Home » Reading & Literature » J.R.R. Tolkien » How did Tolkien actually portray the Rohirrim? - Page 9

How did Tolkien actually portray the Rohirrim? - Page 9

© Michael Martinez

Finally, where did the Rohirrim live? Eorl settled in Aldburg, a city in the Folde probably 40-60 miles southeast of where Edoras was later built. Some have taken exception with my use of the word "city" for Edoras and Aldburg. We are not provided with details of populations but it's clear that even after the departure of part of the Muster of Edoras under Elfhelm (who, according to "The Battles of the Fords of Isen" in Unfinished Tales, led 4 companies to Theodred's aid -- 480 men if the eoreds were at full strength) Theoden was still able to assemble more than 1,000 Riders from the district. The population of Edoras and its nearby lands must therefore have exceeded 6,000 people (more likely it was in excess of 9,000 people -- and this merely assumes all men in the district were Riders, which is unlikely). In Unfinished Tales Tolkien writes that at the beginning of the War of the Ring the full Muster of Rohan included 12,000 Riders, an arbitrary number set at 100 companies (eoreds) of 120 men each, but that the population of Rohan could have supplied many more Riders. In The Return of the King Theoden tells Hirgon the messenger from Gondor he would have led 10,000 spears to Gondor's aid under better circumstances, a considerable expeditionary force. This army, the Muster of Rohan, was divided into three parts: the Muster of Edoras (led by the First Marshal of the Riddermark), the Muster of the West-mark (led by the Second Marshal of the Riddermark), and the muster of the East-mark (led by the Third Marshal). Theodred, Second Marshal and commander of the Muster of the West-mark, led 12 companies into the field (11 companies of Riders and 1 company of archers). At full strength these would represent 1440 men. He supplemented his force with an undisclosed number of levies from the West-mark. These levies provided the infantry force to support Theodred's Riders. After the second battle and while the Hornburg was besieged Gandalf rallied as many of the scattered Riders of the Muster of the West-mark as he could and he sent them back to Edoras. In the meantime Erkenbrand's army, hastily raised from the Men of Westfold, seems to have numbered around 1,000 men (according to "Helm's Deep" in The Two Towers). Whether this 1,000 men included the levies from Theodred's force is not indicated, but perhaps 1,000 more remained behind in Westfold (mostly too old or too young to march with the army).

The copyright of the article How did Tolkien actually portray the Rohirrim? - Page 9 in J.R.R. Tolkien is owned by Michael Martinez. Permission to republish How did Tolkien actually portray the Rohirrim? - Page 9 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.