The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Location
Originally widespread, with populations in Beleriand and Númenor; by the end of the Third Age, they were apparently restricted to the Drúadan Forest and Drúwaith Iaur
Race
Pronunciation
droo
Meaning
An adaptation of Drughu, the name of this people for themselves, of unknown meaning1
Other names
Note
Drû is a singular term, referring to an individual of this people; the simple plural was Drúin, while the collective plural (for all Drú-folk) was Drúath

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 20 March 2023
  • This entry is complete

Drû

The people that became known as the Drúedain

The race of Men known as Woses or Wild Men of the Woods had, in their own language, a name for their own kind: Drughu. When the Elves first encountered these people, they fitted the name 'Drughu' to their own sound-systems, and in the Sindarin language the name translated as Drû.

As the Elves came to know these people better, and to recognise their bitter enmity to Morgoth and his creatures, so their name was changed. Drû acquired the ending edain, a word reserved for the Elves' principal allies among Men during the First Age. So the race of Woses became known in Sindarin as Drúedain. That term survived, for example, in the name 'Drúadan Forest', where Ghân-buri-Ghân and his people dwelt to the north of Minas Tirith.


Notes

1

Drû as applied to this people is derived from their own word Drughu, but the same word is also used in Sindarin for 'wild' or 'untamed'. Given that the Drúath were sometimes called 'Wild Men', this does not seem to have been a coincidence, and so perhaps the meaning 'wild' in Sindarin evolved by association with the Wild Men of the Woods.

See also...

Drû-folk, Drughu, , Rúatani

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 20 March 2023
  • This entry is complete

For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2005, 2023. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.
With Discus our world-class support is free for all users. We believe in empowering clients to get the most from the DISC test.
The Encyclopedia of Arda
The Encyclopedia of Arda
Menu
Homepage Search Latest Entries and Updates Random Entry