Southrons
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In J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy world of Middle-earth the Haradrim or Southrons are a race of Men who live in Harad.
The lands of the Haradrim lie to the south of Gondor past the river Harnen. The Haradrim are said to be skilled archers and horsemen, and to have swarthy skin. They belonged to more than one culture; "Haradrim" being merely a Gondorian generic description of any of the men that came from South of their borders.
During the Second Age the Men of Númenor built a great city in the firth of Umbar, a vast natural harbour on the southern shores of the Bay of Belfalas, eventually turning the city into a fortified citadel from whose gates the Men of Númenor could levy great tributes upon many of the tribes of Harad.
At the Battle of the Pelennor Fields the Haradrim cavalry were led by a chieftain bearing the standard of a black serpent on a red field. King Théoden of Rohan slew this unnamed Haradrim leader in single combat.
At the time of the War of the Ring, Southrons in league with Sauron fought alongside his orc army, riding atop gigantic, elephant-like mûmakil. Once Sauron was destroyed, the Southrons sent embassies to King Elessar, who made peace with them.
Their appearance is somewhat ambiguous, but The Two Towers gives a detailed description of a slain Haradrim warrior that Frodo and Sam encounter. He is described as having brown skin, with black hair that is braided with gold. He wore a scarlet tunic, as did the other warriors, and a gold collar. His weapon and armour are simply described as a scimitar and a corslet of brazen scales. This suggests that the Haradrim are similar to Africans; those of "Near Harad" more like Arabs or Berbers, and "Far Harad" more like sub-saharan Africans. Of course, the "Haradrim" are actually a group of nations from the region of Harad, so there was probably much variation in appearance between differing groups of Haradrim.
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