Eorlingas or Eorlings[1] was a name the Rohirrim sometimes used for themselves, as followers and descendants of their first King, Eorl[2][3].
The word was used in a call to arms chanted by King Théoden when Gandalf had healed him:[4]
Arise now, arise, Riders of Théoden!
Dire deeds awake, dark it is eastward.
Let horse be bridled, horn be sounded!
Forth Eorlingas!
It was also used by the armed men standing nearby after the healing,[4] by Háma when he suggested Éowyn as the regent of Rohan during the absence of King Théoden[5], by Théoden and his riders,[6] and by Théoden to rally the Rohirrim during the Battle of the Hornburg[7]and the Battle of the Pelennor Fields[8].
Etymology
Eorlingas is an Old English name, which means "People of Eorl". It contains the elements eorl and -ingas ("people").[9]
The word is an Old English translation of the Rohanese þorunahim (sg. þuron).[10]
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix F, "The Languages and Peoples of the Third Age", "Of Men", p. 1129
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The House of Eorl", entry for King Eorl the Young, p. 1064
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Muster of Rohan", pp. 797 and 803
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, "The King of the Golden Hall", p. 517
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, "The King of the Golden Hall", p. 523
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, "The King of the Golden Hall", p. 524
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, "Helm's Deep", p. 540
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields", p. 840
- ↑ Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 407
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Feanorian Alphabet, Part 1 & Quenya Verb Structure", in Parma Eldalamberon XXII (edited by Christopher Gilson and Arden R. Smith), p. 159