104-598: The name Shadowfax may refer to: Shadowfax (Middle-earth) , a fictional horse ridden by Gandalf the wizard in J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings Shadowfax (band) , a new age/electronic musical group Shadowfax (album) , an album by this group Mount Shadowfax , a mountain in British Columbia Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
208-559: A staff ". Yet the Elf Círdan who met him on arrival nevertheless considered him "the greatest spirit and the wisest" and gave him the Elven Ring of Power called Narya , the Ring of Fire, containing a "red" stone for his aid and comfort. Tolkien explicitly links Gandalf to the element fire later in the same essay: Warm and eager was his spirit (and it was enhanced by the ring Narya), for he
312-475: A "present" from Gollum . During this period, he befriended Aragorn and became suspicious of Saruman . He spent as much time as he could in the Shire , strengthening his friendship with Bilbo and Frodo , Bilbo's orphaned cousin and adopted heir. Gandalf returns to the Shire for Bilbo's "eleventy-first" (111th) birthday party, bringing many fireworks for the occasion. After Bilbo, as a prank on his guests, puts on
416-565: A clumsy conventional sign for chainmail of small rings. The armies of Rohan were largely horsemen. The basic tactical unit was the éored , Old English for "a unit of cavalry, a troop", which at the time of the War of the Ring had a nominal strength of 120 riders. In time of war, every able man was obliged to join the Muster of Rohan. Rohan was bound by the Oath of Éorl to help Gondor in times of peril, and
520-466: A culture based on horses. They use many Old English words related to horses; their name for themselves is Éotheod , horse-people, and the names of riders like Éomund, Éomer, and Éowyn begin with the word for "horse", eo[h] . In Shippey's view, a defining virtue of the Riders is panache , which he explains means both "the white horsetail on [Éomer's] helm floating in his speed" and "the virtue of sudden onset,
624-522: A line that directly translates a line of Beowulf , "The light of it shines far over the land", representing líxte se léoma ofer landa fela . The hall is anachronistically described as having louvres to remove the smoke, derived from William Morris 's 1889 The House of the Wolfings . Upstream from Edoras, deeper into Harrowdale, are the hamlets of Upbourn and Underharrow. At the head of Dunharrow (from Old English Dûnhaerg , "the heathen fane on
728-656: A marshal of the kingdom. Rohan's capital, Edoras, lies in a small but populous region in the centre south of the kingdom, the Folde. In an earlier concept, Rohan's capital region was called the King's Lands, of which the Folde was a sub-region to the south-east of Edoras. North of the Folde, the boundary between the East-mark and West-mark runs along the Snowbourn River and the Entwash. Most of
832-521: A postcard entitled Der Berggeist ("the mountain spirit"), which he labelled "the origin of Gandalf". It shows a white-bearded man in a large hat and cloak seated among boulders in a mountain forest. Carpenter said that Tolkien recalled buying the postcard during his holiday in Switzerland in 1911. Manfred Zimmerman, however, discovered that the painting was by the German artist Josef Madlener and dates from
936-573: A suffix frequent in names of lands [e.g. Beleriand , Ossiriand ]. ... Rohan is a famous name, from Brittany , borne by an ancient proud and powerful family . I was aware of this, and liked its shape; but I had also (long before) invented the Elvish horse-word, and saw how Rohan could be accommodated to the linguistic situation as a late Sindarin name of the Mark (previously called Calenarðon 'the (great) green region') after its occupation by horsemen. Nothing in
1040-634: A synonym of the River Silverlode ), even further north, is added to Rohan after the War of the Ring . The Rohirrim are distantly related to the Dúnedain of Gondor , having descended from the same place. Unlike the inhabitants of Gondor, who are portrayed as enlightened and highly civilized, the Rohirrim are shown as being at a lower level of enlightenment. The names and many details of Rohirric culture are derived from Germanic cultures, particularly that of
1144-528: A wide brimmed hat, and a staff, or likened him to Merlin of Arthurian legend or the Jungian archetype of the " wise old man ". In The Annotated Hobbit , Douglas Anderson likens Gandalf's role to the Rübezahl mountain spirit of German folktales. He states that the figure can appear as "a guide, a messenger, or a farmer", often depicted as "a bearded man with a staff". Rohan (Middle-earth) Rohan
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#17328771066121248-550: A year later. Soon after this Saruman took over Isengard, and was welcomed as an ally. Saruman used his influence through the traitor Grima Wormtongue to weaken Théoden . Saruman then launched an invasion of Rohan, with victory in early battles at the Fords of Isen, killing Théoden's son, Théodred. Saruman was defeated at the Battle of the Hornburg , where the tree-like Huorns came from
1352-693: Is a fictional kingdom of Men in J. R. R. Tolkien 's fantasy setting of Middle-earth . Known for its horsemen, the Rohirrim , Rohan provides its ally Gondor with cavalry . Its territory is mainly grassland . The Rohirrim call their land the Mark or the Riddermark, names recalling that of the historical kingdom of Mercia , the region of Western England where Tolkien lived. Tolkien grounded Rohan in elements inspired by Anglo-Saxon tradition, poetry, and linguistics, specifically in its Mercian dialect , in everything but its use of horses. Tolkien used Old English for
1456-743: Is a protagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien 's novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings . He is a wizard , one of the Istari order, and the leader of the Company of the Ring . Tolkien took the name "Gandalf" from the Old Norse "Catalogue of Dwarves" ( Dvergatal ) in the Völuspá . As a wizard and the bearer of one of the Three Rings , Gandalf has great power, but works mostly by encouraging and persuading. He sets out as Gandalf
1560-545: Is based on the mead hall Heorot in Beowulf ; it is a large hall with a thatched roof that appears golden from far off. The walls are richly decorated with tapestries depicting the history and legends of the Rohirrim, and it serves as a house for the King and his kin, a meeting hall for the King and his advisors, and a gathering hall for ceremonies and festivities. It is at Meduseld that Aragorn , Gimli , Legolas , and Gandalf meet with King Théoden . Legolas describes Meduseld in
1664-730: Is bordered to the north by the Fangorn forest, home to the Ents (tree-giants) led by Treebeard , and by the great river Anduin, called Langflood by the Rohirrim. To the northeast are the walls of Emyn Muil. After the War of the Ring, the kingdom is extended northwards over the Limlight to the borders of Lothlórien . To the east are the mouths of the River Entwash, and the Mering Stream, which separated Rohan from
1768-527: Is built stands in the mouth of the valley of Harrowdale. The river Snowbourn flows past the town on its way east towards the Entwash. The town is protected by a high wall of timber. Meduseld , the Golden Hall of the Kings of Rohan, is in the centre of the town at the top of the hill. "Meduseld", Old English for " mead hall ", is meant to be a translation of an unknown Rohirric word with the same meaning. Meduseld
1872-617: Is distinguished by the colour of his cloak. For most of his manifestation as a wizard, Gandalf's cloak is grey, hence the names Gandalf the Grey and Greyhame, from Old English hama , "cover, skin". Mithrandir is a name in Sindarin meaning "Grey Pilgrim" or "Grey Wanderer". Midway through The Lord of the Rings , Gandalf becomes the head of the order of Wizards, and is renamed Gandalf the White . This change in status (and clothing) introduces another name for
1976-615: Is found in at least one more place in Norse myth, in the semi-historical Heimskringla , which briefly describes Gandalf Alfgeirsson , a legendary Norse king from eastern Norway and rival of Halfdan the Black . Gandalf is also the name of a Norse sea-king in Henrik Ibsen 's second play, The Burial Mound . The name "Gandolf" occurs as a character in William Morris ' 1896 fantasy novel The Well at
2080-501: Is said that in the ending of the task for which he came he suffered greatly, and was slain, and being sent back from death for a brief while was clothed then in white, and became a radiant flame (yet veiled still save in great need). In Valinor , Gandalf was called Olórin . He was one of the Maiar of Valinor, specifically, one of the people of the Vala Manwë ; he was said to be the wisest of
2184-614: Is sure that Bilbo's ring is the One Ring that Sauron needs to dominate the whole of Middle-earth. The Council of Elrond creates the Fellowship of the Ring, with Gandalf as its leader, to defeat Sauron by destroying the Ring. He takes them south through the Misty Mountains, but is killed fighting a Balrog , an evil spirit-being, in the underground realm of Moria . After he dies, he is sent back to Middle-earth to complete his mission as Gandalf
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#17328771066122288-585: Is then that Gandalf meets the great horse Shadowfax , who will be his mount and companion. Gandalf rides hard for the Shire, but does not reach it until after Frodo has set out. Knowing that Frodo and his companions will be heading for Rivendell, Gandalf makes his own way there. He learns at Bree that the Hobbits have fallen in with Aragorn. He faces the Nazgûl at Weathertop , but escapes after an all-night battle, drawing four of them northward. Frodo, Aragorn and company face
2392-555: The Anglo-Saxons and their Old English language, towards which Tolkien felt a strong affinity. Anglo-Saxon England was defeated by the cavalry of the Normans at the Battle of Hastings , and some Tolkien scholars have suggested that the Rohirrim are Tolkien's wishful version of an Anglo-Saxon society that retained a "rider culture", and would have been able to resist such an invasion. The Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey notes that Tolkien derived
2496-640: The Black Gate of Mordor and took part in the Battle of the Morannon against the forces of Sauron . At this time, the destruction of the Ruling Ring in Mount Doom ended the battle and the war. Éowyn married Faramir , Prince of Ithilien . The Tolkien scholar Jane Chance writes that Théoden is transformed by Gandalf into a good bold "Germanic king"; she contrasts this with the failure of "the proud Beorhtnoth " in
2600-607: The Dúnedain ) from the First Age . In the 21st century, a remnant tribe of such Northmen, the Éothéod , moved from the valleys of Anduin to the northwest of Mirkwood , disputing with the Dwarves over the treasure-hoard of Scatha the dragon . In 2509, Cirion the Steward of Gondor summoned the Éothéod to help repel an invasion of Men from Rhûn and Orcs from Mordor . Eorl the Young, lord of
2704-671: The Norse god Odin in his "Wanderer" guise. Others have described Gandalf as a guide-figure who assists the protagonists, comparable to the Cumaean Sibyl who assisted Aeneas in Virgil 's The Aeneid , or to the figure of Virgil in Dante 's Inferno . Scholars have likened his return in white to the transfiguration of Christ ; he is further described as a prophet , representing one element of Christ's threefold office of prophet, priest, and king, where
2808-696: The Ostrogoths in Italy from 536 to 540. Tolkien saw this as a parallel with the real-world relationship between Old English and Gothic . In response to a query about clothing styles in Middle-earth , Tolkien wrote: The Rohirrim were not "medieval", in our sense. The styles of the Bayeux Tapestry (made in England) fit them well enough, if one remembers that the kind of tennis-nets [the] soldiers seem to have on are only
2912-610: The Prancing Pony , and heads towards Isengard. There, Saruman horrifies Gandalf by asking him to help him to obtain and use the Ring. Gandalf refuses, and Saruman imprisons him at the top of his tower . Gandalf is rescued by Gwaihir the Eagle , who comes to him as requested via Radagast. In Rohan , Gandalf appeals to King Théoden for a horse. Théoden, under the evil influence of Gríma Wormtongue , Saruman's spy and servant, tells Gandalf to take any horse he pleases, but to leave quickly. It
3016-510: The Ring . Returning to the Shire , Gandalf confirms his suspicion by throwing the Ring into Frodo's hearth-fire and reading the writing that appears on its surface. He tells Frodo the history of the ring, and urges him to take it to Rivendell , warning of grave danger if he stays in the Shire. Gandalf says he will attempt to return for Frodo's 50th birthday party, to accompany him on the road; and that meanwhile Frodo should arrange to leave quietly, as
3120-721: The emblem of the House of Éorl , a "white horse upon green", from the Uffington White Horse carved into the grass of the chalk downs in England. While Tolkien represents the Rohirrim with Anglo-Saxon culture and language, their ancestors are given Gothic attributes. The names of Rhovanion's royal family, (the ancestors of the Rohirrim), include such names as Vidugavia, Vidumavi and Vinitharya, which are of Gothic origin. Vidugavia specifically has been seen as an synonym for Vitiges , king of
3224-415: The palantír to Aragorn and takes the chastened Pippin with him to Minas Tirith to keep the young Hobbit out of further trouble. Gandalf arrives in time to help to arrange the defences of Minas Tirith. His presence is resented by Denethor , the Steward of Gondor ; but when his son Faramir is gravely wounded in battle, Denethor sinks into despair and madness. Together with Prince Imrahil, Gandalf leads
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3328-693: The 13 dwarves and the hobbit Bilbo Baggins with their quest to retake the Lonely Mountain from Smaug the dragon, but leaves them to urge the White Council to expel Sauron from his fortress of Dol Guldur . In the course of the quest, Bilbo finds a magical ring. The expulsion succeeds, but in The Lord of the Rings , Gandalf reveals that Sauron's retreat was only a feint, as he soon reappeared in Mordor . Gandalf further explains that, after years of investigation, he
3432-501: The Balrog falls, it wraps its whip around Gandalf's legs, dragging him over the edge. Gandalf falls into the abyss, crying "Fly, you fools!". Gandalf and the Balrog fall into a deep lake in Moria's underworld. Gandalf pursues the Balrog through the tunnels for eight days until they climb to the peak of Zirakzigil . Here they fight for two days and nights. The Balrog is defeated and cast down onto
3536-583: The Fellowship (comprising nine representatives of the free peoples of Middle-earth , "set against the Nine Riders"), Gandalf and Aragorn lead the Hobbits and their companions south. After an unsuccessful attempt to cross Mount Caradhras in winter, they cross under the mountains through the Mines of Moria under the Misty Mountains, though only Gimli the Dwarf is enthusiastic about that route. In Moria, they discover that
3640-647: The Gondorian province of Anórien, known to the Rohirrim as Sunlending. To the south lie the White Mountains ( Ered Nimrais ) . To the west are the rivers Adorn and Isen, where Rohan borders the land of the Dunlendings . To the northwest, just under the southern end of the Misty Mountains , lies the walled circle of Isengard around the ancient tower of Orthanc; at the time of the War of the Ring, it had been taken over by
3744-800: The Grey Pilgrim, and reports Gandalf as saying, "Many are my names in many countries. Mithrandir among the Elves , Tharkûn to the Dwarves , Olórin I was in my youth in the West that is forgotten, in the South Incánus, in the North Gandalf ; to the East I go not." In an early draft of The Hobbit , he is called Bladorthin , while the name Gandalf is used by the dwarf who later became Thorin Oakenshield . Each Wizard
3848-500: The Grey, possessing great knowledge and travelling continually. Gandalf is focused on the mission to counter the Dark Lord Sauron by destroying the One Ring . He is associated with fire; his ring of power is Narya , the Ring of Fire. As such, he delights in fireworks to entertain the hobbits of the Shire , while in great need he uses fire as a weapon. As one of the Maiar , he is an immortal spirit from Valinor , but his physical body can be killed. In The Hobbit , Gandalf assists
3952-427: The Hobbits back to the borders of the Shire , before leaving to visit Tom Bombadil . Two years later, Gandalf departs Middle-earth forever. He boards the Ringbearers' ship in the Grey Havens and sets sail to return across the sea to the Undying Lands ; with him are his horse Shadowfax and his friends Frodo, Bilbo , Galadriel , and Elrond . Tolkien's biographer Humphrey Carpenter relates that Tolkien owned
4056-425: The Hobbits' equipment. Gandalf rejects Mordor's terms of surrender, starting the Battle of the Morannon . The forces of the West face the full might of Sauron's armies, until the Ring is destroyed in Mount Doom. Gandalf leads the Eagles to rescue Frodo and Sam from the erupting mountain. After the war, Gandalf crowns Aragorn as King Elessar, and helps him find a sapling of the White Tree of Gondor . He accompanies
4160-440: The Index to The Lord of the Rings , "the border country of the knights"; also Éo-marc , the Horse-mark , or simply the Mark . They call themselves the Éorlingas , the Sons of Éorl. Tolkien rendered the language of the Riders of Rohan, Rohirric , as the Mercian dialect of Old English. Even words and phrases that were printed in modern English showed a strong Old English influence. This solution occurred to Tolkien when he
4264-433: The King After the battle, Gandalf counsels an attack against Sauron's forces at the Black Gate , in an effort to distract the Dark Lord's attention from Frodo and Sam ; they are at that moment scaling Mount Doom to destroy the Ring. Gandalf, Aragorn and the other leaders of the West lead an army to the Black Gate, meeting the nameless lieutenant of Mordor , who shows them Frodo's mithril shirt and other items from
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4368-461: The Maiar. He was closely associated with two other Valar: Irmo, in whose gardens he lived, and Nienna , the patron of mercy, who gave him tutelage. When the Valar decided to send the order of the Wizards (Istari) across the Great Sea to Middle-earth to counsel and assist all those who opposed Sauron , Olórin was proposed by Manwë. Olórin initially begged to be excused, declaring he was too weak and that he feared Sauron, but Manwë replied that that
4472-517: The Necromancer was indeed Sauron. The following year a White Council was held, and Gandalf urged that Sauron be driven out. Saruman, however, reassured the Council that Sauron's evident effort to find the One Ring would fail, as the Ring would long since have been carried by the river Anduin to the Sea; and the matter was allowed to rest. But Saruman began actively seeking the Ring near the Gladden Fields where Isildur had been killed. " The Quest of Erebor " in Unfinished Tales elaborates upon
4576-422: The Old English poem The Battle of Maldon . In her view, in the account of the battle of Helm's Deep, the fortress of the Riddermark, Tolkien is emphasising the Rohirrim's physical prowess. The philologist and Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey notes that the Riders of Rohan are, despite Tolkien's protestations, much like the ancient English (the Anglo-Saxons), but that they differed from the ancient English in having
4680-424: The Old English poem The Wanderer . "Thus spoke a forgotten poet long ago in Rohan, recalling how tall and fair was Eorl the Young, who rode down out of the North," Aragorn explains, after singing the Lament . In the 13th century of the Third Age , the Kings of Gondor made close alliances with the Northmen of Rhovanion , a people said in The Lord of the Rings to be akin to the Three Houses of Men (later
4784-431: The Old English saying Éorl sceal on éos boge, éored sceal getrume rídan ("The leader shall on horse's back, warband shall ride in a body"). The Riders are a Germanic warrior-society, exemplifying the "northern heroic spirit", like the Anglo-Saxons. But the "crucial" fact is the language; Honegger notes that Tolkien had represented Westron speech as modern English; since Rohan spoke a related but older language, Old English
4888-406: The Ring-bearer—in his quest. He persuades Elrond to let Frodo's cousins Merry and Pippin join the Fellowship . The Balrog reached the bridge. Gandalf stood in the middle of the span, leaning on the staff in his left hand, but in his other hand Glamdring gleamed, cold and white. His enemy halted again, facing him, and the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings. It raised the whip, and
4992-445: The Rohan border: Amon Dîn , Eilenach , Nardol , Erelas , Min-Rimmon , Calenhad and Halifirien . At the start of the War of the Ring a Full Muster would have been over 12,000 riders. Among the horses of the Rohirrim were the famed mearas , the noblest and fastest horses that ever roamed Arda . It was because of the close affiliation with horses, both in war and peace, that they received their name. Tolkien generally called
5096-459: The Rohirrim resonated with 1960s feminists , contributing to the success of Lord of the Rings at that time. For Peter Jackson 's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , the Poolburn Reservoir in Central Otago , New Zealand was used for Rohan scenes. The theme for Rohan is played on a Hardanger fiddle . A fully realised set for Edoras was built on Mount Sunday in the upper reaches of the Rangitata Valley , near Erewhon in New Zealand. Some of
5200-440: The Rohirrim to victory against the forces of Mordor ; he is killed when his horse falls, but his niece Éowyn kills the leader of the Ringwraiths . Tolkien's own account, in an unsent letter, gives both the fictional and the actual etymologies of Rohan: Rohan is stated (III 391, 394) to be a later softened form of Rochand . It is derived from Elvish *rokkō ‘swift horse for riding’ ( Q[uenya] rocco , S[indarin] roch ) +
5304-410: The White Council and the Order of Wizards ; Gandalf takes Saruman's place as head of both. Wormtongue tries to kill Gandalf or Saruman with the palantír of Orthanc, but misses both. Pippin retrieves the palantír , but Gandalf quickly takes it. After the group leaves Isengard, Pippin takes the palantír from a sleeping Gandalf, looks into it, and comes face to face with Sauron himself. Gandalf gives
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#17328771066125408-424: The White. He reappears to three of the Fellowship and helps to counter the enemy in Rohan , then in Gondor , and finally at the Black Gate of Mordor, in each case largely by offering guidance. When victory is complete, he crowns Aragorn as King before leaving Middle-earth for ever to return to Valinor. Tolkien once described Gandalf as an angel incarnate; later, both he and other scholars have likened Gandalf to
5512-442: The World's End , along with the horse "Silverfax", adapted by Tolkien as Gandalf's horse "Shadowfax". Morris' book, inspired by Norse myth, is set in a pseudo- medieval landscape; it deeply influenced Tolkien. The wizard that became Gandalf was originally named Bladorthin . Tolkien came to regret his ad hoc use of Old Norse names, referring to a "rabble of eddaic -named dwarves, ... invented in an idle hour" in 1937. But
5616-405: The bait, though his jaws should close on us... We must walk open-eyed into that trap, with courage, but small hope for ourselves. For, my lords, it may well prove that we ourselves shall perish utterly in a black battle far from the living lands; so that even if Barad-dûr be thrown down, we shall not live to see a new age. But this, I deem, is our duty." J. R. R. Tolkien , The Return of
5720-579: The council to evict Sauron, since quite evidently Sauron did not require the One Ring to continue to attract evil to Mirkwood. Then the Council "put[s] forth its power" and drives Sauron from Dol Guldur . Sauron had anticipated this, and had feigned a withdrawal, only to reappear in Mordor . Gandalf spent the years between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings travelling Middle-earth in search of information on Sauron 's resurgence and Bilbo Baggins 's mysterious ring , spurred particularly by Bilbo's initial misleading story of how he had obtained it as
5824-470: The cunningly-built tower of Isengard, Orthanc, and for the Ents, the tree-giants of Fangorn forest, are similarly Old English, both being found in the phrase orþanc enta geweorc , "cunning work of giants" in the poem The Ruin , though Shippey suggests that Tolkien may have chosen to read the phrase also as "Orthanc, the Ent's fortress". In The Two Towers , chapter 6, the Riders of Rohan are introduced before they are seen, by Aragorn , who chants in
5928-415: The dash that sweeps away resistance." Shippey notes that this allows Tolkien to display Rohan both as English, based on their Old English names and words like éored ("troop of cavalry"), and as "alien, to offer a glimpse of the way land shapes people". Shippey states further that "the Mark" (or the Riddermark ), the land of the Riders of Rohan – all of whom have names in the Mercian dialect of Old English,
6032-442: The decision to use Old Norse names came to have far-reaching consequences in the composition of The Lord of the Rings ; in 1942, Tolkien decided that the work was to be a purported translation from the fictional language of Westron , and in the English translation Old Norse names were taken to represent names in the language of Dale . Gandalf , in this setting, is thus a representation in English (anglicised from Old Norse) of
6136-503: The defenders during the siege of the city. When the forces of Mordor break the main gate, Gandalf, alone on Shadowfax, confronts the Lord of the Nazgûl. At that moment the Rohirrim arrive, causing the Nazgûl to withdraw. Gandalf is about to pursue, but is stopped by Pippin, who requests his intervention to save Faramir – Denethor in desperation was seeking to burn himself and his son on a funeral pyre. Gandalf saves Faramir (but not Denethor, who immolates himself), and plays no further part in
6240-412: The dwarf colony established there by Balin has been annihilated by orcs . The Fellowship fights with the orcs and trolls of Moria and escapes them. At the Bridge of Khazad-dûm , they encounter "Durin's Bane," a fearsome Balrog from ancient times. Gandalf faces the Balrog to enable the others to escape. After a brief exchange of blows, Gandalf breaks the bridge beneath the Balrog with his staff . As
6344-420: The early drafts, and through to the first edition of The Hobbit , Bladorthin/Gandalf is described as being a "little old man", distinct from a dwarf, but not of the full human stature that would later be described in The Lord of the Rings . Even in The Lord of the Rings , Gandalf was not tall; shorter, for example, than Elrond or the other wizards. When writing The Hobbit in the early 1930s Tolkien gave
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#17328771066126448-427: The evil wizard Saruman . The area of the western border where the Misty Mountains and the White Mountains drew near to each other is known as the Gap of Rohan. The capital of Rohan is the fortified town of Edoras , on a hill in a valley of the White Mountains . "Edoras" is Old English for "enclosures". The town of Edoras was built by Rohan's second King, Brego son of Eorl the Young. The hill on which Edoras
6552-411: The forest of Fangorn to help the Rohirrim. Théoden then rode with his army to Minas Tirith , helping to break its siege in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields and killing the leader of the Haradrim , but was killed when his horse fell. He was succeeded by his nephew Éomer . His niece Éowyn and the hobbit Merry Brandybuck killed the Lord of the Nazgûl . Éomer rode with the armies of Gondor to
6656-399: The hillside" ) is a refuge, Firienfeld, in the White Mountains. Aldburg, capital of the Eastfold, is the original settlement of Eorl the Young. The Hornburg, a major fortress guarding the western region, is in Helm's Deep , a valley in the White Mountains. The kingdom of Rohan, also called the Mark, is primarily divided into two regions, the East-mark and the West-mark. They are each led by
6760-512: The history of Brittany will throw any light on the Éorlingas. ... In Tolkien's Middle-earth, Rohan is an inland realm. Its countryside is described as a land of pastures and lush tall grassland which is frequently windswept. The meadows contain "many hidden pools, and broad acres of sedge waving above wet and treacherous bogs" that water the grasses. The cartographer Karen Wynn Fonstad calculated Rohan to be 52,763 square miles (136,656 km ) in area (slightly larger than England ). Rohan
6864-433: The king to join in the fight against Sauron. Gandalf sets off to gather warriors of the Westfold to assist Théoden in the coming battle with Saruman. Gandalf arrives just in time to defeat Saruman's army in the battle of Helm's Deep . Gandalf and the King ride to Isengard , which has just been destroyed by Treebeard and his Ents , who are accompanied by Merry and Pippin. Gandalf breaks Saruman's staff and expels him from
6968-418: The kingdom's language and names, pretending that this was in translation of Rohirric. Meduseld, the hall of King Théoden , is modelled on Heorot , the great hall in Beowulf . Within the plot of The Lord of the Rings , Rohan plays a critical role in the action—first against the wizard Saruman in the Battle of the Hornburg , then in the climactic Battle of the Pelennor Fields . There, Théoden leads
7072-426: The language of the Rohirrim words "in a slow tongue unknown to the Elf and the Dwarf ", a lai that Legolas senses "is laden with the sadness of Mortal Men ". The song is called the Lament of the Rohirrim . To achieve a resonant sense of the lost past, the now-legendary time of a peaceful alliance of the Horse-lords with the realm of Gondor , Tolkien adapted the short Ubi sunt ("Where are they?") passage of
7176-415: The language simply "the language of Rohan" or "of the Rohirrim". The adjectival form "Rohirric" is common; Tolkien once also used "Rohanese". Like many languages of Men , it is akin to Adûnaic , the language of Númenóreans , and therefore to the Westron or Common Speech. The Rohirrim called their homeland the Riddermark, a modernization by Tolkien of Old English Riddena-mearc , meaning, according to
7280-438: The latter asked for their aid through the giving of the Red Arrow . This has a historical antecedent in the Old English poem Elene , in which Constantine the Great summoned an army of mounted Visigoths to his aid against the Huns by sending an arrow as a "token of war". Gondor could also call the Rohirrim in need by lighting the warning beacons of Gondor, seven signal fires along the White Mountains from Minas Tirith to
7384-399: The mid-1920s. Carpenter acknowledged that Tolkien was probably mistaken about the origin of the postcard. An additional influence may have been Väinämöinen , a demigod and the central character in Finnish folklore and the national epic Kalevala by Elias Lönnrot . Väinämöinen was described as an old and wise man, and he possessed a potent, magical singing voice. Throughout
7488-705: The mountainside. Gandalf also dies, and his body lies on the peak while his spirit travels "out of thought and time". Gandalf is "sent back" as Gandalf the White, and returns to life on the mountain top. Gwaihir carries him to Lothlórien , where he is healed of his injuries and re-clothed in white robes by Galadriel . He travels to Fangorn Forest, where he encounters Aragorn , Gimli , and Legolas (who are tracking Merry and Pippin ). They mistake him for Saruman , but he stops their attacks and reveals himself. They travel to Rohan , where Gandalf finds that Théoden has been further weakened by Wormtongue's influence. He breaks Wormtongue's hold over Théoden, and convinces
7592-528: The name Gandalf to the leader of the Dwarves , the character later called Thorin Oakenshield . The name is taken from the same source as all the other Dwarf names (save Balin ) in The Hobbit : the " Catalogue of Dwarves " in the Völuspá . The Old Norse name Gandalfr incorporates the words gandr meaning "wand", "staff" or (especially in compounds) " magic " and álfr " elf ". The name Gandalf
7696-492: The name the Dwarves of Erebor had given to Olórin in the language they used "externally" in their daily affairs, while Tharkûn is the (untranslated) name, presumably of the same meaning, that the Dwarves gave him in their native Khuzdul language. Gandalf's role and importance was substantially increased in the conception of The Lord of the Rings , and in a letter of 1954, Tolkien refers to Gandalf as an " angel incarnate". In
7800-558: The oldest and least in stature, but Círdan the Shipwright felt that he was the greatest on their first meeting in the Havens, and gave him Narya , the Ring of Fire. Saruman , the chief Wizard, learned of the gift and resented it. Gandalf hid the ring well, and it was not widely known until he left with the other ring-bearers at the end of the Third Age that he, and not Círdan, was the holder of
7904-474: The other two roles are taken by Frodo and Aragorn . The Gandalf character has been featured in radio, television, stage, video game, music, and film adaptations, including Ralph Bakshi 's 1978 animated film . His best-known portrayal is by Ian McKellen in Peter Jackson 's 2001–2003 The Lord of the Rings film series, where the actor based his acclaimed performance on Tolkien himself. McKellen reprised
8008-405: The quest was born. Gandalf meets with Bilbo in the opening of The Hobbit . He arranges for a tea party, to which he invites the thirteen dwarves, and thus arranges the travelling group central to the narrative. Gandalf contributes the map and key to Erebor to assist the quest. On this quest Gandalf acquires the sword, Glamdring , from the trolls' treasure hoard. Elrond informs them that
8112-513: The remaining five on Weathertop a few nights later. Gandalf reaches Rivendell just before Frodo's arrival. In Rivendell, Gandalf helps Elrond drive off the Nazgûl pursuing Frodo, and plays a leading role in the Council of Elrond as the only person who knows the full history of the ring. He reveals that Saruman has betrayed them and is in league with Sauron. When it is decided that the Ring has to be destroyed, Gandalf volunteers to accompany Frodo—now
8216-678: The rest of Rohan's population is spread along the foothills of the White Mountains in both directions from the Folde. In the West-mark the Westfold extends along the mountains to Helm's Deep (the defensive centre of Westfold) and to the Gap of Rohan. Beyond the Gap of Rohan lies the West Marches, the kingdom's far west borderland. The Eastfold extends along the White Mountains in the opposite direction (and
8320-433: The ring and disappears, Gandalf urges his old friend to leave the ring to Frodo, as they had planned. Bilbo becomes hostile, accusing Gandalf of trying to steal the ring. Alarmed, Gandalf tells Bilbo that is foolish. Coming to his senses, Bilbo admits that the ring has been troubling him, and leaves it behind for Frodo as he departs for Rivendell . Over the next 17 years, Gandalf travels extensively, searching for answers on
8424-463: The ring. He finds some answers in Isildur's scroll, in the archives of Minas Tirith . Gandalf searches long and hard for Gollum, often assisted by Aragorn, who eventually succeeds in capturing Gollum. Gandalf questions Gollum, threatening him with fire when he proves unwilling to speak. Gandalf learns that Sauron had imprisoned Gollum in his fortress of Barad-dûr , and tortured him to reveal what he knew of
8528-602: The role in Jackson's 2012–2014 film series The Hobbit . Tolkien derived the name Gandalf from Gandálfr, a dwarf in the Völuspá 's Dvergatal , a list of dwarf-names. In Old Norse , the name means staff-elf . This is reflected in his name Tharkûn , which is "said to mean 'Staff-man'" in Khuzdul , the language Tolkien invented for his Dwarves . Gandalf is given several names and epithets in Tolkien's writings. Faramir calls him
8632-416: The same letter Tolkien states he was given the form of an old man in order to limit his powers on Earth. Both in 1965 and 1971 Tolkien again refers to Gandalf as an angelic being. In a 1946 letter, Tolkien stated that he thought of Gandalf as an "Odinic wanderer". Other commentators have similarly compared Gandalf to the Norse god Odin in his "Wanderer" guise—an old man with one eye, a long white beard,
8736-550: The second line of kings, which lasted until the end of the Third Age. The two lines of kings are buried in two lines of grave mounds below the royal hall at Edoras, like those at Gamla Uppsala in Sweden, or Sutton Hoo in England. In 2758, Rohan was invaded by Dunlendings under Wulf, son of Freca, of mixed Dunland and Rohan blood. The King, Helm Hammerhand, took refuge in the Hornburg until help from Gondor and Dunharrow arrived
8840-532: The servants of Sauron will be searching for him. Outside the Shire, Gandalf encounters the wizard Radagast the Brown , who brings the news that the Nazgûl have ridden out of Mordor—and a request from Saruman that Gandalf come to Isengard . Gandalf asks him to send out animals to observe the Nazgûl, and to report to him at Isengard. Gandalf leaves a letter to Frodo (urging his immediate departure) with Barliman Butterbur at
8944-422: The set was built digitally, but the main buildings atop the city were built on location; the mountain ranges in the background were part of the actual location shot. The interiors of buildings such as the Golden Hall, however, were located on soundstages in other parts of New Zealand; when the camera is inside of the Golden Hall, looking out the open gates, the image of the on-set Edoras set is digitally inserted into
9048-518: The story behind The Hobbit . It tells of a chance meeting between Gandalf and Thorin Oakenshield , a Dwarf -king in exile, in the Prancing Pony inn at Bree . Gandalf had for some time foreseen the coming war with Sauron , and knew that the North was especially vulnerable. If Rivendell were to be attacked, the dragon Smaug could cause great devastation. He persuaded Thorin that he could help him regain his lost territory of Erebor from Smaug, and so
9152-569: The sword was made in Gondolin , a city long ago destroyed, where Elrond's father lived as a child. After escaping from the Misty Mountains pursued by goblins and wargs , the party is carried to safety by the Great Eagles . Gandalf then persuades Beorn to house and provision the company for the trip through Mirkwood . Gandalf leaves the company before they enter Mirkwood, saying that he had pressing business to attend to. He turns up again before
9256-566: The third of the Elven-rings . Gandalf's relationship with Saruman, the head of their Order, was strained. The Wizards were commanded to aid Men , Elves , and Dwarves , but only through counsel; they were forbidden to use force to dominate them, though Saruman increasingly disregarded this. Gandalf suspected early on that an evil presence, the Necromancer of Dol Guldur , was not a Nazgûl but Sauron himself. He went to Dol Guldur to discover
9360-573: The thongs whined and cracked. Fire came from its nostrils. But Gandalf stood firm. "You cannot pass," he said. The orcs stood still, and a dead silence fell. "I am a servant of the Secret Fire , wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn . Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass." J. R. R. Tolkien , The Fellowship of the Ring Taking charge of
9464-470: The title Shadowfax . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shadowfax&oldid=1133938290 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Shadowfax (Middle-earth) Gandalf
9568-639: The truth, but the Necromancer withdrew before him, only to return with greater force, and the White Council was formed in response. Galadriel had hoped Gandalf would lead the council, but he refused, declining to be bound by any but the Valar who had sent him. Saruman was chosen instead, as the most knowledgeable about Sauron's work in the Second Age . Gandalf returned to Dol Guldur "at great peril" and learned that
9672-470: The unfolding Battle of the Pelennor Fields . "This, then, is my counsel," [said Gandalf.] "We have not the Ring. In wisdom or great folly it has been sent away to be destroyed, lest it destroy us. Without it we cannot by force defeat [Sauron's] force. But we must at all costs keep his Eye from his true peril... We must call out his hidden strength, so that he shall empty his land... We must make ourselves
9776-528: The walls of Erebor disguised as an old man, revealing himself when it seems the Men of Esgaroth and the Mirkwood Elves will fight Thorin and the dwarves over Smaug's treasure. The Battle of Five Armies ensues when hosts of goblins and wargs attack all three parties. After the battle, Gandalf accompanies Bilbo back to the Shire , revealing at Rivendell what his pressing business had been: Gandalf had once again urged
9880-578: The wizard: the White Rider. However, characters who speak Elvish still refer to him as Mithrandir . At times in The Lord of the Rings , other characters address Gandalf by insulting nicknames: Stormcrow, Láthspell ("Ill-news" in Old English ), and "Grey Fool". Tolkien describes Gandalf as the last of the wizards to appear in Middle-earth , one who "seemed the least, less tall than the others, and in looks more aged, grey-haired and grey-clad, and leaning on
9984-470: The wizards was to advise and counsel but never to attempt to match Sauron's strength with their own. It might be, too, that the kings and lords of Middle-earth would be more receptive to the advice of a humble old man than a more glorious form giving them direct commands. The wizards arrived in Middle-earth separately, early in the Third Age ; Gandalf was the last, landing in the Havens of Mithlond. He seemed
10088-597: The Éothéod, answered the summons, arriving unexpected at a decisive battle on the Field of Celebrant, routing the orc army. As a reward, Éorl was given the Gondorian province of Calenardhon (except for Isengard). Eorl the Young founded the Kingdom of Rohan in the former Calenardhon; the royal family was known as the House of Eorl. The first line of kings lasted for 249 years, until the ninth king Helm Hammerhand died. His sons had been killed earlier, and his nephew Fréaláf Hildeson began
10192-464: Was all the more reason for him to go. As one of the Maiar, Gandalf was not a mortal Man but an angelic being who had taken human form. As one of those spirits, Olórin was in service to the Creator ( Eru Ilúvatar ) and the Creator's ' Secret Fire '. Along with the other Maiar who entered into Middle-earth as the five Wizards, he took on the specific form of an old man as a sign of his humility . The role of
10296-642: Was not proud, and sought neither power nor praise ... Mostly he journeyed tirelessly on foot, leaning on a staff, and so he was called among Men of the North Gandalf 'the Elf of the Wand'. For they deemed him (though in error) to be of Elven-kind, since he would at times work wonders among them, loving especially the beauty of fire; and yet such marvels he wrought mostly for mirth and delight, and desired not that any should hold him in awe or take his counsels out of fear. ... Yet it
10400-576: Was once the usual term for central England, and it would have been pronounced and written "marc" rather than the West Saxon "mearc" or the Latinized "Mercia". The Tolkien scholar Thomas Honegger , agreeing with Shippey's description of the Rohirrim as "Anglo-Saxons on Horseback", calls the sources for them "quite obvious to anyone familiar with Anglo-Saxon literature and culture". The resemblances, according to Honegger, include masterly horsemanship, embodying
10504-696: Was searching for an explanation of the Eddaic names of the dwarves already published in The Hobbit . Tolkien, a philologist , with a special interest in Germanic languages , pretended that the names and phrases of Old English were translated from Rohirric, just as the English used in The Shire was supposedly translated from Middle-earth's Westron or Common Speech . Examples include éored and mearas . The Riders' names for
10608-451: Was the Enemy of Sauron , opposing the fire that devours and wastes with the fire that kindles, and succours in wanhope and distress; but his joy, and his swift wrath, were veiled in garments grey as ash, so that only those that knew him well glimpsed the flame that was within. Merry he could be, and kindly to the young and simple, yet quick at times to sharp speech and the rebuking of folly; but he
10712-559: Was the natural choice in the same style; Tolkien's 1942 table of correspondences also showed that the language of the people of Dale was represented by Norse . Honegger notes that this does not equate the Rohirrim with the Anglo-Saxons (on horseback or not), but it does show a strong connection, making them "the people most dear to Tolkien and all medievalists." Jane Ciabattari writes on BBC Culture that Lady Éowyn's fear of being caged rather than "doing great deeds" by riding to battle with
10816-698: Was thus a part of the East-mark). It is bound by the Entwash to the north. Its eastern borderland is called the Fenmarch; beyond this lies the Kingdom of Gondor. The centre of Rohan is a large plain, divided by the Entwash into the East Emnet and the West Emnet. These regions fell respectively into the East-mark and the West-mark. The northernmost region of Rohan, and the least populous, is the Wold. The Field of Celebrant (named for
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