Of Rohan: Myth & Politics | The Tolkien Legendarium

I often speak of Tolkien’s Legendarium as a mythology. Anyone who has watched more than a few of my videos will know that this is one of my favourite aspects of Tolkien’s writings. Not necessarily the abandoned Mythology for England idea but Tolkien’s writing style, the use of The Red Book of Westmarch as a manuscript created within Middle-earth, the fact characters can be mistaken about things and not have perfect knowledge of their world, multiple versions of stories, or that not everything is

answered for us. I find all of this far more fascinating than discussions about the so-called canon or what text we should or shouldn’t read. And my love for this mythology really becomes apparent to me when I think of what I call the legends within legends of Tolkien’s works. Moments within the text when the depth of the Legendarium is demonstrated through stories within the story we are reading; beliefs and possible false lore spread for very real and believable reasons. Easy to miss but incr

edible to explore when noticed. In this video, I am going to explore one such moment in the text of The Lord of the Rings. Did the Rohirrim directly descend from the House of Hador of the First Age? Why would multiple answers exist for such a seemingly simple question? And how is it possible that these answers can actually work together to make this world Tolkien created even more impressive? Before getting into it I want to remind people that they can help support The Red Book project by becomi

ng a supporter on Patreon or a member on YouTube. You will have access to members-only content, including Livestreams and videos. Speaking of which, I originally intended to make this video as part of an exploration of the Middle Men but that grew arms and legs and became a trilogy of videos about the different destinies of various groups of Men emerging from the East in the First Days of their race. All three videos are currently available for you to view. But I have to recommend at least watch

ing my video The Men of Twilight: The Middle Men. There, I speak of those Men who were friendly towards Elves and Men of the West, apparently sharing some ancestry with the latter but never rising as High as the Edain who sailed West to become the Númenóreans. Watching that video will explain some terms I will use here and give some background to Men of Eriador & Rhovanion that I won’t repeat here, and the vast history of the First Age long before Rohan existed. ‘Of our lore and manners they hav

e learned what they would, and their lords speak our speech at need; yet for the most part they hold by the ways of their own fathers and to their own memories, and they speak among themselves their own North tongue. And we love them: tall men and fair women, valiant both alike, golden-haired, bright-eyed, and strong; they remind us of the youth of Men, as they were in the Elder Days.’ This is a quote from Faramir, Son of the Steward of Gondor during the time of The Lord of the Rings, Denethor I

I. This is when Frodo was taken by the Rangers of Ithilien, a region between the river Anduin and the Mountains of Shadow guarding Mordor’s borders. In one of my favourite meetings in the entire novel, Faramir details some of the vast history of his own home but also speaks of the Men of Rohan. Continuing on from this quote, Faramir says… ‘Indeed it is said by our lore-masters that they have from of old this affinity with us that they are come from those same Three Houses of Men as were the Núme

noreans in their beginning not from Hador the Goldenhaired, the Elf-friend, maybe, yet from such of his sons and people as went not over Sea into the West, refusing the call.’ Explaining the lore of his people, Faramir speaks of the knowledge that the Rohirrim, a Sindarin term meaning Horse-Lords, came from direct descendants of the House of Hador. One of the Three Houses of the Edain in the First Age of Middle-earth. A House of great renown, with legendary names associated with it such as Hador

himself, Huor, Tuor, Húrin, and Túrin. A who's who of heroic and almost mythological First Age Men. Specifically, Faramir is speaking of the Men of this House who remained after the Fall of Morgoth and who did not cross over the Sea to accept the Land of Gift offered by the Lords of the West - that land that would become known as Númenor, the greatest Kingdom in the history of mankind. Faramir shows respect to the Men of Rohan, saying they remind him of the youth of Men in the First Age of the

World, a romantic and idealistic view - let’s remember that the legendary tales of Men of the First Age are literally thousands of years old by the time Faramir is sitting with Frodo discussing them, no different to us speaking of heroic figures from ancient periods of our history and mythologies. He says that they (the Men of Rohan) come from those same Three Houses of Men but that maybe they don’t descend directly from Hador the Goldenhaired - but his people who remained in Middle-earth into t

he Second Age. This is one version of the history of Rohan, another being the understanding that the Men of Rohan do not descend from Hador himself but from those who could have been a part of the Third House of the Edain but who never passed into Beleriand - sundered from those who became the Edain within Beleriand. Specifically, linking them with a group that would become known as the Northmen. Now, I didn’t really go into any detail about the Northmen in my Trilogy of Men video series that I

mentioned earlier. I can explain them in a bit more detail here. Their exact origin is still a mystery, we don’t know exactly when they split as a group but a likely date is usually given as the year 310 of the First Age. This is when that group of Men we would know later as the Edain moved further West over the Blue Mountains and others stayed East of them. The latter became the ancestors of the Northmen. This is not confirmed though. This is the big difference between these versions of the his

tory of Rohan. They could have been descendants of those who passed the Blue Mountains or those who never crossed them - never being considered Elf-friends and playing such a huge part in the battles with the tyrant Morgoth or even being offered the gift following his defeat. The lives of Men are short and it’s no surprise that over centuries there can be many different groups that lead to those most are familiar with in the latter stages of the Third Age. The Rohirrim are descendants of a parti

cular group of Northmen. They are called the Éothéod, meaning Horse-folk or Horse-people. And they in turn were a remnant of the Northmen who had formerly been a numerous and powerful confederation of peoples living in the wide plains between Mirkwood and the River Running - far east of Beleriand. And what all these groups have in common is their skill in riding and breeding horses. A tradition that goes way beyond the time of the Rohirrim alone. And an Author’s Note in Unfinished Tales states t

hat: The Northmen appear to have been most nearly akin to the third and greatest of the peoples of the Elf-friends, ruled by the House of Hador. So, we already have more than one origin for the Northmen. Faramir’s explanation that the Rohirrim, and the Northmen in turn, possibly descended from the Edain who did not cross over the Sea at the end of the First Age. And we have the explanation from Unfinished Tales that the Northmen were most nearly akin to the House of Hador. Slightly different wor

ding there. “Most nearly akin”. There’s a difference between those who were offered the Land of Gift and those who weren’t. The Appendices mention the Northmen as well and describe them as: (being for the most part descendants of those peoples from whom the Edain of old had come). This changes things a bit again. The Northmen may have been those who could have been the Edain but who did not cross the Mountains, or they did descend from some of those who were counted among the Edain meaning that

they refused the call West and crossed back over the mountains at the end of the First Age. These various explanations seem to indicate that the Northmen as a whole did not descend from one group, or were people who shared one common origin. These origins tell us that it is quite possible the Northmen were that confederation of peoples Tolkien spoke of but made up of those who did cross the Blue Mountains only to return later and those who never crossed them. A union of different folk who refuse

d the call West and those who were never asked. This will become relevant. This isn’t really a “history of” video but what is it we are told about the founding of Rohan in the story? I can share some information but for a full history, Appendix A of The Lord of the Rings and Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan from Unfinished Tales are your sources for a full background. As early as the 1200s of the Third Age, the Kings of Gondor had made close alliances with the Northmen. The

y were aware of them. But it was a particular tribe centuries later called the Éothéod where things became relevant. They had moved into the Vales of Anduin to the West and North of Mirkwood, south of the Grey Mountains. They had really become a distinct people following the Battle of the Plains in 1856 of the Third Age, which was a sudden assault by the Wainriders of the East against Gondor - an attack that was stirred up by the emissaries of Sauron. A province of Gondor called Calenardhon, mea

ning Green Province, was located north of the White Mountains, west of Anduin. This land was abandoned following the Great Plague, a catastrophic event in the 17th century where a plague spreading from east of Mordor devastated lands as far as the western shores of Middle-earth. Now, there are centuries of history I am not going over here but the Éothéod and the region of Calenardhon are what’s relevant here. In the year 2489 of the Third Age, Gondor had a new Steward; Cirion. And it is said tha

t as the strength of Gondor weakened, he gave thought to the potential invasion from the North. Men were put into old forts to keep watch, and he sent scouts and spies to Mirkwood and Dagorlad. He learned that from the East, beyond the Sea of Rhûn, a force was slaying or driving north the remnant of the Northmen who were dwelling there - sundered from their Kin further West, allies of Gondor that still dwelt in the area. Some scouts failed to return and the situation became more and more dangero

us. And in the year 2509 Cirion became aware that a host was gathering to move against Gondor from the southern eaves of Mirkwood. They were seemingly akin to the Wainriders from the wars centuries ago but we know them as the Balchoth. Cirion sent for aid from the Éothéod, sending with little hope 6 riders in pairs to pass beyond the shadow of Dol Guldur to reach the Northmen. Knowing that Eorl had succeeded Léod, Cirion had the message addressed directly to him, asking for aid due to their anci

ent friendship, letting Eorl know that his kin in the South were being destroyed by this force from the East. One messenger, Borondir, descending from a Captain of the Northmen of old reached Eorl. And after taking counsel with himself, Eorl spoke the words “I will come”. And as the forces from the East, wicked Men, and Orcs assailed Calenardhon, with Cirion defending against the invaders, Eorl arrived unlooked for. The forces of Gondor were assailed by an Orc-host and were being pressed towards

the Anduin, and they had been defeated in the Wold, cut off from the South. And from the North, the Riders of Eorl came and the enemy was driven with slaughter over Limlight. The grim horsemen sent the invaders into a panic in their attempts to flee in the Battle of the Field of Celebrant. ‘An army marching up from the south was cut off and driven north over the Limlight, and there it was suddenly attacked by a horde of Orcs from the [Misty] Mountains and pressed towards the Anduin. Then out of

the North there came help beyond hope, and the horns of the Rohirrim were first heard in Gondor. Eorl the Young came with his riders and swept away the enemy, and pursued the Balchoth to the death over the fields of Calenardhon.’ At Amon Anwar, Cirion invited the Lord of the North to swear a mutual alliance and with the authority of the Stewards of the Kings of Gondor, the land of Calenardhon was offered “in recognition of the valour of his people and of the help beyond hope that he brought to

Gondor in time of dire need”. Eorl became King of the Mark and Rohan came to be. It is in the section of Unfinished Tales, specifically Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan, where we are told that these Northmen were descendants of the same race of Men who passed West in the First Age to ally themselves with the Edain against Morgoth, making the Northmen off kinsmen of the Dúnedain/Númenóreans. This is considered to be the correct history of Rohan, alongside the account I gave

of the heroism of Eorl and the Éothéod. But Tolkien has an essay called Of Dwarves and Men, found in The History of Middle-earth - Volume XII - The Peoples of Middle-earth, which tells us that within Gondor itself there was a general belief that the Rohirrim did descend directly from the folk of Hador in the First Age - considered not to be the truth but a belief. This is where politics and, unfortunately, bigotry and prejudice come into play. Those are some buzzwords to get the Tolkien Society

quote-unquote ‘Scholars’ salivating. We all know the heroism of Gondor, their noble origins as the faithful of Númenor but they don’t occupy these Kingdoms in Exile alone, there were already Men in Middle-earth and the mingling of Men considered “High” (The Men we know as the Dúnedain) and others not so high, the Middle Men (which included the Northmen). A civil war had taken place in Gondor in the 15th century of the Third Age, when Prince Valacar, son of King Rómendacil, married Vidumavi, a wo

man of the Northmen. This caused a war as there were many in Gondor who still held onto the idea of being High Men, descendants of Númenóreans, with Númenórean blood running through them. They really considered Men of the North to be lesser Men, and were enraged at the idea of royalty mixing blood and refused to be ruled over by such people. This wasn’t a minor conflict. This attitude towards so-called outsiders continued beyond the Kin-strife; enemies were made of Men from the South - something

that continued even until the reign of Aragorn in the Fourth Age. The blood of the House of Anárion - a King of Gondor and father of the last person born on the Isle of Númenor - was said to have become mingled with lesser Men, leading to the Ruling Stewards when King Eärnur foolishly travelled to Minas Morgul to accept the challenge of the Witch-king, leaving no suitable heir. Suitable in the eyes of the proud Men of Gondor. More of this history can be read in The Lord of the Rings - Appendix

A - The Númenorean Kings", "Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion. But Eorl the Young was brave and he did aid Gondor, what’s the problem here? Why would Gondor spread a false history in relation to the heritage of the Northmen? Well, as I have said, they were proud. That’s an understatement. The Oath sworn between what would become Rohan and Gondor itself can be viewed as political and it is almost purely a power move on the part of Gondor despite what the myth would have people believe. Gondor did n

ot know what to do with the land of Calenardhon at the time it was given to Eorl. It had been evacuated by Gondor, many had died due to the plague, Gondor was not at its peak strength. Yet, this massive region lay between them and enemies beyond. Cirion knew that the enemies of Gondor could use this land and plan attacks on Anórien, the lands surrounding Minas Tirith. Some such as the Dunlendings did dwell in Calenardhon without permission but they weren’t as great a threat as the Easterlings, t

heir many tribes, who were seemingly comfortable fighting with Orcs against other Men - pushed to war by Sauron, his emissaries, and ancient hatreds. Gondor then created an undying bond between it and the Éothéod, still knowing that Gondor was the greater and more powerful Kingdom. That would never be questioned. The Éothéod, or Rohirrim as they became known, would be eternally grateful, elevated to an even greater status in Middle-earth, but would provide Gondor with protection at little cost t

o Gondor. An attack on Gondor from those regions would be an attack on Rohan, there could no longer be a surprise assault with enemies showing up at Gondor’s cities from the North. And the Union, a bond through an Oath, became a bond through blood in later years with Morwen of Lossarnach, mother of King Théoden, being kin to the Princes of Dol Amroth, one of the great noble Houses of Gondor. Gondor really had to explain the giving away of a large part of its own Kingdom to the people of Eorl and

chose to lie to themselves and their people by claiming that the people of Eorl descended directly from the Folk of Hador in the First Age. Tolkien says in Of Dwarves and Men that… This was a general belief in Gondor at that time, and was held to explain (to the comfort of Númenorean pride) the surrender of so large a part of the Kingdom to the people of Eorl.’ Gondor comforted itself with this belief for the surrender of a land it could no longer occupy through its waning power. Strengthening

an ally and in turn strengthening itself. No one can complain, they are not lesser Men, they descend from a great House, one that fought the Dark Lord in the Elder Days, this is a good thing that we are giving them Calenardhon. And Rohan welcomed and accepted this belief for the native traditions of the Rohirrim preserved no history of the ancient wars in Beleriand. A lie strengthened their bond. The Rohirrim elevated to descendants of great heroes and Gondor forfeiting lands of its own to Men w

orthy enough to claim them through heroic deeds and honour that must prove they descend from greatness. Tolkien says - The Rohirrim can only have been akin as descending from peoples of which the Atani (Men) had been the Vanguard. In summarising all these confusing groups and lineages I can say that the belief was that those who became known as the Rohirrim, were descended from a noble House of the Edain, the House of Hador but they probably descended from the original group that hadn’t reached

Beleriand with those who would become the House of Hador. They were not descendants of the heroic Men battling in the Wars of Beleriand who were then blessed and had the choice to sail over the Sea with those who would become the ancestors of the Men of Gondor. This belief was merely a tool for political and cultural harmony, for unity between two peoples with different origins. A belief spread by those fearing the mingling of pure bloodlines with the blood of so-called lesser Men, no matter how

honourable they may be. I personally don’t see this as an accident in the text but a remarkable example of legends being spread within a greater legend. Text exists to provide one origin but other text exists to let us know that the belief within The Lord of the Rings was incorrect and told for other reasons. Entire populations have a deeply held belief and tradition about where they came from but it is wrong and inaccurate - it’s a myth. The belief became so widespread that for all intents and

purposes, it is true, with no way to discredit it or verify the truth in later ages - again it's a myth, the true history is lost to time. This creates two versions of history in Middle-earth, with one being fabricated by the powerful and influential descendants of Númenor - spread due to fear, arrogance, ignorance, and pride.