Was There a Foe of 👁️Sauron in the Races of Men?

[Styles411]

Disputes settled, Realization to a greater threat, Knowing an ME under the dark cloud of Sauron was not beneficial whatsoever, Practically redemption to live alongside their own race etc.

Haradrim?
Easterling?
Corsairs?
Variags?

I've been wondering this for a long while and tbh I don't necessarily think some were too far gone after knowing that FEAR may have clouded their judgement but waking up to reality for them and fighting for a better cause breeding better results(Good triumphs) I'd say they would have prospered more peacefully.

 

[Starbrow]

I think the hatred of those in Umbar is too great for them to ally with Gondor. Without really knowing much about the other groups, I picked Harad.

 

[Alcuin]

I don’t think any of these four groups, Haradrim, Easterlings, folk of Umbar, or Khand, would have sided with Gondor before the War of the Ring. None of them were allied with Gondor after the followers of Castamir the Usurper deserted to Umbar in the middle of the Third Age. In fact, Umbar was Gondor’s enemy for the entire Third Age except for the four centuries between its subjugation by Ciryaher Hyarmendacil I and the desertion of the rebels of Gondor.

But that doesn’t make any of them “irredeemable.” As soon as Sauron was overthrown, most of them facing the Army of the West at the Black Gate seem to have either sought redemption or sought to get away as far and as fast as possible. Only a few gathered themselves for a final confrontation, but even these Tolkien respects: “[T]hose … deepest … in evil servitude, … yet were men proud and bold, in their turn now gathered ... for a last stand…” (RotK, “Field of Cormallen”) He notes that the tables have turned for these Men, that they are now face the same prospects as the Captains of the West just a few moments before, “yet were men proud and bold,” qualities we all recognize in good warriors.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

Back when it looked like the Amazon series might be focused on "Young Aragorn", I speculated on one of the threads about the possibility that some episodes could follow him on his adventures "far to the South, where the stars are strange". Well, that's not going to happen, but I've not been alone in wondering what form these adventures took. One idea is that he tried to stir up resistance to Umbar. I'd prefer to see the good/bad division as not consisting of two monoliths, and the histories as we have them seem to indicate that was also Tolkien's view. After all, the ancestors of the Rohirrim originally appeared as raiders of Northern Gondor, before becoming allies.

Of course, we have no indication what success, or otherwise, Aragorn had in the South.

Edit, three days later:

If it makes any difference to anyone, I stumbled across the thread I mentioned above:

https://thetolkien.forum/threads/the-amazon-hoax-and-a-question.23784/

 

[Hisoka Morrow]

Umbar is too great for them to ally with Gondor. Without really knowing much about the other groups, I picked Harad.

+1. JRRT once mentioned Dark Numenorean had gotten into conflicts with Harrad, and according to the "enemies's enemies are friends, you know. After all, Umbar was a faction composed of racist XD

I don’t think any of these four groups, Haradrim, Easterlings, folk of Umbar, or Khand, would have sided with Gondor before the War of the Ring. None of them were allied with Gondor after the followers of Castamir the Usurper deserted to Umbar in the middle of the Third Age. In fact, Umbar was Gondor’s enemy for the entire Third Age except for the four centuries between its subjugation by Ciryaher Hyarmendacil I and the desertion of the rebels of Gondor.

I beg your pardon, but Castamir was a racist. If he still discriminated the ME's natives, would he still work out with them?Or the "redeemed" Easterlings, Harrad, and so forth had already joined the Norsemen, or even gotten naturalized into Gondor as it's citizens?Or the definition of Easterling or Harrad was defined according to "religions", in other words, your so-called Haradrim, Easterlings, and Khand was assembly of people with same citizenship or religions instead of bloodline, just like "Hun", "Americans", "Hebrew" were defined according to non-bloodline stuff, right?

 

[Findegil]

For me it would be a matter of how much persuasion Mordor would have to have applied
to each of the different peoples leaders and what, like with the Rings of Power, he was able to promise them. If such a record was ever kept among the Easterlings and Southrons of what took place amongst them prior to entering the War of the Ring, I’m sure it would have made interesting reading!

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

It would indeed!