Rhudaur: Difference between revisions

From Tolkien Gateway
m (→‎History: Removed repeated instance of "killed.")
 
(51 intermediate revisions by 20 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{kingdom
{{kingdom
| image =[[Image:Ted Nasmith - View of Rhudaur.jpg|250px]]
| image=[[Image:Ted Nasmith - View of Rhudaur.jpg|250px]]
| name = Rhudaur
| name=Rhudaur
| meaning =  
| pronun=
| type = Monarchy
| othernames=
| hidep=yes
| location=Between the [[Weather Hills]] and the [[Misty Mountains]]
| headofstate = [[King of Rhudaur]]
| capital=
| executive =  
| towns=
| legislative =  
| regions=
| judicial =  
| population=Primarily [[Men of Arnor|Men]]
| capital =
| language=[[Westron]], [[Sindarin]]
| language = [[Westron]]
| govern1=
| location = Northern Eriador
| govern2=
| populace= [[Men]], [[Hobbits]], unknown people from [[Angmar]]
| govern3=
| currency =  
| currency=
| religious =  
| holiday=
| holiday =  
| precededby=[[Arnor]]
| anthem =  
| event1=Foundation
| formed = Disolution of Arnor
| event1date={{TA|861}}
| established = [[Third Age 861|T.A. 861]]
| event2=Allied with [[Angmar]]
| reorganized =  
| event2date=By {{TA|1349}}
| fragmented =  
| event3=
| dissolved = [[Third Age 1409|T.A. 1409]]
| event3date=
| restored =  
| event4=
| event4date=
| event5=
| event5date=
| followedby=
}}
}}


'''Rhudaur''' was the smallest of the kingdoms that originated from the break-up of [[Arnor]] ([[Third Age 861|T.A. 861]]). The other kingdoms were [[Arthedain]] and [[Cardolan]].
'''Rhudaur''' was the hilly kingdom that originated from the break-up of [[Arnor]] in {{TA|861}}.


==Location==
==Geography==
Rhudaur formed the eastern part of Arnor, and stretched from the Weather Hills with [[Weathertop|Amon Sûl]] to the river [[Bruinen]]. It shared a long border with Cardolan along the [[Great East Road]], and with Arthedain along the line of the Weather Hills.
Rhudaur was a region in the North-east of [[Eriador]], lying between the [[Ettenmoors]], the [[Weather Hills]], and the [[Misty Mountains]]. The land between the rivers [[Mitheithel|Loudwater]] and [[Hoarwell]], forming the [[Angle (Eriador)|the Angle]], where the [[Trollshaws]] were located,<ref>{{FR|Map}}</ref> was also a part of Rhudaur.<ref name=Eriador>{{App|Eriador}}, ''The North-kingdom and the Dúnedain'', pp. 1039-1040</ref><ref name=Flight>{{FR|Flight}}, pp. 201-202</ref>


The land between the rivers [[Mitheithel]] and Bruinen was also considered part of Rhudaur. It was called ''the Angle'', and it is here that the first [[Stoors|Stoor]] [[Hobbits]] came into [[Eriador]] around [[Third Age 1150|T.A. 1150]]. However, due to the increasing hostility of [[Angmar]] these Stoors fled the region around [[Third Age 1356|T.A. 1356]], with some of them moving west to [[the Shire]], and others moving back to [[Wilderland]].
Rhudaur was characterized by dreary and rising hills, dark trees with twisted roots hanging off of cliffs, and gloomy weather, Rhudaur was a sombre, threatening, and unfriendly country.<ref name=Flight/>
 
Upon many heights and ridges were ancient stone walls, ruined towers, and ominous, evil-looking castles.<ref name=Flight/>


==History==
==History==
From the start of its existence, Rhudaur was unfriendly towards the two other successor states, and took part in a bitter conflict with Cardolan over the tower of Amon Sûl and the [[Palantíri|Palantír]] associated with the tower.
When the [[Exiles of Númenor]] established [[Arnor]] in the [[Second Age]], they spread out throughout [[Eriador]] and many [[Númenóreans]] settled the hills of Rhudaur.<ref name=Rings>{{S|Rings}}</ref>


The last Kings of Rhudaur were not of Númenórean blood, but were descended of Men in service of Angmar. Under their rule the land became a vassal of Angmar, and thus enemies of Cardolan and Arthedain.
In {{TA|861}} Arnor's tenth King, Eärendur, died.<ref>{{App|TA}}, entry for the year 861, p. 1085</ref> Due to dissensions between his sons the realm was split into [[Arthedain]], Rhudaur and [[Cardolan]]. There was often strife among the three kingdoms, because Rhudaur and Cardolan desired to possess the Weather Hills and the land westwards towards Bree, especially [[Weathertop]], because the tower on it contained the most important ''[[Amon Sûl-stone|Palantír]]'' of the North and the other two palantíri of the North were also held by Arthedain. While the line of [[Isildur]] continued in Arthedain, it soon failed in Rhudaur and Cardolan.<ref name=Eriador/>


Angmar annexed and terminated the kingdom in [[Third Age 1409|T.A. 1409]]. By this time the Númenóreans were gone from the region, as well as most of the other inhabitants.
The first [[Stoors|Stoor]] [[Hobbits]] moved to the [[Angle (Eriador)|Angle]] in Rhudar around {{TA|1150}}.<ref>{{App|TA}}, entry for the year ''c.'' 1150, p. 1085</ref>


There is evidence that after the fall of Angmar at the [[Battle of Fornost]] the Angle became home to the remainder of the [[Dúnedain]], and the [[Rangers of the North]] established several villages there, where their people lived until the resurrection of the northern Kingdom under [[Aragorn|King Elessar]] at the end of the third age.
During the reign of King [[Argeleb I]] of [[Arthedain]], which started in {{TA|1349}},<ref>{{App|North}}, ''Arthedain'', date after Malvegil, p. 1038</ref> Argeleb claimed the lordship over all former Arnor, because no descendants of Isildur remained in Cardolan and Rhudaur, but Rhudaur resisted his claim. In Rhudaur an evil lord of the [[Hill-men]] who had a secret alliance with Angmar had seized power and there were only few Dúnedain in Rhudaur. As a consequence, Argeleb fortified the Weather Hills, which were on the border between Arthedain and Rhudaur.<ref name=Argeleb>{{App|Eriador}}, ''The North-kingdom and the Dúnedain'', paragraph about King Argeleb son of Malvegil, p. 1040</ref> In {{TA|1356}},<ref>{{App|TA}}, entry for the year 1356, p. 1086</ref> Argeleb was killed in a battle with Rhudaur and Angmar. Around this time the Stoors left the Angle and some of them returned to [[Rhovanion]].<ref name=Argeleb/>
 
In {{TA|1409}} Angmar attacked and ravaged [[Cardolan]] and surrounded and destroyed [[Weathertop]]. Angmar defeated the Dúnedain of Cardolan and Arthedain and the [[last prince of Cardolan]] (later interred in the Barrow-downs)<ref>{{HM|RC}}, "Fog on the Barrow-downs", pp. 144-5; Index, 'Cardolan, [[Last prince of Cardolan|last prince of]]'</ref> and King Arveleg of Arthedain were killed. Rhudaur was occupied by evil men who were subject to Angmar. The Dúnedain that had remained in Rhudaur were killed or fled westwards.<ref>{{App|Eriador}}, ''The North-kingdom and the Dúnedain'', paragraph about King Arveleg, p. 1040</ref>
 
In the days of [[Argeleb II]], the [[Witch-king]] sent [[wights]] from [[Angmar]] and Rhudaur to inhabit the deserted mounds of the [[Barrow-downs]].<ref>{{App|Eriador}}, ''The North-kingdom and the Dúnedain'', paragraph about King Argeleb II, p. 1041</ref>
 
When war brought the North-kingdom to an end, all the evil Men who inhabited Rhudaur were killed, but a shadow remained in the land. During the [[War of the Ring]], Rhudaur was completely uninhabited.<ref name=Flight/>


==Etymology==
==Etymology==
The name ''Rhudaur'' is translated by Tolkien as "Troll shaw" (''[[rhû]]'' "evil, wicked" and ''[[taur]]'', "forest").<ref>{{PE|17}}, pp. 115, 170</ref> It is unknown whether it is intended to be the same as [[Trollshaws]].
''Rhudaur'' is a [[Sindarin]] name. According to [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] it means "Troll shaw" and contains the element ''[[rhû]]'' ("evil, wicked"). [[Christopher Gilson]] suggests in his editorial annotation within brackets that the second element is ''[[taur]]'' ("forest").<ref>{{PE|17}}, entry "S '''Rhudaur''' and entry S ''rhû'', p. 115 and entry '''OKO''', p. 170</ref> Shaw is an archaic word meaning "thicket, small wood, copse, or grove".<ref name=>{{HM|RC}}, p. Ixiii</ref> The Trollshaws were located in Rhudaur.<ref>{{PM|Elendil}}, Commentary, manuscript B entry Earendur "Rhudaur north of the R. Bruinen (where later were the Trollshaws)"</ref>
 
J.R.R. Tolkien's translation was published in [[Parma Eldalamberon 17]] in 2007. [[David Salo]] suggested in 2004 and [[Wayne G. Hammond]] and [[Christina Scull]] suggested in 2005 that ''Rhudaur'' is a Sindarin name, which means "eastern wood" or "east forest", respectively, and that it is a compound of ''[[Rhûn|rhu-]]'' ("east") and ''[[taur]]'' ("forest").<ref>{{HM|GS}}, entry '''Rhudaur''' p. 390</ref><ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. 690</ref>
 
==Other versions of the legendarium==
An earlier manuscript version of what would later become the Annals of the Kings and Rulers mentions that an evil people who are workers of sorcery and subjects of Angmar kill the remnants of the Dúnedain in Rhudaur and build dark forts in the hills.<ref>{{PM|Elendil}}, manuscript C, the Northern Line of Arnor: the Isildurioni, entry 18. Arveleg I</ref>
 
An earlier manuscript version of the the Tale of Years of the Third Age mentions that the Witch-king destroyed the remmants of the Dúnedain that lived in Rhudaur and that an evil people from the north that was much given to sorcery lived in Rhudaur for a long time.<ref>{{PM|Third}}, manuscript T4, entry for the year 1409</ref>
 
==Portrayal in adaptations==
'''2012: ''[[The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey]]'':'''
:[[Galadriel]] mentions the [[High Fells of Rhudaur]] as the place where the [[Witch-king]] was buried following the fall of [[Angmar]].
 
'''2013: ''[[The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug]]'':'''
:[[Gandalf]] and [[Radagast]] travel to the High Fells to examine the whereabouts of [[Nazgûl]], only to discover that they have all escaped.


{{references}}
{{references}}
[[Category:Arnor]]
[[Category:Arnor]]
[[Category:Mannish Realms]]
[[Category:Sindarin locations]]
[[Category:Sindarin Locations]]
[[Category:Mannish realms]]
[[de:Rhudaur]]
[[fr:encyclo/geographie/royaumes/rhudaur]]
[[fi:Rhudaur]]

Latest revision as of 11:13, 17 March 2023

Rhudaur
Ted Nasmith - View of Rhudaur.jpg
General information
LocationBetween the Weather Hills and the Misty Mountains
People
PopulationPrimarily Men
LanguageWestron, Sindarin
History
Preceded byArnor
FoundationT.A. 861
Allied with AngmarBy T.A. 1349
GalleryImages of Rhudaur

Rhudaur was the hilly kingdom that originated from the break-up of Arnor in T.A. 861.

Geography[edit | edit source]

Rhudaur was a region in the North-east of Eriador, lying between the Ettenmoors, the Weather Hills, and the Misty Mountains. The land between the rivers Loudwater and Hoarwell, forming the the Angle, where the Trollshaws were located,[1] was also a part of Rhudaur.[2][3]

Rhudaur was characterized by dreary and rising hills, dark trees with twisted roots hanging off of cliffs, and gloomy weather, Rhudaur was a sombre, threatening, and unfriendly country.[3]

Upon many heights and ridges were ancient stone walls, ruined towers, and ominous, evil-looking castles.[3]

History[edit | edit source]

When the Exiles of Númenor established Arnor in the Second Age, they spread out throughout Eriador and many Númenóreans settled the hills of Rhudaur.[4]

In T.A. 861 Arnor's tenth King, Eärendur, died.[5] Due to dissensions between his sons the realm was split into Arthedain, Rhudaur and Cardolan. There was often strife among the three kingdoms, because Rhudaur and Cardolan desired to possess the Weather Hills and the land westwards towards Bree, especially Weathertop, because the tower on it contained the most important Palantír of the North and the other two palantíri of the North were also held by Arthedain. While the line of Isildur continued in Arthedain, it soon failed in Rhudaur and Cardolan.[2]

The first Stoor Hobbits moved to the Angle in Rhudar around T.A. 1150.[6]

During the reign of King Argeleb I of Arthedain, which started in T.A. 1349,[7] Argeleb claimed the lordship over all former Arnor, because no descendants of Isildur remained in Cardolan and Rhudaur, but Rhudaur resisted his claim. In Rhudaur an evil lord of the Hill-men who had a secret alliance with Angmar had seized power and there were only few Dúnedain in Rhudaur. As a consequence, Argeleb fortified the Weather Hills, which were on the border between Arthedain and Rhudaur.[8] In T.A. 1356,[9] Argeleb was killed in a battle with Rhudaur and Angmar. Around this time the Stoors left the Angle and some of them returned to Rhovanion.[8]

In T.A. 1409 Angmar attacked and ravaged Cardolan and surrounded and destroyed Weathertop. Angmar defeated the Dúnedain of Cardolan and Arthedain and the last prince of Cardolan (later interred in the Barrow-downs)[10] and King Arveleg of Arthedain were killed. Rhudaur was occupied by evil men who were subject to Angmar. The Dúnedain that had remained in Rhudaur were killed or fled westwards.[11]

In the days of Argeleb II, the Witch-king sent wights from Angmar and Rhudaur to inhabit the deserted mounds of the Barrow-downs.[12]

When war brought the North-kingdom to an end, all the evil Men who inhabited Rhudaur were killed, but a shadow remained in the land. During the War of the Ring, Rhudaur was completely uninhabited.[3]

Etymology[edit | edit source]

Rhudaur is a Sindarin name. According to J.R.R. Tolkien it means "Troll shaw" and contains the element rhû ("evil, wicked"). Christopher Gilson suggests in his editorial annotation within brackets that the second element is taur ("forest").[13] Shaw is an archaic word meaning "thicket, small wood, copse, or grove".[14] The Trollshaws were located in Rhudaur.[15]

J.R.R. Tolkien's translation was published in Parma Eldalamberon 17 in 2007. David Salo suggested in 2004 and Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull suggested in 2005 that Rhudaur is a Sindarin name, which means "eastern wood" or "east forest", respectively, and that it is a compound of rhu- ("east") and taur ("forest").[16][17]

Other versions of the legendarium[edit | edit source]

An earlier manuscript version of what would later become the Annals of the Kings and Rulers mentions that an evil people who are workers of sorcery and subjects of Angmar kill the remnants of the Dúnedain in Rhudaur and build dark forts in the hills.[18]

An earlier manuscript version of the the Tale of Years of the Third Age mentions that the Witch-king destroyed the remmants of the Dúnedain that lived in Rhudaur and that an evil people from the north that was much given to sorcery lived in Rhudaur for a long time.[19]

Portrayal in adaptations[edit | edit source]

2012: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey:

Galadriel mentions the High Fells of Rhudaur as the place where the Witch-king was buried following the fall of Angmar.

2013: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug:

Gandalf and Radagast travel to the High Fells to examine the whereabouts of Nazgûl, only to discover that they have all escaped.

References

  1. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, "The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age" [map]
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur", The North-kingdom and the Dúnedain, pp. 1039-1040
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "Flight to the Ford", pp. 201-202
  4. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age"
  5. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age", entry for the year 861, p. 1085
  6. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age", entry for the year c. 1150, p. 1085
  7. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "The Realms in Exile", "The Northern Line: Heirs of Isildur", Arthedain, date after Malvegil, p. 1038
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur", The North-kingdom and the Dúnedain, paragraph about King Argeleb son of Malvegil, p. 1040
  9. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age", entry for the year 1356, p. 1086
  10. ↑ Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, "Fog on the Barrow-downs", pp. 144-5; Index, 'Cardolan, last prince of'
  11. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur", The North-kingdom and the Dúnedain, paragraph about King Arveleg, p. 1040
  12. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur", The North-kingdom and the Dúnedain, paragraph about King Argeleb II, p. 1041
  13. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings", in Parma Eldalamberon XVII (edited by Christopher Gilson), entry "S Rhudaur and entry S rhû, p. 115 and entry OKO, p. 170
  14. ↑ Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. Ixiii
  15. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "VII. The Heirs of Elendil", Commentary, manuscript B entry Earendur "Rhudaur north of the R. Bruinen (where later were the Trollshaws)"
  16. ↑ David Salo (2004), A Gateway to Sindarin, entry Rhudaur p. 390
  17. ↑ Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 690
  18. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "VII. The Heirs of Elendil", manuscript C, the Northern Line of Arnor: the Isildurioni, entry 18. Arveleg I
  19. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "VIII. The Tale of Years of the Third Age", manuscript T4, entry for the year 1409
Retrieved from "https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Rhudaur&oldid=370590"