Lament for the Eotheod

So fragile is the fire of peace, who scatters like ash on a breeze.

So malign is the man of East, who batters our home with disease.

So hungry is the hound of greed, who starves ’til we beg on our knees.

So striking is the storm of war, who carves ’til our lives are all seized.

A blink and all you love is there. A blink and all you love is lost.

Warriors answer our prayers but their lives become the cost.

A high horn raised to all brave men, who ignite new peace in the dark.

A deep dig made for who fell then, rest now at our home Riddermark.

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About the Poem

My friends and I stream on Twitch a TTRPG Campaign that’s based on Tolkien’s work, called Adventures in Middle-Earth. One day, the Loremaster (a.k.a. the DM in D&D) asked me if I could write a poem for him to present during a session. He described how he wanted something related to the Éothéod, later known as the Rohirrim, and their struggles since around 1850 in the Third Age. After writing it, I wanted to share it to the world and other Tolkien fans!

For big LoTR fans and/or lore lovers: this was first when the Northmen had suffered from the Wainriders (men from the East), being conquered and enslaved by them. Some eventually escaped and migrated throughout the vast Vales of Anduin, thus becoming known the Éothéod; or “horse-people” for their mastery of riding. More years ensued of fighting off Wainrider raids. And a few centuries later, under their King, Eorl, they answered the call to aid Gondor in their fight against Angmar. Now calling themselves “Eorlings” after their King, they resettled after the fight at the location they defeated the Shadow: the plains of Calenardhon, their new Riddermark or “Land of the Riders” in their own language, but named Rohan and the Rohirrim by outsiders.

The poem was “cited” in our stream by an NPC who was of Éothéod origin, and watched a loved one leave on a journey; convinced they would never return, and thus mourned.

One of the biggest inspirations for writing this was, perhaps obviously, Tolkien’s poem Lament for the Rohirrim (in terms of format), as well as his uses of alliterative verse and rhyming in poetry. Because of this, the Loremaster dubbed my fan poem, as a sort of homage, "Lament for the Éothéod."

I hope you enjoyed it!