A Brief History of Lithlad: A Theoretical Human Civilization in Gorgoroth
Originally written in December 2021, this lore-heavy chapter from Book 7 of The Circles by Angmar and Elfhild explores the possibility of a theoretical human civilization in Gorgoroth in the Second and Third Ages. The Dolrujâtar are a tribe of sheep and goat herders who dwell in the arid region of Lithlad. The Dolrujâtar and their enemies, the Sand Orcs, play a major role in Book 7 of The Circles, "Land of Treachery."
Viewers who watched Amazon's Rings of Power series were introduced to the "Southlanders" - a civilization in a mysterious land which is later revealed to be Mordor. While "A Brief History of Lithlad" was NOT inspired by RoP - having been written almost a full year before the show first debuted - those who were intrigued by the Southlanders might also find this chapter of The Circles of interest. A timeline and extensive research notes pertaining to Mordor's early history are located at the end of the chapter.
Excerpt from Chapter 7: "A Brief History of Lithlad"
No one knows when the ancestors of the Dolrujâtar first migrated to the region of Southern Gorgoroth, but, according to legend, they were there when the Giver of Gifts came out of the East and bent the Fiery Mountain to His will. Though over the centuries, they came to adopt the Black Speech as their own tongue, they still retain some traces of their ancestral language. The Dolrujâtar dialect contains many words of Khandian and Rhûnian origin, a linguistic hint that at least some of the ancestors of the tribe once hailed from these lands.
According to legends passed down from generation to generation, the ancestors of the Dolrujâtar originally settled in northeastern Nurn, but conflict with other tribes who had settled in the same area forced them further north and west. Passing between the encircling arms of the mountains through the Gap of Nurn, the tribe came at last to the arid grasslands of Lithlad and Gorgoroth. Though the land was much greener in those days, it was still far less desirable than the lush paradise of Nurn, and so the tribe became lords of the wastes. During periods in which the Mountain of Fire lay sleeping, the flocks and herds grazed upon the grasses which grew about its rocky slopes. Some of the oldest members of the tribe remember a time in which Northern Gorgoroth was not a burnt-out desert, but that was almost eighty years ago. Since the return of the Lord of Middle-earth, the Dolrujâtar have remained south of the Mountain, far from its circle of destruction.
Although the ancestors of the Dolrujâtar had little to worry about from their southern neighbors, the region of Gorgoroth was not without enemies. Over the long years, many clans of orcs had come to make the Mountains of Shadow and Ash their home, building and fortifying their lairs in the many deep caves, rock overhangs, and narrow defiles which score the craggy ridges. Some of these clans claim that their ancestors dwelt in Mordor as far back as the dark days ere the Sun first arose, but many scholars doubt the veracity of such claims. When contemplating the ancient days, oft there is more supposition than concrete fact. These feral mountain orcs had no true overlord, only their own tribal chieftains, and they often warred against one another. When they were not fighting amongst themselves, they would harass the tribesmen, raiding their villages and stealing their livestock.
The ancestors faced other threats in Gorgoroth besides the orcs, many of which trouble the Dolrujâtar to this day; but such is life in a savage land. Roving bands of desert wolves would prey upon their herds, as well as the occasional scimitar cat from the mountains. Not even the air was safe; the winged fell beasts would swoop down from the heavens and carry away frantically bleating sheep and goats in their claws. Sometimes the fell beasts would fly off with an unlucky tribesman as well. Other creatures posed grave dangers for the ancestors… Enormous spiders, as large as horses, as well as cave trolls, made their dwellings in the mountains, devouring hapless travelers who wandered too close to their lairs. And then there is the great canyon which runs through the Gap of Nurn, Baur Tîmursham, the Dreadful Gorge. It is said that an ancient evil dwells in Baur Tîmursham, and that death or madness befall any who venture into the shadowy caverns which lie at the head of the canyon. The Dolrujâtar shun the area, considering it cursed, the home of evil spirits.
The ancestors had to be a hardy and resilient folk to survive in such a perilous realm, but it would help that they received the blessings of the Lord of Middle-earth shortly after they settled in Lithlad… Indeed, the tribe has been very fortunate to be so well favored by the Giver of Gifts.
According to legend, one day a mysterious wanderer from the East came to the Oasis of the Solitary Cedar. Like a man He was in appearance, but yet no mere mortal was He. His skin was as pale as bones bleached by the sun, and His hair flowed in the desert breeze as a river of fire; an aura of radiance surrounded Him, and His amber eyes shone with an otherworldly light. So great was His beauty that all of the women of the tribe, and many of the men, even those who did not favor their own gender, instantly fell in love with him.
The wanderer informed the tribesmen that He was an emissary of the Elder King, who had been unjustly exiled to the Void, and that He was tasked with the rule of Middle-earth in the absence of His Master. The Giver of Gifts, He called Himself, for great was His largess, and abundant were the blessings He would bestow upon those who followed Him. Long had He wandered the lands of the South and East, seeking the ear of kings and rulers, so that He might bring truth and enlightenment to all people. For the False Gods had utterly abandoned Middle-earth, and only He cared for the plight of the earth's many inhabitants. A beautiful island and years beyond those of mortal Men had the Valar given their chosen ones, but naught but death and despair were the lot of the lowly men who were considered unworthy of their favor. But the Giver of Gifts would right all the wrongs, and usher Middle-earth into a golden age of progress and prosperity the likes of which had never been seen before.
READ THE REST OF THE CHAPTER AT https://archiveofourown.org/works/43006584/chapters/129312532
The Circles Map of Mordor: https://circlesofpower.neocities.org/thecircles/MordorMap2021.jpg
