Middle Men

Middle Men was a term used by the Númenóreans for Men of Middle-earth who were related to the Edain, the ancestors of the Númenóreans themselves. The term referred especially to the Men of Eriador although sometimes it referred also to all the allies of the Dúnedain, such as the Northmen and especially the Rohirrim.

The proper term is Men of Twilight (as opposed to the Gondorians, Men of Light, and the Haradrim and Easterlings, Men of Darkness). The name reflects the Gondorian political attitude towards them: Not enemies, but also not as 'noble' to be accounted among themselves, hence "Middle" Men.

Most Middle Men had kinship with the Houses of Bëor or Marach. There were also Men in Middle-earth related to the Second House, the Haladin — Men of Enedwaith and Minhiriath, later to be known as the Dunlendings. But because they spoke a language that was unknown to the Númenóreans they were not at first recognised as Middle Men.

Origins

The ancestors of the Beorians fled first and the ancestors of the Hadorians learned that only afterwards and followed on their trail through the Misty Mountains in the North (close to the dreadful Iron Mountains). Many sub-tribes of both peoples stayed behind, and when the shrinking teams (now led by Bëor and Marach) reached Beleriand, those who stayed behind occupied many parts of Eriador and northern Rhovanion. These appear to be akin to the House of Hador

In Eriador the Men began to concentrate about Lake Evendim, in the North Downs and the Weather Hills, and in the lands between as far as the Brandywine, west of which they often wandered though they did not dwell there. Some were either in Eriador, some settled, some still wandering, or else had never passed the Misty Mountains and were scattered in eastern Rhovanion.

In the Second Age the Middle Men stayed in contact with Lindon, and were friendly with the Elves and those led by Galadriel and Celeborn for a while dwelt in the country about Lake Evendim side by side with the Middle Men.. However generally the Men held them in awe and close friendships between them were rare. Also they feared the Sea and would not look upon it.

When the Númenóreans returned to the coasts of Middle-earth in the Second Age, they found a people who spoke languages which were distantly related to the Númenórean tongue, Adûnaic. Númenórean scholars declared that this was because these Men were descendants of the fathers of the Edain, the Atanatári, who had not crossed the Ered Luin and entered Beleriand during the First Age. The Númenóreans set up friendly relations with them, and declared them to be Middle Men, as opposed to the High Men (the Edain) or the Men of the Shadow, meaning those hostile to Númenor or in the service of Sauron.

After the founding of the Realms in Exile, Arnor and Gondor, many Middle Men became subjects of the Dúnedain, and eventually intermarried with them until they became one people.

The Northmen of Rhovanion were counted as Middle Men, as were most people living in Eriador. During the Third Age the term Middle Men was still applied to the Men of Bree, and the remaining Northmen, such as the Men of Dale and Esgaroth the Lake-town, and of course the Rohirrim. King Valacar of Gondor became so friendly with the Middle Men of Rhovanion that he married Vidumavi, a princess of the Northmen, and his son Eldacar was of mixed blood. This led to the disastrous Kin-strife of Gondor.

However hostility developed between the Middle Men of the Haladin branch and the Númenóreans, which would endure until the end of the Third Age.