Before the Numenoreans Came - Page 7
© Michael Martinez
There was apparently no interaction between these Edain and the Men of Minhiriath, whom the Numenoreans came to call the Gwathuirim. From these people had come the Folk of Haleth in Brethil, and so they were also "Edainic" peoples, but they spoke a different language from that of the Beorians and Marachians. The Men of Bree, many thousands of years later, were descended from the Gwathuirim, but it appears that Bree wasn't founded until sometime after the War of the Elves and Sauron.
The peoples of Eriador must have been relatively isolated during the first few centuries of the Second Age. The Elves kept mostly to themselves beyond the Baranduin but they were friendly with the Edainic Men. Gil-galad followed the policies of the Eldarin kings of Beleriand in maintaining a separation between Elves and Men. There was no war to speak of which should have driven them together. The Elves must have become inwardly focused, refining their civilization until population and the prospect of commerce with Khazad-dum became great enough to launch the eastward migrations.
The Gwathuirim lived quietly in their forests. In the east, the Dwarves and their Edainic allies built up a great civilization. But the occasional mention of interaction suggests that a vast network of some sort existed between all these peoples. Gil-galad eventually heard rumors of some dark power which was inimical to Elves and Men. When the Longbeards discovered Mithril the Noldor decided to establish a colony in Eregion to engage in trade with Khazad-dum, and the relationship between the two peoples was so strong that the Dwarevs tunneled all the way through the mountains to create a west-gate for the use of the Elves.
The question of when this network arose may never be settled. It's possible that the Dwarves always maintained their ancient contacts, and that for the first few centuries of the Second Age they conveyed news between east and west, Elves, Dwarves, and Men. It may also be that the Nandor who wandered through Eriador eventually made contact with Gil-galad's realm and carried news westward. And perhaps the Edain themselves traded freely with each other and the Dwarves, bringing news and wealth westward from Khazad-dum.
We know that twelve Edain were brave enough to meet with Vëantur and his Numenoreans in the year 600. And we know that the Edain of Beleriand had held at least one great council where their leaders convened to discuss the war with Angband. It may be that similar councils were occasionally held among the Eriadorians, and that perhaps the twelve men were leaders or chieftains from as many clans or tribes. A council of Eriadorian chieftains may imply that the Beorians and Marachians had developed a sophisticated culture, cooperating with one another in time of need. Such a confederation of peoples would have been strong enough to discourage or repulse invasion, and may explain why the Easterlings and Orcs did not settle in central Eriador, and why the Gwathuirim did not pass farther north than the edge of their forests.
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