Eorl the Young

Eorl the Young was the first of all the Kings of Rohan. He was the Lord of the Éothéod, with Éothéod being the former name of his people. Eorl was a bright, bold man and a prominent champion of his folk. He has a notable blonde hair that kept its gold color throughout his days and skin that had a healthy reddish color. He is the only rider of the magnificent horse Felaróf, the ancestor of the Mearas, from which the white horse of Gandalf called Shadowfax, descended. Eorl made a great friendship with Cirion, Steward of Gondor, when he agreed to help Gondor as they called for his aid. He acquired the land of Rohan as a gift from Cirion, and together they made an oath of allegiance between their people. And so, it was Eorl who started the history of alliance between Rohan and Gondor. He established the clan of Eorl that reigned in Rohan for all generations. From then on, his people used the name Eorlings after his name. His descendants continued to remember his oath with Gondor, from when he founded their lands. And for this reason, Rohan came to the aid of Gondor in the War of the Ring.

Léod, Eorl's father, was the ruler of the race of Men called the Éothéod. Their people settled in the distant northern lands close to the springs of Anduin. In TA 2485, Eorl, son of Léod, was born. In TA 2501, in the sixteenth year of Eorl, Léod tried to break in a wild horse but died in this attempt. For this reason, the Éothéod named the wild horse Mansbane. Eorl sought after the wild horse and captured it. Instead of taking the horse's life, he commanded it to obey him from then on and to give up his liberty as a Weregild (worth or value in money required of the slayer for a life he has taken). The horse yielded, and Eorl gave him a new name, Felaróf. The horse became Eorl's companion and later on became the ancestor of the Mearas, horses of the heirs of Eorl. Felaróf never allowed anyone else to mount him except Eorl. Eorl assumed the title of Lord of the Éothéod from his father's death. They reached a large number and countless horses. The Éothéod wished for more lands to wander, yet they had no other place to roam.

In TA 2510, on March 25th, Eorl's twenty-fifth year of age, a messenger named Borondir came with a word from Cirion, the Steward of Gondor. He was one of the many messengers that Gondor commissioned, and the sole rider who made it because of their foes who hindered them. The Balchoth, also known as Men of Rhûn, were terrorizing Gondor. Cirion requested for Eorl's aid in fighting the Balchoth. Eorl the Young accepted, gathered his assembly of advisors, and called his men to get ready to journey south. He understood that if Gondor lost, then all realms of Middle-earth would also be subdued.

Later on April 6th, Eorl moved onward with the Éored, the cavalry forces of Éothéod. They were seven thousand ironclad warriors on horseback, with hundreds of riding bowmen. Several hundred of their warriors also remained to protect the elderly, children, and women. The Éored charged south and traveled five hundred miles across the canyon of the Anduin. As they reached Dol Guldur within Mirkwood, a shadow emerged from the ruins.

Which was Sauron looming in the darkness. And so Eorl headed west to steer clear of it. Suddenly, a snowy fog emerged from the forest of Lothlórien and expanded to the area from the River towards Dol Guldur. Hence, the fog covered the warriors, and they moved securely towards their destination. With the shelter of the fog, they went through their course tirelessly at a rapid pace. Then, Eorl and the Éored reached the Field of Celebrant at the dawn of April 15th. The Orcs of the Misty Mountains and the Balcoth hammered the forces of Gondor in two directions.

Eorl and the cavalry charged from behind, killing countless of their enemies and chasing off the remaining back to the River Limlight. Eorl and his army continued to drive off them off until Clenardhon was clear of their foes. Clenardhon was a territory of Gondor that dwells in the southern boundary of River Limlight. When the Battle of the Field of Celebrant ended, Eorl rode with Cirion towards Mering Stream, on the southeast boundary of Calenardhon. Cirion entrusted Calenardhon to Eorl for the time being and told him to come back and see him after three months.

On their next encounter in August 2510, Cirion accompanied Eorl to the Hill of Awe called Halifirien. This place is also named Amon Anwar, but no one knew of it except the Stewards and their close confidants. The Tomb of Elendil remained there still, ever since Isildur laid his remains within the Firien Wood, upon Sauron's downfall. He gave the territory of Calenardhon to Eorl, [1] in gratitude for their steadfast support to their kingdom, and become the new dwelling of Eorl and his clan. Eorl expressed his great gratitude for Cirion's benevolence and valued him as the cleverest of Men of Middle-earth in his time. Eorl agreed to Cirion's proposition and made a vow that his clan and constituents will come to help Gondor at all times, especially when they most needed it. Eorl also discerned that they must always keep their alliance to stand against the threats of darkness in Middle-earth. Cirion made the same vow on account of the citizens of Gondor.

Eorl kept half of his cavalry in Calenardhon for its protection and then departed to the distant northern lands, to his clan and properties. Then, he guided the Éothéod to their new realm, and the people named it the Mark. Meanwhile, Gondor and its people called the new domain of their comrades as Rohan, which is the name it kept and later known for throughout Middle-earth. Eorl became King of the Mark [2] and ruled for thirty-five years. He established the center of Edoras upon a hill that stands before the Vale of Harrowdale. Eorl built his seat of power in Aldburg in the area of the Folde.

In TA 2512, Eorl had a son named Brego. In TA 2545, the Easterlings struck Rohan. The people of Rohan defeated them, but King Eorl tragically died in battle. They laid his grave on a distant hill from Edoras and set the remains of his loyal steed Felaróf beside his only rider. Brego, son of Eorl, became the King of Rohan upon his father's death. Rohan remained in the hands of Eorl's descendants. Hence, the inhabitants of Rohan referred to themselves as the Sons of Eorl or Eorlings.

Even after many years, they kept the oath of their ancestor to Gondor. In the War of the Ring, Rohan's King Théoden fulfilled the pledge of his forefathers and rallied to fight with Gondor in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. Théoden died in battle. After the War of the Ring, the succeeding King Éomer, son of Théoden, reaffirmed the Oath of Eorl and swore to maintain their allegiance to King Aragorn Elessar with the Reunified Kingdom of Arnor and Gondor.

The Lord of the Rings Online [3] features Eorl in the in-game cinematics detailing the past of the Éothéod. It also illustrates Eorl in the halls of Rohan's tapestries. A monument of Eorl and Cirion, cast upon the setting of the opening gathering scene.

1. ^The Oath of Eorl.
2. ^Kings of the Mark.
3. ^The Lord of the Rings Online™.