Eoteod

The word for “equestrian people” is composed of the Old English words eoh ( éoh ) - “horse” or “war horse” and theod ( др théod ) - “people”, “people”; it also resembles the Old Norse word yosiod ( dr. Scand. jóþjóð ) - “equestrian people”. Tolkien also used the word to refer to the land occupied by these people in the Anduin Valley.

" Unfinished Tales " tells ^[1] how Eotheod came about after the Battle of the Plain, in which Gondor and the people of the North fought with Easterlings on the plains south of Licholesie in 1856 T.E. ^[2] Narmakil II , king of Gondor , and Markhari, leader of the northerners, were killed in battle. The son of Marhari, Marvhini, retreated with the remnants of the army to the lower reaches of the Anduin Valley, located between Karrok and Iris Fields . There, over time, refugees from other groups of northerners joined them, which led to the creation of an orderly structure with Marvhini at its head.

Centuries later, in 1977, T.E. ^[2] , in search of living space, Frumgar led Eotheod to the north, in the upper reaches of the Anduin Valley, driving out the remnants of the Angmarians who lived there after the defeat of his kingdom ^[3] . Theotheod occupied lands north of Mirkwood, from the Misty Mountains to the Forest River ^[4] . Their main city (the “only fortified settlement”) was built in a place where the great river Anduin connects with the rivers Langwell (Dolgiy Istok) and Greylin (Serostruy) ^[4] , and was named Framsburg in honor of Frumgar’s son, Fram ^[5] .

Fram killed the dragon Skatu and, according to some legends, was killed in a subsequent conflict between Theotheod and the gnomes that arose when dividing the wealth of Skat; the result, according to Tolkien, was that "there was not much love between Eotheod and the Dwarves" ^[3] .

Several hundred years later, a descendant of Fram Leod was killed while trying to tame the horse of Felaroth , the first of the Rohan mearas . His son, Eorl Young , tamed the horse, taking it to himself as a supra for the death of his father. After some time, Eorl became the leader of Eotheod ^[3] .

Soon after, during the reign of Cyrion, the governor of Gondor , the borders of Gondor were subjected to a powerful invasion of the Balhot people. Cyrion sent messengers to Eotheod, asking for their help and, foreseeing that the fate of the whole West also depends on the salvation of Gondor, Eorl brought the entire army of Eotheod to the aid of Gondor, leaving only the very old and very young to protect his people. The riders arrived just in time and helped the army of Gondor in the battle on the Celebrant field ^{[4] [3]} .

After the defeat of the balhot, Kirion donated to Eorl and his people the abandoned land of Calenardon , at that time - the northern outskirts of Gondor. Eorl and Kirion exchanged unbreakable vows of eternal friendship at Elendil's grave on Khalifirien. Messengers were sent to the north, and the whole of Eoteod moved to the plains of Calenardon ^[6] . Since then, Eotheod has called himself “Eorlingas” (“followers of Eorl”), but on the Sindarin they began to be called Rohirrim , or masters of horses , and their country - Rohan, the country of horsemen. Eorl, being the "lord of Eotheod" ^[4] , became the first king of Rohan .

• Tolkien J.R. R. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. - Appendix B (any edition).
• Tolkien J.R. R. (edited by K. Tolkien). Unfinished tales : " Kirion and Eorl and the friendship between Gondor and Rohan ." - New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1980 .-- ISBN 0-395-29917-9 .