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JeffF. · 05-25-2009, 11:31 AM

Rumil,

The reference to bows of horn was in the Hobbit, as Thorin is negotiating with Bard he grabs a "bow of horn." Tolkien probably refers to the Scythian or Hun type bow which was a composite of wood, horn, sinew and bone.

I disagree on the amount of horsemen of the Haradrim, in RotK the Siege of Gondor, Gandalph is describing to Pippin that the Gondorians must prepare a sortie of horsemen because they have that advantage over their enemies, he says, "in them lies our brief hope, in one thing only is the enemy still poorly provided, he has few horsemen." As the host that besieges Minas Tirith has Haradrim, Easterlings and Variags, apparently none of these lands have been able to provide Sauron with many horsemen. Haradrim cavalry is described later battling the Rohorrim but given Gandalph's earlier INTEL they were not a large part of the enemy host, certainly if the Haradrim had 6000 horsemen (your 1/3 of the 18000 Tolkien describes - thrice the number of the Rohirrim) Gandalph would not have made such a statement.

The Easterling armies are described in FotR, The Breaking of the Fellowship. As Frodo is escaping from Boromir while wearing the Ring he has visions of the armies of the enemy, the Easterlings are described as swordmen, spearmen, horse archers and chieftains on chariots. As the charioteers are not described at Minas Tirith perhaps these particular Easterling tribes were those marching against Dale and Erebor.

There were more mounted Gondor contingents. Aragorn's force included men from Lamedon led by Angbor who was bringing all the horsemen he could muster. It is likely that Gondor's force had evolved since the days they were mostly longswordsmen and steelbowmen (as describedin Unfinished Tales - Disaster at Gladden Fields), and the battles described to them in RotK appendices would have forced them to develop a mounted force as a compensation over the superior numbers of their Eastern and Southern enemies. Also the ancestors of the Rohirrim are said to have entered the service of Gondor's armies. These mercenaries and/or allies would have influenced Gondor's armies. The appendices state that many of these integrated into Gondor and so would bring with them their tradition of mounted warfare.

05-25-2009, 11:31 AM	#11
JeffF. Haunting Spirit Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 70	Soldier Types Rumil, The reference to bows of horn was in the Hobbit, as Thorin is negotiating with Bard he grabs a "bow of horn." Tolkien probably refers to the Scythian or Hun type bow which was a composite of wood, horn, sinew and bone. I disagree on the amount of horsemen of the Haradrim, in RotK the Siege of Gondor, Gandalph is describing to Pippin that the Gondorians must prepare a sortie of horsemen because they have that advantage over their enemies, he says, "in them lies our brief hope, in one thing only is the enemy still poorly provided, he has few horsemen." As the host that besieges Minas Tirith has Haradrim, Easterlings and Variags, apparently none of these lands have been able to provide Sauron with many horsemen. Haradrim cavalry is described later battling the Rohorrim but given Gandalph's earlier INTEL they were not a large part of the enemy host, certainly if the Haradrim had 6000 horsemen (your 1/3 of the 18000 Tolkien describes - thrice the number of the Rohirrim) Gandalph would not have made such a statement. The Easterling armies are described in FotR, The Breaking of the Fellowship. As Frodo is escaping from Boromir while wearing the Ring he has visions of the armies of the enemy, the Easterlings are described as swordmen, spearmen, horse archers and chieftains on chariots. As the charioteers are not described at Minas Tirith perhaps these particular Easterling tribes were those marching against Dale and Erebor. There were more mounted Gondor contingents. Aragorn's force included men from Lamedon led by Angbor who was bringing all the horsemen he could muster. It is likely that Gondor's force had evolved since the days they were mostly longswordsmen and steelbowmen (as describedin Unfinished Tales - Disaster at Gladden Fields), and the battles described to them in RotK appendices would have forced them to develop a mounted force as a compensation over the superior numbers of their Eastern and Southern enemies. Also the ancestors of the Rohirrim are said to have entered the service of Gondor's armies. These mercenaries and/or allies would have influenced Gondor's armies. The appendices state that many of these integrated into Gondor and so would bring with them their tradition of mounted warfare.