Urdar Raiders
The Ûrdar (Mo."Hardy People") or Ûrdor (sgl. "Ûrdorn") were a people of Mornârim origin. Their Nwûrdu ancestors had inhabited the Northern Peninsula since the Second Age, especially the lands of Ûrd and Ûab and the Forest of Dír.
Culture[]
The Ûrdar were descendants of the Mornârim or men of the Farthest North and close relatives of the people of Bór and the Forodwaith. Their ancestors were the Nwûrdu, a number of primitive tribes of trappers and mountaineers, led by matriarchial clan-mothers and with partially friendly contacts to the Hwendi, an Avari people of the utter north. This however changed with the rise of the North-King. The North-King forged the Nwûrdu into a warlike coalition. He replaced the older matriarchial tradition with a patriarchic hierarchy and led the Nwûrdu Alliance to form the first great mannish kingdom of the utter north. The Nwûrdu's descendants remained formidable Warriors who built large awe-inspiring wooden cities and revered shadowy spirits and the sacred Ovir or great Northern bears.
Religion[]
The Ûrdar revered the Lord of the Dark. Their ancestors are believed to have been men who swore allegiance to Morgoth in Hildorien and the Cult of the Lord of the Dark was renewed under Hôarmûrath of Dir in the Second Age who identified Sauron as the Dark Lord's heir or even the Dark Lord returned. The Ûrdar also still worshiped their mythical ancestor, the eponymous father Ûrd, one of the fathers of Men. While their ancestors had revered the Great Ovir, they had been reduced to much adored beasts of war by their late descendants who enjoyed to have slaves or captives mangled in bear-pits.
War-Craft[]
The Ûrdar wore armour of hide and cloth and sometimes studded leather. They also wore leather or metal helmets, with cheak-guards, and their Chieftains often wore horned and masked helmets and formal cloaks of ovir-skin. Their typical weapons were axes, swords, whips, pick-axes, knuckles and saw-toothed lances or harpoons, a weapon unique to the Urdar is the vûk. Their Warriors often fought from skis or massive war-sleds. The Urdic war-parties were often accompanied by trained War-dogs and tamed Snow-bears.
Appearance[]
The Ûrdar were a relatively short statured and stocky branch of the Hildor family. They were often considered either Easterlings or Snow-men and though they were mostly a dark-haired folk there was a remarkable number of blue-eyed and blonde- or red-haired individuals among them, perhaps hinting towards a lost kinship to the Northrons or at last the Kykurians. Characteristic for easterlings or snow-men however was the Ûrdars typical pale or yellowish complexion. Males often grew knotted or braided beards of medium length, both sexes kept their hair short. Clothes were simple and made of hide, cloth and fur. Jewellery was made of bronze, brass or Silver and often depicted the Ovir or was bought or looted from neighbouring peoples.
Fan-modules[]
An expatriate western branch of the Urdar inhabiting the eastern Coast of the Bay of Utûm and the Barl Syrnac were the Utûmians, a sled-horde in allegiance with Angmar.
Notes[]
The Ûrdarin languages, made up the the ICE authors, were spoken mainly in the Far North of Middle-earth and are loosely based on Athabaskan vocabulary.