Éothéod
Encyclopedia
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 ("horse" or "war horse") and théod ("people", "race"); it is cognate with Old Norse
jóþjóð ("horse people"). Tolkien used the word to refer also to the land they occupied in the Vales of Anduin.
tells how the Éothéod arose following the Battle of the Plain fought by Gondor
and the Northmen against the Easterlings
in the plains south of Mirkwood
in Narmacil II of Gondor and Marhari, a chieftain of the Northmen, were killed in the battle. Marhari's son Marwhini withdrew with some survivors to the lower Vales of Anduin between the Carrock and the Gladden Fields
. They were joined over time by other refugees from several groups of Northmen, and formed a coherent organisation with Marwhini as its leader.
Some hundred years later, in , Frumgar led the Éothéod northward to the upper Vales of Anduin to seek more room, displacing the remnants of Angmar
after its fall. The Éothéod occupied land north of Mirkwood, from the Misty Mountains
as far as the Forest River. Their chief town ("their only fortified burg") was built where the Great River Anduin
forms at the confluence of the rivers Langwell and Greylin, and was called Framsburg for Frumgar's son Fram.
Fram slew the dragon
Scatha the Worm, and according to some accounts was killed in dissension between the Éothéod and the Dwarves
arising from the distribution of Scatha's hoard; as a result, Tolkien writes, "There was no great love between Éothéod and the Dwarves."
for his father's death. Eorl became the leader of the Éothéod.
Not long afterward, in the reign of Cirion
, Steward of Gondor
, Gondor was beset by the Balchoth
. Cirion sent messengers to the Éothéod asking for help, and, foreseeing that the survival of Gondor was critical to the survival of the West, Eorl led the full force of the Éothéod to the relief of Gondor, leaving only the very old and very young behind to protect his people. The Riders arrived just in time to help the army of Gondor at the Battle of the Field of Celebrant
After the defeat of the Balchoth, Cirion gave the depopulated land of Calenardhon, then part of Gondor, as a gift to Eorl and his people. Eorl and Cirion exchanged solemn oaths of eternal friendship at Elendil
's tomb on Halifirien. Messengers were sent north, and the Éothéod removed en masse to the plains of Calenardhon. The Éothéod renamed themselves Eorlingas ("followers of Eorl"), but in Sindarin
they became known as the Rohirrim, or Horse-lords, and their country became known as Rohan
, the Riddermark. Eorl, as "Lord of the Éothéod", became the first King of Rohan.
The name Éothéod is a translation into Old English of the original Rohirric
Lohtûr, Rohirric "loho-" or "lô-" corresponding to the Anglo-Saxon "éo-", meaning "horse".
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,...
, the Éothéod were a group of Northmen
Northmen (Middle-earth)
J. R. R. Tolkien adopted the term Northmen in his fiction; his "Northmen" were Men that lived in the north of Rhovanion in Middle-earth, and were friendly to Gondor....
who became the ancestors of the Rohirrim. The word, meaning "horse people", is a compound of the Old English words éoh ("horse" or "war horse") and théod ("people", "race"); it is cognate with Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
jóþjóð ("horse people"). Tolkien used the word to refer also to the land they occupied in the Vales of Anduin.
Origin
Unfinished TalesUnfinished Tales
Unfinished Tales is a collection of stories and essays by J. R. R. Tolkien that were never completed during his lifetime, but were edited by his son Christopher Tolkien and published in 1980.Unlike The Silmarillion, for which the narrative fragments were modified to connect into a consistent and...
tells how the Éothéod arose following the Battle of the Plain fought by 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...
and the Northmen against the 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 the plains south of Mirkwood
Mirkwood
Mirkwood is a name used for two distinct fictional forests in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. In the First Age, the highlands of Dorthonion north of Beleriand were known as Mirkwood after falling under Morgoth's control. During the Third Age, the large forest in Rhovanion, east of the Anduin in ...
in Narmacil II of Gondor and Marhari, a chieftain of the Northmen, were killed in the battle. Marhari's son Marwhini withdrew with some survivors to the lower Vales of Anduin between the Carrock and the Gladden Fields
Gladden Fields
The Gladden Fields is a location in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. In his works, the Gladden Fields are located where the Gladden river joins the Anduin....
. They were joined over time by other refugees from several groups of Northmen, and formed a coherent organisation with Marwhini as its leader.
Some hundred years later, in , Frumgar led the Éothéod northward to the upper Vales of Anduin to seek more room, displacing the remnants of Angmar
Angmar
Angmar is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's continent of Middle-earth.-Synopsis:Angmar was founded in in the far north of the Misty Mountains by the evil Lord of the Ringwraiths, who became known as the "Witch-king of Angmar"...
after its fall. The Éothéod occupied land north of Mirkwood, from the Misty Mountains
Misty Mountains
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy world of Middle-earth, the Misty Mountains is a mountain range, running for 795 miles from north to south, between Eriador and the valley of the Great River, Anduin, and...
as far as the Forest River. Their chief town ("their only fortified burg") was built where the Great River 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...
forms at the confluence of the rivers Langwell and Greylin, and was called Framsburg for Frumgar's son Fram.
Fram slew the dragon
Dragon (Middle-earth)
J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium features dragons closely based on those of European legend.Besides dragon , Tolkien variously used the terms drake and worm .-History:The dragons were created by Morgoth...
Scatha the Worm, and according to some accounts was killed in dissension between the Éothéod and the Dwarves
Dwarf (Middle-earth)
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Dwarves are a race inhabiting the world of Arda, a fictional prehistoric Earth which includes the continent Middle-earth....
arising from the distribution of Scatha's hoard; as a result, Tolkien writes, "There was no great love between Éothéod and the Dwarves."
The Ride of Eorl
Several hundred years later, Fram's descendant Léod was killed in an attempt to tame the horse Felaróf, first of the Mearas of Rohan. His son Eorl the Young tamed the horse, taking it into service as weregildWeregild
Weregild was a value placed on every human being and every piece of property in the Salic Code...
for his father's death. Eorl became the leader of the Éothéod.
Not long afterward, in the reign of Cirion
Cirion
Cirion is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's universe of Middle-earth. He is first mentioned in the Appendices of Return of the King as the twelfth ruling Steward of Gondor. His role is later expanded in Unfinished Tales....
, Steward of Gondor
Stewards of Gondor
The Stewards of Gondor were rulers from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium of Middle-earth.-Overview:Steward was the traditional title of a chief counsellor to one of the Kings of Gondor. The office of Arandur first came into existence during the reign of King Rómendacil I...
, Gondor was beset by the Balchoth
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....
. Cirion sent messengers to the Éothéod asking for help, and, foreseeing that the survival of Gondor was critical to the survival of the West, Eorl led the full force of the Éothéod to the relief of Gondor, leaving only the very old and very young behind to protect his people. The Riders arrived just in time to help the army of Gondor at the Battle of the Field of Celebrant
After the defeat of the Balchoth, Cirion gave the depopulated land of Calenardhon, then part of Gondor, as a gift to Eorl and his people. Eorl and Cirion exchanged solemn oaths of eternal friendship at Elendil
Elendil
Elendil is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
's tomb on Halifirien. Messengers were sent north, and the Éothéod removed en masse to the plains of Calenardhon. The Éothéod renamed themselves Eorlingas ("followers of Eorl"), but in Sindarin
Sindarin
Sindarin is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called the Eledhrim or Edhellim in Sindarin....
they became known as the Rohirrim, or Horse-lords, and their country became known as 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....
, the Riddermark. Eorl, as "Lord of the Éothéod", became the first King of Rohan.
The name Éothéod is a translation into Old English of the original Rohirric
Rohirric
In the fictional world of Middle-earth by J. R. R. Tolkien, Rohirric is the language of the Rohirrim of Rohan.-Description:...
Lohtûr, Rohirric "loho-" or "lô-" corresponding to the Anglo-Saxon "éo-", meaning "horse".