"Tolkien; peoples of Middle-Earth pre-movies." Topic

I was just thinking back to the first issue of Wargame Illustrated (or maybe it was MW?) I ever picked up in a shop (a revelation to me at the time, but that's its own story). This would have been in the mid 90s.
It had an article in it about wargaming the War of the Ring. I distinctly remember a picture of a huge mumakil, probably a plastic toy, with lots of Norman cavalry swirlling around it.

Of course the movies came along in the early years of the 2000s, and solidified most people's idea of what Middle Earth should look like. I love the movie designs, but have come to see them as bit staid, in the sense that most Midldle Earth related figures you see now are dominated by the design language of the films.
So my mind wandered back to that old article; what are the historical analogs to the peoples of Middle Earth?

Rohirrim- predominantly Anglo-Saxon, but with horses, so maybe Normans are a good fit?
Drawrves- Viking or Germanics (I actually think of them as more Saxon, with Sutton-Hoo type helms, like Grippping Beast did a while back).
Elves- apparently Tolkien thought of them as Celtic/Germanic? My own picture is of Roman/Greek, but long after their apogee has faded, so they look a bit old fashioned.
Gondor- not sure, have read that people have likened them to the Byzantines, like a sucessor civilisation to the Elven Roman/Greeks.

An interesting subject. I don't know enough Tolkien to know how it books fit with material culture- whether its all mail, or whether plate armour is mentioned. Just curious as to what fantasy gamers used in the design language of Middle-Earth before the movies conquered all.

Tolkien wrote the books basing them off of Northern Europe lore and culture. Not sure Byzantines or Romans would then work.

The Rohirrim were Saxons with horses, so round shields rather than kite shields

Elves were based loosely on Welsh, language, etc. Elvish writing was based on the modern Welsh system of mutations.

Hobbits were more English, whereas the film made them both English and Scottish.

I think the film Orcs were too big. The Moriah Goblins were a better size for Tolkien's Orcs, and in Tolkien "Goblin" and "Orc" seemed interchangeable. Uruk-Hai were bigger, so OK.

The first post is fairly spot-on, in my view.

And Tolkien, in letters, noted that his conception of Gondor/Minas Tirith was influenced by Constantinople and the Byzantines in their twilight.

Quenya Elvish is based on Finnish and Sindarin Elvish on Welsh, according to the Professor himself. I think Elves are the hardest to represent in historical terms, there's not as clear a connection. But I tend to favor a sort of romanticized high Celtic look, that is distinctive and "flowy," "curvy", ornate enough for Tolkien's Elves, to me. And it lets them stand out from the other races.

Everyone pictures Orcs/Goblins differently! Tolkien is not entirely consistent in his descriptions, too.

I tend to see Middle Earth in 5-7th century terms.

Rohirrim Ostrogoths
Gondor Late Romans/Early Byzantines
Haradrim Early Arabs
Easterlings A mishmash of steppe peoples
Dwarves Vikings
Elves really belong to a category to themselves

I agree that movie orcs tend to be way too big (everything fantasy in Jackson's movies leans in this direction.)

Lots of mail. No plate.

Historical Miniatures for Middle-earth Armies

I have been looking at how to build armies for Third Age Middle-earth primarily from historical 28mm miniatures.

The idea is not that Tolkien's peoples correspond exactly to historical nations. Instead, I want to use historical ranges that capture the general military appearance and cultural character of each realm. Dedicated fantasy figures would still be used for Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Trolls, monsters, and major characters.

I think this approach can produce convincing Middle-earth armies without requiring a separate proprietary fantasy range for every faction. It also allows the same historical figures to serve in several Middle-earth periods and campaigns.

Recommended Historical Analogues

Rohan and the Éothéod: Goths, Anglo-Saxons, and Late Roman cavalry

Rohan is linguistically and culturally Anglo-Saxon, but its battlefield role is that of a mounted Germanic people. Gothic cavalry therefore provides an especially useful miniature base.

I would build the Rohirrim from Gothic cavalry accompanied by Anglo-Saxon or Gothic foot. Round shields, mail, spears, swords, Germanic helmets, and horses should create the right appearance. I would avoid horned helmets, excessive fur, and making the army look like stereotypical Vikings.

Gondor: Early and Middle Byzantine

Byzantines may be the best historical proxy for Gondor. Both represent old, sophisticated successor civilizations preserving cities, literacy, military institutions, and an imperial heritage while facing pressure on several frontiers.

I would use roughly sixth- through tenth-century Byzantine figures, avoiding anything that looks too obviously Crusader-era.

Different parts of Gondor could have distinct appearances:

• Minas Tirith would use relatively uniform Byzantine-style heavy infantry.
• Dol Amroth would use heavier cavalry with more elaborate armor and heraldry.
• Lossarnach, Lamedon, and Anfalas would use less uniform provincial troops.
• Ithilien would use lighter archers, scouts, and Late Roman-style infantry.

This would make Gondor look like a real kingdom containing several regions rather than an army of identical soldiers.

Arnor, Arthedain, and Cardolan: Late Romano-British and Sub-Roman British

Romano-British miniatures are an excellent choice for the northern Dúnedain kingdoms.

They also allow the figures to tell the story of the kingdom's decline:

• Arnor at its height can look Late Roman.
• Arthedain can look increasingly Romano-British.
• The late Third Age Dúnedain can appear as ragged post-Roman descendants.

An Arthedain lord might still possess mail, a decorated shield, a fine helmet, and an heirloom sword. His levies would look increasingly British or Saxon. Centuries later, Aragorn's Rangers would be practical woodland warriors carrying only a few surviving pieces of high-quality equipment.

This seems much more evocative than treating Arnor as Gondor painted in different colors.

Dúnedain Rangers: Dark Age foresters and scouts

Dark Age or medieval foresters, scouts, hunters, and lightly equipped warriors should work for the late Third Age Rangers.

They should not all look like identical hooded archers. A mixture of cloaks, spears, bows, swords, axes, and a few old pieces of mail would better suggest the scattered remnants of a once-powerful people.

Dunland: Picts, Ancient Britons, and early Germanic warriors

Dunlendings can be built from a deliberate mixture of tribal figures. A possible starting blend would be:

• About 40 percent Picts or Ancient Britons.
• About 40 percent early Germanic warriors.
• About 20 percent other Celtic or generic Dark Age figures.

This should prevent the army from looking like fantasy Scots.

Most Dunlendings would carry spears, javelins, bows, axes, and small shields. Mail and better helmets would be limited to chiefs and their retainers. They should appear poorer and less standardized than the Rohirrim.

Northmen of Rhovanion: Migration Period Germanic troops

Goths and other Migration Period Germanic figures should work very well for the Northmen of Rhovanion.

They would also provide a useful visual connection between the ancestors of the Rohirrim, the Beornings, and the later peoples of Dale.

Dale: Rus and early medieval Eastern Europeans

Rus miniatures are a particularly good choice for Dale.

They maintain a broadly northern appearance while giving Dale an identity distinct from Rohan and the Beornings. A Dale army could include Varjazi-style elites, city militia, rural levies, and archers.

Laketown and Esgaroth: Rus and Slavic townspeople

Laketown can use figures related to the Dale collection, but with fewer armored professionals and more civilians, sailors, merchants, militia, and lightly equipped guards.

This would make Dale and Laketown visibly related without making them identical.

Beornings: Norse and Germanic woodland warriors

Norse and Germanic woodland warriors should work well for the Beornings.

I would favor axes, spears, bows, cloaks, and relatively little armor. They should appear formidable but less organized than either Rohan or Dale.

Bree and the villages of Eriador: Late Saxon civilians and militia

Late Saxon and generic early medieval civilians, watchmen, and militia would be useful for Bree and other surviving settlements in Eriador.

These figures would be particularly useful for smaller raids, local-defense scenarios, and campaigns involving Rangers protecting isolated communities.

Easterlings Should Not All Be Mongols

"Easterlings" describes several different eastern peoples rather than a single nation or army.

I would therefore build a flexible Rhûn and steppe collection rather than decide that every Easterling is a Mongol.

Early Easterlings could use a mixture of steppe and Germanic frontier peoples.

Wainriders could use Huns, Avars, some Goths, and plenty of wagons. Their wagons and fortified wagon camps should be defining visual and tactical features.

Balchoth could use Avars, Magyars, and other highly mobile steppe cavalry.

More distant eastern peoples could use Mongol or other Asian steppe figures when a campaign calls for them.

This allows Huns, Mongols, Avars, and related figures to represent different invasions and historical periods instead of forcing them all into one Easterling army.

The Variags of Khand

I would not automatically represent the Variags as Vikings simply because the name may suggest Varangians.

Dailami, Persian, Caucasian, or steppe mercenary figures would give Khand a more distinctive frontier-warrior appearance. They could combine heavy infantry, axes, bows, cavalry, and equipment influenced by both the steppe and the settled cultures to the south and east.

Harad Should Have More Than One Appearance

Harad covers a vast region and should not look like one homogeneous army.

Near Harad could use Berbers, Moors, Numidians, and early Islamic North Africans. Existing Dark Age Berber ranges should be especially useful.

Far Harad could use Nubian and East African troops, with limited Indian influence around mûmak crews and their retainers.

The Far Harad comparison is necessarily more speculative, but it would create a much more interesting southern army than simply repeating the Near Harad figures with different paint.

Corsairs of Umbar

Umbar deserves its own visual identity.

Rather than using generic pirates, I would combine:

• Late Roman or Byzantine marines.
• Berber or Moorish infantry.
• Mediterranean sailors and armed townsmen.

This would reflect Umbar's Númenórean and Gondorian origins, its long contact with Harad, and its maritime military culture.

It would also provide useful figures for coastal raids, naval landings, and Gondor's long wars in the south.

Other Peoples

Drúedain or Woses could use tribal hunter figures. Tupi figures might work visually, although this would be a gaming proxy rather than a close historical analogy.

Lossoth could use Inuit or other Arctic hunter figures. Tolkien provides relatively little military detail about the Lossoth, but these figures would immediately communicate their environment and way of life.

Seven Reusable Historical Figure Pools

The practical advantage is that this does not require building a dozen completely unrelated historical armies.

Most human forces could come from seven reusable collections:

• Romano-British: Arnor, Arthedain, Cardolan, and Eriador.
• Anglo-Saxon, Gothic, and Germanic: Rohan, the Éothéod, Rhovanion, Beornings, and some Dunlendings.
• Byzantine and Late Roman: Gondor, Dol Amroth, Númenórean remnants, and some troops from Umbar.
• Rus and Slavic: Dale, Laketown, and northern Rhovanion.
• Celtic, Pictish, and Germanic tribal: Dunland and other wild peoples.
• Hun, Avar, Magyar, Mongol, and other steppe peoples: the different Easterling invasions.
• Berber, Moorish, and North African: Near Harad and parts of Umbar.

Fantasy-specific collections would then cover Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, Orcs, Trolls, monsters, and named characters.

My Current Conclusions

My current plan would be:

• Keep Eriador and Arnor primarily Romano-British.
• Keep Gondor primarily Byzantine, with regional variations.
• Use Gothic cavalry for Rohan while retaining Anglo-Saxon cultural styling.
• Broaden the Easterlings beyond Mongols.
• Organize Huns, Avars, Magyars, and Mongols as a reusable Rhûn and steppe collection.
• Distinguish Near Harad from Far Harad.
• Add Rhovanion and the Éothéod as transitional Germanic armies.
• Add Umbar as a Byzantine and North African maritime hybrid.
• Use dedicated fantasy figures where historical proxies no longer capture the essential character.

Overall, I think historical Dark Ages and early medieval miniatures can provide a very convincing foundation for Middle-earth wargaming. The key is to use them as visual and military analogues rather than claim that any Tolkien culture is simply a disguised historical nation.

I would be interested to hear what other historical ranges or cultural analogues people have used successfully for Middle-earth armies.

Prof T said he saw landscapes in great detail (yes, we can tell) but other stuff less so.

In one of his letters he said combatants looked near enough to the chaps on the Bayeux embroidery.

There are very few references to armour more than mail, the occasional greave or vambrace.

His painting of Smaug's treasure shows arms and armour – but you have to decide what might be Dwarvish and what items were made for export to humans.

Choose whatever works for you, it is unlikely that any future archaeological finds will prove you wrong.

I've been repurposing Dark Ages figures for my Middle Earth games. A new shield device or banner can make most Roman-British and Saxons "Men of the West" and so on.