The Encyclopedia of Arda - Sutherland (original) (raw)
A name for the wide southern land of Haradwaith
A name used for the Harad or Haradwaith, and a direct translation of those Elvish names into archaic English, meaning simply 'southern land'. These were distant sun-baked lands, almost unknown to the more northerly peoples of Middle-earth, from which the people known as the Haradrim came. The people of Sutherland were generally unfriendly to the Dúnedain, and though large parts of the land were tributary to Gondor during the earlier parts of the Third Age, they later turned to alliance with the Dark Lord Sauron, and fought on his behalf during the War of the Ring.
The name 'Sutherland' only appears on maps of Middle-earth included in the earlier editions of The Lord of the Rings. Those early maps extended southward to encompass the Harad and Umbar, including a wide empty area labelled 'Haradwaith (Sutherland)'. Later editions use a map showing far less of this southern region, extending only as far as Near Harad, and on these later maps the label 'Sutherland' no longer appears. The name is never used within the text of The Lord of the Rings itself.
Notes
| 1 | We do not know when the first Men settled in Sutherland, but given the rapid expansion of other peoples after the Awakening of Men, it seems reasonable to assume that the earliest settlers of these southern lands arrived before the end of the First Age. Our first definite descriptions of Sutherland in annals (using its Elvish name of the Harad) derive from the explorations of Aldarion of Númenor, beginning in the [eighth century](../chronicle.html?startyear=701&startage=2&endyear=800&endage=2&c=The Eighth Century of the Second Age) of the Second Age. |
|---|
Indexes:
About this entry:
- Updated 20 December 2023
- This entry is complete
For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.
Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2023. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.