'The Lord of the Rings' - 'The Lament for the Rohirrim'

Eorl the Young (LotR Wiki)

‘The Lament for the Rohirrim’ appeared in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers’.

As Aragorn, Gandalf, Legolas and Gimli approached Edoras, the lament was sung by Aragorn.

He sang it first in the language of Rohan then translated it for Legolas and Gimli.

Written by a poet of Rohan, the song was about Eorl the Young and his horse, Felaróf.
‘Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?
Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow;
The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow.
Who shall gather the smoke of the dead wood burning,
Or behold the flowing years from the Sea returning?’

In the film version of ‘The Two Towers’, it is Théoden who speaks the lines of the song at Helm’s Deep as he is assisted into his armour before the Battle of the Hornburg, but he only recites the first, fifth and sixth lines.

JRR Tolkien’s inspiration for ‘The Lament for the Rohirrim’ came from an Anglo-Saxon poem called ‘The Wanderer’.

It is an Old English poem of 119 lines preserved in a late 10th century manuscript known as the Exeter Book.

‘A Knight at the Crossroads’ by Viktor Vasnetsov

The poem is in the voice of a warrior who wanders the earth as his people have been defeated in battle, his fellow-warriors are dead and his lord, slain. He has nowhere to go as his home has been destroyed.

He keeps his grief and thoughts to himself as he feels there are none living with whom he can share such thoughts.

Men, grieving and otherwise, keeping their innermost thoughts to themselves is nothing new and that was even more so in medieval times when it was expected that men should have control of themselves.

However, the wanderer’s sadness finds release when he sleeps for his dreams are filled with yearning for his dead lord.

Eventually, he moves from heavy sorrow to wisdom, understanding that life is about hardship and suffering.

Yet, questions continue to persist, but they don’t come from his mind, his thoughts; they come from his heart.

In times of grief, although we eventually come to terms with loss in our heads, it is our hearts, swayed by our emotional need, that still asks questions.

The wanderer ends with the accepted wisdom of keeping his faith in God.

I found it a very moving piece.

The verse starting at line 92 of the poem appears to be the chief inspiration for Tolkien’s ‘lament’:
Hwær cwom mearg? Hwær cwom mago?    Where is the horse gone? Where the warrior?
Hwær cwom maþþumgyfa?                               Where is the treasure-giver?
Hwær cwom symbla gesetu?                            Where are the seats at the feast?
Hwær sindon seledreamas?                              Where are the revels in the hall?
Eala beorht bune!                                                  Alas for the bright cup!                                               
Eala byrnwiga!                                                        Alas for the mailed warrior!
Eala þeodnes þrym!                                             Alas for the splendour of the prince!
Hu seo þrag gewat,                                              How that time has passed away,
genap under nihthelm,                                       dark under the cover of night,
swa heo no wære.                                                 as if it never were.

Sometimes, I have to commend the YouTube algorithm – this channel was suggested to me, and I’d rate it one of my best YouTube finds of the year.

‘Clamavi De Profundis’ are a family of singers whose music is influenced by classical and fantasy literature, and traditional, religious, and classical music.

They have an entire playlist of Tolkien-related pieces, which I’m gradually working my way through.

‘The Lament for the Rohirrim’ is one of the first I listened to: