Reading The Lord of the Rings: "The Riders of Rohan"
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Welcome to Tolkien Tuesdays, where I talk about various things that I love about the lore and writings of Tolkien, whether in a chapter reading or a character study or an essay. I hope you enjoy reading these ruminations as much as I enjoy writing them and, if you have a moment, I’d love it if you’d subscribe to this newsletter. It’s free, but there are paid options, as well, if you’re of a mind to support a struggling writer. Either way, thank you for joining me!
Having decided that they will pursue the Orcs and try to rescue Merry and Pippin, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli set out in pursuit. Very quickly, however, it becomes clear that their path isn’t going to be an easy one, particularly once it becomes clear that some malicious force seems to be driving them to move ever faster, leaving their pursuers far behind. Fortunately for them, their path intersects with that of a band of the Rohirrim, an encounter that has far-reaching consequences for everyone concerned.
Even now, after all of my many re-reads of The Lord of the Rings, I still feel a thrill at the first sight of the Riders of Rohan. Yes, the Men of Gondor might be tall and mighty and proud, bearing the proud demeanor of their ancestors of old, but these fair-haired, horse-riding warriors have their own code of honor that they will do almost anything to avoid breaking. For this reason, they are also quite able to detect dishonesty in others, even as their more rustic way of life means that they view such places as Lothlórien, as well as Galadriel herself, with no small amount of hostility. Given that the Rohirrim are, as many people have noted, basically the Anglo-Saxons with horses, their skepticism regarding things that have to do with the “magical” is at least somewhat understandable. It makes sense, then, that Éomer would even go so far as to state that Boromir was more similar to the men of his land than those of Gondor, to both his benefit and his peril.
At the same time, it is precisely their code of honor and dignity that makes it difficult for some members of the Rohirrim, particularly Éomer, to navigate the fraught and uncertain times in which they find themselves. Confronted with three individuals who seem to have emerged from out of the grass–to say nothing of the unrest that spreads across all of Rohan–one can hardly blame this brave and honorable young man for being uncertain of just where his loyalties lie. And yet, as Aragorn reminds him: “Good and ill have not changed since yesteryear; nor are they one thing among Elves and Dwarves and another among Men. It is a man’s part to discern them, as much in the Golden Wood as in his own house.” It’s one of those moments in which the moral ethos of Tolkien’s creation is made most manifest, and it reveals the extent to which Aragorn is one of those characters whose own moral compass is resolutely fixed.
The conversation between Éomer and Aragorn is, I think, one of the most fascinating in the entirety of The Two Towers. It reveals much of the state of Middle-earth and of the kingdoms of Men, in particular. Even when the might of Sauron is growing daily, there are still those who think that it is possible to merely look to their own affairs and hope that the greater conflicts of the world pass them by. Of course, they all learn soon enough that such things are never possible, that in times of crisis it is not just one’s moral duty to take a side; there is no avoiding the tides of war when they are lapping at your doorstep. Though Tolkien would loudly and frequently insist that there was nothing allegorical about The Lord of the Rings, one senses that Aragorn’s condemnation and critique of such parochialism and isolationism is at least somewhat an expression of Tolkien’s own viewpoint (hardly surprising, since he witnessed the rise of the Nazis, a blistering evil if ever there was one).
At the same time, this sequence also gives us more information about Aragorn himself. We’ve known for quite some time that he is much older than he appears, but now we find that he has even explored parts of Rohan, though under a different name. Unlike Éomer and the men he leads, who have a rather parochial view of the world, Aragorn is clearly someone who has made it a point to venture through many of the lands of Middle-earth. Given that he will one day soon be king, and given the longstanding ties of loyalty between the land of Gondor and Rohan, one would expect him to want to make sure he understands the complexities of the nation bordering his own.
For me, though, one of the most fascinating parts of this chapter is the appearance of the old man as the three hunters rest beneath the trees of Fangorn. As will become clear in a few chapters this isn’t Gandalf, so it must certainly be Saruman. If so, it’s the first time that we meet him in person rather than through simple recollection and, of course, he has to cause as much havoc as he can, in this case by setting the horses free. One would think that someone with such high and mighty ambitions as Saruman would have better things to do than to mess about with horses in the middle of the night, but we’ve already seen how petty and cruel he can be, so in that sense his mischief-making makes a certain kind of sense.
And, of course, there’s the requisite bit of rumination about the power and limitations of human agency, particularly as these intersect with knowledge (or lack thereof). As Aragorn potently puts it: “the counsel of Gandalf was not founded on foreknowledge of safety, for himself or for others […] There are some things that it is better to begin than to refuse, even though the end may be dark.” From the very beginning of the saga, it has been clear that there are times when you simply have to keep going forward and do what you think is right, even when (perhaps especially when) you don’t know how things will turn out in the end. Like Gandalf and Frodo, Aragorn realizes that he has to see this pursuit of Merry and Pippin through to the end, even if, as seems likely, they have met a tragic end. It’s an inspiring thing to keep in mind as we start a new year.
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