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Edain


In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Edain /ˈɛdn/ were men (humans) who made their way into Beleriand in the First Age, and were friendly to the Elves.

The Sindarin word Edain (the second syllable is pronounced as English dine rather than English dane; the stress falls on the first syllable), singular Adan (Quenya Atani, Atan) literally meant Second People, and originally referred to all Men, but later it only applied to the Men of Beleriand and their descendants. The Quenya term Atani kept its old meaning.

They were divided in three large houses, or tribes:

The Bëorians and Marachians shared a common tongue and were known to each other before settling in Beleriand. The tongue of the Haladin was alien to them.

The House of Bëor was nearly wiped out by Morgoth, and the remainder of its people merged with the Hadorians to become the Númenóreans. It would seem that the Haladin of Beleriand were completely wiped out, or at least disappeared as a separate people.

The Half-elven Elros was heir to the lordship of all three houses of the Edain, and chose to become one of the Edain. He became the first King of Númenor.

When the Númenóreans returned to Middle-earth in the Second Age, they encountered many Men who were obviously related to the Atani: they classified these Men as Middle Men, and established friendly relations with them. Examples are the Rohirrim, the Men of Dale, and the Breelanders.


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