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Rohan

Rohan is the kingdom of the Rohirrim, Men who were horse-riding people and close allies of Gondor.Near the conclusion of the Third Age, the Rohirrim figured prominently in pivotal victories in the War of the Ring. They helped defeat the Orcs of Saruman in the Battle of the Hornburg [1] and later aided Gondor against the forces of Sauron, who laid siege to Minas Tirith in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields [2]. Rohan is bounded on the north by the Ent forest Fangorn and the southern point of the Misty Mountains. On the west beyond the Gap of Rohan, it reaches as far as where the rivers Adorn and Isen meet. It stretches east as far as the banks of the mighty river Anduin. On its southern borders lay the White Mountains separating it from Gondor.

History

Northmen of Rhovanion

The cataclysmic War of the Wrath signaled the culmination of the First Age. In the aftermath, most of the region west of the Blue Mountains sank into the sea. It was the final battle in the Wars of Beleriand between the Elves and Morgoth. The Elves were victorious with the aid of Men called the Edain. As a reward, the Elves gave them the island of Elenna and gifted them with longer lives. Most of the surviving Edain sailed west to this island, where they founded the kingdom of Númenor. They left behind descendants of tall and golden-haired Edain from the House of Hador, from where the Middle-Peoples would come. At the beginning of the Third Age, the Middle-Peoples began to occupy Rhovanion. It is a vast region in Middle-Earth to the east of the Misty Mountains beyond the Anduin and stretched as far as the western borders of Rhûn. Their descendants later became known as the Northmen of Rhovanion, who formed separate kingdoms there. Nevertheless, during the 1200s, many of them became allied to the throne of Gondor.

Sauron and the Witch-King of Angmar

When Sauron returned to Middle-Earth around TA 1000, he came to Rhovanion and built a stronghold within the southern part of Mirkwood called Dol Guldur under the guise of “The Necromancer.” It was during this time that Dol Guldur began to cast its shadow on the nearby Vales of Anduin south of Mirkwood that at the time, were populated by the Northmen. In about TA 1300, his chief lieutenant, the Lord of the Nazgûl, established a new kingdom in the north near the Angmar Mountains. He ruled from his capital, Carn Dûm, and became known as the Witch-King of Angmar. From there, he waged battle with the kingdoms of Arnor and conquered them one by one in a conflict that lasted several hundred years.

The Great Plague

Much later in TA 1635, a Great Plague coming from the east decimated half of the Northmen population in Rhovanion. The plague also proved devastating to Gondor killing thousands in TA 1636, with Osgiliath bearing the brunt of the pestilence outside of Rhovanion.

Invasion of the Wainriders

Severely reduced by the plague, the region came under attack from the mysterious Wainriders in TA 1851, also from the east. When Gondor got involved in the conflict, King Narmacil II [3] marched his great army north in TA 1856 and arrived at the plains south of Mirkwood. He tried to gather the scattered Northmen to fend off the Wainriders but was defeated and killed in the Battle of the Plains. Among the casualties was Marhari, Lord of the Northmen, who, along with his son Marthwini, fought in the rearguard.

The Éothéod

Marthwini fought bravely but eventually fled Rhovanion with what remained of his Northmen kin and led them to safety. Narmacill II’s heir, King Calimehtar of Gondor, managed to defeat the Wainriders in Dagorlad. During this time, Marthwini established a new settlement on the western banks of the Anduin south of the Carrok. They later described themselves as the Éothéod. Forthwini, who succeeded his father Marthwini, obtained intelligence in TA 1944 that the Wainriders were again preparing to attack. He sent a warning to Gondor that led to the tragic deaths of Calimehtar’s son, King Ondoher, and his heirs Artamir and Faramir. After the massive defeat, events culminated in the Battle of the Camp. It was the enemy camp where the Gondorian Captain Eärnil ended the threat of the Wainriders once and for all.

Fall of the Witch-King

Éowyn and Nazgûl.Éowyn and Nazgûl.
In TA 1975, the combined forces of Gondorian warriors led by Eärnur, Northmen remnants, and Elves of Lindon routed the Witch-King’s army in the Battle of Fornost. He mustered what little support he had left and tried to retreat to Carn Dûm. However, the forces of Eärnur and Glorfindel, an Elven lord from Rivendell, overtook him. Forced to flee into Mordor, the northern regions finally freed themselves of the Witch-King’s evil reign.

When he got word of the Witch-King’s departure, Forthwini’s heir, Lord Frumgar, set out in TA 1977 to lead the Éothéod further up the Anduin. He wanted more lands for his people and to stay away from the ever-growing threat of Dol Guldur. After defeating the survivors of Angmar, they formed a settlement near the sources of the Anduin and later established the territories of Éothéod. The Grey Mountains bordered it on the north, and the Misty Mountains lay on its west. Its principal township, Framsburg, was eventually built where the tributaries Greylin and Limelight joined to form the Anduin.

They named it after Frumgar’s successor Fram, who became one of Éothéod’s greatest Lords. Under him, the Éothéod grew in wealth, as well as in the number of horses and riders. Lord Fram also became famous in TA 2000 for slaying Scatha the Worm, an excellent evil dragon who lived in the Grey Mountains. However, the Dwarves in the region claimed the treasure hoard was theirs. Fram sent them a necklace fashioned from the Dragon’s teeth. It infuriated the Dwarves, and they initiated a war with the Éothéod, where Fram met his doom.

Eorl the Young

Éothéod flourished for more than 500 years, and in the time of Lord Léod, it could barely support the people. In TA 2501, Léod tried to ride a beautiful white horse that he raised as a foal. The horse grew up too proud and impossible to tame. He threw Léod, who hit his head on a rock and died. Eorl the Young succeeded Léod and was so named because he was only 16 at the time. He set forth to track the horse he called Mansbane. When he found it, he spoke to it and made it submit to him. The horse approached him as if in atonement for the death of Léod, like he understood the language of Men. Since then, Eorl named it Felaróf, and it became the first of the Mearas who only allowed the kings from Eorl’s line to ride them.

Theoden, The King of Rohan.Theoden, The King of Rohan.
The Rohirrim says that the Mearas did not require a saddle to be ridden and needed only the spoken word from their masters to control them. Nine years later, in TA 2510, a rider set foot on Framsburg, seeking an audience from Eorl the Young, Lord of the Éothéod. His name was Borondir Udarlaph, and he was the last survivor of six riders sent north by the Steward of Gondor, Cirion. They were to ride towards the sources of the Anduin and beseech Éothéod to help thwart an imminent invasion of Calenardhon by Easterling forces. The Easterlings identified only as the Balchoth came from Rhovanion east of Mirkwood and were under the evil influence of Dol Guldur. The steward feared that the enemy would be at his doorstep in the southern part of Gondor before long.

Even in his youth, Eorl possessed the wisdom to recognize the consequences of allowing Gondor to fall into the hands of Sauron. Without any reluctance, he agreed to ride his host and aid the embattled kingdom. With Borondir as his guide, he led 7,000 horse riders south in what was to be known as the Ride of Eorl. The journey took nine days and 600 miles before they arrived at the North Underdeep. They crossed the Anduin before going north again over the Lesser Limelight. There Eorl saw the Gondor Armies trapped by the Balchoth forces and backed into the river in a desperate predicament.

A band of Orcs that came down from the Misty Mountains had also flanked them. When the Éothéod host joined the battle, both the Gondorians and the enemies were caught entirely by surprise. In what was to be known as the Battle of the Field of Celebrant, Eorl’s host quickly broke through the Balchoth’s rearguard, allowing the combined forces of Cirion and Eorl to rout the enemy. After the victory, Eorl continued south toward Calenardhon and slew or drove away what lingered of the Balchoth and Orcs. And so, Gondor became deeply indebted to Eorl and the Éothéod. After three months, Steward Cirion bestowed to Éothéod the entire Calenardhon, in gratitude for saving Gondor from certain doom.

The Oath of Eorl

Eorl became so grateful for the magnitude of Cirion’s reward that he promised an oath of undying alliance to Gondor so that each people will forever be bound to come to the aid of the other when requested. Known as the Oath of Eorl and as well as the Oath of Cirion, the Red Arrow carried by a messenger will signal that danger was nigh, and that help was needed. The arrow’s flights were black, and the barbs were of steel with the point colored red.

The Kingdom of Rohan

Eorl then set out on the journey back to Framsburg to retrieve all his people and their belongings. About half of his forces remained to protect Calenardhon while the rest of the host rode north. The Éothéod then started calling themselves Eorlingas, which meant they were the “followers of Eorl.” To the Men of Gondor, they became known as the Rohirrim or Horse-lords, and their land was called Rohan. Thus, Eorl the Young became the first King of the Mark and ruled it for 35 years on Aldburg, located on a hill in the Folde.

Edoras

Eorl’s son and heir, Brego, established a township that would eventually become the capital of Rohan. They named it Edoras and built it on a hill near the mouth of Harrowdale. It’s the valley where the river Snowbourn ran out from the White Mountains. The river ran past the capital and curved eastward into the plains before reaching the Entwash. A wall fortified the entire township, and around the hill, they also dug a dike for additional protection. At the top, there was a spring that gushed out from a stone carved like a horse’s head. From a basin below it, water spilled into a stream that flowed down into channels outside the walls along an old road. Easterlings mounted an attack on Rohan in TA 2545. The Rohirrim were successful in defending it but at the cost of the life of their beloved King, Eorl.

Barrowfield

They buried Eorl with his horse Felaróf beside him on a mound outside the walls of Edoras. It was called Barrowfield, and it became the traditional burial ground of the Rulers of Rohan. It formed two rows of burial mounds on both sides of the main road. The first row was from Eorl up to Helm Hammerhand [4]. Across the road, the second row began with Fréaláf up to King Théoden at the ending of the Third Age. Another thing of note about Barrowfield is the abundance of small white flowers called Simbelmynë. It means “ever mind,” and serves as reminders not to forget the memories of the dead. It grew thickest on the grave of Helm Hammerhand.

Medusled

Oathaking of Cirion and Eorl.Oathaking of Cirion and Eorl.
Eorl’s successor King Brego also constructed Medusled or the Golden Hall at the highest point that overlooked the capital of Edoras and the rest of Rohan. It became the official residence of Rohan’s ruling Kings and one of its most famous landmarks. It had golden looking pillars topped by a lofty yellow thatched roof. That gave it the appearance of a structure made of gold when viewed from a distance. From the dark gates of the capital’s walls, a steep road paved with hewn stones wound upwards towards the keep through many dark wooden houses.

The path ended before a long series of broad stone steps that reached the top of a green terrace and its heavy main doors. Inside, the floors of the great hall were of cut stones with different hues. Several large tapestries hung on the walls that depicted Rohan’s culture and history. The most recognizable was that of King Eorl as a young man with windswept golden hair who was blowing a horn while riding Felaróf. King Brego held a feast to commemorate its completion in TA 2569.

The Dark Door

During the feast, talk shifted to the Paths of the Dead, the cursed subterranean realm underneath the White Mountains that had a mysterious door just south of Edoras. Brego and his heir Baldor had once come across this door when they explored Rohan. The door was in a forest of pine and fir called Dimholt beside the mountain Dwimorberg that stood at the end of Harrowdale. There, they met an old man that forbade them passage, but this only helped pique Baldor’s curiosity even more. He vowed to enter the door, which he did a year after the feast. He was never seen or heard from since. The loss of his firstborn proved too much for King Brego, and he died of grief in the following year.


Hold of Dunharrow

Another structure of significant importance to the Rohirrim was Dunharrow, a hold that had long been abandoned by Men of the White Mountains. It had always served as a place of refuge for them during attacks by Rohan’s enemies. From Edoras, people can reach the Hold of Dunharrow by traveling southwards along the valley of Harrowdale until they reach its end. Dunharrow sat atop a cliff overlooking the valley under the Dwimorberg, which was part of the White Mountains on the southern borders of Rohan. From the grassy valley below, the fortified refuge is accessible by a winding road called the Stair of the Hold. It was King Brego and his son Balgo who discovered Dunharrow as well forest Dimholt beyond it, where they found the Dark Door.

The Hornburg

The Hornburg, together with the Deeping Wall, guarded the mouth of Helm’s Deep located near the western edge of the White Mountains. Helm’s Deep is a gorge so named by the Rohirrim in honor of King Helm Hammerhand, who died defending it from the Dunlendings. It was initially one of two mighty fortresses built by the Gondorians during the Second Age in Calenardhon, which later became the Kingdom of Rohan. The other is Isengard near the southern tip of the Misty Mountains. It was the primary keep in the western part of Rohan and touted to be more impregnable than either Edoras or Dunharrow. As mentioned in songs, “no foe has ever taken the Hornburg, if men defended it.” It became the residence of the Master of the Westfold tasked to guard and defend the Fords of Isen and its surrounding areas. King Helm and his forces sought refuge there during the Long Winter after withdrawing from a battle against Dunlendings on the Crossings of Isen. The burg got its name from the thundering horn blast that issued from it and echoed throughout the Deep.

The Glittering Caves

The Glittering Caves are a network of caves and caverns behind the Hornburg and the Deepening Wall at the farther end of Helm’s Deep. During the Second Age, the entire fortress complex, including the caves, the keep, and the wall was called Aglarond. When it became part of Rohan, the keep later became known as Hornburg, and in time the name Aglarond referred only to the Glittering Caves. Gimli the Dwarf best described it to Legolas as “…ah! then, Legolas, gems and crystals and veins of precious ore glint in the polished walls, and the light glows through folded marbles, shell-like, translucent as the living hands of Queen Galadriel.” A small stream came out of the caves that ran down Helm’s Deep and passed through a culvert at the bottom of the Deeping Wall.

Other Notable Rulers

Aldor the Old

After the demise of his son Balgo on the Paths of the Dead, King Brego succumbed to his grief and died the following year. His second son Aldo succeeded him in TA 2570, who was 26 years old at the time. It was during his reign that Rohan prospered and grew in strength and numbers. Most considered it to be its golden age. The founding of new settlements in other valleys like Harrowdale and those in the White Mountains increased, and they flourished. Virtually all of the Dunlendings have either been slain, driven out, or subjugated. He had three daughters before finally being gifted with an heir, Fréa. He earned the moniker Aldor the Old by ruling Rohan for 75 years until his death in TA 2645 at the age of 101. He had the lengthiest rule of any Rohan King. Fréa himself was already 75 years old when he took the reins from his father and sat on the throne for only 14 years before he died.

Helm Hammerhand

The Fortress of Helm's Deep.The Fortress of Helm's Deep.
After the Dunlendings occupied Isengard during his father’s time, King Gram soon found himself in open warfare with them when they began harassing the Rohirrim. The conflict raged on for 26 years until he died in TA 2741. His son Helm succeeded him to become the 9th King of Rohan at the age of 50 and continued the fight. During a meeting of the King’s council In TA 2754, a vassal lord from the western borderlands of Rohan named Freca rode into Edoras. He brought with him a significantly large force with the intention of intimidating the King. He was one of the councilors and was a royal descendant from the line of King Fréawine. Freca long held the King in contempt but wanted his son Wulf to marry Helm’s daughter to increase his family’s influence in the kingdom. He tried to threaten Helm into giving his consent, but a single blow from Helm’s fist struck him down, and he died soon after.

Hence the King was known as Helm Hammerhand for his incredible strength. It caused Freca’s forces to flee in anger and for Helm to declare his son Wulf an enemy of Rohan. Wulf fled to Dunland, where they warmly accepted him on account of his family having some Dunlending blood in them. There, he vowed to avenge his father and quickly amassed power by allying himself with other enemies of Rohan. After four years, Wulf returned and invaded Rohan from the west in TA 2758. After sacking Edoras, Wulf sat on the throne in Medusled and claimed the kingship of Rohan. At the time, King Helm and most of his forces were drawn eastward, trying to repel invaders there. His eldest son, Prince Haleth, was the last defender slain in Edoras.

Meanwhile, most of the Rohirrim led by Helm’s nephew Fréaláf were able to hide in safety within the Hold of Dunharrow. As fate would have it, Helm’s army was soundly defeated at the Crossing of Isen and forced to retreat. With the ongoing Long Winter and Edoras now being occupied, Helm sought refuge in Aglarond to the west of the White Mountains. Once holed up in there, the enemy arrived and besieged the fortress. After a while, the situation became more desperate, and Rohirrim inside Aglarond began dying from cold and starvation.

Against Helm’s wishes, his only remaining heir Háma led a group of his men out into the open, hoping to raid the enemy for supplies. He never came back, and thus, Rohan lost the last direct heir to Eorl the Young. Within Aglaron’s keep was an immense war-horn, that when blown, would issue forth a loud blast. Helm became more ferocious after losing his son and would charge through the ranks of the Dunlending and slaughter many of them. That’s why whenever the enemy would hear the horn, it filled their hearts with dread. He was too heartbroken and weakened with starvation that during one such sortie, he never came back. They discovered his body the next day, standing and frozen in the snow with open eyes looking like he was still raging to fight. The Rohirrim named the gorge Helm’s Deep in his honor, and its keep was since called the Hornburg. And so, with the death of Helm in TA 2759 ended the first line of the Kings of Rohan.

Fréaláf Hildeson

In TA 2758, the line of succession from Eorl was broken. The rebel Wulf took Edoras and claimed kingship while Rohan’s armies were fighting in the east. It marked the only time ever that an enemy ruled Rohan. The rightful King Helm died during the Long Winter after being forced to hide in Aglarond. His nephew Fréaláf and the Rohirrim had taken refuge in Dunharrow during all this time. When spring returned, he sought the help of Gondor. He led a band of men to recapture Edoras, and slew Wulf in the Great Hall. Later with Gondor’s aid, they cleared Rohan of the rest of the Dunlendings. Helm Hammerhand also lost both his sons during the battle. Being the son of Hild, and sister-son of King Helm, Fréaláf succeeded his uncle in TA 2759. He became the first King of the second line, thus reestablishing Eorl’s lineage in the throne. The Wizard Saruman took advantage of the situation and mysteriously appeared during Fréaláf’s coronation. Bearing gifts, the Wizard offered him his friendship and support. Gondor had long abandoned Isengard, but the Dunlendings overran and occupied it for many years. At Fréaláf’s behest, Saruman was given the keys to Orthanc by Beren, who was then the Steward of Gondor.

War of the Ring

Eomer, Marshall of the Mark.Eomer, Marshall of the Mark.
Near the conclusion of the Third Age, Rohan and the Rohirrim played a very significant role in pivotal victories against Saruman the White, and the Dark Lord Sauron. The Company of the Ring was broken, and the hobbit Frodo Baggins, together with his servant Samwise Gamgee, set out on the journey to Mordor by themselves. The Wizard Gandalf reunited with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, who were all that’s left of the Company.

He decided that they should seek the help of Rohan. Upon arriving on the capital Edoras, they found the reigning King Théoden under the control of his advisor Grima Wormtongue, who was secretly working for Saruman. The King was in a weakened state and had just lost his only heir Théodred. A half-orc slew him in the First Battle of the Fords of Isen. They also learned that his nephew Éomer, who was the Third Marshal of the Mark, was in custody for disobedience and attempting to kill Grima. Gandalf, sensing the work of Saruman, was at play, releasing the King Théoden from his spell.

It restored the King and allowed him to regain his senses. Éomer was released, and Théoden learned from Gandalf that Grima was a servant of Saruman who desired Éomer’s sister Éowyn. Théoden was forgiving and allowed Grima to leave unharmed. He vowed to help in the War and mustered his army towards Helm’s Deep, where the Hornburg would soon come under siege from Saruman’s forces. At Helm’s Deep, they managed to defeat Saruman’s orc army but soon received a message from Denethor, the Steward of Gondor. Its capital Minas Tirith was under threat from Sauron’s legions. He was invoking the Oath of Eorl and for Rohan to come to Gondor’s aid. They won in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, but Théoden was slain. Éomer and the Rohirrim also participated in the decisive Battle of the Morannon. After the War, Éomer Éadig succeeded Théoden as King, on the 15th of March, TA 3019.​

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Rohan

General info

Other Names (a.k.a)
Riddermark, The Mark,
The Mark of the Riders,
Rochand, Rochann
Location
From Fangorn Forest to
White Mountains, between the
Isen and the Entwash
Capital
Edoras

Inhabitants

Inhabitants
Rohirrim,
Durin's Folk
Languages spoken
Rohirric,
Westron,
Khuzdul

History

Preceded by
Calenardhon
Created
TA 2510
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