Calenardhon
Calenardhon was a green region north of the White Mountains, which became a province of Gondor and later became known as Rohan.
History
In Second Age 882, Gil-galad, the king of the elven realm of Lindon and High King of the Noldor in Middle-earth warned Tar-Meneldur, the King of Númenor in a letter that a servant of Morgoth was arising in the East and that he thought that he would invade the Westlands from the East through the gap between the southern end of the Misty Mountains and the White Mountains in Calenardhon, that they at least had to defend Eriador along the long rivers west of the Misty Mountains and asked Tar-Meneldur for men to help to strengthen the haven of Vinyalondë so that it could accomodate the great ships of the Númenóreans.
In Second Age 1695, this servant, Sauron came with a great army through Calenardhon and invaded Eriador in the War of the Elves and Sauron. When Sauron's army was utterly defeated in the Battle of the Gwathló with the help of a Númenorean army which had landed at the haven of Vinyalondë at the mouth of the river Gwathló Sauron only narrowly escaped with a small force, but he was again attacked in the east of Calenardhon and fled back with only a bodyguard of troops to Mordor.
In Third Age 1437, during the Kin-strife when Eldacar, the deposed King of Gondor returned to Gondor from his refuge in Wilderland with a great army of Northmen who had served Gondor and of Dúnedain of the northern parts of Gondor, folk from the province of Calenardhon gathered to him.
From Third Age 1636 to Third Age 1637 during the Great Plague the people of Calenhardhon suffered like all the peoples of the rest of Gondor and Arnor.
From Third Age 2063 to Third Age 2460 the population of Calenardhon declined when a part of it moved to the east to hold the line of the river Anduin. The Gondorian garrisons of the fortresses of Aglarond and Angrenost were not renewed and the forts were left in the care of local hereditary chieftains. The subjects of those chieftains became more mixed in blood, because the Dunlendings were not hindered to migrate over the river Isen into Calenardhon.
During the rule of the Steward Cirion, Gondor was attacked by the Balchoth and by Orcs from the Misty Mountains, and Calenardhon was overrun by these invaders. Cirion sent messages for help to Gondor's old allies, the Éothéod, to help defend Gondor.
Eorl the Young answered the call, and helped Gondor defeat the Balchoth and the Orcs at the Field of Celebrant. In gratitude, Cirion granted all Calenardhon to the Éothéod.
After the Éothéod settled in Calenardhon, the land was called Rohan in Gondor and the Mark of the Riders, the Mark or the Riddermark by the Éothéod.
Etymology
Calenardhon is a Sindarin name, which means "green province" or "the (great) green region". The initial element is clearly calen ("green"), the second element is probably gardh ("region") and the final element is the suffix on(d) ("region").
Earlier names used by Tolkien for this region were Elenarda > Kalen(arda) > Kalinarda > Calenardan > Calenardon.
Referencias
1. Esta ficha se ha importado inicialmente de TolkienGateway.net el día 08/06/2026.
