Interesting article about Variags

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Rhun charioteer

Wasn't Khand south of Rhun, east of Harad, and southwest of Mordor?

So I imagine the Variags were ethnically distinct from the easterlings and Haradrim.

Since I always imagined Khand to be dry scrub and grassland-I figure the Variags were axe wielding Mongol/Viking/Turkic people or something like that.

Maybe Magyars?

Not Magyars. Here is a nice bit of research here:

http://blog.tolkien-studies.com/2010...iags-of-khand/

It contains both conjecture on the word "Variag" as well as "Khand". I say conjecture because actual mention of the terms is scant in Tolkien's own writing.