Lake Men (Esgaroth, Dale, Men of the Celduin)

"'Follow me then,' said the captain, and with six men about them he led them over the bridge through the gates and into the market-place of the town. This was a wide circle of quiet water surrounded by the tall piles on which were built the greater houses, and by long wooden quays with many steps and ladders going down to the surface of the lake. From one great hall shone many lights and there came the sound of many voices."

- J.R.R. Tolkien. The Hobbit. "A Warm Welcome"

The Men of Esgaroth and Dale belong to the cultural background of the ancient Men-folk that didn't wander into Beleriand. Their ancestors turned back and really never intended to participate in the Wars of Beleriand and settled in the wide lands east of Greenwood the Great. A certain kinship with the early Northmen cannot be denied, although this Civilisation can be considered somewhat of a melting pot for men from different adjoining realms.

Geographical Location

Lake-town, or what was later called Esgaroth, was rebuilt two times. It was located on the western shore of the Long Lake and was built on huge wooden stilts, whereas the township of Dale was situated at the feet of the Lonely Mountain (Erebor). The first Esgaroth and Dale were burned and destroyed by the dragon Smaug in the year TA 2770, after he attacked and ravaged the Dwarven Kingdom of Erebor.

The survivors of Dale and Esgaroth united and after some time, when the dreaded dragon peacefully slept on his golden hoard, dreaming his dreams of invincibility, they rebuilt Esgaroth closer to the southern end of the lake - though it not as big and magnificent as its predecessor.

The second Esgaroth was again destroyed during the dramatic happenings portrayed in 'The Hobbit', when Bard the Bowman mortally wounded Smaug with his bow, and the stricken dragon crashed onto the wooden city and perished in the cold waters of the Long Lake.

Later Bard, who was of the Line of Girion of Dale, was made King and, he reestablished Dale, using his share of the dragon hoard. Lake-town was also rebuilt for a third time, but further north, for the waters around the former city containing the corpse of Smaug remained forever feared by the locals, and no one dared to dive down to retrieve bits and pieces of Smaug's invaluable diamond armor.

Capital: Dale and Esgaroth, at the end of the Third Age: Kingdom of Dale; Capitol: Dale
Places of Importance: Dale and Esgaroth, The Long Lake, River Running (Celduin)
Historical Setting: Third Age

Historical Overview

The exact founding date of Dale and Esgaroth is unfortunately not recorded. The Wise deem that the settlements near or around the Long Lake have been in use since the wanderings of the Edain in the First Age. Therefore one can find a certain kinship between the Lake-men, the Northmen and Beornings.

The Great Plague, which swept through Middle-Earth from TA 1635 to 1638, left the region around the Long Lake rather unharmed; however, it had dire consequences for the neighbouring Rhovanion. From then on, Esgaroth became more and more important as a place of trade and commerce. Its caravans and trade ships brought home many treasures and trinkets of worth, making Esgaroth the prime trade center east of Mirkwood.

After the exiled Dwarves from Khazad-dûm founded their Kingdom under the Mountain in TA 1999 the townships of Dale and Esgaroth profited even more from increasing trade: they were the prime source of food for the dwarves, and they benefited greatly from the marvelously crafted items the dwarves offered in exchange.

But, as it is with everything, all good times must come to an end. This particular doom came in the personage of the last great fire-dragon of the north, called Smaug the Magnificent in TA 2770. The dragon laid waste to Erebor, driving the few remaining refugees into exile, devastating the fair town of Dale at the foot of Erebor, and burning thriving Esgaroth to the ground.

The few survivors of Dale and Esgaroth (including the heirs of the Line of Girion, Lord of Dale) later rebuilt Esgaroth further south, again on large wooden stilts as a defense against the dragon. But the second Esgaroth could not be compared to its glorious predecessor.

The events in TA 2941, as portrayed in "The Hobbit", led to not only the death of Smaug (due to the bravery of Bard the Bowman, the latest heir in the line of Girion of Dale), to the Battle of the Five Armies (involving Orcs, Wargs, Thranduil's Woodelves, Lake-men under Bard and Dwarves from the Iron Mountains under Dáin II Ironfoot), but to the reestablishment of the Dwarven Kingdom of Erebor, and later in TA 2944 the rebuilding of Dale and Esgaroth.

In the times of relative peace following the battle, the region prospered once again from extensive trade among Mirkwood, Erebor, Iron Mountains, Rhovanion, and beyond. King Bard of Dale was succeeded by his son Bain in TA 2977, who was again succeeded by his son Brand in TA 3009.

In March of TA 3019 war came again to Dale and Erebor when Sauron's Easterling raiders invaded Dale. Both King Brand and King Dáin II were killed in battle before the gates of Erebor. The remaining forces of Dwarves and Men under Thorin III Stonehelm and Bard II were finally able to route the Easterlings at the end of March, when news of Sauron's fall reached the north.

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