The New Notion Club Archives
Advertisement
The New Notion Club Archives
WosesoftheDruadanForest

Drúedain

The Drughu comprised the original inhabitants of southern Gondor. The Dunedain knew of this strange people only through a branch of their kindred that appeared in Beleriand as allies of the Elves and Edain. The Adan ancestors of the Dunedain called these strange, diminutive folk the "Druedain." While exceptionally distinct from their Secondborn brethren, though, they were ultimately still MenHildor—just like the blessed Edain, and many perished in the struggle against Morgoth.

A remnant of these people survived the War of Wrath and accompanied the Edain to Numenor. As the Shadow fell upon Numenor, though, the Drughu gradually migrated back to Middle-earth with the Faithful, establishing themselves in a forest of northern Gondor which the Dunedain named "Taur Drúadan."

The greater part of the Drughu, however, had never departed their ancient homeland, though by the time of Gondor's founding (S.A. 3320) their numbers had dwindled, and they had withdrawn into the high fastness of the Ered Nimrais or the houseless wilderness of Andrast. Much later in the Third Age, when the Rohirrim settled the lands north of the White Mountains, they spoke much of the Drughu of the forest, whom they called "Woses" (Ro. "Wild Men"). By that time no other Drug clans were known to exist in the White Mountains, and so the Rohirrim never perceived that the Woses of Tawar-in- Druedain were connected with the "Pukel-men" of Dunlending legend. Most Men in southern Gondor had also forgotten the origins of their Druadan neighbors, and joined the Rohirrim in denying the humanity of the "Wild Men." The Drughu originally migrated westwards from the lands south of Mordor at the beginning of the First Age, and their large clans occupied the lowlands on both sides of the White Mountains. With the arrival of the Daen peoples who, in their own tongue referred to the Drughu as "Puchael" (Dn. "Demons"), the Druedain found themselves subsequendy driven out of the lowlands and forced into the mountain wilderness. Daen hunters and warriors often killed the Drughu out of fear—or for sport.

Advertisement