9. Author Notes
Language: Even though I note the meaning of unfamiliar words at the end of each chapter, I thought a special note about languages might be helpful. Some of the words are straight out of Tolkien's works: dirnaith and thangail, for instance, are words used to describe Gondorian battle formations in Unfinished Tales, and Haudh in Gwanûr, which is the mound at the Crossings of Poros where two famous Rohirrim soldiers lie.
However, the words and phrases used by the men and women of Harondor and Harad, as well as the meanings of their names, are based upon the Urdu language -- more specifically, those words in Urdu that are Persian based. I am familiar with the Urdu language, and while some of my Persian-based translations might be stretching things a bit, I think they are accurate enough that they make sense and also fit the culture I am trying to develop in this tale.
Culture: The culture of the people of Harondor is based to some extent on that of Pakistan, particularly that aspect that relates to the veiling of women.
Harondor: A word about Harondor might be helpful here. I may add more information as the story develops, but for now, the following article from The Encyclopedia of Arda should be helpful (http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/h/harondor.html).
Harondor -- The land between the Poros and the Harnen
A desert region commonly called South Gondor, that lay beyond the River Poros from Gondor itself, and extended southwards for some two hundred miles, until its southern border was defined by the River Harnen. The Harad Road ran through this land, connecting South Ithilien to the Harad beyond the Harnen.
Throughout the first half of the Third Age, Harondor was under the control of the Kings of Gondor, but that changed at the time of civil war known as the Kin-strife. At that time, Castamir the Usurper took the rightful throne from King Eldacar, but was ultimately overcome and slain. Castamir's sons were besieged at Pelargir for a time, but escaped by sea to settle in Umbar, where they founded a haven for the enemies of Gondor. From that haven far to the south, the forces of the Corsairs began to ravage Harondor, and it became a debatable land between Gondor and Umbar.
The escape of Castamir's sons and the founding of Umbar took place in the year III 1448. Long afterwards, in III 2885, an army out of the Harad not only attacked but occupied Harondor, using it as a staging post for raids into Ithilien. Their campaign was brought to an end by Steward Túrin II, who defeated them at the Crossings of Poros with the aid of Folcred and Fastred of Rohan.
This is a work of fan fiction, written because the author has an abiding love for the works of J R R Tolkien. The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema, except for certain original characters who belong to the author of the said work. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for presenting the work on this archive site. The work is the intellectual property of the author, is available solely for the enjoyment of Henneth Annûn Story Archive readers, and may not be copied or redistributed by any means without the explicit written consent of the author.
