Who Borders the Kingdom of Dale on the East?

Q: Who Borders the Kingdom of Dale on the East?

ANSWER: In “Many Meetings” Glóin says to Frodo: “…They are good folk, the Bardings. The grandson of Bard the Bowman rules them, Brand son of Bain son of Bard. He is a strong king, and his realm now reaches far south and east of Esgaroth.” And yet, in “The Council of Elrond” Glóin reports (after sharing the story of the mysterious messenger who came to Erebor) “We discover that messengers have come also to King Brand in Dale, and that he is afraid. We fear that he may yield. Already war is gathering on his eastern borders. If we make no answer, the Enemy may move Men of his rule to assail King Brand, and Dáin also.”

Some readers ask who these enemies are that could make a strong king like Brand fearful. First, it should be noted that the text does not say that Brand fears the enemies on the eastern border of his realm, but rather that he is fearful after receiving messengers from Mordor. Any reasonable man would of course be concerned, perhaps even alarmed, if Sauron were to send a messenger (presumably one of the Nazgul, who inspire fear by their very nature and wield as a weapon against living creatures) to make demands. It’s one thing to have to deal with mortal enemies on the border but quite another to be threatened by Sauron.

Still, the threat of war from the east was significant for in the Appendices we learn that Dale was indeed invaded. King Brand had to desert the city of Dale and lead his people to take refuge in Erebor. There he and Dáin fied fighting their enemies defending the gates of the Dwarf-kingdom. We know something of the events that befell in Dale because of several notes in the Appendices, including this passage from “The Tale of Years”:

At the same time as the great armies besieged Minas Tirith a host of the allies of Sauron that had long threatened the borders of King Brand crossed the River Carnen, and Brand was driven back to Dale. There he had the aid of the Dwarves of Erebor; and there was a great battle at the Mountain’s feet It lasted three days, but in the end both King Brand and King Dáin Ironfoot were slain, and the Easterlings had the victory. But they could not take the Gate. and many, both Dwarves and Men, took refuge in Erebor, and there withstood a siege.

When news came of the great victories in the South, then Sauron’s northern army was filled with dismay; and the besieged came forth and routed them, and the remnant fled into the East and troubled Dale no more. Then Bard II, Brand’s son, became King in Dale, and Thorin III Stonehelm, Dáin’s son, became King under the Mountain. They sent their ambassadors to the crowning of King Elessar; and their realms remained ever after, as long as they lasted, in friendship with Gondor; and they were under the crown and protection of the King of the West.

It is clear from this account that enemies who invaded Dale and attacked Erebor were Sauron’s allies or servants. They would therefore have been one of the many peoples of the ubiquitous Easterlings. The name “Easterling” is simply a common destination for someone who comes from the eastern lands and was in fact a designation used in ancient and medieval Europe, along with Northman/Northmen (referring usually to the Vikings).

As Tolkien does not name these Easterlings or describe their mode of transportation, armor, choices of weapons, etc. we cannot conclude whether they are related to any of the Easterlings who attack Gondor in the War of the Ring or any of the earlier Easterlings (such as the Wainriders and Baclhoth) who are named in the Appendices. These Easterlings would have had to cross at least one, maybe two, and possibly more rivers and streams in their approach to Dale and Erebor. We can guess that Brand’s people had roads crossing their realm but the Easterlings might have had to spread out in a large arc to “sweep up” any small communities and villages if their objective was to “round up” or destroy all of Brand’s people.

There seems to be no other information about these northern Easterlings who attacked Dale and Erebor.

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