Quote:
Originally Posted by Lalwendė
Then you should take into account how settled a people are in their land and as Morthoron says, migrants might feel less connected to their land. The Rohirrim definitely give the impression of being a relatively 'new' and developing culture in Rohan (their wealth is portable, their literature still oral and not in libraries) - so their loyalties are to their people and less so to their land. Maybe this is why they do not challenge Theoden in his madness?
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I suspect that fear (stirred up by Saruman and his allies) gave the common residents of Rohan more immediate concerns than the mental and physical condition of their king (beyond, I imagine, grumbling over why the king was doing nothing to defend them). I do agree with both you and Morthoron; there is a definite sense that even the more developed "nations" of Middle-earth are fairly "primitive," when compared to more developed nations we know today (or even several hundred years ago). But there are definite signs that both Gondor and Rohan have laid claim to their lands and are determined to hold and protect them (Rohan to a lesser degree, being the newer of the two countries). They are cultivating and making use of the resources of their lands in ways that indicate a desire to remain there permanently, not merely as long as the resources hold out. Both have built strongholds, developed forms of military forces, and have plans to deal with the protection and evacuation of their citizens in time of war. No doubt there are other things I'm forgetting. It's too bad that we don't see more of the attitudes of the common folk of these lands, since one can argue that what appears to be "patriotism" in the ruling class may be more of a desire to hold land for reasons of power. Although I think that in Faramir's case, there is a distinct love of his country involved, a desire to protect his people not for glory or duty or even the approval of his father, but because he loves his land, both in its history and in what future it may yet have.
One does wonder about the Dwarves, though...
