The Corsairs of Umbar are a somewhat mysterious force in The Lord of the Rings, but explanations lie in the legendarium. Some more casual fans may not be aware of who they are, but some know that sinister ships appeared on the River Anduin before The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’s ending. Aragorn gave Gandalf a run for his money with his own “You shall not pᴀss” moment, telling the enemy fleet they weren’t welcome in Gondor. This fleet was the Corsairs of Umbar, and J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel explains why they were there.

The Corsairs aren’t known to everyone, as they didn’t appear in the theatrical version of the movie at all. Instead arriving at scene 37 of Return of the King’s extended edition, these enemy ships obviously intended to fight against Aragorn and his team in the War of the Ring. With Dark Lord Sauron the eponymous villain of The Lord of the Rings, species and groups allied to him seem utterly reprehensible. But, as is the way in the real world, political alliances are formed for many different reasons, and the Corsairs’ allegiance with Sauron was complex.

The Corsairs Of Umbar Were Enemies Of Gondor

The Corsairs Had Many Reasons To Fight Gondor

Rather than hardcore Sauron loyalists, the Corsairs of Umbar may be best known as enemies of Gondor, when it comes to understanding their place in The Lord of the Rings. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies didn’t dive into too much detail on Sauron’s army in the War of the Ring, and how various factions came to fight for this terrifying demigod. Along with the Haradrim and their graceful Mûmakil, the Corsairs of Umbar had their own reasons for fighting in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. The primary of these was their ongoing conflict with Gondor.

Umbar had wanted to overpower Gondor for many generations, with recent fighting leading up to the War of the Ring. While Gondor’s fleet was one of the strongest armies in The Lord of the Rings, it often faced the Corsairs of Umbar, the pirates of the Haven of Umbar. Gondor attacked Umbar and invaded multiple times, occasionally gaining control of the settlement. This ongoing conflict meant that the Corsairs’ decision to fight in the War of the Ring was not necessarily a pro-Sauron move, but was definitely a strategic anti-Gondor move.

Umbar’s Corruption Springs From Sauron’s Second Age Takeover Of Númenor

Sauron Sunk His Claws Into Umbar’s Ancestors

The Corsairs of Umbar were historical enemies of Gondor, which can be traced back to their Númenórean ancestors. English high fantasy originator J.R.R. Tolkien penned The Lord of the Rings, released in three parts between 1954 and 1955, but also wrote Lord of the Rings’ famous Fall of Númenor story. In this story, the rulers of the island Kingdom of Númenor fell into greed and forgot their loyalty to the Valar, demigod forces of good in Middle-earth. Sauron arrived on the island and corrupted them, resulting in the Black Númenóreans, the forefathers of much of Umbar’s population.

Sauron had the King’s ear in Númenor in The Lord of the Rings’ Second Age, poisoning him against the Elves and Valar and encouraging him to sail to fight them and wrestle immortality off them (an impossible task). This gradually divided the island nation into the King’s Men and an opposition called the Faithful, who still followed the Valar. Eventually, Sauron’s meddling brought about the nation’s ruin and the destruction of his body. However, many of the King’s Men, who became known as the Black Númenóreans, escaped the island’s fall and settled Umbar.

Due To Its Strategic Location, Umbar Was Always At The Heart Of Conflict

Umbar Was Directly To The South Of Gondor

Umbar was directly underneath Gondor on The Lord of the Rings map, and Gondor was the highest seat of power in the Third Age, so Umbar was a H๏τly contested territory. Umbar’s great cape and land-locked firth also made it highly strategic as a military location, quite apart from it being right under Gondor. It seems from Unfinished Tales, a 1980 compilation of various Tolkien drafts, that the famous Númenórean mariner Aldarion may have been the original settler of Umbar. Regardless of Umbar’s origins, its population ended up predominantly Black Númenórean.

Umbar’s mixed population partially derived from its constant invasions. Umbar changed hands a lot. A new generation had a different loyalty roughly every few decades or so, with the region at some point belonging to the Haradrim, who were located to the South of Umbar and also known as Southrons. Tensions between supporters of the chosen Gondorian ruler and opponents worsened the Gondor-Umbar political and military fighting. However, most normal residents of Umbar would have had no idea of what happened in Númenor and were just angry at being in a warzone.

Sauron Exploited Umbar’s Hatred Of Gondor In The War Of The Ring

Umbar And Sauron Were Natural Allies In The Lord Of The Rings

There could have been committed Sauron followers in Umbar, given its history, but it would have been easy to get Umbar on side for Sauron regardless, due to Gondor’s continued campaign against them. They would have been keen to fight Gondor with the amplified army Sauron offered. Knowledge of local or worldly lore wasn’t a given in the times in which The Lord of the Rings was based, which reflected real-world medieval times. So, only Umbar nobility may know about their heritage as King’s Men, and how Sauron was allied with them in the Second Age.

Perhaps some others may have known about this too. Those who knew about this old alliance may well have been keen to rekindle what could have been a powerful partnership when Sauron came to them with proposals for the War of the Ring. Whether or not they knew about it, or were keen to adhere to tradition, they were likely promised domination of Gondor by Sauron. Sauron undoubtedly exploited Umbar’s hatred of Gondor by offering them expansion into it in return for their help in his war in The Lord of the Rings.