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Kalimban

Kalimban was a region in the north of the Great Lands, in earlier versions of J.R.R. Tolkien 's legendarium.

Kalimban was a region in the north of the Great Lands, in earlier versions of J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium.

History

The people of Kalimban, the Kalimbardi, were known as savage barbarians, hostile to the Elves and Men of Leithian.

Etymology

The word Kalimban means "barbary" in Qenya.

Background

Kalimban was conceived as a mythical representation of Germany. The unflattering association between Germany and Barbary was justified by enmity between Germans and British people during World War I. In fact, J.R.R. Tolkien originally had started the creation of the legendarium with the intent to build a proper British mythology. Thus, for the earlier versions of his myths, he drew largely from British history.

References