My Passion for the Rohirrim

  My initial vision of the Rohirrim in my mind was not very original, but as yet I had not picked up Beowulf or learned about the Anglo-Saxons, the Normans or the Celts and their cultures. After I found these histories and ancient poems, they began to strike a chord with what I had read in J.R.R Tolkien's descriptions of the Rohirrim. I began to envision the culture of Rohan to include many of the elements of the Anglo-Saxons, Normans and Celts.

  I was thrilled then when I first saw Peter Jackson's vision of the Rohirrim in The Two Towers. I was amazed that what I imagined the culture of Rohan would look like was also exactly what Peter Jackson imagined it looked like! As far as I am concerned, Peter Jackson and his teams vision of Rohan in the films is "Spot On"! I have continued to be flabbergasted by the incredible depth of detail that the remarkable artists and fabricators for the films put into the clothing, weapons, armor and other objects made to flesh out the culture in the films. The wonderful Appendices to the Extended Edition DVD's of the films are a treasure trove for those interested in the minutiae of Rohan.

  A few years ago, after seeing The Two Towers, I decided I would begin building a detailed Rohirrim costume with armor and weapons and all the accoutrements. I had been involved in medieval costuming and reenacting for years and so some of the skills and basic knowledge were already there. I decided it would be interesting to adopt a personae of one of the Rohirrim from the books and develop the character where I could, while still maintaining the specifics of that character as laid out by Tolkien. I considered Erkenbrand, Elfhelm and Eomer, but finally settled on Dunhere, the Lord of Dunharrow. The character of Dunhere was only sketched by Tolkien so there was lots of room for embellishment, while staying within the general guidelines from the book. Growing up in Colorado, one of my favorite animals was the majestic and hardy Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep. Since Dunhere is the lord of a valley, I judged that one of his duties was to guard and patrol the high passes of the White Mountains, so naturally, his people would revere and respect those creatures tough enough to survive in those difficult environments. So I gave the Bighorn Sheep as the main symbol of Dunhere and his House. Another animal symbol I gave to Dunhere was the Eagle, the story of which is related on the "House Dunwarta" page. The building of my costume and it's elements for my Dunhere personae is related on the "Rohan Costuming" page where I discuss how the elements of my costume were made and in certain cases where I acquired the items and information about those companies.

  My dream is to form a Rohan Costuming and Reenactment Guild where people will be able to gather in their costumes and armor and enjoy the company of others who share their interest. These gatherings will be held at intervals in suitable locales which resemble the lands of Rohan. Efforts will even be made for the inclusion of horses and mounted reenactments. Between gatherings open communications between members would be encouraged. A forum could be developed for this purpose.

  On the "Visions of Rohan" page you will find photo galleries. The first gallery is a collection of images of Peter Jackson's vision of Rohan. The second gallery is a collection of photos of other enthusiasts' Rohan costumes. I am always interested in what others are doing in this area and I welcome the submission of photo's to the website of your Rohan costume. Both men's and women's costumes are equally welcome. The vision of Rohan isn't complete without the Ladies and Shield-maiden's.

  Finally, I provide links to other related websites. There are costuming websites as well as websites celebrating specific characters, both male and female.

  I hope you find this website entertaining and informative and more than anything I hope it inspires you to build your own costume and develop a personae and bring Rohan to life.

May the warm sun be always upon your face...