LotR -- Book 3 - Chapter 06 - The King of the Golden Hall

[Bêthberry]

posted by Lalwendë

For many years Rohan was conjoured up for me entirely from my imagination, and then I went to the Lambourn Downs and was struck by how much the place resembled Rohan (and also the Barrow-Downs). Strangely, it is known as a place where race horses are trained, and it is home to the Vale of White Horse, numerous barrows and Wayland's Smithy. Edoras also reminds me of a hill fort with its 'green terrace', and these can also be found in the area.

I've found a link to an English heritage site here and another link to a site selling paintings of race horses, one of which is very reminiscent of Rohan, here.

The whole area is just south west of Oxford, and I don't doubt Tolkien would have been there, and if he did base places in his work upon 'real' places then this is one of the most striking comparisons. Interestingly, in the films, while Rohan was nothing like the Rohan of my imagination or the Rohan that can be found in the Lambourn area, the flags of the Rohirrim bore a striking resemblance to White Horses carved onto English hillsides.

Sounds very cool, Lalwendë, but neither of your links work for me.

This sounds like a topic for the Canonicity thread! I had never associated Rohan with England's actual horsey set for two reasons. First, what I know (and that's precious little) of horse racing culture in England suggests to me that it is almost as much a form of drama or spectacle as a sport. I guess I related this to how Peter Ackroyd describes an English love of performance and drama, in all aspects of life. (At least for London). I'm thinking of the fancy dress for Ascot, and the ties with the aristocracy. When I was in York last summer, we left on the start of their annual horse race week, which was a "practice run" for Ascot next year. I tell you, the hats I saw! And guys in full formal wear who the day before had been wearing tees and jeans. Sort of like fox hunting too, which to me has nothing to do with sport and much to do with very fancy forms of play, at least for the human participants. And none of these associations have ever fit my sense of Rohan, where the horses are bred for cavalry fighting rather than racing.

The other point which shapes my sense of English horse play is the historical development of racing, as opposed to breeding horses for cavalry, farming, medieval jousts, etc. According to a colleague of mine, horse racing as we know it today didn't develope until the nineteenth century, when trains made it possible to transport horses much farther afield. Before the advent of the steel stallions, horses were ridden to the races, and then raced. A bit of a limitation on results and also on distance! Why horse-drawn horse wagons weren't around she couldn't say!

There's a letter by Tolkien (the number of which escapes me now in the bleary hours of early morn) which states that Minas Tirith is set at the latitude of Venice. this has given me the impression that "Rohan" would be "over" towards the steepes of south eastern Europe. Barrows and tombs of wealthy leaders abound in slavic culture.

Still, I'd love to see those downs of yours. Makes all our 'racing downs' here make much more sense! If I had a shilling for every pub sign souvenir I saw with a white horse on it, I would have been able to buy my pints for free, I think!