When Isildur founded Gondor, the realm prospered and remained one of Middle-earth's most powerful sites even up until the end of the Third Age and beyond. The Númenórean settlers were friendly with certain other local Men. Many of these Men were descended from the Edain, like the Númenóreans, but had never migrated west to Númenor.

Númenóreans referred to these friendly folk as Middle Men - neither Men of Darkness nor Númenórean nobles. The realm of Gondor grew, absorbing these different peoples and cultures. Gradually, Númenórean descent dwindled, and the lifespans of Gondorians were gradually reduced.

11 Northmen

The Free Men Of The North

The Northmen were one tribe of Men that was friendly to Gondor during its expansion. Northmen were historically a huge confederation of powerful groups but were considered a united people. They splintered into different groups over time. For the most part, Northmen inhabited Rhovanion, which Rings of Power watchers may recognize as the Harfoots' territory.

The Men of Dale and Lake-town were Third Age Northmen, along with the Woodmen of Mirkwood.

Númenórean settlers counted Northmen as Middle Men, considering them descended from the Edain. The Northmen hadn't crossed the Blue Mountains into Beleriand and hadn't fought Morgoth, so had significantly shorter lifespans than the Dúnedain. The Men of Dale and Lake-town were Third Age Northmen, along with the Woodmen of Mirkwood.

10 Rohirrim

The Horse-Lords Of Rohan

The Rohirrim were also known as the Eorlingas, after King Eorl, or the Horse-lords of Rohan. They were descended from the Éothéod, which was a group of Northmen. The Rohirrim were Gondor's allies and the union of Gondor and Rohan ensured the victory of the War of the Ring.

Set in Rohan, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim will be released on December 13, 2024.

Famous Rohirrim include Théoden and Éowyn, who was a character of primary importance in both The Lord of the Rings book and the movies. Théoden was an even greater hero in the book, proving Rohan's worth. Tolkien based Rohan on Anglo-Saxon culture - out of all of Middle-earth in The Lord of the Rings novel, Rohan represented humanity the most.

9 Dunlendings

Wild Men Of Dunland

The Dunlendings were at war with the Rohirrim throughout history. They will appear fighting the Rohirrim in The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim movie and they also appeared as Saruman's allies in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. The anime movie and Peter Jackson's iconic saga both adapt the Wild Men of Dunland, a ferocious race descended from the Edain.

Descended from the isolated House of Haleth, the Dunlendings developed a different language and culture from other Edain and Northmen. As such, some Númenórean colonizers didn't recognize them as Middle Men. They treated the Dunlendings with hostility, devastating their forests for timber. A chequered history ensued between the Dunlendings and the Gondorian Men and their allies.

8 Easterlings

Folk Of The East

Easterlings was a general term used to describe folk of the East in The Lord of the Rings. Some of the earliest Easterlings described in Tolkien's lore, Bór and Ulfang, were allied with Morgoth. Bór and Ulfang and their followers can be counted among those that Morgoth managed to corrupt to his service after finding Men awakened in the eastern Hildórien.

Sauron continued Morgoth's work after Morgoth was thrown into the void, dominating many eastern folk. At some point during the Second Age of Middle-earth, Sauron forged Rings of Power made to control their wearers. Sauron gave nine rings to Men who became powerful Lords, and one of these was Khamûl the Easterling. Of course, he became a Ringwraith eventually.

7 Haradrim

Southrons

Haradrim were also known as Southrons and were one of the races that fell under Sauron's sway. Samwise Gamgee and Frodo Baggins looked on in awe as they spied the Haradrim ing their hiding place. They noted Tolkien's epic oliphaunts, who the Haradrim rode into battle. The Haradrim were the Men of Harad, who had originally woken up in Hildórien like the Edain but hadn't fought Morgoth in the wars of Beleriand.

Morgoth seduced many Haradrim to his allegiance. Many powerful Númenórean settlers treated the Haradrim as well as they treated the Dunlendings, with The Peoples of Middle-earth even stating that they sold them into slavery. This helped Sauron turn the Haradrim further against Gondor and their allies, the Elves.

6 Corsairs of Umbar

Men Of Umbar

The Corsairs of Umbar were Men of the coastal settlement of Umbar, which had a complex history. Located on the coast just south of Gondor, Umbar was perhaps originally founded by the Númenórean Aldarion in the Second Age and remained a Númenórean colony for a while.

Many Black Númenóreans came to live in Umbar - these Númenóreans were from a political group that opposed Elendil. Called the King's Men, this group continued to oppose Elendil's leadership in Gondor and Arnor. This formed the foundation of much war to come. The Corsairs of Umbar fought on Sauron's side in the War of the Ring.