"Here and there [was] the gleam of spears and helmets; and over the levels beside the roads horsemen could be seen riding in many companies. ... These were Men of other race, out of the wide Eastlands."
-the Red Book of the Westmarch
The Golden Army, Great Eastern Army, Glittering Host or Lôke-Rim were names of Sauron´s main eastern force during end of the Third Age. The Great Eastern Army was controlled by two exalted orders - the War-Priests and the Dragon-Knights. The Army's leader or highest ranking Lord was also known as the Dragon-Ruler.
See:
Armor[]
The soldiers of the Great Eastern Army are clad in scale armor (Plackart, Vambrace, Spaulder, Schynbald, Greaves) made of bronze or brass, masked helmets, and purple, red, black or brown and violet long tunics, headscarfs, loincloth, sarabara and puttee. Easterling shields are similar to scutums. The most conventional weapons are the long and short Easterling polearm, compound bow and scimitar.
Other Weapons[]
Other Adaptions as the LOTR SBG and several MODS of Total War and the Battle for Middle-Earth have introduced Easterling Units with additional weapons:
Suggested Leaders[]
- Amdûr (LOTR SBG)
- Baisheuin (LOTR - SBG)
- Borthan the third Hûz (Middle-Earth: Total War)
- Brûdhan (The Fourth Age MOD)
- Calintz (Wars of Arda)
- Gartog (LOTR - RPG)
- Harizän (Hall of Fire Magazine)
- Khôragan (The Fourth Age MOD)
- Lorgan (Nazgûl's SEE MOD)
- Rurzaur (Fanfiction)
- Sameel (The Fourth Age MOD)
- Sharikan (Nazgûl's SEE MOD)
- Taichu (Middle-Earth: Total War)
- Tarôk (Middle-Earth: Total War)
- Tumna (BfME II: The Rise of Angmar)
- Ulwarth (Wars of the East MOD)
- Vargloth (Wars of Arda)
- Warlog (LOTR - SBG)
- Xaradra (Nazgûl's SEE MOD)
Units[]
- Support Units
- Porters (Nazgûl's SEE MOD)
- Light Spearmen (Last Hope for Middlew-Earth MOD, The Fourth Age MOD)
- Archers
- Archers (Trilogy)
- Mounted Archers (The Fourth Age MOD)
- Elite Archers/Lôke-Nar Rim (Middle-Earth: Total War)
- Infantry:
- Light Axemen (The Third Age MOD)
- Axemen/Lôke-Flag Rim (Middle-Earth: Total War)
- Great Axemen (Nazgûl's SEE MOD)
- Macemen/Lôke-Flag Rim (Middle-Earth: Total War)
- Pikemen/Lôke-Gamp Rim (Trilogy)
- Swordmen/Lôke-Gamp Rim (Trilogy)
- Heavy Spearmen (LotR: Total War)
- Elite Units
- Hastrûth/Elite Axemen (The Fourth Age)
- Royal Guard (Last Hope of the Third Age MOD, The Third Age MOD)
- Elite Units
- Cavalry:
- Mounted Archers (The Fourth Age MOD)
- Easterling Cataphract (LOTR - SBG; The Fourth Age MOD)
- Heavy Cavalry/Lôke-Innas Rim (Middle-Earth: Total War)
- Standard Bearer
- Drummer
- Officers
- Champions (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King)
- Captains (LOTR - SBG)
- War-Priests (LOTR - SBG)
- Dragon-Knights
- Charioteers
- Artillery:
- Catapult (The Fourth Age MOD; Last Hope of the Third Age MOD; Nazgûl's SEE MOD, Total War)
- Easterling Spear-Thrower (LOTR - SBG)
- Easterling Ballista (Total War)
- Naval Units
- Easterling warboat
Speculations[]
- The Great Eastern Army is believed to have been composed of the Rostamush, Narimanush and Bozorganush-Easterlings, mannish tribes who were the descendants of the Wainriders and Balchoth. The depiction of the gold-clad Easterlings in the movies seems to be based on the short impression Frodo and Sam had of the "gleaming" host of men they saw from afar at the Morannon, though it could also come from a common misconception: In the novel, first a wave of men described as being from the East approach the Black Gate, and then another army described as being from the South appear. It seems as though there were multiple armies of men heading that way, though it is a common misconception that it's all the same army, and since the Haradrim were described as wearing red and gold, a common misconception is that the novel Easterlings wear this as well.