#northmen

Challenge #04897-M148: Epic Rap Battle For History

A trio of warrior lords quibble over who is to inherit a large swath of land, for the will was lost in the fire which killed the former ruler. To avoid a war, the three visit seeress, who leads them to a shine of Wothynn, with the foretelling that the one who is the best Poet shall be judged the rightful heir to the land -- Deathshead419

Things were done differently in the Northlands. Politics was often settled with the sword, when it couldn't be resolved via the marital bed. Might often made right. Attacking an enemy the day after they'd just had drinking games in their mead halls was a legitimate war tactic. The Northmen were tough, hardy, and fond of their booze. The North women were even more fearsome.

Thork Thorvigsson had been a mighty warrior with thralls all across the fjords. Until, after one night of drunken revelry, someone set his longhouse ablaze.

Nobody knew who did it, and there was a passing chance that one of the feasters had knocked a candle or lantern into the threshes anyway. What was certain was that Thork Thorvigsson left a lot of land ungoverned and an enormous power vacuum.

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Characters: Marhwini (Tolkien), Forthwini (Tolkien), Original Characters Additional Tags: Rhovanion (Tolkien), Wainriders, Third Age of Arda (Tolkien), northmen, POV Multiple Summary:

It is the year 1899 of the Third Age. Calimehtar of Gondor and Marhwini of the Northmen have made plans together to foil a major attack the Wainriders are planning, in a two-pronged campaign. Marhwini is in contact with some of his people who remain behind in Rhovanion, enslaved, after an earlier attack by the Wainriders. An uprising is planned to coincide with the upcoming battles. Unfortunately for the Northmen, these plans succeed only in part.

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s) Characters: Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s), Men of Dale and Laketown Additional Tags: Third Age of Arda (Tolkien), Romance, Exile, Gondor (Tolkien) Summary:

In the Third Age, a stranger arrives in the area between the Long Lake and the Lonely Mountain. He is not quite what he seems...

In the Third Age, a stranger arrives in the area between the Long Lake and the Lonely Mountain. He is not quite what he seems...

OMC/OFC (Men), Teens

Warning for themes of displacement, but more on the hurt/comfort side.

c.730 words.

Here on SWG.

CW: NSFW, minors please do not interact.

You know what’s a cool and often overlooked part of the story of the Oath of Eorl/founding of Rohan?

When Cirion, the Steward of Gondor, was under desperate pressure from invading enemies and decided to make a last-ditch effort to ask the Éothéod (descendants of the Northmen who would go on to become the Rohirrim) for help, he sent out 6 riders to carry that ask. Only 1 of the 6 made it to the Éothéod and their lord, Eorl, alive — and just barely! His name was Borondir, and he rode back to Gondor alongside Eorl and his people to join the battle at the Field of Celebrant. Sadly, Borondir died in the fighting, but his death helped achieve the great victory that saved Gondor and led to the founding of Rohan.

The cool thing is that Borondir wasn’t just some swift and capable Gondorian errand rider. He was a descendant of one of the Northmen who had gone to live in Gondor over a thousand years before, when Eorl’s ancestors first allied themselves with the Gondorians. So he was an especially appropriate messenger for a request to honor the ancient friendship between the two peoples because he was a living embodiment of that alliance — as a Gondorian by nationality but a Northman by heritage, he had a foot in both camps. He was coming to Eorl to seek the help of an ally but also the seek the help of his own people/ancestors.

The books don’t say this explicitly, but I imagine that having the message come from Borondir rather than any of the other 5 riders might have helped push Eorl over the top into deciding to join the fight. Because Tolkien was pretty clear that Eorl could very easily have decided not to get involved. Gondor was *very* far away from where the Éothéod lived so they didn’t share the same threat; the Éothéod were at peace where they were, but to have their lord and whole army ride out would leave them exposed to danger; and Cirion “had no claim on the Éothéod” that would have compelled them to come to his aid. Instead, Eorl made the decision as a “free gift of friendship,” and perhaps that friendship was at the top of his mind because the messenger in front of him was one who evoked the old alliance by his mere existence.

And yes, it was clear to the Éothéod that they shared a kinship with Borondir — we can see this from the fact that it’s specifically noted that Borondir’s death was mourned by *both* the Gondorians and the Éothéod. Do we think Eorl and his people would be particularly invested in any random Gondorian soldier, or are they invested in one that they recognize as one of them? Seems obvious to me.

(Final random point of interest — Borondir is also recorded in songs of the time under the name Borondir Udalraph (‘the stirrupless’) in reference to his appearance at the Field of Celebrant at Eorl’s side, which suggests to me that Borondir and the Éothéod rode bareback! Into battle! Baller move.)

The Silmarillion Writers’ Guild publishes bios for Silm characters but also Second or Third Age characters who don’t really figure into the narratives of LOTR or the Hobbit. You know I love an obscure character, especially one connected to Rohan, and so I got to write a bio for one of my absolute favorite Tolkien ladies, Vidumavi of the Northmen — you can find it here!

If her name isn’t familiar, that’s because she only appears briefly in Appendix A, but she absolutely rules. She was an ancestor of the Rohirrim who captured the heart of Gondor’s crown prince, married him, and then endured a whole load of nonsense that led to a coup and a civil war. If that sounds interesting to you, maybe you’d enjoy the bio!