Harad

Harad was the magnificent land in the south of Middle-earth’s Mordor and Gondor. Its complete name is Haradwaith. Other names of The Men of Harad are Southrons or Haradrim, which means “South-multitude.”

Harad is in the middle of the sea of Umbar on its west, and Khad lies on the northeast. There are two primary provinces. Near Harad is nearest to Gondor and Mordor, while Far Harad is the area closest to Umbar.

Harondor, also called South Gondor, was an open zone in the north of Harad. Harad and Gondor both claim Harondor. This land is between the immense grasslands on the Anduin’s Gondor side and the hostile dunes to the south. The river Poros serves as the border of Harondor in the north, and the river Harnen serves as the border in the south. In the northeast, the Mountains of Shadow are on its boundaries, running west to the Bay of Belfalas. The boundaries of Harondor extend from the Anduin to Mordor’s west flank. It ends at the map line extending from the bay of Umbar. The area’s climate is that of a semi-arid grassland. Its land is likely more abundant and more fruitful than Harad.

There are no details regarding the boundary between Near Harad and Khand. It’s unclear how far east Near Harad reaches. Most of Near Harad is a desert. It was depicted by Gollum as where the “yellowface is bright and terrible.” In Near Harad’s southeast, a gulf reached far to the lands. Also, a large river flowed inland from there to the northwest and then forked into two branches. One river continues west to Umbar, and the other branch flows to the northeast. Tolkien did not give any names to the rivers or the gulf.

The boundary between Near and Far Harad is not clear. But Far Harad was extensive compared to other regions. It covers the expanse of the territory similar to that of Africa. Far Harad may have a changing climate because of its expansive area. Jungles mostly cover the south territory of Far Harad. This is where the Mûmakil lives. The hobbits call them Oliphaunts in their legends. After the Third Age, no one ever saw the Mûmakil again outside of Far Harad.

There are two major tribes of Harad: the tribes of Near Harad and the tribes of Far Harad. This distinction is perhaps only in the minds of the men of northwestern Middle-Earth. The tribe of Near Harad was brown, with dark eyes and hair. The tribe of Far Harad has black skin. There were many other tribes of the Haradrim who were aggressive.

At the end of the First Age, the journeying Númenóreans taught the lesser men the civilization’s essential arts. The Haradrim were among them. This happened for a while. But amid the Second Age, the Númenóreans abandoned their dedication to knowledge. They became the people’s rulers instead. Around the end of the Second Age, Númenóreans ruled over many of the Haradrim. Their rule also extended to people with lands on the coast. Before the beginning of the War of the Last Alliance, two lords of the Númenóreans, Herumor, and Fuinur, were said to rule in their greatness over the Haradrim. However, their destiny is unknown.

For centuries during the Third Age, most of the Haradrim remained under the rule of Black Númenórean Lords. Later, Mordor controlled Harad for a long time. There are deserts in Far Harad, but the jungle covers most of it. The majestic creatures called Mûmakil or Oliphaunts lived here. Being natural creatures of Far Harad, the Haradrim trained them as beast towers in their wars. Near Harad became allies with the Corsairs of Umbar. They fought in consecutive battles with Gondor over the disputed Harondor or South Gondor. Historically, the border on the north was the River Harnen. But in the War of the Ring, the rest of the territory south of Poros river went to the Haradrim’s control.

Later, upon the revival of the Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor during the Fourth Age, they pardoned most of the Haradrim and set them free. The kingdom required them to give up South Gondor and Umbar, but they kept their freedom.

Harad is a Sindarin word meaning “South.” The Quenyan word for this is “Hyarmen.”

In this video game, [1] it depicts men of Harad as warriors who have prominent features.

This game shows [2] Harad and its lands. It details the area with fresh concepts.

1. ^The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II.
2. ^The Lord of the Rings Minecraft.