what would possibly exist in the farthest east? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

tom the eldest · 04-15-2014, 01:13 AM

Hello everybody.im new to this forum but i had read most of tolkien creation(through lotr wikia and tolken gateway of course)but none of them give a clue to what live beyond rhun.anybody have guesses?

Andsigil · 04-15-2014, 05:12 AM

Alatar, Pallando, and whatever kingdoms they managed to carve out.

tom the eldest · 04-15-2014, 06:13 AM

Yes but maybe there are indigenous people.tribe or kingdom like you says or just a wilderness with strange unknown thing.heck probably a balrog escape there.

Inziladun · 04-15-2014, 06:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tom the eldest

Yes but maybe there are indigenous people.tribe or kingdom like you says or just a wilderness with strange unknown thing.heck probably a balrog escape there.

There were Men there no doubt, probably subject to Sauron. Dwarves also were to be found in the East, though their deeds were little known in the West of Middle-earth.

Zigûr · 04-15-2014, 08:39 AM

Beyond Rhûn? A distant sea, I expect. As far as I was aware Rhûn was essentially everything east of Rhovanion to the far coasts of Middle-earth, beyond the Orocarni perhaps.

Within Rhûn: kingdoms of Men and Dwarves (as has been said), some remnant of the Avari Elves, Orcs I would imagine. We have to imagine a land which had lain deep under the shadow since time immemorial.

Professor Tolkien of course never went into any greater detail for, I would argue, two reasons:
a) the fictional authors of his narratives knew nothing further about Rhûn
b) having parts of Middle-earth which were unknown maintained the sense of mystery and 'unseen vistas' which he thought were important

Alfirin · 04-15-2014, 09:32 AM

Hard to say. It is tempting to think that, as ME is in a certain sense, an earlier form of our own world, that if you went far enough east, you would find other large kingdom's of man, corresponding to the large ancient Asian empires of our own world (Indian, Chinese, Kmer etc.) But as you point out, there is really nothing said one way or the other. If such kingdoms exist, I imagine that one of them is probably similar to Near Harad (if only because the Near Haradrim with thier skills at Oliphaunt riding seem as much Indian in orgin as North African/Middle Eastern) I'd say that there was some influence on the West in that one would assume that the far east would be where gunpowder was discovered (as it was in our world) but evidence seems to lay on the Ishtari discovering gunpower all on thier own (either Saruman figuring it out and letting Gandalf in on the technique back when they were still on speaking terms (or vice versa), or Gandalf discovering it independently.)
Actually, there might be a lot of incentive in later ME to find out what lay to the east. Besides wanting to make sure a new Dark Lord or some sort was not gathering power there wating to swing in and retake lands now rendered masterless by Sauron's defeat, Faramir might want to make a trip. He is still techically steward of Gondor (even if he only excercises that right in cases where the King is away on other matters. He might decide that the line of the Stewards needs a replacement horn (now that the original is broken and buried), and that would mean sending someone traipsing around the east in the hope that somewhere out there there are still Kine of Araw wandering around.

04-15-2014, 01:13 AM	#1
tom the eldest Wight Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: far away,in the southern arda Posts: 153	what would possibly exist in the farthest east? Hello everybody.im new to this forum but i had read most of tolkien creation(through lotr wikia and tolken gateway of course)but none of them give a clue to what live beyond rhun.anybody have guesses?

04-15-2014, 05:12 AM	#2
Andsigil Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: The Deepest Forges of Ered Luin Posts: 733	Alatar, Pallando, and whatever kingdoms they managed to carve out. __________________ Even as fog continues to lie in the valleys, so does ancient sin cling to the low places, the depression in the world consciousness.

04-15-2014, 08:39 AM	#5
Zigûr Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 785	Beyond Rhûn? A distant sea, I expect. As far as I was aware Rhûn was essentially everything east of Rhovanion to the far coasts of Middle-earth, beyond the Orocarni perhaps. Within Rhûn: kingdoms of Men and Dwarves (as has been said), some remnant of the Avari Elves, Orcs I would imagine. We have to imagine a land which had lain deep under the shadow since time immemorial. Professor Tolkien of course never went into any greater detail for, I would argue, two reasons: a) the fictional authors of his narratives knew nothing further about Rhûn b) having parts of Middle-earth which were unknown maintained the sense of mystery and 'unseen vistas' which he thought were important __________________ "Since the evening of that day we have journeyed from the shadow of Tol Brandir." "On foot?" cried Éomer.

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04-15-2014, 06:13 AM	#3
tom the eldest Wight Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: far away,in the southern arda Posts: 153	Yes but maybe there are indigenous people.tribe or kingdom like you says or just a wilderness with strange unknown thing.heck probably a balrog escape there.

04-15-2014, 09:32 AM	#6
Alfirin Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 435	Hard to say. It is tempting to think that, as ME is in a certain sense, an earlier form of our own world, that if you went far enough east, you would find other large kingdom's of man, corresponding to the large ancient Asian empires of our own world (Indian, Chinese, Kmer etc.) But as you point out, there is really nothing said one way or the other. If such kingdoms exist, I imagine that one of them is probably similar to Near Harad (if only because the Near Haradrim with thier skills at Oliphaunt riding seem as much Indian in orgin as North African/Middle Eastern) I'd say that there was some influence on the West in that one would assume that the far east would be where gunpowder was discovered (as it was in our world) but evidence seems to lay on the Ishtari discovering gunpower all on thier own (either Saruman figuring it out and letting Gandalf in on the technique back when they were still on speaking terms (or vice versa), or Gandalf discovering it independently.) Actually, there might be a lot of incentive in later ME to find out what lay to the east. Besides wanting to make sure a new Dark Lord or some sort was not gathering power there wating to swing in and retake lands now rendered masterless by Sauron's defeat, Faramir might want to make a trip. He is still techically steward of Gondor (even if he only excercises that right in cases where the King is away on other matters. He might decide that the line of the Stewards needs a replacement horn (now that the original is broken and buried), and that would mean sending someone traipsing around the east in the hope that somewhere out there there are still Kine of Araw wandering around.