The Lands of Rohan

Calenardhon

The Kingdom of Rohan, meaning "horse-land" was founded in 2510 of the Third Age of the Sun after the Battle of the Field of Celebrant.

When Cirion, the twelve Ruling Steward of Gondor, led his army into Calenardhon, they were cut off by a group of Men from Rhun called the Balchoth, who drove them North over the River Limlight into the Field of Celebrant, Here they were attacked from the West by Orcs from the Misty Mountains.

When Eorl was 25 years of age, he recieved a message from Cirion seeking help against invading enemies. Eorl agreed because he knew that if Gondor fell, all of Middle-earth would fall. With an Army of 7000 mounted soldiers he rode south 500 miles through the Vales of the Anduin.

Just as all seemed lost, The Eotheod arrived from the North led by Eorl the Young. Together The Eotheod and Gondor defeated the Balcoth and the orcs in the Battle of the Field of Celebrant. The Eotheod drove the enemy back across the Limlight and continued to hunt them over the plains of Calenardhon until none remained.

In gratitude, they were given Gondor's entire province of Calenardhon by Cirion, as an indepentent yet allied nation. Thereafter, the Eotheod called themselfs the Rohirrim or "horse-lords" and made Rohan or "Riddermark" thier home.

Known Names:

Rohirrim- "horse lords" from the Sindarin roch meaning "horse" and hïr meaning "lord" and the ending rim meaning "great number, host." The proper spelling is Rochirrim.

Éothéod- Ancestrial name.

Eorlingas/Eorlings- "People of Éothéod", ending lingas is a plural of ling, a suffix denoting "belonging to" in Old English.

Forgoil- By the Dunlendings which means "strawheads" in thier own language, referring to the blonde hair of most Rohirrim.

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The Riddermark

The Mark of the Riders / The Riddermark / The Mark- Mark or Old English "mearc" meaning "borderland"

Rohan largely consisted of wide grasslands, horse plains and farmlands bordered by the River Anduin in the east, the White Horn Mountains in the south, The Misty Mountains and Fangorn Forest in the north. It was divided into five main regions: Eastfold, Westfold, East Emnet, West Emnet and the Wold. The Entwash and the Snowbourn were the main tributaries of the Anduin River that drained into its lands.

Rohan's capital was the city of Edoras where Meduseld, the Golden Hall of the king was found. Although Edoras was fortified, it was not easily defended. In time of war, the Rohirrim took refuge in the great fortress of Helm's Deep and Dunharrow, high up in the White Horn Mountains. This happened during the Dunlending Invasion of 2758 and again during the War of the Ring and the decisive Battle of Hornburg.

After the Rohirrims critical role in the Battle of Pelennor Fields and the defeat of the Ring Lord; Rohan, with the Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor, prospered long and well into the Fourth Age.

Edoras

For the last five centuries of the Third Age of the Sun the capital city of the Horsemen of Rohan was Edoras.It was built in the twenty-sixth century by the first two kings of the Rohirrim, Eorl and Brego, at the foot ofthe White Mountains.

The name is a translation of the Rohirrim word "the courts" as this was the royal city and contained the great feast-hall Meduseld, the court of the king.

From the high ground of Edoras, built as a hill-fort with a stockade and dyke, the kings looked out into the great horse plains that made up the kingdom of Rohan.

Meduseld

Among the strongest allies of the Dunedain in the Third Age were the Kings of the Mark who ruled the land of Rohan from the palace called Meduseld, the Golden Hall.

Meduseld was a huge gold-roofed feasthall built by Brego, the second king of the Rohirrim horsemenin the year 2569. It stood at the highest point in Edoras, the hil-fort and capital city of Rohan.

Within was the golden throne of the king, tall pillars golded with gold and carved walls hung with rich tapestries. It was to Meduseld and King Theoden that four of the Fellowship of the Ring came as emisarries of the Dunedain to call the Rohirrim to arms in the War of the Ring.

Helms Deep

The huge fortified gorge in the White Mountains in the Westfold of Rohan was called Helms Deep. Named after the 9th king of Rohan, Helm Hammerhand, Helms Deep was one of two major places of refuge during times of war.

Helms Deep referred to the entire fortified system which included the gorge, the Deeping Wall built across the gorge, the fortress of the Hornburg, the caven refuge know as Aglarond ("glittering caves")and the Deeping Stream that flowed from the gorge.

The defences of Helms Deep were largely built by the Men of Gondor, although the caverns of Aglarond were believed to have been delved during the Second Age of the Sun by the Numenoreans.

In 2758, the Rohirrims under Helm Hammerhand defended it against the Dunlendings and during the War of the Ring, King Theoden fought the Battle of Hornburg there against the forces of Saruman.

Dunharrow

One of the most ancient and mysterious fortress refuges on Middle Earth, Dunharrow was a part of Rohan during the War of the Ring. It was one of the main refuges during various wars for those in the vale of Harrowdale beneath it.

Dunharrow appeared to be almost impossible to attack successfully as it was approached by a switch-back road up the steep cliffs of the mountain. Each switch-back doubled sharply back on the lower one, and at each road-side turning were huge round stones in the shape of squatting pot-bellied men.

It snaked back and forth in a high pyramid of roads until reached a wall of rocks at the top through which a gap was cut and an incline leading into the Hold of Dunharrow.