History of Men (Volume IV): The Northmen and Rohirrim
by Boddah
In our next subject, we shall look at the Rohirrim, but first we must look at their ancestors, the Northmen. The Northmen were Men who lived up north in Rhovanion, and they were friendly to the Men of Gondor. The Northmen who dwelt in Greenwood the Great (Mirkwood) were friendly to the Dúnedain, and were said to be among the most noble men, second only to the Dúnedain. They were called Middle Men by them, and were believed to have descended from the same group of Men that the Edain did. The biggest difference between the Middle Men and the Edain was that the Middle Men did not cross into Beleriand, and therefore were not invited to Númenór. The Middle Men had shorter life spans than the Dúnedain, because of the fact that the Dúnedain’s life spans were increased by the Valar after the War of Wrath.
In the fourteenth century of the Third Age, King Rómendacil II of Gondor sent his son, Valacar, as an ambassador to the King of Rhovanion. Valacar fell in love with Rhovanion, and the daughter of its King, so they decided to marry. They produced a son, whom they named Vinitharya. In Gondor, he was known as Eldacar, and when he became king, it caused a civil war, because of his half Dúnedain and half Northmen blood.
When the King of Rhovanion died a small tribe of Northmen fled to the vales of the Anduin between Mirkwood and the Gladden Fields. After the evil Kingdom of Angmar was defeated by the remnants of Arnor and the Kingdom of Gondor, the tribe began to expand north. They also began to call themselves the Éothéod, and became excellent horse breeders and riders. In the 2510th year of the Third Age, a trapped Gondorian army sent out a plea for help. Eorl the Young led an army to the Fields of Celebrant, and liberated the Gondorian army. For this they were rewarded the region of Calenardhon, and evolved into the Rohirrim. Calenardhon was renamed to Rohan, and was often called The Mark by the Rohirrim. Rohan was a land of large pastures and large grasslands, no marshes or bogs.
The Rohirrim were tall with primarily blonde hair and blue eyes, unlike their relatives in Gondor. Rohan’s history is corrupted with violence and war. They were surrounded by enemies: the Orcs of the White Mountains, the Dunlendings to the west, and Saruman in the North. The Kings of Rohan sat in the Golden Hall in Edoras which was built by Eorl’s son, Brego.
In the 3014th year of the Third Age, Saruman began to influence the King of Rohan, Théoden, in an attempt to weaken the kingdom. In 3019 he launched a full invasion of Rohan. Saruman fought two battles, in the first killing Théoden’s son, Théodred, and scattering the Rohirrim in the second. Then Saruman’s army reached Helm’s Deep, and was defeated by the Rohirrim with the aid of the Huorns. Next the Rohirrim upheld the Oath of Eorl, and went to aid Gondor at the Pelennor Fields. Théoden was killed during this battle, so his nephew, Éomer, took control. He led the armies to the gates of Mordor where Sauron’s forces fled when the Ring was destroyed.
References
Wikipedia
The Encyclopedia of Arda
Next- Volume V: Corrupted Men