[davem]

Originally Posted by Raynor

I for one believe that there is plenty of evidence that Eomer's description was accurate.

But he didn't say 'I hear some very angry people' - he said 'I hear animals'

Also, it wasn't the fact that the dunlendings sounded like animals that started the wars, but because they insulted and threatened the rohirrim king, invaded Rohan when it was also attacked from the East, enslaved and slain its people. To say that it was an "attitude" at play, is to discount history.

If you break in & occupy my house & force me to live in my garden shed & I smash the windows, am I smashing your windows or my own? I don't see how the Dunlendings can be accused of 'invading' what was technically their own land.

I disagree; the actual feud started when Freca came to Helm's council. At that time, he was allowed to have wide lands and his own stronghold. Even though he paid no heed to the king, he was still called to his councils. This happened ~250 years after the rohirrim came to Calenardhon. It was about that time Freca insulted Helm and threatened him, even though it was apparent he was his subject.

And Gamling has another version:

Not in half a thousand years have they forgotten their grievance that the lords of Gondor gave the Mark to Eorl the Young and made alliance with him.

The feud had its origins in the fact that the Dunlendings were dispossessed of their own lands. If I was Freca, finding myself being 'given back' something that was taken from me by the representative of the very person who stole it from me I'd be pretty narked.