When marveling upon Middle Earth’s great cities and kingdoms, one can easily wonder
how all these grand cities and their material cultures come into being.
Tolkien was a philologist, not an economist, but when reading between the pages of his works,
a semblance of economic life is present in its various cultures.
Indeed, Tolkien devoted a considerable amount of thought to the withertos and whyfors of everyday
life in his world, a phenomenon just waiting to be explored. In this latest video in our series
on the economies and societies of middle earth, we will explore the lives of the Men of the East,
who chose to live their lives and build their society under the shadow of a dark lord .
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During the first age, while many of the first ancestors of men chose to befriend the ancient and
immortal Elves, there were those who feared them and fled east. “dissensions awoke among the Edain,
in which the shadow of Morgoth may be discerned, for certain it is that he knew of the coming
of Men into Beleriand and of their growing friendship with the Elves” . Indeed after the
Dagor Bragolach , the swarthy Easterlings appeared secretly under the dominion of Morgoth and invaded
the people of Hador, “and they oppressed them, and took their lands and their goods,
and enslaved their children” . After Morgoth fell, the Easterlings would go masterless for a while,
but as the second age began, the dark lord Sauron continued Morgoth’s work,
corrupting the men of the east. During the third age, the Easterlings of Rhun,
the southeastern people of Khand and the southern Haradrim formed a confederacy which attacked the
west in T.A 1851“The Wainriders were a people, or a confederacy of many peoples that came from
the east; but they were stronger and better armed than any that had appeared before. They journeyed
in great wains, and their chieftains fought in chariots. Stirred up, as was afterwards seen,
by the emissaries of Sauron, they made a sudden assault upon Gondor, and King Narmacil II
was slain in battle with them beyond Anduin in 1856. The people of eastern and southern Rhovanion
were enslaved; and the frontiers of Gondor were for that time withdrawn to the Anduin and the
Emyn Muil” . Much like how the Mongolian horde came suddenly out of the steppe in our world,
the Wainriders continued to pour forth, pillaging and capturing the western peoples of Middle earth
to work as slaves in Sauron’s great fields of Nurn. In return for being provided with said
slaves, Sauron repaid the Easterlings with forged goods and foodstuffs, while installing titles
upon them and deceiving them into believing they would soon rule the lands to the west.
Alongside the men of the east were the men of the south. The aforementioned Haradrim, or Southrons,
were an independent peoples mostly isolated from the rest of middle earth until the second age.
During the age of King Tar-Ciryatan the shipbuilder, the men of Numenor exacted
tribute and oppressed the Haradrim, often killing and enslaving them. Sauron also had influence
among the southrons during this time, but he was not strong enough to challenge the Numenoreans.
However, after Numenor’s downfall, Sauron returned to the south to assert his control there.
“With the aid and counsel of Sauron they multiplied then: possessions,
and they devised engines, and they built ever greater ships. And they sailed now with power
and armoury to Middle-earth, and they came no longer as bringers of gifts, nor even as rulers,
but as fierce men of war. And they hunted the men of Middle-earth and took their goods and enslaved
them, and many they slew cruelly upon their altars” . Much like the how Easterlings raided
the north, the Haradrim would invade the south, procuring slaves for Sauron who would reward
them greatly with engines, armoury and titles. One of the mightiest of Sauron’s allies were the
corsairs of Umbar, which had once been one of the great seafaring colonies of the Numenorians. In
S.A 2280, after the downfall of Numenor, Umbar was made into a great fortress, where it would become
a refuge for Numenorian refugees who chose to cast their allegiance to Sauron, known henceforth
as Black Númenóreans. “The rebels of Umbar had never ceased to make war on Gondor since the death
of Kastamir, attacking its ships and raiding its coast at every opportunity. ... Learning through
spies that Minardil was at Pelargir, suspecting no peril since the crushing of Harad and Umbar by his
father, Angomaite and Sangahyanda, leaders of the Corsairs of Umbar, great-grandsons of Kastamir,
made a raid up Anduin, slew the king, ravaged Pelargir and the coasts, and escaped with great
booty” . Much like the great Ottoman Corsairs of our world, the Corsairs of Umbar pillaged
and enslaved great numbers of peoples, especially from Gondor and Rohan. “Four years later (2758)
great troubles came to Rohan, and no help could be sent from Gondor, for three fleets of the Corsairs
attacked it and there was war on all its coasts. At the same time Rohan was again invaded from the
East, and the Dunlendings, seeing their chance, came over the Isen and down from Isengard.
It was soon known that Wulf was their leader. The were in great force, for they were joined
by enemies of Gondor that landed in the mouths of Lefnui and Isen” . The Corsairs of Umbar,
Easterlings and Southrons all benefited from a system of tribute to the dark lord of Mordor. By
sending Sauron shipments of booty and slaves, they benefited from the services of Gorgoroths forges.
“Here in the northward regions were the mines and forges, and the musterings of long-planned war;
and here the Dark Power, moving its armies like pieces on the board,
was gathering them together ”. Sauron's metallurgy kept his allies well equipmed, allowing them
to pursue their lust for pillage, resulting in a mutually beneficial system of trade. The invasions
of the Easterlings and Southrons would menace the free peoples of Middle Earth for centuries,
allowing further groups like the Dunlendings to grab the opportunity for their own benefit.
The Dunlendings, or wild hill men, were rough analogue to the Celtic Britons of our world,
and held a centuries old grievance against the Rohirrim.
The seeds of that Dunlendings hatred lay in an ancient dispute over the rich land of Calenardhon
which the Rohirrim had been granted by Gondor. Whenever the Dunlendings saw an opportunity to
seize territory or goods from the Rohirrim they were quick to set upon it. “But under Brego and
Aldor, the Dunlendings were rooted out again and driven away beyond the Isen, and the Fords
of Isen were guarded. Thus the Rohirrim earned the hatred of the Dunlendings, which was not
appeased until the return of the King, then far off in the future. Whenever the Rohirrim were
weak or in trouble the Dunlendings renewed their attacks” . Because of this, the white wizard
Saruman did not have very far too look when he required allies for his cause. However, it was
not merely their hatred of the Rohirrim that brought the Dunlendings into Saruman's service.
“But for all their hatred the Dunlendings were still afraid of the Rohirrim if they met face to
face, and they were also less skilled in warfare and less well armed. 11 The shieldwall still held,
They were without body-armour, having only among them a few hauberks gained by theft or in loot.
The Rohirrim had the advantage in being supplied by the metal-workers of Gondor .
As we had seen in previous episodes, the forces of Rohan were well armed by Gondorian smiths.
Thus, something of great value that Saruman could offer to the Dunlendings was in weaponry and
armory. As a weary Rohirrhim soldier reported “All Isengard must be emptied; and Saruman has armed
the wild hillmen and herd-folk of Dunland beyond the rivers, and these also he loosed upon us. We
were overmastered. The shield-wall was broken.” . During the climactic battle of Helm’s Deep, we see
the Dunlendings side by side with the Orcs, armed and armoured with the metal panoply of Saruman’s
forges. “The enemy surged forward, some against the Deeping Wall, others towards the causeway and
the ramp that led up to the Hornburg-gates. There the hugest Orcs were mustered, and the wild men
of the Dunland fells. A moment they hesitated and then on they came. The lightning flashed,
and blazoned upon every helm and shield the ghastly hand of Isengard was seen. They reached
the summit of the rock; they drove towards the gates. ” Much like how Sauron used his forges in
Gorgoroth to feed the needs of his neighbours in return for slaves, the forges of Isengard likewise
did the same to employ the wild hillmen of Dunland, who may also have procured slaves.
“Beneath the walls of Isengard there still were acres tilled by the slaves of Saruman;
Thousands could dwell there, workers, servants, slaves, and warriors with great store of arms;
wolves were fed and stabled in deep dens beneath” . Saruman imitated Sauron in most things,
which is why see the two towers emerge, both of which required an abundance of slaves.
For Saruman’s tower, these were most likely captured by the Uruk-hai and Dunlendings.
While Saruman's forges provided the vast amount of payment for the Dunlendings war effort,
it may have not been the wildlings source of bounty. When Erkenbrand captured some
Dunlendings during the War of the Ring, he said to them “For you have been deluded by Saruman.
Many of you have got death as the reward of your trust in him; but had you conquered,
little better would your wages have been” . While pillaging suited the Dunlendings, payment in wages
perhaps was a better means to barter for such wild people who had dealings as far as the shire.
Indeed, the Dunlendings dealt in commerce with the Halflings. When the Hobbits met Strider in Bree
Frodo noticed a squint-eyed southerner who “looks more than half like a goblin” . This man was a
Dunlending agent of Saruman, sent to procure pipeweed and information. Saruman had employed
Dunlendings for war, but he also hired them for other services. “Saruman had long taken
an interest in the Shire. He liked to extend his power, especially into Gandalf’s province,
and he found that the money he could provide for the purchase of ‘leaf’ was giving him power,
and was corrupting some of the Hobbits, especially the Bracegirdles, who owned many plantations,
and so also the Sackville-Bagginses. He therefore began to collect detailed information about the
Shire, its chief persons and families, its roads, and other matters. For this he used
Hobbits within the Shire, in the pay of the Bracegirdles and the Sackville-Bagginses,
but his agents were Men, of Dunlendish origin. A ruffianly fellow, an outlaw driven from Dunland,
had returned from the borders of the Shire, where he had been negotiating for the purchase
of ‘leaf’ and other supplies. This man was now on his way back to continue the business,
and to arrange for the transport of many goods before autumn failed” . It seems Saruman used
some form of money, perhaps a similar coinage to that of Eriador and Gondor,
to procure pipeweed, and hired Dunlendings and Hobbits alike for this venture.
Another key actor hired by Saruman was Grima Wormtongue, who was to receive a hefty payment
for his dealings as a spy and to weaken the ailing Theoden using deceit and poisons.
Gandalf, however, exposed Grima “Down on your belly! How long is it since Saruman bought you?
What was the promised price? When all the men were dead, you were to pick your share of the treasure,
and take the woman you desire? Too long have you watched her under your eyelids
and haunted her steps” . Grima would never receive payment for his dubious services,
and would ultimately share the same sad fate as Saruman, becoming a beggar in Dunland. When the
fellowship ran into Saruman in Dunland, he said to them “You don’t care what a beggar lacks, do you?
For you have all you want, food and fine clothes, and the best weed for your pipes.
Oh yes, I know! I know where it comes from. You would not give a pipeful to a beggar, would you?’
‘You can have what I have got left,’ said Merry. He handed Saruman a leather pouch.
‘Take what there is,’ he said. ‘You are welcome to it; it came from the flotsam of Isengard.’
‘Mine, mine, yes and dearly bought!’ cried Saruman, clutching at the pouch. ‘This is only
a repayment in token!” . Though Saruman had fallen on economic hard times, the scouring of the shire
proved to be an incredibly lucrative investment. “though where he got the money was a mystery:
mills and malt-houses and inns, and farms, and leaf-plantations. He’d already bought Sandyman’s
mill before he came to Bag End, seemingly. A lot of Men, ruffians mostly, came with great waggons,
some to carry off the goods south-away, and others to the scouring of the shire. And more came. And
before we knew where we were they were planted here and there all over the Shire” . To procure
so much pipeweed and property would have cost much indeed, this perhaps is what drove Saruman
to require more and more slaves to keep the great forges of Isengard running.
The dark allies to Sauron were bound by middle-earth's vast economic systems. Many
sought weaponry and armory to help their raiding and pillaging which in turn allowed them to pay
for such goods. Slaves were a crucial component both to be procured and in turn work fields for
sustenance in the dark lands of Nurn. Saruman, like Sauron, utilized a slavery system to produce
goods that could be traded. In this manner the allies of Sauron all contributed economically, for
armies do not march on empty stomachs nor empty handed. We are going to talk about the economy of
Middle Earth in the coming weeks, so make sure you are subscribed and have pressed the bell button to
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