Were the Drúedain inspired by Neanderthals?

[ZehnWaters]

Were the Drúedain based on the Neaderthals?

 

[Eljorahir]

The Druedain aways seem quite out of place to me. If memory serves, they're described wearing grass skirts like Pacific Island natives, but they live in the mountains.

 

[Ent]

I’m not finding that yet. They are called the Woses, living in Druadan Forest. “Very primitive but woodcrafty beyond compare.”

I’ll keep checking.

“There sat Théoden and Éomer, and before them on the ground sat a strange squat shape of a man, gnarled as an old stone, and the hairs of his scanty beard straggled on his lumpy chin like dry moss. He was short-legged and fat-armed, thick and stumpy, and clad only with grass about his waist. Merry felt that he had seen him before somewhere, and suddenly he remembered the Púkel-men of Dunharrow.”

 

[Eljorahir]

Enting's post mentions the Pukel Men statues. For me, the ancient "Pukel Men" statues make me think of the Easter Island face statues. So, that and the description of the grass skirt give me the image of native Pacific Islanders rather than Neanderthals.

 

[Ent]

By the way - i can't find them called Drúedain anywhere yet. It's only said they lived in the Druedan Forest, and were given the Forest as their own after their help. Woses and wild-men (of the Forest) are the only 'names' I can locate for them.

I would appreciate knowing where I can find them called Drúedain so I'm not missing anything.
Thanks.

Enting's post mentions the Pukel Men statues. For me, the ancient "Pukel Men" statues make me think of the Easter Island face statues. So, that and the description of the grass skirt give me the image of native Pacific Islanders rather than Neanderthals.

I too have never quite pictured them as 'neanderthals'. Just as one of the "men" that went a different way. Clearly they've been around a very long time, staying hidden away in the Mountains. "none could understand their speech". (even the Elves it would seem, who wanted to talk to everything in the beginning.) Yet somehow, they knew the speech of men, enough to get by...
An interesting bunch. But no more enigmatic than the 'hobbits' who also were clearly of some strain of the 'man' branch.

Ah. I see there is a section on them in UT. Some 10 or 11 pages.
Issue resolved.

 

[ZehnWaters]

Enting's post mentions the Pukel Men statues. For me, the ancient "Pukel Men" statues make me think of the Easter Island face statues. So, that and the description of the grass skirt give me the image of native Pacific Islanders rather than Neanderthals.

"short-legged" "fat-armed" "grass skirt"

By the way - i can't find them called Drúedain anywhere yet. It's only said they lived in the Druedan Forest, and were given the Forest as their own after their help. Woses and wild-men (of the Forest) are the only 'names' I can locate for them.

I would appreciate knowing where I can find them called Drúedain so I'm not missing anything.
Thanks.

Ah. I see there is a section on them in UT. Some 10 or 11 pages.

Issue resolved.

lol Yep.

I too have never quite pictured them as 'neanderthals'. Just as one of the "men" that went a different way. Clearly they've been around a very long time, staying hidden away in the Mountains. "none could understand their speech". (even the Elves it would seem, who wanted to talk to everything in the beginning.) Yet somehow, they knew the speech of men, enough to get by...
An interesting bunch. But no more enigmatic than the 'hobbits' who also were clearly of some strain of the 'man' branch.

I guess maybe it was just me. I think it was the description of their bodies but now that I think about it, it's not really all that close.

 

[Ent]

lol Yep.

I guess maybe it was just me. I think it was the description of their bodies but now that I think about it, it's not really all that close.

And yet not all that far, either..!!
Interestingly, I was reading some snippet last night that talked about the Elves trying to work with them on their writing, though they never achieved any proficiency in it.

That may "put the lie" to my statement regarding "even the elves, who wanted to talk to everything."
I'll need to retrace those steps...
If the Elves were working with them on writing, clearly there was some form of communication between them.
Though it's entirely possible the Elves taught them the Westron they were clearly able to speak, to be able to communicate with them.
Difficult to reconcile "none ever learned their speech" as I read in another snippet with some having learned their speech.

More on the 'to study' list.

 

[ZehnWaters]

And yet not all that far, either..!!
Interestingly, I was reading some snippet last night that talked about the Elves trying to work with them on their writing, though they never achieved any proficiency in it.

That may "put the lie" to my statement regarding "even the elves, who wanted to talk to everything."
I'll need to retrace those steps...
If the Elves were working with them on writing, clearly there was some form of communication between them.
Though it's entirely possible the Elves taught them the Westron they were clearly able to speak, to be able to communicate with them.
Difficult to reconcile "none ever learned their speech" as I read in another snippet with some having learned their speech.

More on the 'to study' list.

It's possible they learned Westron from their time on Númenor (as a tiny colony of them did live there).

 

[Ent]

It's possible they learned Westron from their time on Númenor (as a tiny colony of them did live there).

It's true, it's true...somewhere I was reading that there was a time when some groups of them lived and worked closely together I think. Mutual help and support. They must naturally been able to interact.

Need to lock all this down now, along with the Silmarils issues...

I suspect they (or at least one of them) may, in some respects be candidates for the Great Halls of Haze, given different (and some conflicting) accounts... but "The fun is in the hunt." (Sherlock Holmes.)

 

[ZehnWaters]

I suspect they (or at least one of them) may, in some respects be candidates for the Great Hazy Halls, given different (and some conflicting) accounts... but "The fun is in the hunt." (Sherlock Holmes.)

It's like a "Choose Your Own Adventure" by JRR Tolkien himself. It's kind what I like best about it all. *I* get to decide which version is "canon".

 

[Áramandë Amaniel]

*I* get to decide which version is "canon".

This is literally me every time when I write a new story...