I'm currently doing a little research on the peoples of the Second Age ... the Age of Númenorë.
I don't know if this is useful, but it was in fact a question of yours in that other topic, that started this research:
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General Introduction to the different Mannish Peoples in the Second Age Classification based on migratory patterns, settlements and languages, at the end of First Age and the beginning of Second Age.
First the more common classification, very useful for linguistic purposes:
Ethnographical terminology is often confusing. According to (S), the Quenya expression Atani originally referred to all Men but the Sindarin equivalent Edain only to the Three Houses who first entered Beleriand. These tribes are then most frequently referred to as Bëorians, Hadorians (though their original leader was known as Marach), and Haladin, later also Halethians or Halethrim, but though the name-giving heroes lived in Beleriand these epithets are also indiscriminatingly applied to their ancestors before they reached the West. On the other hand, (LP) calls the earliest parent language of Adûnaic Atani, even though it was spoken by the Hadorians and Bëorians only and the language of the Halethrim was not even remotely related to it. And finally, (PR) refers to the first Bëorians as "the Lesser Folk" while they became distinct from the Hadorians; we may thus conclude on a corresponding "Greater Folk" [the Hadorians].
For convenience, I will standardise the nomenclature in the following way:
- Northern Atani: The common ancestors of Bëorians and Hadorians, as opposed to the Southern Atani, the Haladin (the distinction of Northern and Southern is made with regard to their migratory pattern).
- pre-Bëorrim, pre-Marachrim, pre-Haladin: the ancestors of the three Edainic peoples during the migratory phase, including their relatives who did not enter Beleriand (Marach preceded Hador in the leadership of his tribe).
- Bëorians, Hadorians, Halethians: The Beleriandic Edain and their descendants, including scattered groups who left Beleriand.
- Bórrim: The Swarthy Men of the people of Bór who settled in Eriador and Beleriand.
- Northmen: In the Númenórean nomenclature, the Men of Rhovanion among which the pre-Marachrim element was predominant.
- Middle Men: In the Númenórean nomenclature, the Men of Eriador among which the pre-Marachrim and pre-Bëorrim element was predominant, including Edain who did not relocate to Númenor. (Historically, the term was later used to classify all Men friendly to the West who were not Dúnedain, thus including the Northmen, particularly the Rohirrim.)
- pre-Númenóreans: In the Númenórean nomenclature, the Men of predominantly pre-Haladin origin, once spread between Eriador and Umbar.
This nomenclature might be very useful for lore and linguistic research, where the interconnections between the different peoples are important. In relation to modding it is important to differentiate, and to give unique names or terms for these tribes, so I'll use this standardization:
Peoples who migrated into Beleriand, and later went to Númenorë:
- Númenoreans (2nd Age) [aka Dunedain (3rd Age)]:
Those of the three houses of Edain who went to Númenorë at the beginning of Second Age.
- House of Bëor: Bëorians
- House of Hador: Hadorians
- House of Haleth: Halethians
- Black Númenoreans:
Those Númenoreans who in the second and third millennium of Second Age went back to Middle-earth and settled in the South, and there made realms independant of Númenorë. Servants of the Dark Lord.
Peoples who crossed the Misty Mountains and settled in Eriador:
Including peoples who escaped from the ruin of Beleriand and went back over the Blue Mountains into Eriador.
- Atani Peoples (2nd Age) [aka Edain (3rd Age)]: Bëorrim and Marachrim.
The pre-Bëorrim and pre-Marachrim elements of the Northern Atani people. In Eriador these two branches merged gradually, and in Third Age would constitute the pre-Númenorean element of the population of Arnor (Arthedain). In 3rd Age they should be considered just one people, who could then be called Edain.
- Haladin (2nd Age) [aka Dunlendings (3rd Age)]:
The pre-Halethrim who settled in Calenardhon (Rohan) and later migrated to Eriador; also called the Southern Atani, though their language was different from the Northern Atani. Ancestors of the Dunlendings in the 3rd Age.
- Drúedain (aka Pukel-men): These people did migrate and co-exist with the Haladin for about a thousand years, but in the first millenium of Second Age settled separate from the Haladin.
- Bórrim [aka Eastrons (1st Age)]:
The Easterling people, of whom some in the first were secret servants of Morgoth, betrayers in the Battle of Unnumbered tears. Two distinct sub-groups did exist:
- Bórrim [aka 'Hillmen of Rhudaur' (3rd Age)].
- Descendants of Ulfang ('the Black') [aka 'Evil Men of Angmar' (2nd and 3rd Ages)]. According to naming traditions these should be called 'Ulfangrim', but might also be named just 'Ulugrim' "The hideous People" [from sindarin 'ulug' (hideous) and '-rim' (people)], following their tradition of using the prefix 'Ul-' in their names.
- 'Men of the Shadow' [aka 'Dead people of Dunharrow' (3rd Age)]. The people from the East, who in the Second Age settled in the White Mountains; Servants of Sauron at first, but betrayed him at the end of Second Age, becoming allies of new-founded Gondor. In the War of the last Alliance they also betrayed the Gondorians, thus if given a proper name for their tribe, they might be called 'Gwarthrim' - The People of Betrayers.
Peoples of Rhovanion, including remnants of the Atani who never crossed the Misty Mountain.
- Northmen (2nd and 3rd Ages) [aka Rohirrim, Woodmen, Bëornings, Dalians (Lake-men), Dorwinians and Rhovanians (3rd Age)]
These people were the pre-Marachrim element of the peoples of Rhovanion, and except for periods of Easterling invasions and supremacy, the dominant Mannish population of this region. The Bëornings might be pre-Bëorrim, as were probably the Dorwinians, who seems throughout the 2nd and 3rd Ages to have maintained a sovereign enclave in the hills on the western shores of the Lake of Rhun.
- Easterlings Invaders of the Second Age.
The records of the Second Age don't really differentiate these people, but in the second half of the second millennium there appeared out of the East "Alien Men of an evil sort". For the rest of that Age the history of the peoples of Rhovanion are lost in darkness, so there might have been several invasions of Easterlings.
The peoples of the East and of the South.
The history of those people will be described elsewhere.
I'm working on some more detailed history on those people. I you want answers concerning this, please post in the other topic.
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