The Sons of Ulfang

It says in the Silmarillion that Ulfang and his sons were treacherous and Bor and his sons were faithful.In the Lord of the Rings all the easterlings were evil.Why did they change and for what reason?

[Måns]

Well, that's a hard question you know deeper than one might think at first sight, firstly alll easterligns that we know ofserved Sauron, but this does not mean that there were others elsewhere, unaffected by him. Secondly, the great change, is I think, in the attitudes of Eldar and Edain, they could never stand Easterlings after the great treachery, it was not possible for them to forgive them why they turned to another Master. Moreover, they ahd been virtually on their own for threethousand years in the second age, and nearly the same in the third, no wonder they were a little uncivilized without influences from the more advanced (sic. more corrupt!) societies of Edain and elves.

Welcome to the forum!

Måns

[ August 14, 2003: Message edited by: Måns ]

[Mariska Greenleaf]

Bor was first allied to Morgoth, but afterwards he renounced his alliance with the Dark Lord, and entered the service of Maedhros and Maglor, to whom he stayed faithfull. So apperently, not all easterlings were bad, there was a least one capable of turning into a good and faithfull person.

[lindil]

Welcome Felagund -

Måns is right, it was lack of elvish/dunedain culture.

In the entirety of the Legendarium we see that mankind's connection to elvish culture [or lack thereof] is often the determining factor in whether there is nobility or not.

Gondor waned 'spiritually' as they almost completely cut themselves off from all of the Elves dwelling northward; whereas the Rangers of the North, while few in number still maintained their 'stature' or being, as it can be seen when in TTT it says that the men of Rohan appeared as boys beside them.

Not to put the men of Gondor down, but as Faramir admits, 'we have in most ways become like unto the Middle Men, the Men of Rohan and can scarely any longer claim the title of High.

The Elves were in an identical situation, those who had lived with either the Valar [the High Elves] or Melian the Maia [The Grey Elves] had a refined culture and higher level of being than the Avari who were wild and had rejected the Light.

I think that one of JRRT's main contributions and more subtle points he wished to make is that life is heirarchical abd that to progress we must link ourselves to something higher than that which we ourselves possess. THus the Valar look to Eru, the Maia to the valar, the Elves to the Ainur, the Dunedain to Elves and in later days the Men to the King of the Dunedain [who had not co-incidentally] the most 'elvish' blood.

His point was, I believe, to indicate that if we in our time wish to rise above being 'middle or low' men we must yoke ourselves, become students to that which is connected to, or at least closer to God.

As Jose Ortega y Gasset has said

He who wishes to teach us a truth should not tell it to us, but simply suggest it with a brief gesture, which starts an ideal trajectory in the air along which we glide until we find ourselves at the feet of the new truth.

So to me, JRRT used the Easterlings [as he used so many things in M-E] tp point to truth.

[ August 14, 2003: Message edited by: lindil ]

Thanks for answering my question.But it also proves that the easterlings were divided in two, the "evil":the ones who fought after Sauron was overthrown,and the ones who were "good" or could repent their evil as in Bor and his sons

[lindil]

If I recall correctly, Bor and his sons were killed...

[Måns]

Welll tehy were, but that doesn't exclude redemption, does it? Anyway, their staying true could not 'make up' for the treachery of Ulfang and his men, indeed that is made good only by Húrin and the house of Hador by sacrfizing themselves, they take on themselves the burden of Ulfang's sins voluntarily.

But the men of Dor Lómin held the rearguard, Húrin and Huor desired; for if they could not win back to their homes, there they would stand to the end. Thus was the treachery of Ulfang redressed and of all the deeds of war that the fathers of men wrought in behalf of the Eldar, the last stand of the men of Dor-Lómin is most renowned.

Måns