The Nûzhay represented a multi-generational pattern of religious and political formation in Northern Haradwaith. While never a uniform institution, their name recurred in multiple epochs as the signifier of militant devotion, cultural preservation, and resistance to external domination. Their function varied; their origin was localized but their influence extended beyond fixed domains. They first appeared, under the name "Nauthahâyûna" (“Brethren of Charity”), as a militant priesthood centered on worship of Wahâtrâhu, a solar deity of regional prominence, and Makûzhetû, a figure of prophetic condemnation. The order gained prominence in the thirteenth century of the Second Age through its rejection of Númenórean and Elvish influence, and its promotion of Haradrim self-rule— theological, civil, and moral. Over the following centuries, the Nauthahâyûna instigated revolts in urban centers, replaced existing aristocracies, and launched campaigns against coastal outposts. Their advance stalled following internal schisms and the rise of counter-orders. Survivors reappeared under new designations in peripheral territories, but their structure weakened. Yet the name itself endured. By the late Second Age, under Hâkîla the Tahaskrûl, the order was refounded as the "Nôzhûn", now linked not only to spiritual reform but to territorial liberation. This iteration of the Nûzhay reflected a shift: they were no longer merely a militant movement, but had become a people — a bearer of collective lineage and identity. By the mid third Age, further transformation had occurred. The remnants of the "Nûzhûnyu", now a scholarly class allied to Umbar, claimed descent from the original priesthood and preserved its records through successive councils. They entered alliances, shaped political structures, and served as cultural arbiters. Their designation referred not merely to office, but to a shared origin. Thus, across the Second and Third, Ages, the "Nûzhay" persisted not in static form but as a recurrent structure — religious in origin, militant in action, ethnically framed in later memory, and eventually institutionalized in scholarly lineage. Each generation reclaimed the name, reshaped its meaning, and cited the past as foundation.
Main overview: Domain of the Lidless Eye Portal
Names[]
Other forms or related names of the Nûzhay or related groups or incarnations of the order includes "Nôthâyûn" and "Nûzhaya".
References[]
- Wes J. Frank: Near Harad Timeline (published by Fanmodules group)
Editorial Note: This entry contains speculative or fan-based material — such as fanon, fanfiction, or theory constructs — that may not be directly supported by canonical texts. Interpretations offered here are part of the NNCA’s speculative corpus and should not be mistaken for primary Tolkien sources.