Eótheód

The Eótheód were a people of the Northmen in the late Third Age, descended from the horse-riding tribes of the upper Vales of Anduin. They became renowned as skilled horse-breeders and warriors, and were the ancestors of the Rohirrim.

Origins

The Eótheód arose out of the Northmen of Rhovanion, who had dwelt between Mirkwood and the River Anduin since the Second Age. In the early Third Age, these Northmen were known as the Thíuda and later as the Ai-thúda, before taking the name Eótheód. They were close kin of the Dale-folk, Beornings, and other Northmen peoples.

By the late Third Age, the Eótheód were known for their horsemanship and their breeding of mearas and other great steeds, traits that set them apart from their kinsfolk.

Settlement

The Eótheód first settled in the upper Vales of Anduin, between the Misty Mountains and Mirkwood, north of the Gladden Fields. They later moved further north to the region around the Wells of Langflood. Their chief town was Framsburg, named after Fram, a legendary hero of their people.

Role in the Angmar War

In the later stages of the Angmar War, the Eótheód under Frumgar launched an incursion against Angmar’s forces east of the Misty Mountains. Around TA 1975, they drove out the Angmarim from the Wells of Langflood, securing the region for themselves. This action coincided with the Battle of Fornost, where Angmar was destroyed in the west. The incursion established the Eótheód firmly in the northern Vales of Anduin, where they remained for centuries.

Alliance with Gondor

By the early fourth millennium of the Third Age, the Eótheód were ruled by Léod and later by his son Eorl the Young. When Gondor was threatened by an invasion of the Balchoth in TA 2510, Steward Cirion sent for aid. Eorl answered, leading the Riders of the Eótheód south along the Anduin. At the Battle of the Field of Celebrant, they destroyed the Balchoth and saved Gondor.

In gratitude, Cirion granted to Eorl the wide and depopulated land of Calenardhon, which the Eótheód settled. This land became known as Rohan, and Eorl was hailed as its first King. The Eótheód thereafter became known as the Rohirrim.

Legacy

Though they vanished as a distinct people after the founding of Rohan, the Eótheód were remembered as the forebears of the Rohirrim. Their traditions of horse-breeding, their language, and their valor in war endured in Rohan until the end of the Third Age.