Red Arrow (Middle-earth)
Encyclopedia
In J. R. R. Tolkien
's fiction
al universe of Middle-earth
, the Red Arrow was a way Gondor
summoned its allies in time of need.
Its flights were black and its barbs were made of steel
, and it took its name from a mark of red painted on the arrow's tip, standing for blood to show the situation was serious. The black flights were like the Orc
arrows.
First mention of the Red Arrow is when Borondir of Gondor and five other messengers rode north along Anduin
to seek out Gondor's old allies, the Éothéod
, when Gondor was being overrun by Easterlings
, in 2509 T.A.
. Borondir was the only survivor, and presented the Red Arrow to the Éothéod King Eorl the Young.
Later it became a summons for the Rohirrim. The Red Arrow was presented to Rohan
by Hirgon in the War of the Ring
, and Théoden
King rode out with the Muster of Rohan to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields
.
It is not certain where the Red Arrow came from: it is possible that the tradition was an old one and that Gondor had always summoned its allies this way, but another possibility is that Borondir took an Orc arrow with a bloody tip to present to the Éothéod, to prove that the situation was as bad as his message stated.
In the film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
, directed by Peter Jackson
, the arrow does not appear. Instead, only beacon fires
dotted along the White Mountains
from Gondor to Rohan are used to summon aid from the Rohirrim. (In the book Tolkien writes that the beacons were on hills and used to warn and summon Gondorians.)
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al universe of Middle-earth
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
, the Red Arrow was a way Gondor
Gondor
Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth by the end of the Third Age. The third volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, is concerned with the events in Gondor during the War of the Ring and with...
summoned its allies in time of need.
Its flights were black and its barbs were made of steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
, and it took its name from a mark of red painted on the arrow's tip, standing for blood to show the situation was serious. The black flights were like the Orc
Orc (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings, Orcs or Orks are a race of creatures who are used as soldiers and henchmen by both the greater and lesser villains of The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings — Morgoth, Sauron and Saruman...
arrows.
First mention of the Red Arrow is when Borondir of Gondor and five other messengers rode north along Anduin
Anduin
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Anduin is the Sindarin name for the Great River of Wilderland, the longest river in the Third Age . The ancestors of the Rohirrim called it Langflood. It flowed from its source in the Grey and Misty Mountains to the Mouths of Anduin in the Great Sea...
to seek out Gondor's old allies, the Éothéod
Éothéod
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Éothéod were a group of Northmen who became the ancestors of the Rohirrim. The word, meaning "horse people", is a compound of the Old English words éoh and théod ; it is cognate with Old Norse jóþjóð...
, when Gondor was being overrun by Easterlings
Easterlings
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, "Easterling" and "Easterlings" were generic terms for Men who lived in the east of Middle-earth, who mostly fought under Morgoth and Sauron, not directly but rather on behalf of their own High Lord....
, in 2509 T.A.
Third Age
The Third Age is a time period from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. The history of Middle-earth is to be taken fictionally as a history of the real Earth....
. Borondir was the only survivor, and presented the Red Arrow to the Éothéod King Eorl the Young.
Later it became a summons for the Rohirrim. The Red Arrow was presented to Rohan
Rohan
Rohan is a realm in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy era of Middle-earth. It is a grassland which lies north of its ally Gondor and north-west of Mordor, the realm of Sauron, their enemy . It is inhabited by the Rohirrim, a people of herdsmen and farmers who are well-known for their horses and cavalry....
by Hirgon in the War of the Ring
War of the Ring
In the fictional high fantasy-world of J. R. R. Tolkien, the War of the Ring was fought between Sauron and the free peoples of Middle-earth for control of the One Ring and dominion over the continent. The War of the Ring took place at the end of the Third Age. Together with the Quest of Mount Doom,...
, and Théoden
Théoden
Théoden is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel, The Lord of the Rings. He appears as a major supporting character in The Two Towers and The Return of the King.-Appearances:...
King rode out with the Muster of Rohan to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields
Battle of the Pelennor Fields
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy fiction, the Battle of Pelennor Fields is the battle for the city of Minas Tirith between the forces of Gondor and its allies, and the forces of the Dark Lord Sauron...
.
It is not certain where the Red Arrow came from: it is possible that the tradition was an old one and that Gondor had always summoned its allies this way, but another possibility is that Borondir took an Orc arrow with a bloody tip to present to the Éothéod, to prove that the situation was as bad as his message stated.
In the film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 epic fantasy-drama film directed by Peter Jackson that is based on the second and third volumes of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings...
, directed by Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
, the arrow does not appear. Instead, only beacon fires
Warning beacons of Gondor
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, the warning beacons of Gondor were an alarm system for the realm of Gondor.Situated on top of several hills on both sides of the White Mountains, the beacons were great fire-places permanently manned by men of Gondor...
dotted along the White Mountains
White Mountains (Middle-earth)
The White Mountains, a loose translation of the Sindarin Ered Nimrais "Whitehorn Mountains", is a fictional mountain range in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. The mountains are named after the glaciers of their highest peaks...
from Gondor to Rohan are used to summon aid from the Rohirrim. (In the book Tolkien writes that the beacons were on hills and used to warn and summon Gondorians.)