#blodren

          While many tales tell of the Three Houses of the Edain, those mortal Men who came to Beleriand and became elf-friends, there are fewer stories in the West of those Men who arrived in the westernmost continent in later years. They are called Easterlings, for like all Men they Awoke in the East of the world, and spent more time there than did the West-men before moving to other lands.           The Easterlings who eventually made their way to Beleriand were related in kin and culture to the Khundolar and Chayasír tribes who were active in later Ages. They were led by two major chieftains, Kulren and Pegmûl, both of whom allied themselves with the House of Fëanor and were given lands around Himring and Thargelion in which to dwell. One such Easterling who entered the service of Maglor was the healer Tanrad, who took the name Ídhron and married the Bëorian woman Arasdil, the sometimes-lover of her elven-lord.           In the Fifth Battle, these Easterlings were crucial to turning the tide of the war: for though Kulren’s folk remained faithful to the Union of Maedhros, the sons of Pegmûl had secretly pledged their service to Morgoth and betrayed Caranthir, ultimately leading to the Union’s utter defeat. After the battle, Kulren and his sons were given Sindarin names honoring their bravery and loyalty, all with the prefix Bór-, “faithful,” while in memory of their hideous treachery, Pegmûl’s family were named with the prefix Ul-, “ugly.”           In the aftermath of the Nírnaeth Arnœdiad, those Easterlings who survived were treated to Morgoth’s twisted sense of repayment. Kulren’s people were rounded up and enslaved in the mines of Angband, while Pegmûl’s folk were corralled into the mountainous lands of Hithlum and shut out from the more fertile lands of Beleriand, cheated of their promised reward.           Ban was a Man who had marched under the banner of Kulren in the Battle, and had been friendly with the dwarves of Belegost, learning a little of their tongue. Though he and his wife Tandra were slain, their son Blodren survived, and escaped the captivity of Morgoth before reaching Angband. Blodren found no refuge in any land, for he had fought against Pegmûl’s allies and was now hated by the Edain for his distant kinship to the traitors of the Nírnaeth, for they did not distinguish between the two groups of Easterlings. Thus Blodren became an outlaw, falling in with the Gaurwaith, who also held him in suspicion but did not turn him away for his skill in hunting. Blodren found a strange fellowship with the dwarf Mîm when the Gaurwaith took up residence in the Bar-en-Danwedh, for he had inherited his father’s proclivities toward dwarves, but in the end this was not enough to save him when Mîm betrayed his captors, and he was slain by an orc-arrow in the Battle of Amon Rûdh.           In Hithlum, the attempts of Pegmûl’s folk to till the rocky lands were mostly unsuccessful. While a portion of these folk continued to eke out a quiet existence in the mountains, others turned to cruelty toward the House of Hador who had dwelt there before the Fifth Battle. Brodda, one of Uldor’s captains, seized the lands of Dor-lómin and claimed Húrin’s halls as his own, taking Húrin’s kinswoman Aerin to wife against her will. Later he would be slain but Húrin’s son Túrin, who returned to Dor-lómin searching for his mother and sister, but Brodda’s death only brought about harsher treatment to those Hadorians who remained.           Another tyrant in Dor-lómin was Lorgan, who set about attacking and enslaving the Grey-elves of Mithrim and any Hadorian refugees who had escaped his dominion. He allied himself with orcs to flush out the Folk of the Swan from their hiding-place in the caves of Androth, and though many escaped, Lorgan’s greatest prize was the capture of Tuor, son of Huor, who had been fostered by the elves. Lorgan kept Tuor as a slave for three years, treating him cruelly, but eventually Tuor escaped and began to harry his servants as an outlaw. Lorgan put a price on his head, but after four years of failing to recapture him, Tuor vanished, never to return.           When Húrin Thalion was released from Angband, he was given an escort of Easterlings back to his homeland of Dor-lómin. His reappearance alongside the soldiers of the Enemy made the men of Dor-lómin believe he was in league with the Dark King, and thus Húrin was shunned by his own people and prevented from rousing any rebellion against the Easterlings who had occupied his land. Only a small company of outlaws dared to follow Húrin when he departed, following him first to the halls of Lorgan, who had enslaved his nephew Tuor, though Húrin did not know this. Lorgan feigned friendship with Húrin, but when Húrin declared he was not in Morgoth’s service Lorgan allowed him to leave unhindered, guessing his Master’s purpose was to use Húrin’s bitterness to sow discontent among the remnant of the Edain.           Lorgan lived out his days in tyranny, eventually perishing when one of his cronies killed him and took his place. Though the Easterling Incomers who occupied Hithlum never thrived in their lands, they lived there until the War of Wrath, mingling with the House of Hador sometimes in oppression and sometimes in cooperation. When Morgoth called upon them to fight at his side against the Host of the Valar, the more prosperous Easterling lords heeded his orders, but others fled with the remnant of Hador’s folk to the Havens of Sirion, where they were absorbed into the contingent of Men led by Elros Tar-Minyatur, who would in time become their King.

          The Gaurwaith, or “Wolf-men,” were a band of outlaws who plagued the woodmen of Brethil in the years after the Nírnaeth Arnœdiad. They were composed of outcasts mostly of the Edain, though as their numbers grew, Men of other houses joined their ranks. Their first leader was Forweg, a man once of the House of Hador, who had deserted the field of the Fifth Battle and fled south to live as an outlaw. He was a hard and cruel man, leading by fear rather than respect, and few men were bold enough even to stand at his side. His lieutenant was Andróg, a man who had been forced to flee from Dor-lómin for the murder of a woman, almost as harsh as Forweg himself.           When Túrin fled Doriath after causing the death of Saeros, he counted himself as an outlaw and took the name Neithan. When the Gaurwaith encountered him in the wilds near Brethil, they challenged him, and one outlaw shot an arrow his way. But the arrow missed, and Neithan slew the man then offered to fight the rest of the outlaws to prove himself. Ulrad, a friend of the fallen archer, stepped forth in anger, but when Neithan approached he gave way in fear. Andróg alone faced Neithan’s challenge, but seeing his strength and bravery instead suggested he join their group. Forweg acceded, allowing Neithan entry into their band, but the next spring he would come to rue that decision.           When one day Forweg and Andróg disappeared from the Gaurwaith’s camp, Neithan, irritated by the squalor of their hideout, went wandering into the woods. Suddenly he saw a young woman running through a hazel-thicket in fear, chased by two men. Neithan rushed to her defense, killing one of her pursuers, realizing too late that it was Forweg himself. Andróg then appeared, shocked at his captain’s death, but would not strike Neithan for the murder, knowing he would be beaten. The woman demanded Neithan kill her second pursuer, but he refused and sent her home. While Andróg buried Forweg, Neithan returned to the camp and reported his deeds, claiming leadership of the Gaurwaith. Some men wished to kill Neithan, but Andróg arrived to confirm his story and support his claim, and they were forced to accept Neithan as their captain.           Neithan led the Gaurwaith southward, stopping them from raiding the houses of Men and hunting only orcs. When a band of orcs passed nearby, several of the outlaws demanded to kill them and steal the fruits of their plundering. While Neithan thought this unwise, his men were hungry and he knew he was dangerously close to losing his command, so he ordered them all to stay put while he and the best tracker of the group, Orleg, scouted out their enemies; in Neithan’s absence, Andróg was left in charge.           Meanwhile, Beleg Cúthalion, the greatest of Doriath’s marchwardens, had long been searching for Túrin, whom he counted as a dear friend before his flight. Now at last he drew close to Túrin’s camp, and meeting the man Larnach and his daughter Thoriel, whom Túrin had saved from Forweg and Andróg, he learned of Túrin’s position among the Gaurwaith as their captain, Neithan. Beleg discovered the outlaws’ camp, and unwilling to fight the companions of his friend he allowed them to take him captive and tie him to a tree. Andróg questioned him ruthlessly and resolved to kill him, envying his great bow, but Algund, the eldest and wisest of the outlaws, stayed his hand.           Neithan and Orleg were absent for several days, for they had been discovered by the orcs and forced to flee. Orleg was slain by many arrows, and Neithan barely escaped with his life only by running in the direction opposite of his camp. It was a long journey back, and when he finally arrived it was to the shocking sight of Andróg and Ulrad preparing to press a flaming brand to Beleg’s skin in an attempt to torture him into giving them more information.           Horrified and enraged, Neithan freed Beleg and chastised his companions, ordering them to make a vow they would never again raise a hand against elves or Men. The reunion of Beleg and Túrin was one of great love, though Beleg’s petition for Túrin to return with him to Doriath was denied. In sorrow, Beleg returned to pass the tidings to King Thingol, though before long his heart was turned again to Túrin and he journeyed in search of the Gaurwaith once more.           While Beleg set out into the wild again, Neithan and his outlaws had found a more permanent settlement. As they traveled ever southward, the Gaurwaith discovered three dwarves carrying heavy sacks, and as their vow did not prevent them from attacking dwarves they swiftly moved to raid them. The oldest dwarf was captured, while the younger two fled with arrows at their backs. The captive was Mîm, a petty-dwarf who was an outcast in his own right, and in exchange for his life he was forced to lead the Gaurwaith to his secret halls in Amon Rûdh. Ulrad searched Mîm’s sack and, finding nothing, demanded why he had been so protective of an empty bag. Neithan, finding pity in his heart for the dwarf, upbraided Ulrad for speaking without thought, a gesture Mîm would not forget.           Arriving in Amon Rûdh, Mîm first sought for the other dwarves, his two sons. Ibun, the elder, revealed that his younger brother Khîm had been slain by an arrow. In fury and grief, Mîm cursed Andróg, who had fired the arrow, that he would die from an arrow wound himself if he did not forswear his craft and break his bow. Sensing the power of his words, Andróg obeyed, but ever after there was hatred between them.           Neithan expressed regret for the loss of Mîm’s son, and this as well as the promise of gold should he come into wealth softened Mîm’s heart to the outlaw’s captain, though not his men. Having little choice but to allow the Gaurwaith to dwell in his halls, Mîm gave them entry to the Bar-en-Danwedh upon Amon Rûdh. Suspicious of their unwilling host, Andróg spied around his dwelling and discovered a secret stair to the summit of the hill, though he said nothing of it.           Aside from Neithan, the only member of the Gaurwaith who had any interest in Mîm was Blodren, an Easterling man whose father, Ban, had marched under the banner of Bór the Faithful in the Nírnaeth Arnœdiad. Ban had known dwarves in the east before he entered Beleriand, and knew a little of their tongue, which he passed to his son. Though Ban was slain in the battle, Blodren had survived and escaped the captivity of Morgoth before he had been taken to Angband, but the Edain despised him for the actions of Uldor the Accursed, not distinguishing between the two groups of Easterlings. Thus Blodren fell in with the Gaurwaith, who also held him in suspicion, and found a strange kinship with Mîm, a fellow outcast among outcasts.           When Beleg returned to the Gaurwaith, this time he gave to Túrin the Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin, an heirloom of his House, and declared his intent to stay by Túrin’s side forever. Overjoyed to be reunited with his dearest companion, Túrin welcomed him gladly,  though he was distrusted by his men and by Mîm, who despised the Sindar who had once hunted his people for sport. Yet Túrin and Beleg were happy together in this time, finally realizing their mutual love and taking each other as husbands. With Beleg supporting Túrin, the Gaurwaith became a formidable rogue militia who fought against orcs: their territory grew, as did their numbers, and their lands became known as Dor-Cúarthol, the Land of the Bow and Helm.           In this time, emboldened by their victories, Andróg grew arrogant enough to take up the bow once more. As Mîm had declared, he was struck by a poisoned orc-arrow and would surely have died—had not Beleg, whom he had help captive and mistreated in the past, not healed him with his elven skills. Mîm’s hatred of them both only grew, though he yet fawned over Neithan, even though the interest Túrin had once shown in him had begun to wane.            But this would not be enough to save the Gaurwaith in the end, for the Curse of the Children of Húrin followed Túrin wheresoever he went, and as his dominion grew so did the malice of Morgoth. On one winter morn, Mîm and Ibun went out into the wild to gather roots and herbs and were taken captive by orcs. Pleading for his life, Mîm quickly offered up the location of the Gaurwaith, begging only that the Dread Helm be spared; he thought not of even Blodren, whose friendship had not wavered.            Mîm led the orcs to Amon Rûdh in the dark of night, and a fierce battle took place upon the top of Amon Rûdh. Every man was slain except for Túrin, who was captured; Mîm witnessed Blodren’s fall by an orc-arrow, but thought only of his revenge against Beleg, who had been bound and left alive on the hill’s peak for Mîm to kill him personally. But as Mîm’s knife was about to strike, Andróg crawled up the secret stair despite his mortal wounds and halted the blow. He chased Mîm away and cut through Beleg’s bonds, then died in the arms of the elf he once had tortured.           The only survivors of that bloody battle were Túrin, carried away captive by the orcs; Beleg, who chased after them to rescue his husband; Mîm, who fled into the night grieving the death of his final son, Ibun, who had been killed in the crossfire; and the youth Andvír, son of Andróg, whose father had sent him away at the first sign of trouble. Andvír eventually made his way to the Havens of Sirion, where as an old man he served as a source for Dírhaval’s epic poem about Túrin’s life, the Narn i Chîn Húrin.