In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the Easterlings of the First Age were Men who lived in the east of Middle-earth, and mostly fought under Morgoth. They are different from the Easterlings of later Ages.
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Their first appearance was at the end of the First Age, when in Y.S. 463 some tribes of the Swarthy Men entered Beleriand from Eriador, passing north about the Blue Mountains:
| “ | They were short and broad, long and strong in the arm, and grew much hair on face and breast; their locks were dark as were their eyes, and their skins were sallow or swart. But they were not all of one kind, in looks or in temper, or in tongue. Some were not uncomely and were fair to deal with; some were grim and ill-favoured and of little trust. Their houses were many, and there was little love among them.[1] | ” |
The prime reason for their migrating was the rumour of the wealth and peace of Beleriand as it was during the Siege of Angband, but many Easterlings have journeyed on behalf of Morgoth the Dark Lord, for he had secretly corrupted some tribes and chieftains to his service. The Dwarves of the Blue Mountains had reported to the Elven-lord Maedhros of the coming of Easterlings. Maedhros then decided to make alliance with them in hope of overthrowing Morgoth, and gave them wide lands in Lothlann and in East Beleriand to the south of the March of Maedhros. The most powerful of their chieftains with the greatest followings and authority were Bór and Ulfang; their men were marshalled and trained for war by the Sons of Fëanor, and more of their kinsfolk from Eriador were summoned.
The kinsfolk of the people of Bór that remained in Eriador are said to be the ancestors of the Forodwaith and Lossoth of the Second and Third Ages.[1] The sons of Bór were Borlach, Borlad and Borthand, and his people swore allegiance to Maedhros and his brother Maglor. They remained faithful, and "cheated the hope of Morgoth." During the Nírnaeth Arnoediad they fought on the side of the Eldar and Edain, and after the treachery of Ulfang the sons of Bór slew Ulfast and Ulwarth, but were themselves wiped out together with all of their folk.
Ulfang, called also the Black or the Swart, was the father of Ulfast, Ulwarth, and Uldor the Accursed. Ulfang was also welcomed by the Sons of Fëanor, and his people swore allegiance to Caranthir. Ulfang and his sons were deeper in the secret allegiance with Morgoth, and betrayed the Eldar and Edain during the Nírnaeth Arnoediad in what was later known as the Treachery of Men.
Before the beginning of the battle Uldor, the leader in treason, deceived Maedhros with false warning of assault from Angband and hindered his setting forth. When the battle was at last joined, a part of the people of Ulfang fled in fear, but the majority, together with their kin that recently came in secret, suddenly went over to Morgoth. In the resulting confusion the host of Maedhros was broken and scattered, though Maglor slew Uldor and the sons of Bór slew Ulwarth and Ulfast. (Ulfang died two years before the battle - see Dates.)
However, Ulfang's Easterlings were also betrayed by their lord Morgoth, who had promised them vast lands in Beleriand, but now he commanded them to settle in the cold land of Hithlum and forbade them to leave it. There they plundered and harassed the remnant of the House of Hador, mostly old, women and children; those able to work they enslaved, others they drove out to starve. And many married women of the Folk of Hador by force, because there were few women in their following and "none to compare with the daughters of the Edain".[2] The Easterlings called the Folk of Hador Strawheads, and were met with such names as Incomers or Wolf-folk.[2]
Each of the chieftains of Easterlings in Hithlum claimed to be their overlord; the most powerful were:
The Easterlings usurped Hithlum for nearly a century, until the War of Wrath, when they and those newly come from the East fought for Morgoth against the Host of the Valar and were defeated. Those that survived fled back over the Ered Luin to Eriador and beyond.
The term Easterlings also appears in a passing form Eastrons in some of Tolkien's writings,[4] and is the translation of Quenya Rómenildi 'East-Men'.[5]
In early works Tolkien stated that the names of the prominent Easterlings were given to them by the Elves, and are thus from Sindarin language. The meanings proposed for the names as they were then are: Bór 'faithful vassal', Borthandos 'faithful intelligent (one)', Borlas 'faithful joy', Boromir 'faithful jewel'; Ulfang 'hideous beard', Uldor 'hideous ruler', Ulfast 'hideous shaggy hair' and Ulwarth 'hideous betrayer'.[6] Later, however, Tolkien changed both the names and conception, assuming that all the names of the Easterlings are uninterpretable in languages of Eldar or Edain (this was true of Brodda even in early texts).[7]
The sons of Bór and Ulfang, and Bór himself, were all slain in the Nírnaeth Arnoediad of Y.S. 472 of the First Age. Their birthdates are given in a single work of J. R. R. Tolkien[8] and form a part of an early stage of the legendarium, but can possibly be updated to fit the later versions of the history: Ulfang 400-470, Uldor b. 425, Ulfast 428, Ulwarth 430; Bór b. 420, Borlad 443, Borlach 445, Borthand 447.
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