Races in The Belgariad

The world of The Belgariad by David Eddings is populated by a number of humanoid fantasy races. This setting is shared by The Malloreon, Belgarath the Sorcerer and Polgara the Sorceress. Most of the races are humans of various ethnic backgrounds, mostly grouped into nation states. Some of the species classified as monsters in the story are sentient to a greater or lesser degree, particularly those that resemble humans. There are no elves, dwarves or other typical fantasy races. Many animals in this setting also display intelligence. This article deals with the sentient humanoid races.

Humans

• Alorns are the people of Belar, occupying the north of the western continent. Once the people of Aloria, they diverged after that empire was divided. They maintain strong military and economic ties; indeed, for most purposes a united Alorn military exists, with each nation contributing a particular specialisation. This is by design, its purpose being the protection of the Orb of Aldur.
  • Algars are the people of Algaria. At the dividing of Aloria, Algar Fleet-foot and his followers took the broad grasslands drained by the River Aldur. The Algars are nomadic cattle-herders and horse-breeders. They fight as light cavalry.
  • Chereks are the people of Cherek. When the last king of a united Aloria, Cherek Bear-shoulders, divided his empire among his sons, he retained the mountainous peninsula that came to bear his name. The Chereks are primarily sailors, dominating sea trade in the West, forming the Alorn navy and patrolling the Sea of the Winds. On land, they are hunters, miners and foresters, and also fight as shock troops—the feared Cherek berserkers.
  • Drasnians are the inhabitants of Drasnia, the northern moors taken by Dras Bull-neck in the breaking of Aloria. They are best known for their extensive intelligence operations; espionage is a common and respected profession for Drasnians. Also, many are merchants, though it is probably true that most (if not all) Drasnian merchants have at least some connection with Drasnian Intelligence. The core of the Drasnian military is heavy infantry, mainly pikemen.
  • Rivans are the people of the Isle of the Winds. An insignificant Alorn possession before the empire was divided, it became the dominion of Riva Iron-grip, the keeper of the Orb of Aldur. Once a closed nation, trade enclaves exist on the island, and Rivan merchants and artisans are not uncommon in other nations of the West. Militarily, the Rivans are defenders of the fortress-city of Riva, where the Orb is kept; when in the field, they fight as medium infantry.
• Angaraks are the people of Torak. In Mallorea, they are the dominant people of Ancient Mallorea in the northwest, and are common throughout the Empire as soldiers and administrators. In the west, they occupy the southern half of the continent, and the lands east of the Escarpment in the north. These western nations were originally the people of Cthol Mishrak in the far northwest of Mallorea. Separate from mainstream Mallorean society, this population became stratified by social class. When Torak broke the city and drove its people to migrate west, he took the social classes to be racial groups, and sent them in three groups accordingly.
  • Grolims are the hereditary priesthood of the Angaraks. They are found throughout Angarak lands. In Mallorea, their power is balanced by the secular and military authority. In the west, their power is nearly absolute, particularly among the Murgos and Thulls.
  • Malloreans are the people of Mallorea in general, and also the Angarak population specifically. The distinction is not always strongly maintained—despite showing notions of racial purity, the Mallorean Angaraks also pursued conquest and assimilation of the other Mallorean nations by interbreeding.
  • Murgos are the people of Cthol Murgos. Originally the warrior caste of Cthol Mishrak, they were the first group to migrate west, and penetrated the farthest south. Beyond the equator, they conquered the entire southern half of the continent, which was all but unexplored by the other western nations and populated by a Dallish people, later known to the Murgos as the 'slave race'. The region of Cthol Murgos north of the equator is little more than a front for dealing with other nations, keeping most people unaware of the vast size of southern Cthol Murgos.
  • Nadraks are the inhabitants of Gar og Nadrak. Formerly the merchant class of Cthol Mishrak, they were the last to come west and remained in the heavily-forested north. Their lands border Drasnia, and the Nadraks have more peaceful contacts with other races (including the Alorns) than other Angaraks. Their primary industries are mining, hunting and trapping.
  • Thulls are the people of Mishrak ac Thull. Deriving from the Cthol Mishrak worker caste, they followed the Murgos west and settled in the semi-arid plains between the Escarpment and the Sea of the East. The Escarpment forms a formidable border between the weak Thullish nation and the Algarian Alorns. Economically, the Thulls mostly live in service to their Angarak neighbours north and south. They are also the most common choices for human sacrifice by the Grolims.
• Arends are the people of Chaldan, inhabiting Arendia on the western continent and the island of Perivor off Mallorea. For most of its history, Arendia was embroiled in a never-ending series of civil wars.
  • Asturians
  • Mimbrates
  • Wacites (by the time of the Belgariad, not a distinct group; merged with Sendars)
• Marags are the people of Mara. They are generally thought to be extinct at the time of the opening of the Belgariad, destroyed in the genocidal war waged by the Tolnedrans; a few surviving descendants live in slavery to the Murgos.
• Nyissans are the people of Issa. The Nyissan state is situated on the swampy equatorial west coast of the western continent.
• Tolnedrans are the people of Nedra, living in the Tolnedran Empire in the subtropical north of the western continent.
• Sendars are a people of mixed background, mostly of Alorn and Arendish descent. They are a nation separate from the other human races for all practical purposes in the story.
• Other human races are descended from the Godless Ones, chosen by no god at the beginning of the human race. They are widely spread across both continents and have physical diversity comparable to the other races as a result.
  • Dals
  • Karands
  • Melcenes
  • Morindim
  • Ulgos (the people of UL)

Non-humans

• Dryads
• Eldrakyn
• Raveners