Did Rohan annex Enedwaith in the Fourth Age ?

[The Mouth of Sauron]

Since I posted I've found this : -

http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Enedwaith

Which at the bottom states that Rohan DID absorb Enedwaith early in the Fourth Age. I agree it runs counter to general understanding of Aragorn establishing the Reunited Kingdom.

[garm]

In general, I mistrust wiki (any wiki) as a 'source' for anything to do with Tolkien. There's a tendency to make things up!

I've just looked up 'Enedwaith' in the Hammond-Scull; in addition to refs. from LotR, there are also references to Unfinished tales, and to Tolkien's essay 'The Rivers and Beacon-Hills of Gondor'. There's nothing in Hammond and Scull to suggest that the Rohirrim annexed Enedwaith, so as the author of the Wiki article doesn't see fit to say where this info comes from, I'd be inclined to think that he/she made it up.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Indeed. Always check the sources! That's not to say it can't be true - but I suggest looking for the real quotes from Tolkien himself which would support this. In general, like said above, I would not expect the annexation to happen. Maybe looking into the Appendices could bring some light... that's what I would expect. I looked into them only briefly and I didn't find anything in the part about Rohan (Appendix A II), only this, which would actually point to the contrary:

In Gondor the King Elessar now ruled, and in Arnor also. In all the lands of those realms of old he was king, save in Rohan only; for he renewed to Éomer the gift of Cirion, and Éomer took again the Oath of Eorl.

So, here we go. "Rohan only" means, well, Rohan only and Enedwaith would be the part of the "reams of old", at least in the times of greatest might of the heirs of Elendil.

[Findegil]

I do not have my books with me, but I know were to search, since I rember that statment. It is in one of the earlier manuskripts for the appendixes. So look into volume 12 of 'The History of Middle-Earth'. The Index might be handy looking for 'Enedwaith'. Since it did not make it to the final text, you can consider it as a skipt idea but I am not quiet sure that the final text does force us to that.

Respectfuly
Findegil

[Nerwen]

Originally Posted by Findegil

I do not have my books with me, but I know were to search, since I rember that statment. It is in one of the earlier manuskripts for the appendixes. So look into volume 12 of 'The History of Middle-Earth'. The Index might be handy looking for 'Enedwaith'. Since it did not make it to the final text, you can consider it as a skipt idea but I am not quiet sure that the final text does force us to that.

Respectfuly
Findegil

Thanks, Findegil.

I think one also can't simply declare "that's what happened", either, though, especially since it appears to contradict other statements.

Originally Posted by garm

In general, I mistrust wiki (any wiki) as a 'source' for anything to do with Tolkien. There's a tendency to make things up!

I doubt people deliberately make things up, actually, it's just that they tend to work from memory, or just guess when they're not sure. Also, a lot of these articles are largely copied from other wikis, which in turn are copied from still others, so you can get a sort of "Chinese whispers" effect.

[garm]

>>I doubt people deliberately make things up, actually, it's just that they tend to work from memory, or just guess when they're not sure.

That's actually not much of an excuse, is it? There are some folk out there who believe what they read on the internet, you know!

It seems to me that if one is going to presume to write something on a wiki, then it's up to that person to get it right. To come to your next point; the fact that folk do work from memory, or guess, is not a safe basis for copying bits from other wikis.

Sounds to me like some folk need to wake their ideas up!

So to repeat - use the books! There are plenty of excellent reference books out there in addition to Tolkien's texts; Foster's Guide for one, and the excellent The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion' by Scull and Hammond.

[Man-of-the-Wold]

It had been (interestingly) part of Gondor rather than Arnor, being not really part of Eriador (in terms of Gil-Galad's greater realm). But even more than the lands of Rohan, Gondor's de facto rule had long failed in Enedwaith, such that Rohan was as much a buffer or bulwark for Gondor from the NW's wild people as from the NE. Travel between the two Dunedain kingdom had been a large part seaborne earlier in the Third Age.

But part of the Kingdom of Rohan? ... not ever in terms of canon or JRRT's expressed intention. Confusion may relate to the extension of Rohan along the lower Isen, between it and the Anorn. Those areas had been somewhat debatable in the context of the original grant, as well as the local Dunlendish people's recognition and allegiance, and had not been even strongly controlled by Rohan at times.

But Aragorn likely affirmed its belonging to Rohan, but retained Isengard and Enedwaith for the Reunited Kingdom, as part of which the latter might have thrived.