Unfinished Tales - Part Three - II - Cirion and Eorl
 

...and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan

Tolkien begins this chapter with a metafictional reference to the "Chronicles of Cirion and Eorl", a document which does not exist, but parts of which are related in this account. The first section, "The Northmen and the Wainriders", is historical in character, with no dialogue and little character development. One interesting fact gives a theoretical reason for the lack of population in Middle-earth - the Great Plague. The bulk of this section is about the battle with the Wainriders.

The second section, "The Ride of Eorl", has a more narrative character. We get to know the protagonists through their thoughts, words, and actions. Both Cirion and Eorl are worthy of interest and admiration. The detail I find most fascinating is the protective mist that came from Lothlórien! Apparently it was part of the effort to fight against the darkness of Dol Guldur, but it also shielded the Éothéod from their enemies. I can't help but wonder if Galadriel had seen their coming in her mirror?

In the third section, we read about about Halfirien, or Amon Anwar, and the special significance it had for Gondor, and later on for Rohan. We also read more concerning the friendship between the two leaders and subsequently their people. I found this to be enjoyable reading and really liked getting to know the two main characters.

Finally we have the fourth section, "The Tradition of Isildur", which gives us the prequel to the preceding story.

Then come over 12 pages of notes!

How interesting do you find the information in this chapter? Which section is your favourite? What do you think of the characters and the history this gives? Did the notes add anything that you like?

There's quite a lot in this chapter to like.

To start, I think the first section regarding the attacks of the Wainriders on the Northmen and the involvement with Gondor certainly sowed the seeds of the later friendship between the two peoples, and serves as a nice complement to ROTK Appendix A and The Tale of years, giving the reader some much-missed details of some important Middle-earth history.

In "The Ride of Eorl" we get a look at Ciron's motives in asking the Éothéod for aid, and Eorl's reasons for risking the lives of his people to answer the call. Eorl's line of thinking is simple: "If we don't help them, there'll be no help for us." No thoughts of reward, or compensation there. It shows Eorl to be a great, if simple man himself, though not one of the lofty Men of the Sea.
It is interesting that Eorl and his troops had that help from Lórien. I do think Galadriel's knowledge of the events they were involving themselves in could have been based on the Mirror, but perhaps more so on a general knowledge that the Éothéod were simply good Men, and their riding was part of a good purpose. After all, she herself noted that "The Mirror is dangerous as a guide of deeds"!

Finally, the scene upon the Hill of Awe, with the exchange of oaths between Cirion and Eorl is one of the most gorgeous moments in any of Tolkien's works. I love the picture of it. It seems to me that Cirion taking his part of the Oath in Quenya did indeed "hallow" both the spot and the Oath itself. That is borne out by an affirmation while he spoke that plainly was purposeful, and no coincidence of nature.

That speaking in Quenya, and above all, the naming of Eru to witness, was what made the bond between the two realms special. We don't see that sort of closeness anywhere else I can recall.

Beautiful, beautiful chapter. Overall, probably the most poignant of the UT for me.

I couldn't put the book down when the narrative described the wars with the Wainriders. And then Borondir's storyline, and the Eored's ride. Oh my god, I was so excited to finally find out more about the famed Battle of Celebrant! And the Halifirien part was so serene, majestical, unearthly, and holy that outside interruptions seemed profane.

This made me think... The only other time I recall when Eru was brought to witness was during the Oath of Feanor. And The Sil says about Feanor and his sons:

How different does this sound from the Oath of Cirion and Eorl! Firstly, whereas OOF compares the redness to blood, OOCAE compares it to fire. Secondly, in OOCAE there is as if a sign of approval and hallowness from the West - I doubt that it was just there accidentally. OOF - do I need to elaborate on the opinion of the Valar? Also, the usage of fire; while OOCAE creates the feeling of holiness, OOF looks more like some devilish/hellish thing.

Woot! I am caught up (well, until Esty posts the next thread, anyway).

Lots of thoughts about Cirion and Eorl...

First of all, I love this piece because, like "The Disaster of the Gladden Fields" before it, it fleshes out a significant chunk of Appendix A/Tale of the Years. Even more so than "Gladden Fields," however, I really felt like Tolkien had the Appendices open in front of him while he wrote this. The connection to "Gladden Fields" felt even closer with Part IV, where Isildur and Meneldil tour the realm and bury Elendil--I assume Elendur was along for this tour, as Heir of the North-Realm? The text doesn't say, but that's the sort of speculation that comes up...

The four different Parts each seemed to start as if Tolkien were taking a fresh stab at telling the story, from the Long History background of Wainriders, Northmen, and Gondor, to the Actual Ride of Eorl, to the Taking of the Oath, to the Backstory of Amon Anwar. They certainly all fit together, but the way they start, I felt as if any of them could have been intended to stand alone. In some respects, I think this helps illustrate that this isn't just the story of Cirion and Eorl, or even of Gondor's friendship with Rohan, but the story of the whole history of the Northmen, how the presence of Gondor ultimately destroyed their civilization in Rhovanion, drove a single remnant north along the Anduin, and eventually caused their resurrection as the Kingdom of Rohan. Looked at that way, it's also the story of Gondor's redemption--remember that they looked in suspicion on the Northmen and had a bloody civil war, the Kinslaying, over them--as they come to accept the Rohirrim as their allies and friends.

Part 1 is my favourite (at least until I read the other three...). Telling the tale of King Narmacil II and King Calimehtar's wars with the Wainriders and ending with the death of Ondoher and the ascension of Eärnil II to the throne, it fits in nicely with the story of Arvedui, Pelendur, and Prince Eärnur: the story of the succession crisis, the fall of Arnor, and the end of the Line of Anárion, which probably gets the most attention in Appendix A of all the stories. Perhaps my favourite aspect of this story is the name of Ondoher's sister-son, Minohtar. The simple fact of his existence--and death in the wake of Ondoher's slaughter--gives a bit more background to rejection of Arvedui's claim, which was made on the basis of his wife, Ondoher's daughter. Although Pelendur and the council decided against succession to the throne through the female line, one wonders if they would still have handed the throne to Eärnil if Minohtar had been claiming the throne.

And then there's his name. I realise that it contains "Ohtar" (another connection to "Gladden Fields"), but I can't help wondering it was the result of some etymological whimsy whereby Tolkien worked a "minotaur" into Middle-earth.

One other thing that intrigued me was the legal system of the Gondorian state, which shines through quite a bit whenever Tolkien addresses how the Stewards wield royal power and perform royal functions. The following sums it up best:

Although this comes in the clear context of the Stewards being painted as good guys: the ones who held Gondor together, the shift from the "the Kingdom of Gondor" to "the state of Gondor" helps illuminate Denethor's mentality about the realm.

I also wondered if Denethor ever visited Elendil's tomb in Rath Dínen with Boromir. Obviously, with the removal of Elendil's casket, the tradition of visiting Amon Anwar was no longer binding, but I wonder if a version of it was retained with the removed body.

I'm too far behind to partake in any discussion now, I guess. :( (I've read up to "the hunt for the Ring", and followed the discussion, but have given up since; too much to do in real life)
This chapter took me a long time to read, because of all the notes, but like Formendacil, I found the history of the Northmen very interesting. Especially #6 about the Gothic names of the early kings and princes of the Northmen!
And I am very impressed by the sincerity and integrity of Cirion and Eorl. Would that there were such statesmen in our days!

the One who sits above all thrones forever.
 

Formendacil, I wondered that myself regarding if the tomb of Elendil was visited by the stewards after his casket was removed to Rath Dinen. One almost gets the feeling that by Denethor's time, the Stewards were no longer interested in keeping the kingdom ready for the King's return, but desired more to hang onto their own power, hoping maybe the king wasn't coming back. If that were the case, visiting the tomb of Elendil would seem pointless at best and hypocrisy at worst. In fact, by the time of LOTR when the king IS returning, most of Gondor seems to be ignorant of Elendil. Only Aragorn and his band of "Rangers" (Dunedain) seem interested in remembering or invoking the name of Elendil.

Also, what of the fate of Amon Anwar, the Holy Hill? Was it as hallowed after Elendil's casket was removed? Was no one but the king (steward) still allowed there?

As for the red glow with the Oath of Feanor and the Oath of Cirion. Perhaps both are a signal that Eru is witness to the oaths. With the first, Eru was witness to Feanor's oath and would hold him and all his participants to every terrible thing that was promised in that oath. (See the Noldor being banned from Valinor, constant pointless slaughter, ect.) With Cirion, Eru was witness and giving his blessing and approval.

A kingdom with a vacant throne
 

It might interest people to know that there was a 'Gondorian' example in 20th century European history, of a kingdom with a vacant throne: Hungary in 1920-44. That state had as king the head of the Hapsburg family, who was also Emperor of Austria. At the end of WWI, when Austria-Hungary was defeated, Charles I of Austria, also Charles IV of Hungary, renounced his power in both countries. In Hungary, after a period (1919-20) when a Communist Hungarian Soviet Republic was in power, military forces under Admiral Miklós Horthy seized power, and elections were held for an assembly. Horthy was elected Regent of Hungary, a position he would hold until 1944.

But while Hungary was restored as a monarchy, it had no monarch. Attempts by the former Charles IV to regain power failed. This is an interesting real life comparison with the Gondor portrayed by Tolkien.

There may have been some good Stewards but it was the Steward Pelendur who rejected Arvedui as King. That may have helped save Gonder had he been instated. In the end the High Men brought about all that they did not want to happen through rebellion and the kin-strife. Most of their men died and they ended up mingling with the lesser men, even in the king's house.

Cirion, said to be the noblest Steward of Gondor, kept an active watch on his borders. There were some, even among the kings who were lax is such things. Gondor was diminished in his time and he did what he must to ensure its safety in renewing bonds with the Northmen.

Yes, though the whole chapter was excellent in its "summarizing the gaps", this part was my favorite bit of this chapter. When I first acquired Unfinished Tales, I must have re-read this part several times while at times re-reading the appendices to 'fit' the tale of Arvedui and his claim to the throne of Gondor together. Of the history that had been mostly glossed over with a few lines in the tale, this is one of the most interesting periods to me. I'm going to go re-read this again now....