Calenardhon

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The Riders of Rohan by Ted Nasmith

Calenardhon was a green region north of the White Mountains, which became a province of Gondor and later became known as Rohan.

History[edit | edit source]

In S.A. 882,[1] Gil-galad, the king of the elven realm of Lindon and High King of the Noldor in Middle-earth warned Tar-Meneldur, the King of Númenor in a letter that a servant of Morgoth was arising in the East and that he thought that he would invade the Westlands from the East through the gap between the southern end of the Misty Mountains and the White Mountains in Calenardhon, that they at least had to defend Eriador along the long rivers west of the Misty Mountains and asked Tar-Meneldur for men to help to strengthen the haven of Vinyalondë so that it could accomodate the great ships of the Númenóreans.[2]

In S.A. 1695, this servant, Sauron came with a great army through Calenardhon and invaded Eriador in the War of the Elves and Sauron. When Sauron's army was utterly defeated in the Battle of the Gwathló with the help of a Númenorean army which had landed at the haven of Vinyalondë at the mouth of the river Gwathló Sauron only narrowly escaped with a small force, but he was again attacked in the east of Calenardhon and fled back with only a bodyguard of troops to Mordor.[3]

In T.A. 1437,[4] during the Kin-strife when Eldacar, the deposed King of Gondor returned to Gondor from his refuge in Wilderland with a great army of Northmen who had served Gondor and of Dúnedain of the northern parts of Gondor, folk from the province of Calenardhon gathered to him.[5]

From T.A. 1636 to 1637 during the Great Plague the people of Calenhardhon suffered like all the peoples of the rest of Gondor and Arnor.[6]

From T.A. 2063 to 2460 the population of Calenardhon declined when a part of it moved to the east to hold the line of the river Anduin. The Gondorian garrisons of the fortresses of Aglarond and Angrenost were not renewed and the forts were left in the care of local hereditary chieftains. The subjects of those chieftains became more mixed in blood, because the Dunlendings were not hindered to migrate over the river Isen into Calenardhon.[7]

During the rule of the Steward Cirion, Gondor was attacked by the Balchoth and by Orcs from the Misty Mountains, and Calenardhon was overrun by these invaders. Cirion sent messages for help to Gondor's old allies, the Éothéod, to help defend Gondor.[8]

Eorl the Young answered the call, and helped Gondor defeat the Balchoth and the Orcs at the Field of Celebrant. In gratitude, Cirion granted all Calenardhon to the Éothéod.[8]

After the Éothéod settled in Calenardhon, the land was called Rohan in Gondor[9][10] and the Mark of the Riders[11], the Mark[12] or the Riddermark by the Éothéod[13][14][15][16].

Etymology[edit | edit source]

Calenardhon is a Sindarin name,[17][18] which means "green province"[19][20] or "the (great) green region"[21]. The initial element is clearly calen ("green"),[17][18] the second element is probably gardh ("region")[17][18] and the final element is the suffix on(d) ("region")[22][17][18].

Earlier names used by Tolkien for this region were Elenarda > Kalen(arda) > Kalinarda > Calenardan > Calenardon.[23][24]

References

  1. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "Aldarion and Erendis: The Mariner's Wife", "Notes", Chronology
  2. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "Aldarion and Erendis: The Mariner's Wife"
  3. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn", "Concerning Galadriel and Celeborn"
  4. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age", entry for the year 1347, p. 1086
  5. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion", entry for King Valacar, p. 1047
  6. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The Battles of the Fords of Isen", "Appendix (ii)", first paragraph of the long note
  7. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The Battles of the Fords of Isen", "Appendix (ii)", first and second paragraph of the long note
  8. 8.0 8.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion", "The Stewards"
  9. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, "The Window on the West", p. 678
  10. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan", "(iii) Cirion and Eorl"
  11. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The House of Eorl", fourth paragraph, p. 1064
  12. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, Index, entry Mark
  13. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix F, "The Languages and Peoples of the Third Age", "Of Men", p. 1129
  14. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, "The King of the Golden Hall", p. 508
  15. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Houses of Healing", p. 868
  16. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, "The Riders of Rohan", p. 432
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Paul Strack, "S. Calenardhon loc.", Eldamo - An Elvish Lexicon (accessed 20 February 2024)
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 David Salo (2004), A Gateway to Sindarin, entry Calenardhon, p. 371
  19. J.R.R. Tolkien, "Unfinished index for The Lord of the Rings", in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, entry Calenardhon, p. 477
  20. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, Index, entry Calenardhon
  21. J.R.R. Tolkien; Humphrey Carpenter, Christopher Tolkien (eds.), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 297, (dated August 1967)
  22. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan", "Notes", note 49, p. 318
  23. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Ring, "Part Two: The Ring Goes East", "V. Faramir"
  24. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "VII. The Heirs of Elendil"