help?

[keiliss]

Any Second Age information on Harad beyond the standard fare in Tolkien Gateway, please share here :( Or do I make it up as I go along? Not looking for great depth, but I don't want to clash with actual canon if I can avoid it.

Comments

[nienna-weeper.livejournal.com]

Way beyond me... sorry about that!

I just hated your post sitting here all lonely like. ^_^

[spiced-wine.livejournal.com]

I pretty much made it up; I took this from The Rings of Power and the Third Age

'In the east and South well nigh all Men were under his (Sauron's) dominion, and they grew strong in those days and built many towns and walls of stone, and they were numerous and fierce in war and armed with iron. To them Sauron was both king and god; and they feared him exceedingly, for he surrounded his abode with fire.'

I didn't write about Umbar or the coast, but the cities of the Harad, their trade and riches and internecine wars.

I think you can pretty much do what you want.

[chaotic-binky.livejournal.com]

In one of my stories Harad is the only source of cheese made from pigs milk. I made it up, of course lol

[keiliss.livejournal.com]

LOL!! Thank you, darling *huggles*

[keiliss.livejournal.com]

Oh gods, Binky, pigs' milk cheese - that is just so WRONG on so many levels!!

[keiliss.livejournal.com]

So I can world build as much (or as little) as the mood takes me? That works perfectly, thank you sooo much!. (I should have followed my first instinct and mailed you, because I figured you'd know, lol)

There is so much information that just slides past, like: *and they feared him exceedingly, for he surrounded his abode with fire.* --- I know I've seen it before but when I read it now it gave me goosebumps. There's an image hidden in there that takes my breath away. Tolkien has so many almost throwaway lines like that.

[chaotic-binky.livejournal.com]

They exported it to Mithlond where it was a delicacy :D

[spiced-wine.livejournal.com]

Tolkien has so many almost throwaway lines like that.

Yes, I know exactly what you mean!

So I can world build as much (or as little) as the mood takes me?

I should think so. I did, taking just that above paragraph as a basis. Umbar has quite a complex history, but I think I mentioned it once or twice, and not in depth save as a thriving and quite multi-cultural place.

I went south and used the Lindëfirion (http://lindefirion.net/maps/index.html) maps, since I love them and they don't mind if you use them as long as you give them credit. This one was useful


Trade lines. (http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk3/Tindomion_Maglorion/Maps/MEtrade_lines.jpg)



And this absolutely huge one of Middle-earth which shows some of the Harad. (http://lindefirion.net/maps/north-western_middle-earth.jpg)

So, yes, I would go and have some fun with world-building :) Not many people write about the Harad, but I think it's a real goldmine.

(I should have followed my first instinct and mailed you, because I figured you'd know, lol)

I don't really, just bits I've read like that one above, (which does say so much in so few words)and then I just let rip. :)

What are you writing, if you don't mind me asking? If it's secret, that's okay!

[keiliss.livejournal.com]

Omigod, I completely forgot about these! Bless you, you are an angel! Thank you so much, they're wonderful.There's something about a map to put things into perspective though --- there's no way this can be a small story.

What am I writing about? Ha. Good question *g*. It was meant to be a 20k Big Bang with an exotic setting, but it's morphed into something more involved about Lindon's political and trade connections in the south. There's a diplomatic mission and an underlying covert operation. What is the covert operation about? Have. No. Clue! But I'm hopeful *g*. It's vaguely terrifying, but it wants to be written. Now I need to go think about clothing and religion and social hierarchy and - stuff.

[spiced-wine.livejournal.com]

There's something about a map to put things into perspective

Oh yes. I cannot write without maps, and the Lindëfirion ones are really well done. The Trade Lines and this one, which is almost the same, aren't on their site now, but I saved them years ago

Trade lines. (http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk3/Tindomion_Maglorion/Maps/political_map.jpg)




so I still credit them.

it's morphed into something more involved about Lindon's political and trade connections in the south. There's a diplomatic mission and an underlying covert operation

Sounds brilliant. :)


Now I need to go think about clothing and religion and social hierarchy and - stuff.

I love that stuff. Not that I write anything original, but when it's 'off the map's edge' it gives a chance to do what amounts to some o-fic, since there is so little written about the Harad.

Good luck, and have fun! \0/

[hhimring]

There's quite a lot of fanon about Harad (mostly Third Age, I think, but some earlier), but I'm not aware of much canon.

[keiliss.livejournal.com]

Lately it's been all about writing for a challenge with a deadline, one after the other. I lost sight of having fun, which I think I will this time (even though I have no idea where to start and am scared to death of the thing, LOL) Thank you for all the help :)

[keiliss.livejournal.com]

Thanks :) I'm never sure if no details are a good thing or a bad one. It does mean there's a free hand to write the story wherever it wants to go, but the thing with fan fiction is there are usually lines to work within... I've somehow never got down to reading the couple of main stories I know of that have a focus on the southern lands, and that may be a good thing right now --- it's enough that I'm trying to block Osse's Gift from my memory atm *g* (difficult when it's a story that's been read and loved several times, lol).

[spiced-wine.livejournal.com]

I lost sight of having fun, which I think I will this time (even though I have no idea where to start and am scared to death of the thing, LOL)

Practically a guarantee of fun; it is a bit like your muses saying, 'I'll drive. You steer!'

Sorry, that map was called Political Map, not Trade Lines, I forgot to change it on the HTML.