Post by ealdread on Jan 24, 2009 2:50:55 GMT -5
Hola’r, geholen!
I am writing this little guide in the hopes that it can serve as a brief reference on some of the things one should take into consideration when role-playing as a Rohirrim. It will include a brief history of the country and its people, some things to know about the culture and society of the Eorlingas, a handful of important historical and contemporary figures in the history of the nation, and a brief listing of a few handy Rohirric words and phrases one can utilize to enrich their RP experience.
Rohan: The Seas of Grass
Rohan is a land of sweeping grasslands, not unlike the savannahs of Africa or the Great Plains of the United States, if perhaps more verdant than the former. Rolling hills, high grasses, and very few trees make the landscape perfect for the breeding of horses, which has made the Rohirrim famous over time. Indeed, Rohirrim is Sindarin for “Horse-Lords”, so it is fitting indeed that we are held in high esteem for our capabilities as breeders. In Old Rohan (and still today, to some degree), the power and worth of a Man was determined by the stock and number of his horses, and Eorlings are judged based on their capabilities within the saddle, both as riders and as warriors.
The lands of Rohan were gifted to Eorl the Young, First High King of the Eorlingas, in the year 2509 of the Third Age, by Cirion, Steward of Gondor, after the Eotheod (the tribe led by Eorl himself) answered his summons and routed the enemy on the Fields of Celebrant. Thusly, Men of the Mark are greatly indebted to the Men of Gondor, their great allies to the south, but are in no way their subjects or vassals.
A few key places and cities include:
Edoras - The main settlement and home of the King. Her walls lie near the White Mountains, not far from the borders of Gondor.
Aldburg - The second largest city within the kingdom, located in the Eastfold.
Helm’s Deep - A deep, strategically located valley within the White Mountains, in which is built the great fortress the Hornburg. It has been said to be nearly, if not completely, inpenetrable, and easily defended with only a handful of skilled Eorling archers. Its strategic location at the point at which the Misty Mountains meet the White Mountains has made it the sight of many a hard-fought battle, particularly between the minions of Sauron and Saruman, and the Riders of the Mark and their allies.
Despite the growing size of the cities and towns throughout the Mark, most Eorlings still live a semi-nomadic lifestyle, and some in fact never venture into the cities at all.
The Eorlingas: The People of the Mark
Eorlingas literally translates to mean the Sons of Eorl, the first High King of the Mark. Eorlingas are typically tall, fair of skin and hair, and light eyed. They are proud, stubborn, and often hot-headed, but are also known to be wise, valorous, and just in their ways. Many live by a strict code of conduct, not unlike the knights of Medieval Europe. Indeed, Aragorn describes them as such in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers:
They are proud and willful, but they are true-hearted, generous in thought and deed; bold but not cruel; wise but unlearned, writing no books but singing many songs, after the manner of the children of Men before the Dark Years.
Men and Women do not have “modern” surnames, referring to themselves instead as Son or Daughter of their father. Thus, Theoden, who’s father was called Thengel, would be known as Theoden, Son of Thengel.
Politically, the Mark would have felt very much like Feudal Europe, with all manner of Dukes, Earls/Counts, etc., all serving under the High King. Eorlingas would refer to their king with name first, followed by the honorific, such as Theoden King, or Eorl King. People do not bow and grovel before their kings and nobility, but will instead knuckle their forehead and bow, or, in the case of lesser nobility or Men of equal standing, incline their head in a polite nod. Though not overly fond of physical contact, male Riders and good friends will often clasp forearms, or clap one another on the shoulder in greeting.
Here are a few interesting and important Eorlings, past and present:
Brego, the Builder - Second King of the Mark
Eorl the Young - First High King of the Mark
Eowyn - Daughter of Theoden, and lover of Aragorn.
Grima “Wormtongue” - Chief counsellor to Theoden, and vile servant of Saruman the White.
Thengel - Sixteenth King of the Mark, and father of Theoden
Theoden - Seventeenth King of the Mark, and current ruler during the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
Theodred - Only son of Theoden, killed in the first battle of the Fords of Isen.
Economically, the Mark is a place of vibrant trade, both in coin and barter. Gondorian coins are typically used when currency is involved, but many transactions are simply traded goods and services. Furthermore, the strategic location of the Mark makes it a natural hub of sorts for the trade to and from Gondor. All able bodied persons work, and are expected to care for the very young and the very old.
A (very) brief listing of a few important Rohirric words and phrases:
Rohirric is not unlike Old English, both in terms of its layout as a language, and in terms of how much we as modern english speakers can understand. While a number of the words used within the language may seem familiar, far more will likely seem quite the opposite. Still, Rohirric on the whole is fairly simple and intuitive, and knowing a few words and phrases will get you an awfully long way. Here is a sample:
Hello = Hail, hola
Hello, my friend = Hola’r, gehola
I am honored = Eie’rn erfaest
My spear is yours = Ar’ord eir’ai
What news from the Mark? = Wia niwan aet’aer Riddermark?
Ride well = Brem holca
Good hunting = Yfeger huntop
Safe journey = Halor eflast
I am honored to ride with you = Eie’rn erfaest tar ridan wida’ilb
You ride well - for a Dwarf! = Ai ridan holca - fer ar Dwarun!
For Rohan! = Fer Rohan!
For the Mark! = Fer’elb Riddermark!
Forth Eorlingas! = Ford Eorlingas!
Hunter = Huntaleod
Captain = Aethelwigend
Guardian = Hyrde
Loremaster (Master of Lore) = Maegister oir Lar
Minstrel = Gieddian (from “singer”)
( I could not think of or find any decent translations for Burglar, Runekeeper, or Warden. Any suggestions would be welcome!)
On pluralization: the great debate rages on!
There are some who are of the opinion that pluralizing a word in Rohirric is as simple as adding an ‘s’ on the end of a word. For example, the word for “my friend” is gehola. Therefore, with this technique, the pluralization would be ‘geholas’.
Contrarily, there are some (myself included) that believe pluralization is more similar to the pluralization of Old English words, whereby many would have ‘en’, ‘aen’, or simply ‘n’ added to the end of a word. Thusly, ‘gehola’ becomes ‘geholen/geholaen’. Not only do I think this makes a bit more sense, but, quite frankly, it looks and sounds a heck of a lot better
I hope that this guide can help to serve and help you in your formation and play of your Rohirric character, and in your interactions with those that RP as Rohirrim. A special thanks to all of my old friends on Elendor, from whom I learned so much, to Turk Storm Hoof (author of a vast compilation of Rohirric words and phrases), and all of my kinmates in Lond Treneri.
FORTH EORLINGAS!
I am writing this little guide in the hopes that it can serve as a brief reference on some of the things one should take into consideration when role-playing as a Rohirrim. It will include a brief history of the country and its people, some things to know about the culture and society of the Eorlingas, a handful of important historical and contemporary figures in the history of the nation, and a brief listing of a few handy Rohirric words and phrases one can utilize to enrich their RP experience.
Rohan: The Seas of Grass
Rohan is a land of sweeping grasslands, not unlike the savannahs of Africa or the Great Plains of the United States, if perhaps more verdant than the former. Rolling hills, high grasses, and very few trees make the landscape perfect for the breeding of horses, which has made the Rohirrim famous over time. Indeed, Rohirrim is Sindarin for “Horse-Lords”, so it is fitting indeed that we are held in high esteem for our capabilities as breeders. In Old Rohan (and still today, to some degree), the power and worth of a Man was determined by the stock and number of his horses, and Eorlings are judged based on their capabilities within the saddle, both as riders and as warriors.
The lands of Rohan were gifted to Eorl the Young, First High King of the Eorlingas, in the year 2509 of the Third Age, by Cirion, Steward of Gondor, after the Eotheod (the tribe led by Eorl himself) answered his summons and routed the enemy on the Fields of Celebrant. Thusly, Men of the Mark are greatly indebted to the Men of Gondor, their great allies to the south, but are in no way their subjects or vassals.
A few key places and cities include:
Edoras - The main settlement and home of the King. Her walls lie near the White Mountains, not far from the borders of Gondor.
Aldburg - The second largest city within the kingdom, located in the Eastfold.
Helm’s Deep - A deep, strategically located valley within the White Mountains, in which is built the great fortress the Hornburg. It has been said to be nearly, if not completely, inpenetrable, and easily defended with only a handful of skilled Eorling archers. Its strategic location at the point at which the Misty Mountains meet the White Mountains has made it the sight of many a hard-fought battle, particularly between the minions of Sauron and Saruman, and the Riders of the Mark and their allies.
Despite the growing size of the cities and towns throughout the Mark, most Eorlings still live a semi-nomadic lifestyle, and some in fact never venture into the cities at all.
The Eorlingas: The People of the Mark
Eorlingas literally translates to mean the Sons of Eorl, the first High King of the Mark. Eorlingas are typically tall, fair of skin and hair, and light eyed. They are proud, stubborn, and often hot-headed, but are also known to be wise, valorous, and just in their ways. Many live by a strict code of conduct, not unlike the knights of Medieval Europe. Indeed, Aragorn describes them as such in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers:
They are proud and willful, but they are true-hearted, generous in thought and deed; bold but not cruel; wise but unlearned, writing no books but singing many songs, after the manner of the children of Men before the Dark Years.
Men and Women do not have “modern” surnames, referring to themselves instead as Son or Daughter of their father. Thus, Theoden, who’s father was called Thengel, would be known as Theoden, Son of Thengel.
Politically, the Mark would have felt very much like Feudal Europe, with all manner of Dukes, Earls/Counts, etc., all serving under the High King. Eorlingas would refer to their king with name first, followed by the honorific, such as Theoden King, or Eorl King. People do not bow and grovel before their kings and nobility, but will instead knuckle their forehead and bow, or, in the case of lesser nobility or Men of equal standing, incline their head in a polite nod. Though not overly fond of physical contact, male Riders and good friends will often clasp forearms, or clap one another on the shoulder in greeting.
Here are a few interesting and important Eorlings, past and present:
Brego, the Builder - Second King of the Mark
Eorl the Young - First High King of the Mark
Eowyn - Daughter of Theoden, and lover of Aragorn.
Grima “Wormtongue” - Chief counsellor to Theoden, and vile servant of Saruman the White.
Thengel - Sixteenth King of the Mark, and father of Theoden
Theoden - Seventeenth King of the Mark, and current ruler during the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
Theodred - Only son of Theoden, killed in the first battle of the Fords of Isen.
Economically, the Mark is a place of vibrant trade, both in coin and barter. Gondorian coins are typically used when currency is involved, but many transactions are simply traded goods and services. Furthermore, the strategic location of the Mark makes it a natural hub of sorts for the trade to and from Gondor. All able bodied persons work, and are expected to care for the very young and the very old.
A (very) brief listing of a few important Rohirric words and phrases:
Rohirric is not unlike Old English, both in terms of its layout as a language, and in terms of how much we as modern english speakers can understand. While a number of the words used within the language may seem familiar, far more will likely seem quite the opposite. Still, Rohirric on the whole is fairly simple and intuitive, and knowing a few words and phrases will get you an awfully long way. Here is a sample:
Hello = Hail, hola
Hello, my friend = Hola’r, gehola
I am honored = Eie’rn erfaest
My spear is yours = Ar’ord eir’ai
What news from the Mark? = Wia niwan aet’aer Riddermark?
Ride well = Brem holca
Good hunting = Yfeger huntop
Safe journey = Halor eflast
I am honored to ride with you = Eie’rn erfaest tar ridan wida’ilb
You ride well - for a Dwarf! = Ai ridan holca - fer ar Dwarun!
For Rohan! = Fer Rohan!
For the Mark! = Fer’elb Riddermark!
Forth Eorlingas! = Ford Eorlingas!
Hunter = Huntaleod
Captain = Aethelwigend
Guardian = Hyrde
Loremaster (Master of Lore) = Maegister oir Lar
Minstrel = Gieddian (from “singer”)
( I could not think of or find any decent translations for Burglar, Runekeeper, or Warden. Any suggestions would be welcome!)
On pluralization: the great debate rages on!
There are some who are of the opinion that pluralizing a word in Rohirric is as simple as adding an ‘s’ on the end of a word. For example, the word for “my friend” is gehola. Therefore, with this technique, the pluralization would be ‘geholas’.
Contrarily, there are some (myself included) that believe pluralization is more similar to the pluralization of Old English words, whereby many would have ‘en’, ‘aen’, or simply ‘n’ added to the end of a word. Thusly, ‘gehola’ becomes ‘geholen/geholaen’. Not only do I think this makes a bit more sense, but, quite frankly, it looks and sounds a heck of a lot better
I hope that this guide can help to serve and help you in your formation and play of your Rohirric character, and in your interactions with those that RP as Rohirrim. A special thanks to all of my old friends on Elendor, from whom I learned so much, to Turk Storm Hoof (author of a vast compilation of Rohirric words and phrases), and all of my kinmates in Lond Treneri.
FORTH EORLINGAS!