#fastred

I'm digging into deep Rohan lore today and I hitched on the story of the family of Folcwine King.

Rohan had recovered its strenght after decades of war. The king had twin sons, Folcred and Fastred; an unnamed daughter (of course), and a younger son, Fengel.

Gondor called for aid as the Haradrim were attacking in great numbers, and the twins convinced their father to let them ride there in his stead.

They got killed there, and buried in Ithilien. The Steward of Gondor, Túrin II, sent a great treasure of gold to Folcwine as compensation for their death.

And then the daughter was overlooked (of course), so greedy, moody young Fengel became the heir, and "he was not remembered with praise".

Two things catch my attention here: how do you receive gold in return for the death of two sons, two brothers, two heirs to the crown? And how does it feel like to be overlooked because of your gender, and your brother ends up being actively despised by everyone who knows him or works with him AND his family and heir, and THEN history fails to even mention you?

Literally, the appendix doesn't even say "Folcwine had a daughter". You have to understand her existence from the sentence "[Fengel] was the third son and fourth child of Folcwine." One couldn't erase her more if they TRIED!

@tolkienocweek // day seven // the children of eomer and fealasse // fastred

Firm Counsel

Fastred was the seventh child and youngest son. He came to his majority in Edoras and was a Marshal of the Riddermark. He carried word to the Shire when his father requested the company of Master Holdwine, and escorted Merry and Pippin back to Edoras.

Afterwards little is known, for he took to wandering the wilds, drifting between the hearths of his kith and kin. It is said that he chose to accompany his mother in her path following her departure from Imladris when his siblings came of age. However, this is all mere rumor and no one who knows of his whereabouts spoke of them.

The last confirmed sighting of Fastred, wherein he had the visage of an elderly man, was shortly after the departure of his siblings to Valinor. He had a loud argument with his brother, Ethelfrith, where he was heard to curse the Valar for abandoning them and the grief they had caused his family due to their favoritism of Luthien and the lack of choice for the rest. He rode away from Gondor to the South and passed through his sister Laywyn’s lands.

It is unknown where Fastred met his end, or if he did, for there was no more news of him. It is generally accepted that, while Fastred had inherited the longevity of the elves, he was as mortal as the Dunedain, due to the age he showed last. In recent years, however, there have been murmurings of a revered immortal in distant lands, who freed the people from the yoke of tyranny. And that there flies a banner with a  horse running on a green field.

men of middle-earth ♞ house of éorl ♞ headcanon disclaimer

Fastred of Greenholm