The Woodmen

The woodmen of Mirkwood are poor and humble folk who have for centuries lived by hunting and harvesting the fruits of the forest.

Woodmen are skilled in all the ways of the forest, excellent at climbing, hunting and tracking, for they move with uncanny silence. Next to the city-dwellers of Gondor their culture is primitive, but it is well-adapted to the trials of living in the forest.

Woodmen keep little in the way of livestock and cultivate small clearings of vegetables. They rely on the wild fruits, roots and beasts of the forest for their food.

In the Fourth Age 300 there are three major tribes of woodmen dwelling under the boughs of Mirkwood.

The Tribe of Ulfang

Ulfang’s folk reside close to the Old Forest Road and often traffic with travellers. Living in the western eaves of the forest they build houses on the ground and farm large gardens - even some fields of crops - and keep considerable livestock.

An association with Radagast and strong healer’s traditions have kept their kind healthy and their population growing.

For many years now their vigilance has kept Goblin raiders from their door, but the attacks are growing more frequent.

Folk of Ulfang’s Tribe

Ulfang’s tribe are a strange mixture of folk, for his tribe has grown with the folk of other tribes from near and far in the forest. Thus the height and colour of his folk vary, but they share the strong and swarthy build of the woodmen, clad in tan hides, coarse-knit wool and brown hues.

Ulfang

A tall, aged man, Ulfang bears a kindly expression that belies his sharp mind and battle-hardy youth. Ulfang it was who, when Orcs came from the Misty Mountains, fought them away from the door of his grandmother’s house and slew their Captain - when he was but a lad of fourteen summers. His prowess with bow and spear was sung by the tribe. When the chief was slain in another goblin raid three years later Ulfang was unanimously voted as the new chieftain.

In those days of his youthful leadership Ulfang brought his tribe to pre-eminence in the region by launching assaults against the Goblins. Where other leaders were content to wait and hope that the raiding parties would pass by or choose another village, Ulfang trained a hardened group of hunters to stalk the goblins, slaying them from the trees as they approached his borders. Soon other villages were asking for his protection and his tribe grew stronger as their border swelled. Each year the young men would be trained with bow, bow-pipe and spear. Each year the Goblins grew more wary of the eaves of the forest.

Now aged and less wilful, Ulfang leads through a group of twelve champions, six of whom are his sons. His successor is not yet appointed, for the tribe rather than bloodline decides the new chief.

The Sons of Ulfang

Each alike to an uncanny extent, Ulfang’s sons are strong-limbed and of sound practical character. They resemble their father, strongly, save the youngest, Ergweth. He is insolent, deceitful and rumoured to be in league with the Korsca.

The Daughter of Ulfang

Beautiful beyond the measure of the simple woodmen, Durtheniel’s flashing dark eyes have distracted many a traveller, aside from the men and boys of the village - their hearts she already holds. She longs to be taken away from the crude woodmen to the spires of a great city.

The Champions of the Tribe

Ulfang’s champions are stalwart warriors. Each day one of them leads a group of warriors on guard duty about the borders of their realm.

The Tribe of Meriag

The Tribe of Meriag are more warlike than other woodmen, and have taken a great swathe of the central forest as their territory. They have three major settlements of rustic homes, hidden deep in the forest and fenced with sharp wooden spikes.

Meriag’s tribe lives primarily by hunting; they prize meat and the skills of the bow, sling and knife. They remember the plague and the terror of the Necromancer well, stalking the evil creatures of Southern Mirkwood whenever they stray into their territory. They hate the tribe of Korsca vehemently.

Meriag

Meriag is a great matriarch, a giant of a woman who wields power ruthlessly. She has been known to publicly beat to death insolent tribesmen with the great club that she bears. Her quests concern the furtherment of her tribe and the destruction of those who stand in her path.

The Daughters of Meriag

Meriag has three daughters. They are commonly held to be witches. Meriag has been breeding them to hold power as a triumvirate when she finally dies, one for each settlement.

Two daughters take after their mother, standing tall and broad with aggressive features which are tactfully described as unladylike, yet the third and youngest daughter is svelte, beautiful and charming. It is widely believed that they are all of different fathers, for Meriag has taken no husband. Indeed the youngest, Turkelin, was born a year after a Dúnedain nobleman found lost in the forest was imprisoned by Meriag. He died in captivity.

The Tribe of Korsca

The third woodmen tribe of Mirkwood is little spoken of save in hushed tones or harsh words. It is told by the tribesmen of Ulfang - for Meriag’s folk will speak not of such things to strangers - that Korsca was the only son of Meriag. His people now dwell deep in the southern woods, close to the blight.

No contact do the Korsca have with the other woodmen tribes, save to on occasion steal from their stables and houses - and not only livestock or simple possessions go missing. Ulfang wives eager to silence a difficult child might threaten to leave him for Korsca’s men, yet such a thing would be a mother’s darkest nightmare.

Impetuous children speak of how Korsca was lost in the forest when a great spider came upon him and drank his blood - transforming the man into a shell ruled by the will of the spiders. Naturally such things are childish rumours, for it is thought that Korsca still lives and has gathered a tribe of outcasts to his side. Travellers on the Old Forest Road are wise to beware, lest childish rumours have some grounds in fact.

Most of the Men of the northern regions of the Westlands were descended from the Edain of the First Age, or from their close kin. Their languages were, therefore, related to the Adunaic, and some still preserved a likeness to the Common Speech. Of this kind were the peoples of the upper vales of Anduin the Beornings, and the Woodmen of Western Mirkwood; and further north and east the Men of the Long Lake and of Dale.

- Appendix F, The Lord of the Rings