Éomer

Eomer by John Howe.

Éomer was the eighteenth King of Rohan, and first of the Third Line. His name is likely derived from the Anglo-Saxon words "eoh" ("war-horse"), and possibly "mēre", ("grand, excellent, famous"). In a note written well after the initial publication of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien gave Éomer's height as 6 feet 6 inches tall ("of like height with Aragorn").

Éomer, of the House of Eorl, was the son of Théodwyn, sister of King Théoden of Rohan, and Éomund, a Chief Marshal of the Riddermark. He had a sister Éowyn. After they were orphaned Théoden adopted them as his own children. He was tall, strong and possessed of great passion and also was considered a valiant and splendid warrior and a discerning and descent man. Eomer became a great, wise and skilled warrior and rider.

Éomer was third Marshal of the Riddermark, and was a strong leader of Men. His éored hunted down the Uruk-hai that had taken Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took as they camped near Fangorn Forest, slaying them all. He never saw the Hobbits, as they fled during the battle. Afterwards he met Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas in the plains of Rohan, and he gave them two horses.

Éomer returned to Edoras, and reported on meeting the Ranger and friends. However, under the poisonous advice of Gríma Wormtongue, he was arrested.

He was set free when Théoden recovered from the influence of Saruman the White, and was with his king at the Battle of Hornburg, where he and his éored drove the Orcs and Dunlendings of Saruman into the walls of the Hornburg and in the Huorn forest, where they were killed.

Afterwards he rode with Théoden, Aragorn, and Gandalf to Isengard, where they confronted a trapped Saruman. Éomer rode with his king to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, and fought bravely for Rohan and Gondor.

In the year T.A. 3019 at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields Théoden was killed, and Éomer became his successor. He stayed long behind in Minas Tirith to help Aragorn rebuild his kingdom, before returning home to be crowned king himself.

Éomer renewed the Oath of Eorl for Aragorn after Aragorn had been crowned King Elessar of the Reunited Kingdom, and Éomer had been crowned King of Rohan, swearing everlasting friendship between Rohan and Gondor (and legalizing Cirion's grant of Calenardhon to the Éothéod.)

He became known as Éomer Éadig, or "the Blessed", because during his reign Rohan recovered from the hurts of the War and became a rich and fruitful land again.

Éomer had met Princess Lothíriel, daughter of Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth during his stay in Gondor, and they were wed. She bore him a son Elfwine the Fair, who succeeded his father as the King of Rohan, after Éomer's death in the year F.A. 63.

Éomer's sword was called Gúthwinë (Old English battle-friend).

Portrayal in Adaptations

File:Karl Urban as Eomer.jpg

Karl Urban as Éomer.

In both the animated film by Ralph Bakshi and the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy by Peter Jackson, Éomer is an outcast and renegade until he arrives at Helm's Deep, summoned by Gandalf. In this sense, his character has been combined with the character of Erkenbrand, who is the one that Gandalf returns to Helm's Deep with in the book.

In the animated film, he does not have any lines, but is crucial to the plot.

In the live-action films, Éomer is explicitly exiled by Gríma before meeting Aragorn (which the animated film only hints at). He is more prominent in the book than in these films, since they focus on Théoden and Éowyn more. He is played by New Zealand actor Karl Urban.