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"I see a white stream that comes down from the snows", he said. "Where it issues from the shadow of the vale a green hill rises upon the east. A dike and mighty wall and thorny fence encircle it. Within there rise the roofs of houses; and in the midst, set upon a green terrace, there stands aloft a great hall of Men. And it seems to my eyes that it is thatched with gold. The light of it shines far over the land. Golden, too, are the posts of its doors."
Legolas, seeing Edoras from afar

Edoras (Rohanese for 'the courts'[1]) was the capital of Rohan. Built principally of wood, Edoras was also where Rohan's kings were buried, in two lines of Barrows just outside the main gate.

History[]

Edoras was built on a hill in a valley of the White Mountains by Rohan's second King, Brego son of Eorl the Young. Before this, Rohan's capital was at Aldburg in the Folde. In Edoras' center was the Golden Hall of Meduseld, where the ruler sat.

Edoras, RD

Edoras, by Ralph Damiani

In TA 2758, Edoras was overtaken by Dunlendings led by Wulf, who ruled the city until the following year, when he was slain and the Dunlendings driven out by Fréaláf Hildeson.

It was at Edoras that Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, and Gandalf met with King Théoden in the year TA 3019, after the breaking of the Fellowship of the Ring.[2] Whilst the Battle of the Hornburg was being fought, a mustering of Rohan began at Edoras, before it was moved to Dunharrow after Gandalf spotted one of the Nazgûl flying near the settlement.

Several months later, Elrond and Arwen parted for the first time at Edoras, after a great feast in memory of Théoden.

Geography[]

Front-gate of Edoras

The main gate, as seen at Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli's arrival

Edoras was built at the end of the valley of Harrowdale, which lay under the great mountain Starkhorn. The River Snowbourn flowed past Edoras on its way west towards the Entwash and was joined by a small stream with its source near the top of the hill. As Rohan consisted of mostly small villages and farmsteads, Edoras was the largest settlement and held the Golden Hall of Meduseld, the seat and residence of Rohan's kings. The Barrowfield, where Rohan's kings were entombed, lay outside the main gate.

Portrayal in adaptations[]

For Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, a fully realized set for Edoras was built on Mount Sunday in the upper reaches of the Rangitata Valley, near Erewhon.

The Lord of the Rings Online - Edoras

Edoras in The Lord of the Rings Online

In The Lord of the Rings Online, Edoras, unlike many in-game settlements much smaller in size and prominence, is not considered a "capital" of its region. This is because early in the story Edoras is evacuated, with all inhabitants moving to Dunharrow, and for the majority of the game, the city of Edoras sits empty. Instead, Aldburg functions as the "capital settlement" of western Rohan, hosting the hub for swift travel and various player facilities.

Gallery[]

Edoras BFME
Edoras as it appears in BFME
Tumblr m1lv1l1Ilg1rss2pho1 1280
Edoras as drawn by Alan Lee
EDORAS location map in middle earth
Edoras' location on a map of Middle-earth

Translations[]

Foreign Language Translated name
Amharic ዐዶራስ
Arabic إيدورس
Armenian Եդորաս
Belarusian Cyrillic Едорас
Bengali এদরাস
Bulgarian Cyrillic Едорас
Catalan Édoras
Georgian ედორასი
Greek Εδορασ
Gujarati ઍદોરસ
Hebrew אדוראס
Hindi एदोरस
Japanese エドラス
Kazakh Едорас (Cyrillic) Edoras (Latin)
Korean 에도라스
Kyrgyz Cyrillic Эдорас
Macedonian Cyrillic Едорас
Marathi एदोरस
Mongolian Cyrillic Едорас
Nepalese एदोरस
Pashto ېدوراس
Persian ادوراس
Russian Эдорас
Serbian Едорас (Cyrillic) Edoras (Latin)
Sinhalese ඒදොරස්
Tajik Cyrillic Едорас
Tamil ஏதொரஸ்
Telugu ఏదొరస
Thai เอโดรัส
Ukrainian Cyrillic Едорас
Urdu ادوراس
Uzbek Едорас (Cyrillic) Edoras (Latin)
Yiddish עדאָראַס

References[]

  1. Wayne G. Hammond & Christina Scull, The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, "Unfinished index for The Lord of the Rings", pg. 247
  2. The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, Book Three, Chapter VI: "The King of the Golden Hall"
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