red-hot eyes" make appearances in Tolkien's fiction as Balrogs. One of the many peoples encountered in The Lord of the Rings are "black men like half-trolls". This description recalls the as black demons; furthermore their homeland of Far Harad, the great southern region of Middle-earth, recalls Sub-Saharan Africa, sometimes referred to as in pre-modern times. In drafts of The Lord of the Rings Tolkien toyed with names such as Harwan and Sunharrowland for the Haradrim generally and their land; Christopher Tolkien notes these names are derived from the Old English Sigelwara, and refers to Tolkien's essay Sigelwara Land. See also White Aethiopians Sowilō Notes References Essays by J. R. R. Tolkien 1932 essays Works originally published in British magazines Africa in mythology Old English