Men out of the South

A name for the people from the far southern lands beyond the rivers Poros and Harnen. More usually known as Haradrim or Southrons, the phrase 'Men out of the South' seems to come from the vernacular of the Shire-hobbits, who also called these people Swertings. To the Hobbits, living in their far northern vales, these people were little more than old stories and travellers' tales.

During the War of the Ring, at least some of these Men out of the South allied themselves with the Dark Lord Sauron, and the Hobbit Sam Gamgee encountered their warriors in Ithilien. There, despite his danger, Sam was delighted to discover that the old tales in the Shire were true: these people did indeed go to war mounted on huge beasts known - to Sam, at least - as oliphaunts.