Balchoth

2025-09-04T15:15:40Z

Zehnwaters:

{{people infobox
| name=Balchoth
| image = Stephen King - Balchoth.jpg

| caption="[[:File:Stephen King - Balchoth.jpg|Balchoth]]" by Stephen King
| pronun=
| othernames=
| origin=[[Easterlings]], around [[Rhûn]]
| location=[[Rhovanion]] (between [[Mirkwood]] and [[River Running]]), southern [[Vales of Anduin]]
| affiliation=[[Sauron]]
| rivalry=[[Northmen]], [[Gondorians]]
| language=
| members=
| lifespan=
| distinctions=Few cavalry, many wains, boats and rafts
| height=
| hair=
| skin=
| clothing=
| weapons=Crude weapons
}}
The '''Balchoth''' were a numerous<ref name="Ride">{{UT|Ride}}</ref> fierce people<ref name="Cirion">{{App|Stewards}}, entry for Steward Cirion, p. 1053</ref> of [[Easterlings]]<ref name="Eorl">{{App|Eorl}}, entry about Eorl the Young, p. 1064</ref><ref>{{App|TA}}, entry for the year 2510, p. 1087</ref> under the shadow of [[Dol Guldur]],<ref name="Cirion" /> who had migrated from east of the [[Sea of Rhûn]]<ref name="Ride" /> to the wide lands of [[Rhovanion]] between the forest of [[Mirkwood]] and the [[River Running]].<ref name="Cirion" />

The Balchoth were no doubt related to the [[Wainriders]]. They had crude weapons and few horses for riding, because they mostly used horses to draw their large number of wagons.<ref name="Ride" />

==History==
Around the time when [[Cirion]] became [[Steward of Gondor]] in {{TA|2489}} the Balchoth migrated from the East and drifted from beyond the Sea of Rhûn to the west. They killed the remnants of the [[Northmen]] that had still lived east of Mirkwood or drove them away up the River Running or into the forest of Mirkwood.<ref name="Ride" />

Cirion was constantly concerned about the threat of an invasion from the east. He stationed a few men in the previously abandoned old [[Gondorian]] forts along the river [[Anduin]], especially on the western shore of the [[Undeeps]] in order to keep a watch there, and he sent scouts to the land between the forest of Mirkwood and the plain of [[Dagorlad]]. It was then that news of what happened to the Northmen reached [[Gondor]], but Cirion could not help them.<ref name="Ride" />

The Balchoth stayed in the lands between Mirkwood and River Running and often made raids through the forest of Mirkwood. As a consequence, the [[Vales of Anduin]] south of the [[Gladden River]] were largely deserted. The numbers of the Balchoth constantly increased with reinforcements from the [[East]] (in contrast, the Gondorian population of [[Calenardhon]], which was located west of the river Anduin, had decreased).<ref name="Cirion" /> It is possible that [[Sauron]] influenced the Balchoth and the [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]] to invade Gondor.<ref>{{App|Stewards}}, entry for Steward Cirion, "his enemies (or the power that moved them)", p. 1053</ref>

The Balchoth mustered a large force all along the southern edge of Mirkwood. Cirion found out after the end of the winter in {{TA|2509}} and in March {{TA|2510}} riders were sent north to the [[Éothéod]] to ask for help against the invaders. [[Eorl]], the [[Lord of the Éothéod]], gathered an army <ref name="Ride" /> and left that April.<ref>{{UT|8e}}, Note 30, It took the army of the Éothéod nine days to arrive in sight of the Undeeps on 15 April {{TA|2510}}</ref>

Meanwhile the Balchoth<ref name="Cirion" /> had come from the north-east through the [[Brown Lands]]<ref name="Eorl" /> and had built many boats and rafts on the eastern shore of Anduin, crossed the river and drove away the Gondorian defenders.<ref name="Cirion" /> The northern army of Gondor<ref name="Eorl" /> led by Cirion<ref name="Ride" /> marched up from the south,<ref name="Cirion" /> but the Balchoth defeated them in the [[Wold]], cut off from the south<ref name="Eorl" /> and drove north over the river [[Limlight]].<ref name="Cirion" /> There the Gondorian army was surprised by an attack from a host of Orcs from the Misty Mountains and was forced in the direction of Anduin.<ref name="Cirion" />

Suddenly Eorl arrived from the north with a large host of cavalry of the [[Éothéod]] and attacked the enemy from the rear.<ref name="Eorl" /> In the [[Battle of the Field of Celebrant]],<ref>{{TT|King}}, p. 512</ref> the land between the river [[Celebrant]] and the river Limlight, the enemies were driven south over the Limlight; after that the enemies in the Wold were also routed<ref name="Eorl" /> and the cavalry of the Éotheod pursued and hunted down the fleeing Balchoth over the fields of Calenardhon.<ref name="Cirion" />

==Etymology==
The name ''Balchoth'' was the name of those people given by the people of Gondor and consists of the [[Westron]] element ''[[balc]]'' ("horrible") and the [[Sindarin]] element ''[[hoth]]'' ("horde"). It was actually a generic term for disliked peoples, including the [[Orcs]].<ref>{{UT|8e}}, Note 24</ref>

==See also==
*[[:Category:Images of Easterlings|Images of Easterlings]]

{{references}}
[[Category:Easterlings]]
[[Category:Servants of Sauron]]
[[Category:Sindarin demonyms]]
[[de:Balchoth]]
[[fi:Balchoth]]

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Balchoth