The Umli or Half-dwarves (Av. "Pernaukâi") were a mysterious and reclusive people dwelling in the Far North of Middle-earth, east of the Forodwaith, including the lands of Ûrd, the Bârl-syrnakh, and the Iron Mountains (Ered Engrin). Their origins remain shrouded in myth, though they were said to possess both the hardiness of the Dwarves and the adaptability of Men, leading many to believe that they were descended from an ancient and enigmatic union of the two races.
an Umit
Description[]
Like the Men called Forodwaith, said to be their partial kin, the Umli were masters of the Far North. They lived in the pinewoods and highlands to the east of the Forodwaith and the Bârl-syrnakh, in the bitterly cold regions of North-Central Middle-Earth. The Umli remained in these cold wilds year-round, housing in caves wherever they discovered them and braving the terrible frosts of the dark winter. Unlike purely Mannish folk, they could withstand the chilliest temperatures and throve in icy gales such as those that swept southward off of the Encircling Sea. Even the Forodwaith could hardly compare in hardihood, as the Umli were said to sleep in blizzards without harm, where a Forodwë would freeze without shelter. Umli tribes ranged far out across the lands others called wastes, and they subsisted by hunting, fishing, and gathering- They were unparalleled foragers, subsisting on the wild meats of Wool-oliphaunts and other such beasts of the ice-locked north, and on edible plants that others might never even had seen, the Umli exploited virtually every gift offered by the land.
The Nature of the Umli[]
The origin of the Umli was rather mysterious. They were known as Half-dwarves, and while it seemed that they descend from a union of Men and Dwarves, the nature of this union was veiled in legend. It had however to have taken place after the awakening of the former people during the First Age. Some tales of later ages told a history regarding the event, said to be the result of a curse on the valiant wife of Cintapher of Hildorien. Her name was Sinuphel, and her twin offspring, Ucin and Ulaphel, were the first blend of Man and Dwarf-blood. From whence it came, few knew in those days, but it may be that, to escape her wrathful husband, Sinuphel sought out the Stiffbeards housed in the Spine of Arda, and became enamoured of one of their number, bearing his child. Whatever the origin of their nature, be it curse or mingled breeding, the ignorant Men of Hildorien believed her children merely to be malformed monstrosities.
Ostracized by her Secondborn kin, Sinuphel fled northward with her diminutive children and settled in the land later known as Ûrd, and regarded by the Umli as their original homeland. There, she raised Ucin and Ulaphel until she was slain by the Cold-drake Lamthanc. By that time the twins had both hardly reached the age of ten, and yet proved strong and wise, sufficient to survive on their own. Ucin drove Lamthanc, through clever arts and by heating the beast's lair with fires, northward into the Iron Mountains and took the lair for their home. Yet neither Ucin nor Ulaphel could break the curse inherited from their mother. Ucin would therefore later seek out a Dwarf-maiden to wed, while his sister Ulaphel chose to marry with a Forodwë hunter. Their children in turn married in like fashion, and when several generations had passed, such that relations would be distant enough to enable proper breeding, they mingled with one another, and so began the race called the Umli. These Half-Dwarves nonetheless never flourished and always remained few in number, as a survival tactic if nothing else; while they loved their children as deeply as other Men, they bore few in the face of the dangerous colds and environments of the north, in which a disadvantaged youth could survive not long. As a result their families were generally small, despite their long lives of over 100 years, though those that found sufficient shelter sometimes bore far more children and large families indeed. Militarily, their methods of war were generally quite primitive, limited to guerilla tactics, and they seldom threatened the Myri and Urdar who later settled in the nearby forests.
Appearance:
Stocky and only four to five feet in height, Umli resembled the Khazad. They were stout and stocky, with ruddy skin, thick brows, penetrating blue eyes, and red to brown hair. Males kept their hair long and all grew flowing beards from youth on, for like the Dwarves, the Umli took pride in their dense locks, trimming and braiding them carefully. They also shared with Dwarves a large and bulbous nose; useful underground in stuffy tunnels to the Dwarves, and useful above it for heating cold air to the Umli. Still, these folk could be distinguished from Dwarves because of their greater bulk and less truncated limbs. In addition, while Dwarves employed elaborately-decorated and fortified armor and often adorned themselves with richly-colored hoods, scarves, capes, belts, boots, and other decorative garb, "Half-dwarves" invariably appeared rather drab; they were a very pragmatic folk. They shunned ostentacious displays of color and cherished the utilitarian. In keeping with their usual conditions, Umli wore fur-lined coats of hide over thick hair-shirts and trousers. Their heavy boots, mittens, and large hoods kept their extremities shielded from cold, for it was harsh wind-- not the temperature-- that bothered them. Protected against anything from a draft to a hurricane, Umli were capable of roaming the ice plains even during the worst of nocturnal winter storms, and a tired family could even rest in the midst of a gale.
Culture:
All of the Umli were semi-nomadic hunters and gatherers. For some, like the Ular-shi, fishing was their principal source of food. Others like the Dumalir preferred to hunt big game and relied on red meat for most of their diet. Moving along well-defined tracks between a network of comfortable delvings, the average "Lat" of Umli maintained over two dozen homesites. They remained in an area until they temporarily exhausted its resources. Then, they packed up their sledges and pushed on to a refreshed territory. Each of their homesites served as more than a mere shelter. Most contained mines and smithies, and at least one was utilized as a ceremonial site and a permanent repository of recorded knowledge. Another sheltered burial pits, which enabled the Umli to return their dead to the "sacred earth" to which all Umli felt spiritually bound. The Lat's Mahladom adjoined the cavern that protected the tombs of the group's dead. This carefully-hewn chamber was always shaped like a belk. Here, the Umli worshiped Eru, whom they called "Odanal", as well as the Powers that served him. As among the Khazad, the Umli revered Aulë above all other Valar. They called the Smith "Mahlic," as Mahal was known in the Umitic tongue, and paid tribute to him as their Patron, but did not recognize him as their Father.
Outlook:
Rituals played an exceptionally important part in daily Umit life. In order to survive in the dangerous North, among the presence of Dragons and other Morgothic legacies, the Umli had developed a rigid, patrilineal society. Grim, quiet, possessive, stubborn, persevering, and fierce, they were an unyielding and determined race. The Umli travelled and hunted with the same band their entire adult lives. (Wives lived among the extended family of their husbands.) They married only once, enduring a ceremony that lasted seven days and tested the male's ability to survive and support his mate. Even Umit friendships were formalized. After trading blood in a so-called "Bonding Ritual," Umit acquaintances became friends by exchanging all their mobile possessions, save their clothing and one heirloom. They even traded secondary names. This exceptional act required the two friends to commit to one another's survival, to accept the fact that each was willing to die for the other. Always active, the Umli slept but three hours a day. The rest of the time they hunted, mined, engaged in craftwork, or spun sagas that taught the young lessons about life and culture in Umit society.
The Five Umlati:
There were fourteen Lati (groups) of the Umli. Each was aligned with one of five larger units called "Umlati," occupying its own particular geographical and/or sociological niche. The following is a general breakdown on their social structures:
- Fosir-Tasir, Sasir in Dír, Umtasir-dialect, seven Lati
- Dumalir, Mulir-Taiga, Umulir-dialect, two Lati
- Ular-Khi, Dunirl- and Til-Taiga, Ular-dialect, two Lati
- Shasir, Sasnar-Woodland, Shardak-dialect, one Lati
- Ushahir, Ushashasir-Tundra, Umli-dialect, two Lati
Portions of the six Lots in Dír scarcely remained, though representatives existed now in eastern Sasir and southern Mulir. Dominated by the Nazgûl known as the Ice-King, Dír was now an uninviting land. The Ice-King's minions had ruthlessly hunted the Umli. Of the Five Umlati, only the Shasir ever succumbed to the strength of Morgoth. Terrorized by the demonic Lassaraukar (Q."Demons of the Leaves", "Leaf-demons"; sing. "Lassarauko"; S."Lethryg"; sing. "Lathrog"), this highly unified Umlat followed; the lead of their tribal co jurer, Îkush-hûsht, and swore allegiance to the Black Enemy near the end of the Elder Days. Their homeland in the forest of northwestern Ûrd became a dominion of Evil, and the Shasir warred on all their neighbors, including their brethren. While freed from bondage after the fall of Morgoth, they remained ostracized. The Fustir-gost were a people related to the Umli but they had parted ways with the Umli's ancestors at an early time and were not considered part of any of the five Umlati, although both peoples recognized each other as kinsmen.
Later times[]
It was said that surviving Umli were gathered by the Wizard Morinehtar and allied with the descendants of the Desdûrsya and Dyrians and formed a tribal confederacy and later kingdom at the mouths of the Talathrant. These "Hazga" later were subjugated by Sauron's Golden Army. Some, the Sûhalar, were pressed into service of the great Eastern Army and fought at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. In the Plainstongue of Rhûn "Umlîr" was an archaic term for "Dwarf-friend".
Name[]
Umli appears as an archaic endonym, it could possibly derive from Early Avarin "Umu-li", "the not many" or "Um-","low, lowlying" as in "short people" or "low-men" or "people of the low region". "Umlîr" seems to have been a later form used as exonym for certain Easterling tribes. A direct connection between the Umli of the 17th century and "Umlîr-Easterlings" over a millennium later seems rather unlikely.
The Lossoth referred to a specific tribe very similar and likely related to the eastern Umli as "Puolinyelâny", "Half-men". The Ûrdar and related tribes of the Northern Peninsula called them "Tlakhôn" (Mo."Half-dwarves"), which was considered a derogatory term or even insult.
Umli of Renown[]
Ancanli Aluenda Bais Dror the Eternal Ikûs Hust Khazí Kôma Luthoden Sinuphel Ucaphel Ucas Ucin Ulaphel Ulaphel II Ulas Tôst Unkûs Urai
Notes[]
MERPs Umli are most likely based on the short description of the unknown Easterling People that appeared at the Battle of Pelennor, "(...)swarthy Easterlings who have beards like dwarves and wield great axes(...)". It has been much of a speculation if the suggested origins of the Umli as represented in the legend of Ucin and Ulaphel can be considered true or have to be seen as a twisted legend. Tolkien´s original Writings would make an intermixture of Dwarves and Hildor highly unlikely. Considering this it would be appropriate to consider the Umli a rather exotic Easterling people who, maybe in ancient days, had befriended one of the eastern Dwarf-tribes, probably the Stiffbeards, and were culturally influenced by them. This may have led to alienation with the other Easterling tribes and may have spawned the legend of the "half-dwarves". The Shasir, the tribe which came under the dominion of the Dark Lord, may have been the ancestors of the Axe-Easterlings who fought on behalf of Sauron in the war of the Ring. Another hint that the half-dwarvish origin of the Umli is untrue is given in the supposed origin story of the Fustir-gost who are said to be descendants of the Umli but are considered normal men and not dwarf-blooded.
"Umli" was a word in Early Goldogrin meaning "Dell, Vale, low".
The Umlir, described in some fan-fiction, seem to have been invented to represent the descendants of the older Umli and the not-named bearded and axe-wielding Easterling-Folk mentioned by Tolkien.
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.