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12-08-2005, 05:59 AM | #1 |
Princess of Skwerlz
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles)
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LotR --- Appendix A: II -- The House of Eorl
Are you a fan of the Rohirrim? Would you like to know what happened to Éomer and Éowyn's parents? Does Shadowfax' lineage interest you? Then this is your section of the Appendices! Here's the place to read about the past history of Rohan, its friends and foes.
One of the things that I especially noticed here was the fact that the Rohirrim are not nearly so much lower in lineage than the Gondorians think them. Théoden was even born in Gondor! Their relationship is closer than one would think, and we find that made evident at the end of the section. I found it interesting to see what past feud the Rohirrim had with the Dwarves; Éomer's negative reaction to Gimli doesn't surprise me at all now that I know that. We read about Helm of Helm's Deep here and of the rivalries of branches of the royal family. Some background information is also given on Saruman. One interesting sentence that says a lot is: "Saruman began to behave as a lord of Men." The time table is invaluable for RPers and fan fiction writers, and there are bits of additional information that keep it from being merely a boring list of names and dates. Did you read this previously? I must admit, I only skimmed it, and was surprised at the details I found when reading it conscienciously this time. Have you made use of the information for writing? What interests you most?
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'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...' |
12-08-2005, 12:39 PM | #2 |
Dead Serious
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A thought that occurred to me regarding the Rohirrim section is that the kings listed here, unlike those of Gondor or Arnor, seem, by and large, to each have a larger amount of personal information known about them. Perhaps it's just the fact that their shorter list means that more about the individuals on it can be showcased, or perhaps it's an indication of the more personal lifestyles they had, whereas the kings and stewards of the Dunedain tended to follow some set guidelines for the course of their lives.
Certainly, the marked contrast between Fengel debauching and ruining the country from Edoras and his heir's sojourn in Gondor and marrying of a Gondorian wife is very different from the "Turin II was the son of Turambar, Turgon was the son of Turin II.." that is pretty much the extent of the Gondorian end of things in the same period. Not that the stewards or Kings of the Dunedain are COMPLETELY devoid of the personal touch, but we are not told about them being "Great hunters, swearing off all animal hunting until the orks are wiped clear" nor do we hear of older brothers and heirs going off and dying in front of a dreaded door.
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I prefer history, true or feigned.
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12-08-2005, 01:52 PM | #3 | |||
A Mere Boggart
Join Date: Mar 2004
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Perhaps it may also reflect the thirst for storytelling and song that the Rohirrim possess? If the records laid down about their monarchs are full of tales and vivid descriptions then its no surprise. A people who have to struggle to survive will have more to sing about in any case. I can imagine that life and society in Gondor had become quite staid despite the need for vigilance against Mordor. Quote:
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EDIT - the link will not work But you can get to it from davem's post here should you not want to buy the relevant issue of Vinyar Tengwar.
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Gordon's alive!
Last edited by Lalwendë; 12-08-2005 at 01:59 PM. |
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12-08-2005, 02:37 PM | #4 | ||||
Illustrious Ulair
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: In the home of lost causes, and forsaken beliefs, and unpopular names,and impossible loyalties
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I think its clear that one of Tolkien’s purposes in this chapter is to ‘echo’ the history of the Anglo-Saxons in the story of Rohan. Perhaps the reason Tolkien went into more depth with the history of the House of Eorl was that Anglo-Saxon history & culture was so close to his heart. Certainly the Rohirrim’s coming into Calenardhon & driving out the Dunlendings is very similar to the Anglo-Saxon’s driving the native Britons west into what is now Wales & Cornwall.
Of course, as Shippey has pointed out, the main difference between the Rohirrim & the Anglo-Saxons was horses - the Anglo-Saxons had few if any cavalry, yet the Rohirrim fight on, travel by & virtually worship, horses. That’s not to say that the Horse wasn’t important to the Saxons. One thing that did strike me on this re-reading was Eorl’s use of the word ‘weregild’ (‘man price’) : Quote:
But I’m getting sidetracked. In this section we get to meet Helm Hammerhand (not so called because he carried a big hammer - as in the movies!). Helm is the great hero of this section. He slays Freca with a single punch, & later goes out hunting & killing Dunlendings barehanded. The interesting comment that: Quote:
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12-08-2005, 09:16 PM | #5 | |||
Late Istar
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,224
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12-09-2005, 05:23 AM | #6 | ||
Illustrious Ulair
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: In the home of lost causes, and forsaken beliefs, and unpopular names,and impossible loyalties
Posts: 4,240
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12-18-2005, 08:26 AM | #7 | ||
Cryptic Aura
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 5,996
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I have always found this part of the Appendices and that on the dwarves interesting for the 'back story' about the Rohirrim and the dwarves. I wonder what effect it would have had on LotR if these two parts had been included with the foreward material "Concerning Hobbits"? Quote:
If we 'follow' his and Christopher's maps--and I believe Tolkien says in one of his letters that Minas Tirith is about at the same longetude and latitude as Venice--then, Rohan might possibly be seen as the country of the steppes, possibly Ukraine but not necessarily so, the borderland country between east and west where territory was always fluid and over which several tribes and nations have held sway, including Vikings from the north. This is also the land that bred the cossacks (belonging to several nations), fierce warriors astride horses who created in effect para-military units. Cossacks have a 'negative' history for raiding, pillaging, and cruelty, which of course is not part of the Rohirrim history, but I have always imagined, in the grand sweep of the Rohan grasslands, that Tolkien was imagining something of the fearless horsemen of eastern European history. No evidence for this, naturally, just one of those tantalizing links imagination bodies forth. It is the Appendix which inspires this for me rather than the narrative proper of LotR.
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I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away. |
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