Éomer

"I shan't call it the end, till we've cleared up the mess." — Sam This article or section needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of article quality.

Éomer
Rohir
Biographical Information
Other names	Éomer Éadig
Position	King of Rohan
Birth	Third Age 2991
Rule	Third Age 3019 - Fourth Age 63
Death	Fourth Age 63, aged 93 years
Family
Parentage	Éomund and Théodwyn
Spouse	Lothíriel
Children	Elfwine
Physical Description
Gender	Male
Gallery	Images of Éomer

Éomer was the eighteenth King of Rohan, and first of the Third Line. His name is likely derived from the Anglo-Saxon words "eoh" ("war-horse"), and possibly "mēre", ("grand, excellent, famous"). In a note written well after the initial publication of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien gave Éomer's height as 6 feet 6 inches tall ("of like height with Aragorn").

Éomer, of the House of Eorl, was the son of Théodwyn, sister of King Théoden of Rohan, and Éomund, a Chief Marshal of the Riddermark. He had a sister Éowyn. After they were orphaned Théoden adopted them as his own children.

He was tall, strong and possessed of great passion and also was considered a valiant and splendid warrior and a discerning and decent man. Eomer became a great, wise and skilled warrior and rider.

Éomer was third Marshal of the Mark, in command of the East-Mark, and was a strong leader of Men. His Éored hunted down the Uruk-hai that had taken Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took as they camped near Fangorn Forest, slaying them all. He never saw the Hobbits, as they fled during the battle. Afterwards he met Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas in the plains of Rohan, and he gave them two horses.

Éomer returned to Edoras, and reported on meeting the Ranger and friends. However, he was arrested after threatening Gríma Wormtongue because of his advances on Éomer's sister.

He was set free when Théoden recovered from the influence of Saruman the White, and was with his king at the Battle of the Hornburg, where he and his éored drove the Orcs and Dunlendings of Saruman from the walls of the Hornburg and into the Huorn forest, where they were killed.

Afterwards he rode with Théoden, Aragorn, and Gandalf to Isengard, where they confronted a trapped Saruman. Éomer rode with his king to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, and fought bravely for Rohan and Gondor.

In the year 3019 at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields Théoden was killed, and Éomer became his successor. He stayed long behind in Minas Tirith to help Aragorn rebuild his kingdom, before returning home to be crowned king himself.

Éomer renewed the Oath of Eorl for Aragorn after Aragorn had been crowned King Elessar of the Reunited Kingdom, and Éomer had been crowned King of Rohan, swearing everlasting friendship between Rohan and Gondor (and legalizing Cirion's grant of Calenardhon to the Éothéod.)

He became known as Éomer Éadig, or "the Blessed", because during his reign Rohan recovered from the hurts of the War and became a rich and fruitful land again.

Éomer had met Princess Lothíriel, daughter of Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth during his stay in Gondor, and they were wed. She bore him a son Elfwine the Fair, who succeeded his father as the King of Rohan, after Éomer's death in the year Fourth Age 63.

Éomer's sword was called Gúthwinë (Old English battle-friend).

Portrayal in Adaptations

File:Eomer from Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings.jpg

Éomer as portrayed in Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings

File:Karl Urban as Eomer.jpg

Karl Urban as Éomer in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings

In Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings Éomer is pictured in the film and is crucial to the plot, but does not have any lines.

In Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings Éomer is portrayed by New Zealand actor Karl Urban.

In both Ralph Bakshi's animated film and the Peter Jackson's movie trilogy, Éomer is an outcast and renegade until he arrives at Helm's Deep, summoned by Gandalf. In this sense, his character has been combined with the character of Erkenbrand, who is the one that Gandalf returns to Helm's Deep with in the book.

In the Peter Jackson's films, Éomer is explicitly exiled by Gríma before meeting Aragorn (which the animated film only hints at). He is more prominent in the book than in these films, since they focus on Théoden and Éowyn more.

See Also

• Images of Éomer

Preceded by: Théoden

18th King of Rohan III 3019 – IV 63

Followed by: Elfwine