# Swarthy Men



## norrinradd (Apr 27, 2020)

Most common websites shared that The Easterlings have swarthy skin, black eyes-hair and also they called "Swarthy Men". Is there any record in Tolkien's works about their (Easterlings) skin tone or nickname (Swarthy Men)? 

Thanks a lot. Please let me know guys. I didn't get any satisfying answers on any platform.


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## Olorgando (Apr 27, 2020)

Swarthy according to my dictionaries means dark-skinned. As a first approximation, I would tend towards "Mediterranean", contrasted with perhaps "Scandinavian". But more important seems to me the time individual people spend exposed to the sun. All people involved in pre-industrial agriculture got sunburn and tan. Same with nomads, who spend a lot of time outside with their herds (of horses, cattle, or whatever). The Easterlings are (scantily) described as basically being nomads. The first invasion of Easterlings described in the Tale of Years in the Third Age against Gondor in Appendix B in "Return of the King" is given for the year 490, defeated ten years later. The next entry is for 1851, the attack of the Wainriders (so perhaps not cavalry, but rather chariot forces like those of the Bronze Age ending approximately 1200 BC), over 1350 years later. Then, if one takes the beginning of the Fourth Age as being about 6000 years ago, this would have been about 7150 years ago. "Realistically" equating these Easterlings attacking Gondor with Huns or Mongols would have to be doubtful in this sense. That these two, for Europe, terrifying invasions would in actual "fact" be a template for JRRT's Easterlings should not be a surprise.
"Swarthy" may have thus had have more to do with time spent exposed to the sun than anything else - and nomad warriors would tend to be more tanned than other non-farmers - or perhaps the aristocracy of the nomads themselves.


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## norrinradd (Apr 27, 2020)

Olorgando said:


> Swarthy according to my dictionaries means dark-skinned. As a first approximation, I would tend towards "Mediterranean", contrasted with perhaps "Scandinavian". But more important seems to me the time individual people spend exposed to the sun. All people involved in pre-industrial agriculture got sunburn and tan. Same with nomads, who spend a lot of time outside with their herds (of horses, cattle, or whatever). The Easterlings are (scantily) described as basically being nomads. The first invasion of Easterlings described in the Tale of Years in the Third Age against Gondor in Appendix B in "Return of the King" is given for the year 490, defeated ten years later. The next entry is for 1851, the attack of the Wainriders (so perhaps not cavalry, but rather chariot forces like those of the Bronze Age ending approximately 1200 BC), over 1350 years later. Then, if one takes the beginning of the Fourth Age as being about 6000 years ago, this would have been about 7150 years ago. "Realistically" equating these Easterlings attacking Gondor with Huns or Mongols would have to be doubtful in this sense. That these two, for Europe, terrifying invasions would in actual "fact" be a template for JRRT's Easterlings should not be a surprise.
> "Swarthy" may have thus had have more to do with time spent exposed to the sun than anything else - and nomad warriors would tend to be more tanned than other non-farmers - or perhaps the aristocracy of the nomads themselves.


Thank you. I understood but I didn’t get any satisfying answer again. I want to ask: “Is there any note or record in the Tolkien’s works about a word that is “Swarthy Men” or is there any note or record about the their skin tone (example: x said y; the easterlings are tall-brown skin... etc.) ? Thanks...


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## norrinradd (Apr 28, 2020)

Does anyone have any information? 


norrinradd said:


> Thank you. I understood but I didn’t get any satisfying answer again. I want to ask: “Is there any note or record in the Tolkien’s works about a word that is “Swarthy Men” or is there any note or record about the their skin tone (example: x said y; the easterlings are tall-brown skin... etc.) ? Thanks...


Does anyone have any information?


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## Elthir (Apr 28, 2020)

This comes to mind at the moment, from Tolkien's _Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings_:

"Swertings. Said by Sam to be the name in the Shire for the legendary (to hobbits) dark-skinned people of the 'Sunlands' (far south). It may be left unchanged as a special local word (not in the Common Speech); but since it is evidently a derivative of swart, which is still in use (= swarthy), it could be represented by some similar derivative of the word for 'black / dark' in the language of translation. Compare Swarthy Men, the Common Speech equivalent (III 73)." JRRT

🐾


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## Legatus (Sep 29, 2021)

Found your answer. It's on "the silmarillion" on the chapter "of the ruin of beleriand"


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