The Rohirrim are a race of humans that live in Middle Earth, the legendary setting of the Lord of the Rings stories. They are also known as the Horse Lords, and when Aragon saw Eomer and his company in the wilderness, he hailed them as the Riders of Rohan.
They call themselves the Eorlingas, a word taken from the name of a famous king in history. The Rohirrim are a mysterious and hardy people, living in the cool foothills of The Mark, and they have a few interesting stories to tell.
The Amazon Prime anime movie is currently in the works and is scheduled for release in 2024 after the Lord of the Rings series, so hopefully, more of those stories will make it to the screen. It's entitled War of the Rohirrim and takes a closer look at the people who built the Golden Hall of Meduseld.
The Atanatári Ancestors
Aragorn felt a close kinship with the horse-lords partly because of their shared ancestry. The people who would eventually become the Rohirrim also come from the Edain, otherwise known as the Fathers of Men. In the Elvish tongue, they are called the Atanatári.
The Kings of Gondor traced their ancestors to the same source, which they would later refer to as the Dúnedain as it carried through the ages in shadow when there was still a Stewart in Gondor. When Aragorn returned to the lands of Rohan to claim his kinship, this was why he was confident he could trust Eomer and his forlorn company of exiled riders. It was also why diplomacy with the King of Rohan was so important.
The Kingdom Of Rohan
Shortened to The Mark in colloquial speech, the Riddermark is another name for Rohan. Located on the northern borders of Gondor, Rohan is a land of hills, ranches, and farms, along with some prominent rivers and mountains. Among the hills stand Gondorian ruins, many of which the Eorlingas restored and used for their own purposes.
In the earlier years of the Third Age of Middle Earth, this had been a province of Gondor known as Calenardhon until it was overrun with Orcs, Goblins, and evil men. Cirion, the Steward of Gondor at the time, led a combined fighting force to the Field of Celebrant to face them. King Eorl, the ruler of Rohan, brought a mounted army that was instrumental in the victory, and Cirion sought to reward Eorl and his people for their help.
The Oath of Eorl
Eorl The Young was the first king of Rohan, and it is from his name that the Eorlingas take their name. Over the Tomb of Elendil, Cirion pledged eternal friendship between the people of Gondor and Rohan after the Battle of Field of Celebrant.
From then on, the Eorlingas were given Calenardhon as their new home, not only to reside and prosper, but also to guard against any future threats from the south and east. It was during this time that the Kingdom of Rohan was founded. King Theoden, who led his forces into the Battle of the Pelennor Fields during The War of the Ring, is Eorl's direct descendant.
The Rohirrim And Religion
The Rohirrim had contact with the Elves early in their history and were versed in their spiritual customs. This includes tales of the Valar and the early shaping of Arda, so they knew of Eru Ilúvatar, the supreme deity. However, they didn't worship this deity, at least not in the conventional sense with temples or rituals, but simply recognized his power.
All the Lords and Ladies of the Valar were important to the religious life of the Rohirrim, but it was the Hunter Oromë that earned their respect and attention. Oromë is a being of the hunt and forests, and his name means "the sound of horns."
Famous Locations
As it is with countries that form a border between two larger states, there are several locations in the lands of the Rohirrim that are noted in history and the lore of Middle Earth. They appear in several of Tolkien's stories, including The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Many of them are also historically significant and date back to the First Age.
- The Hornburg. A former Gondorian ruin that was renovated into an impressive fortress. King Helm Hammerhand and his people sought refuge here in the war against the Dunlendings. The inner refuge would be known as Helm's Deep from that time forward.
- The Golden Hall of Meduseld. Located on the highest tier of the fortress city of Edoras, this is the seat of the King of Rohan. It was built by Brego, the son of Eorl the Young, moving the capital from the city of Aldburg.
- The Paths Of The Dead. A pass through the White Mountains, a range that stretched across most of Gondor. At the end of a Valley called Harrowdale, past a threshold known as the Dark Door, the future king of Gondor was fated to pass.
- Dunland. The homeland of the Wildmen of Dunland, also known as the Dunlendlings. It means Dark Land, and the primitive people who lived there were often the tools of evil forces. They resented the Rohirrim for driving them from the plains and always sought a venue for revenge.
- The Entwash. The biggest river of Rohan and the source of a large inland delta that made the region ideal for grazing, riding, and horses. The name isn't a coincidence. The source of the river is various springs near the Misty Mountains, the home of Treebeard and the Ents.
