The Encyclopedia of Arda - Riders of the King’s House (original) (raw)
The personal éored of the King of the Mark
Those Riders of Rohan who served under the direct orders of their King and acted as his personal guard. This King's Company consisted of an éored, a military unit formally consisting of one hundred and twenty Riders, who were garrisoned and maintained at the King's seat in Edoras. When the King rode to war, the Riders of the King's House were reckoned the chief of the éoreds of his army, falling under his direct command rather than that of one of his Marshals.
As Théoden rode out from Dunharrow to Minas Tirith, he was accompanied by his household-men, who are described as being Riders of special renown. In the Battle of the Pelennor that followed, however, they failed to save their King from disaster. Many were slain in that battle, and those who survived were borne far from the King by horses driven mad by the onset of the Lord of the Nazgûl. Théoden's steed Snowmane was wounded by a dart, and fell on his master. So Théoden's life ended, but not before Éowyn and Merry Brandybuck were able to destroy the Nazgûl Lord.
After the Battle, Théoden's body was returned with great honour to Edoras, where he was entombed with his ancestors on the Barrowfield at the foot of the city's hill. There, all riding white horses, the surviving Riders of the King's House rode around Théoden's barrow singing a lament for their fallen King.
Notes
| 1 | The first definite mention of the Riders of the King's House dated back to the time of King Folcwine, the great-grandfather of Théoden. Folcwine was responsible for a military reorganisation of the Riders of the Mark, and the accounts of that reorganisation contain our earliest records of Riders attached to the King's Household. Although this is the first definite mention of the royal éored, it is perfectly possible that Folcwine was merely continuing an older tradition, and the Riders of the King's House may in principle have dated back further into history. |
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- Updated 23 July 2024
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