LOTR: The Prehistory of Rohan

Cafe Society
1

Being a Tolkien geek of the lesser variety (as opposed to Qadgop the Uberloremaster, I got intrigued by the assorted references, predominantly in the footnotes to “The Tale of Cirion and Eorl,” that give the back-history of the Eotheod before they became the Rohirrim.

Here’s what I’ve been able to establish:

1248: Vidugavia King of Rhovanion allies with Romendacil II King of Gondor to fight the Easterlings of Rhun. Romendacil’s son Valacar marries Vidugavia’s daughter Vidumavi, which 200 years later precipitates the Gondorian civil war called the Kinstrife.

1850: Marhari, Lord of Rhovanion, a descendant of Vidugavia, is threatened by the Wainriders, calls on Gondor.

1856: Marhari killed in battle, succeeded by his son Marhwini.

1899: Marhwini and Calimehtar King of Gondor defeat Wainriders, but the Eotheod is forced to retreat into the Vales of Anduin.

1944: Forthwini, son of Marhwini, notifies Ondoher, son of Calimehtar, that the Wainriders are at it again. First Battle of Dagorlad. Ondoher and sons killed. Faramir discovered to be slain by the leader of the Eotheod forces involved (whose name is Marh----).

1977: Frumgar, Lord of the Eotheod, leads his people north to the headwaters of Anduin.

Later… Fram son of Frumgar (but probably not the same Frumgar) kills Scatha the Worm (a dragon). Fram’s son Leod killed trying to tame the horse Felarof, which is tamed by his son Eorl the Young (age 15 when he succeeds his father in 2479).

2489: Cirion Steward of Gondor sends to Eorl for help. First great Ride of the Rohirrim. Battle of the Field of Celebrant. Cirion cedes Calenardhon to the Eotheod, which are renamed Rohan and the Rohirrim respectively.

(History of Rohan as outlined in the Appendix to LOTR follows).

I’m certain there is more information relative to the above (I only found out about Fram from Wikipedia tonight). Those of you with HOMES and other source material, what amplification of the above can you provide?

2

Unfinished Tales has a little on Cirion and Eorl
I don’t recall much from HOMES.

We can wait together for QtM. :wink:

3

The history of the Northmen (out of whom came the Rohirrim) has been difficult to trace.

ROTK appendices (A 1) notes that they were the nearest kin of the Dunedain extant in middle earth, having come in most part from the same peoples that the Edain had originated from.

Meanwhile, in TT, Faramir waxes on about their origins, saying they came from the sons and other folk of Hador who refused the call of the Valar to emigrate to Numenor, but instead chose to move back east after the War of Wrath. Precisely who these sons would be is not clear, since his most well-documented descendants either died out or had their offspring move to Numenor (Elros, eg). Perhaps they were more closely akin to Marach, ancestor of Hador who led this house into Beleriand.

In UT we learn that the Northmen were most closely akin with the House of Hador, but no claim is made that they are descended from Hador.

HOMES XII “The Peoples of Middle-earth” gives more info, in the section “Dwarves & Men”. Here it notes that proto-edainic peoples had settled widely in Rhovanion and Eriador before entering Beleriand, and that the 3 houses of the Edain were just sub-groups of those folk.

The conclusion then is that the Northmen of the Third age were the descendants of those folk, perhaps bolstered by some of the Edain who did indeed refuse the call to Numenor. And doubtless infused by other wandering folk over time.

After a few millenia banging around Rhovanion, coping with the folks of Rhun and the Wainriders, living in Esgaroth and Dale, some probably found it quite nice in the upper vales of the Anduin.

When they arrived in the Vales is open to debate. It is noted that in 1856 Third Age, Marhwini led some of his folk to the vales after his father Marhari, leader of the Northmen of Rhovanion, fell in battle alongside Narmacil II of Gondor.

And in 1975, when Earnur led a force against the Witch-king of Angmar, he was joined by both horselords out of the vales of the Anduin and by Princes of Rhovanion.

So while Frumgar led his folk there in 1977, there must have been Northmen already living there, allied to (or at least familiar with) Frumgar and his folk.

That’s all I can recall off the top of my head, and it’s time for dinner anyway.

4

Sorry, that’s more along the lines of the pre-history of the Rohirrim, before they entered what came to be called Rohan.

Do you want info on the Gondorian province of Calenardhon? It later became Rohan.

5

For the record, you really have to appreciate what **Qadgop the Mercotan ** can recall off the top of his head. It would have taken me 2-3 hours of digging through appendixes to get something close to the same info.

Jim

6

That’s basically what I was looking for – what the Eotheod were doing before the Ride of Eorl.