The Warden Class in LOTR Lore

The few things I've read suggest that the Warden Class is based on Haldir the elf. Having just watched the Two Towers movie with my daughter last night I find that hard to understand. I never saw Haldir with a Shield, or a Spear or Javelin. Sword and Bow, classic elf all the way.


While the protector concept suits Haldir, nothing else really does. I tried searching for other sources in the lore for Wardens to call their own. Unfortunately I've found nothing so far. (I'd love it if someone could point me in the right direction).

All that comes to mind is the popularity of the movies 300 and Troy (the Developer Diary post on Wardens even hints a bit at this).

While I don't consider myself a Lore-purist (if I did I image I'd be unable to play LOTRO) I'd like to see some basis in Lore for the class, however thin, just to give them a bit more depth. Brad Pitt just doesn't inspire my inner Middle-Earther.

I see Wardens as Militia fighters. Men who tend farms, shops, etc and come to the walls of their villages at times of need. Common folk who are sometimes called to take on extraordinary tasks. In LOTRO I see Wardens as people who have left their homes to join the fight against the rising tide out of a sense of duty. Choosing the meet the threat head on rather than wait for it to come to their communities gates.

Spears and Javelins being simpler weapons to learn as well as manufacture would be common place among militias. Additionally, heavy armor was horribly expensive and out of reach of most folk in Middle-Earth. Shields were much cheaper and many knew how to make crude medium armors from animal hides. As a result the weapon and armor choices of the Warden class fit much better with a militia concept that a Haldir concept in my opinion (no matter how brave and selfless he was).

This is why I see Vigilo, my Warden as a former Militia man who left the farm to defend common folk full time.

I'm curious to know what other views there are on this subject.