Balchoth

"Balchoth" by Stephen King
People
Balchoth
General Information
Origins	Easterlings, around Rhûn
Locations	Rhovanion (between Mirkwood and River Running), southern Vales of Anduin
Affiliation	Sauron
Rivalries	Northmen, Gondorians
Physical Description
Distinctions	Few cavalry, many wains, boats and rafts
Weaponry	Crude weapons

The Balchoth were a numerous fierce people of Easterlings under the shadow of Dol Guldur, who had migrated from east of the Sea of Rhûn to the wide lands of Rhovanion between the forest of Mirkwood and the River Running.

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.

History

Around the time when Cirion became Steward of Gondor in T.A. 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.

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.

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). It is possible that Sauron influenced the Balchoth and the Orcs of the Misty Mountains to invade Gondor.

The Balchoth mustered a large force all along the southern edge of Mirkwood. Cirion found out after the end of the winter in T.A. 2509 and in March T.A. 2510 riders were sent north to the Éothéod to ask for help against the invaders. Eorl, the Lord of the Éothéod, gathered an army and left that April.

Meanwhile the Balchoth had come from the north-east through the Brown Lands and had built many boats and rafts on the eastern shore of Anduin, crossed the river and drove away the Gondorian defenders. The northern army of Gondor led by Cirion marched up from the south, but the Balchoth defeated them in the Wold, cut off from the south and drove north over the river Limlight. 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.

Suddenly Eorl arrived from the north with a large host of cavalry of the Éothéod and attacked the enemy from the rear. In the Battle of the Field of Celebrant, 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 and the cavalry of the Éotheod pursued and hunted down the fleeing Balchoth over the fields of Calenardhon.

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.

See also

• Images of Easterlings