Book Faithful Haradrim

[armchairgeneral]

The LotRs films have the Haradrim as Arab/Saracen types. Admittedly that was my perception though Tolkien doesn’t describe them as such. Mainly dark hair and skin, wearing bright colours with “brazen plates” as armour.

Given the above I am after suggestions for suitable figures in 28mm scale? Or figures that fit your take on how the Haradrim would look from the books?

I was thinking Assyrians would look right with an appropriate paint job?

[Pattus Magnus]

I don’t see any problem with that approach, the Assyrians definitely have a suitable vibe. I think Assyrian cavalry figures could also work as Haradrim.

[Elbows]

Victrix Persians and similar would work fine too, I'd imagine.

[Mammoth miniatures]

The books give such a general description of them that you can really use anything. I'm using Victrix Iberians which work quite well  but you could also have them as Macedonians or dacians and still be within the bounds of book accuracy.

[sultanbev]

I used El Cid type figures, metal ones (Black Tree?) and plastic HAT 28mm Andalusians and the like. Painted them as per the Alan Lee picture in the illustrated 25th anniversary edition of LoTR.

[Mikai]

I was thinking about an approach using the bodies from the Fireforge sets "Berber Infantry" and "Black Guard" combined with the more islam heads of the Victrix Norman sets. That's again more into the Arab/Saracen direction of the movies though. Otherwise I would join the opinions of the others before me, these are all great suggestions.

I used El Cid type figures, metal ones (Black Tree?) and plastic HAT 28mm Andalusians and the like. Painted them as per the Alan Lee picture in the illustrated 25th anniversary edition of LoTR.

Do you have images of them? I would be interested in how yours look like. Same question for Mammoth, your miniatures always look interesting.

[sultanbev]

"Do you have images of them? I would be interested in how yours look like."
Unfortunately not, I sold the painted ones on ebay a few months ago.

[Hobgoblin]

As Mammoth miniatures says, there's a huge amount of leeway to use different figures here.

From the description of the Haradrim in the books, we have these details:

• robes
• braided hair
• bronze scale corselet
• spiked shields
• scimitars
• spears
• colours: red robes, yellow and black shields, brown skin, black hair

The Assyrians would work nicely: you've got the scale corselets and braided hair (or at least beards!). And there's at least the hint of a spike on those shields.

[Codsticker]

As Mammoth miniatures says, there's a huge amount of leeway to use different figures here.

From the description of the Haradrim in the books, we have these details:

• robes
• braided hair
• bronze scale corselet
• spiked shields
• scimitars
• spears
• colours: red robes, yellow and black shields, brown skin, black hair

The Assyrians would work nicely: you've got the scale corselets and braided hair (or at least beards!). And there's at least the hint of a spike on those shields.

Turks as well, perhaps? Some of the sculpts from the Victrix Islamic Cavalry set would be suitable. You might have to find some shields with spikes though.

[Hobgoblin]

The Oathmark orc sprue has some nicely spiked shields.

[Mammoth miniatures]

The Oathmark orc sprue has some nicely spiked shields.

The heavy orcs with a headswap would do a fairly good job - perhaps with heads from the ghost archipelago crewman sprue?

[DivisMal]

Thinking about book faithful Haradrim makes me consider what the good Professor Tolkien might have known when he wrote about them. Aren‘t Haradrim also called „cruel“ in the text?

Certainly Tolkien must have known the reliefs and finds from Assyria which boast with the cruelty of Assyrian warfare.

The elephants are reminiscent of Cathage, a people also claimed to be cruel (by their arch enemles, however).

If you want to be more on the same technological level as the other cultures, something later would also be a good choice, like Arabs or Turks.

[Mammoth miniatures]

Thinking about book faithful Haradrim makes me consider what the good Professor Tolkien might have known when he wrote about them. Aren‘t Haradrim also called „cruel“ in the text?

Certainly Tolkien must have known the reliefs and finds from Assyria which boast with the cruelty of Assyrian warfare.

The elephants are reminiscent of Cathage, a people also claimed to be cruel (by their arch enemles, however).

If you want to be more on the same technological level as the other cultures, something later would also be a good choice, like Arabs or Turks.

Carthage would be quite a good analogy for the haradrim - more northern that far harad, but drawing its recruits from the many surrounding settlements, fielding armies of mercenaries and slaves.
In terms of historical parallel we can take umbar to be the fallen roman remnant to the post roman men of the west. Having the haradrim be a sort of post roman carthage makes a great deal of sense - an old enemy from the glory days of numenor/rome, able to spread its influence across the far lands of the south.

Combine umbar and the haradrim and you get a sort of revenant carthage - strong naval prowess and powerful land armies of mixed heritage, backed up by great war beasts, marching through the mountains to lay siege to the remaining cities of the old imperial power. 

[DivisMal]

Carthage would be quite a good analogy for the haradrim - more northern that far harad, but drawing its recruits from the many surrounding settlements, fielding armies of mercenaries and slaves.
In terms of historical parallel we can take umbar to be the fallen roman remnant to the post roman men of the west. Having the haradrim be a sort of post roman carthage makes a great deal of sense - an old enemy from the glory days of numenor/rome, able to spread its influence across the far lands of the south.

Combine umbar and the haradrim and you get a sort of revenant carthage - strong naval prowess and powerful land armies of mixed heritage, backed up by great war beasts, marching through the mountains to lay siege to the remaining cities of the old imperial power.

And now I am verrrry closw to buying that Warlod Games Epic Battles Rome vs. Carthage set to finally (!) continue work on my 10mm LotR project that was begun a long time ago when a certain Mr Copplestone released 10mm good and evil armies!

Again back to topic: if you really want Haradrim true to the book, there are two ways imho: like Hobgoblin did, collect all the evidence from the books (quite easy nowadays with searchable ebooks), and consider what Tolkien might have known as a historical archetype.