With which Human culture of Middle Earth do you have the greatest affinity?

[littlemanpoet]

I am including Hobbits as well as Dúnedain under the broad heading of Human. I am also limiting the cultures to those extant (perhaps in a general sense) in the Second & Third Ages.

Please give a "why" for your answer.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

I could start with saying once again by being picky and saying that you are not very precise. Where are the Drúedain? And I'm not sure you can mix Umbarean and Haradrim together. What about the men from the White Mountains? And what about Enedwaith/Minhiriath folk, do they count among Eriadorean? The Enedwaith folk from the Second Age should be counted as separate, I believe, and someone could identify themselves with them. But no, I believe for the basic it suffices. Well, maybe indeed except for the Drúedain. That may really seem missing to someone.

And what about Beornings? Do you count them amongst Northerners? And Woodmen, also?

(Oh no, please, don't get me wrong, elempi, it's not supposed to be anything bad against you. These threads are great. But I just have to say these things because I consider them important. At least for me. Maybe others are not as picky, but if there are more people like me, the more importantly should I mention it. "Constructive criticism", you may call it.)

Personally, since this thread is not about what do you feel you are but with what do you have the greatest affinity, I'm for the Northerners. If you mean by it the men of Lake-Town and Dale, and also the Woodmen, then definitely. Certainly not the Northerners like Eorlings (and you do well to discern them), but these are very nice folks. I feel very close to both Woodmen and the men of Lake-Town and the men from Dale.

[mormegil]

I voted Numenoreans mainly because of their religious aspect. Obviously I refer to the earlier Numenoreans than the latter, but their devotion is something I admire and try to acheive in my own life. I also seem them in a cycle similar to many of us in our own lives of the highs and lows, of course, theirs is an extreme but illustrative nonetheless.

[Groin Redbeard]

I think I feel that I always was more of a northener at heart. I love the forests and rivers, and I like simple people who you can relate to. From what I remember from the Hobbit I think that resembles the people of the North-East best.

[Meneltarmacil]

Probably the Rangers. I'm the kind of person that has several long-term friends that are not too well acquainted with every aspect of me (there's always something they don't know) and who just likes to travel for no particular reason.

[McCaber]

Definitely the Eorlingas. I like their culture, emphasizing the warrior spirit and heroism.

[Nogrod]

Even though I'm a Finn (soon turning 40...) and thence I feel a great affinity to the people like the woodsmen, the Lake-town people and Beornings - and also the people of old in Arnor possibly (even though I have quit a faint view of them) - I must probably vote for the Gondorians.

Now I may be mistaken but I have always associated the great cities of Gondor (not just Minas Tirith but even more the southern cities like Dol-Amroth) with learning and multiculturalism; different palates and music, different customs and codes co-existing peacefully under the moral principles of freedom and justice. And as places where people can still unite under the banner of their ideals more than with their ethnicity or creed. They kind of remind me of the ancient Rome (at it's best), Holland of the late Middle-Ages, Paris of the enlightenment (not the horrors of the revolution), London and New York today (I'm deeply moved by the "down the street" reaction of people in both of those cities in the hour of despair as seen lately).

But I'm witholding my vote as yet to hear whether you better-educated will crash my idealistic views on Gondor...

[littlemanpoet]

Hmm... the Drúedain would have been an interesting inclusion. I think I am limited to 10 choices. I could have made 20 were it possible.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Nog, I'd say your imagination of Gondor is more or less correct. There were the descendants of Dúnedain and the descendants of the old people from White Mountains, definitely some minority of people with mixed Southron blood (in Pelargir & co. probably larger), not to speak of people with elven blood in Dol Amroth (now the Prof himself can tell us something about half-elves being uncanonical ), some Rohirric people, either migrated or just young Rohirs (from the Edoras-Minas Tirith au pair program), and from the time of the Kin-strife also some people with Northerner blood. And they all lived together in what seemed like a peaceful state (no inner problems).
Of course the picture (and the more the comparision to the RL) is a little bit idealised, but still I believe the main point is there.

[Thinlómien]

While have a great liking for Breelanders and how they're described in LotR makes me think of myself to some extent, I still have the greatest affinity with the Northmen.

Being a Finn, they feel somewhat homelike and familiar to me. The north-eastern part of ME has always felt closest to me with all the Woodmen, Beornings, Dalemen, Esgarothians, Wood-Elves, Dwarves, Wargs, Orcs, eagles, thrushes, ravens and dragons. Enough variety of peoples and creatures but they don't feel alien to each other still. Also, places like Mirkwood, The Long Lake and The Lonely Mountain have something very intriguing in them. And part of my affection to that corner of ME is surely due to that my first ever RPG (when I was nine years or something like that and a few years older) mostly took place there and the game master (who was no one else as Nogrod) managed to make the places so real and intriguing.

And I like the Northmen as peoples: Woodmen who know the forest, the urban and merry Esgarothians and the Dalemen with their lost kingdom. I like the somewhat mysterious Beornings the best, though: their affinity with animals, their brave warrior-spirit and the idea of them making honey cakes. Besides, I've always liked the northmen Beorn and Bard as characters.

[Aganzir]

I just realised something quite uncomfortable. I can't be objective when I think about the cultures, mainly because I've been M-E roleplaying for so long that the thoughts and opinions of the character I've played longest have started to affect mine.

I actually like all the northern people, no matter whether they live on the western or eastern side of the Mountains. However, Beornings are my favourite - mainly because of Beorn. Bear is one of the animals I like the most and I wouldn't mind living like Beorn: in a big house almost in the middle of nowhere with a lot of intelligent animals. And those honey-cakes, of course.

The others I like much are the Rohirrim. I've been riding more or less frequently since I was three, and about a year ago I found a stable where they teach riding in medieval style and fighting skills, and it's wonderful. Archery, fencing, spear, lance... And everything on horseback. Not to mention those stunts: picking an object from ground in gallop, hanging head downwards from the saddle, jumping over a burning obstacle... I love it.

[littlemanpoet]

Originally Posted by Aganzir

I just realised something quite uncomfortable. I can't be objective when I think about the cultures, mainly because I've been M-E roleplaying for so long that the thoughts and opinions of the character I've played longest have started to affect mine.

I'd say that your choices in role playing give evidence to your affinity (which is a subjective thing after all) rather than skewing it.

I speak thus from experience; my primary character is Eorling; a secondary one was a Breeman who had been displaced; a tertiary character is a rather thorny hobbit; yet another character is a 1st age seer; four more are Eorling; even one from the 21st century visiting Gondor! oh, and a dog. ...and one old gaffer hobbit lately.

But the Eorling stands out - a pretty fair indicator for my affinities.

[Aganzir]

Originally Posted by littlemanpoet

I'd say that your choices in role playing give evidence to your affinity (which is a subjective thing after all) rather than skewing it.

Well, I don't know. I do like Gondorians but every single Gondorian my character has met has been a little, eh, not so nice. We have joked about them with my friends, and now it's become very hard to think of a nice and smart Gondorian. That's the game master's fault though. She must have some kind of antipathy towards them.

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by Aganzir

Well, I don't know. I do like Gondorians but every single Gondorian my character has met has been a little, eh, not so nice. We have joked about them with my friends, and now it's become very hard to think of a nice and smart Gondorian. That's the game master's fault though. She must have some kind of antipathy towards them.

Now that is a bit unfair. Why is it my fault that you never like my Gondorians?

I do like Gondorians, and speaking of them, yes, Nogrod, I think your imagination of them is pretty accurate or just sligthly biased... Go on and vote.

[Elmo]

Black Numenorean

[MatthewM]

A Gondorian, for sure!

[littlemanpoet]

Just a little reminder:

Originally Posted by littlemanpoet

Please give a "why" for your answer.

[MatthewM]

Oh. Well, I would definitely be a Gondorian because I can picture myself living within the walls of Minas Tirith. I love the area. The spirit of the Gondorian race seems most true to me. Warriors with artistic ideals and love for lore and history...right up my alley. I do not know if those attributes are stated anywhere in specific, Tolkien probably wrote something about them in the Letters (I feel like I have read it), and although I'm sure other cultures hold the same ideas, I feel the closest affinity to Gondor. Boromir being my favorite character probably has something to do with it as well.

[Farael]

I voted for the Numenorean peoples. While Mrom has a valid point when mentioning their religious aspect, what I admire the most is their artistic/scientific values. They grew beyond the limits and expectations of what lesser men could have achieved and that's something that in a way, is happening today and so I feel Numenor like a great analogy of our modern times

Not to mention the everpresent shadow in the later years of Numenor....

[Quempel]

I choose Hobbit. Because Hobbits rule and others drool, or vice versa. Anyway I have more Hobbitty traits, I like food, I like to stay home and hang with my hobbity buds and would rather not go on any dangerous adventures. But if I have too I can complete extraordinary tasks to save those I love.

[Elmo]

Originally Posted by Elmo

Black Numenorean

I like the cut of their jib

[Lalaith]

What of the First Age? The Haladin, the men of Hithlum, the people of Beor....and of course the Ulflings and Borrim...

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Lalaith

What of the First Age? The Haladin, the men of Hithlum, the people of Beor....and of course the Ulflings and Borrim...

Elempi says in the first post he willingly limited the choices to Second&Third Age. But looks like another idea for a poll, elempi? (if you haven't had enough of them already )

[Nogrod]

I think I'll stick to Gondor even if Lommy's and Aganzir's lively descriptions of the northern values and lifestyles make me waver a bit... It's a hard choice indeed.

I do affiliate with Matthew's description of:

Originally Posted by MatthewM

Warriors with artistic ideals and love for lore and history...right up my alley.

and that's also what the knights of the Middle-age were supposed to be and what the janissaries of the east probably were to a larger extent. But those are just warrior ideals and as such rarely met.

And after all they just make a part of the parcel.

I'm more drawn in with the hassle and buzz of the street; meeting different cultures, flavors, scents, habits, dialects, dressing, courtship-rules, gestures, tastes, music, dances etc. in the air of general benevolence, curiosity and freedom from prejudice.

Surely there would have been the poor and the rich as well as those claiming to be the originals vs. the newcomers etc. I know I'm painting it with more rosy colours I may have license to but still I think the big Gondorian cities were the only places in the Middle-Earth where this caleidoscopic meeting of the various cultures of the ME was possible.

And all of that under the banner of the free people. Not under the banner of a family, a village, a race, a nationality, a home country... but under the banner of freedom and justice... and the Right.

Not bad indeed as far as daydreams or utopias go.

[Ghazi]

The Shire

I can sympathize with both the Dunlendings and Haradrim who have legitimate and long-standing grievances against the Numenoreans/Realms-in-Exile and the Rohirrim. However, I'd feel most comfortable in the Shire.