Movies - Horses of Middle-earth

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	Movies - Horses of Middle-earth

Horses are an important element in the fantasy world of Middle-earth created by J. R. R. Tolkien. The land of Rohan is that of the 'horse lords', and the Rangers of the North were also notable riders.

Races of horses

Mearas

The Mearas were a breed of wild horses in the north of Middle-earth in the J.R.R. Tolkien legendarium. Their mortality is equal to Men and their intelligence and strength are extraordinary.

They descend from Felaróf, who was tamed by the first King of Rohan, Eorl. Ever since, they have been the mounts of the King and Princes of Rohan alone. During the War of the Ring, however, Gandalf the Grey tamed Shadowfax, lord of the Mearas at the end of the Third Age. They may be descended from Nahar, horse of the Vala Oromë.

Individual horses

Arod

Arod was the horse of Legolas. He was the grey/white horse given to Legolas by the Riders of Rohan in The Two Towers. Gimli also rides on him by sitting behind Legolas. They ride him for much of their journey until they reach Minas Tirith.

Asfaloth

Asfaloth is the horse ridden by the elf who meets Strider and the Hobbits shortly before they arrive at Rivendell (Glorfindel in the book, Arwen in Peter Jackson's film version).

This represents an attempt to give Arwen more screentime while changing the plot as little as possible.

:'Ride on! Ride on!' cried Glorfindel, and then loud and clear he called to the horse in the elf-tongue: noro lim, noro lim, Asfaloth! (which is Sindarin for 'run faster').

- excerpt from The Fellowship of the Ring

Asfaloth is played by a grey Andalusian stallion in the films.

Brego

In Peter Jackson's the film version of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
, Aragorn rides a horse named Brego, apparently named after King Brego of Rohan. In the film, when Aragorn first met the horse, driven wild by the sight of war, he speaks to Brego and tells him that his name is kingly. The horse belonged to Eowyn's cousin, King Theoden's son, Theodred.

Bill the pony

Bill is bought by Frodo Baggins and his companions in Bree, as they fled the Shire on their way to Rivendell. This was necessary as their own ponies had been stolen from the stables of the Prancing Pony inn, where they spent the night. Bill was purchased from Bill Ferny, who was in league with the spies who stole the other ponies. Ferny was a cruel man who tormented Bill, but after being purchased by the hobbits Bill became a much happier pony. He was given the name 'Bill' by Sam Gamgee shortly after the party left Bree.

After arriving in Rivendell, Bill became acquainted with the elvish horses, and this influence resulted in a good deal of self-improvement. He left Rivendell a much wiser pony, not to mention healthier and happier.

He accompanied the Fellowship of the Ring from Rivendell to the doors of Moria, but had to be left behind there because the company could not take a pony through the mines of Moria. All thought him killed by either the Watcher in the Water or wolves, but being a wise pony by this point, he managed to survive on his own and travelled back to Bree. There, he was nursed back to health at the Prancing Pony, until he eventually was joyfully reunited with Sam on his return journey to the Shire. Sam apparently took Bill back to Hobbiton for the rest of his life.

In the trilogy of film adaptations of the Lord of the Rings by Peter Jackson, Bill only appears in The Fellowship of the Ring
. Originally, a treatment in line with the books was going to be used: Bill would be presumed to have been killed by the Watcher in the Water, but then re-appear alive as a surprise at the end of The Return of the King. However, several producers objected to this because The Return of the King film adaptation would be released two years after The Fellowship of the Ring, and they didn't want the audience to be horrified and for two full years think that Bill had gruesomely died. As a result, in the final version Bill is seen being peacefully released from the Fellowship outside Moria, a significant amount of time before the Watcher in the Water attacks, with the implication that he will find his way home. Although this is the only time Bill the pony expressly appears in the films, Sam is riding a pony back into Hobbiton at the end of The Return of the King, and it could presumably be Bill.

Fatty Lumpkin

Fatty Lumpkin is the pony that is ridden by Tom Bombadil. In The Fellowship of the Ring, the Hobbits' (Sam, Merry, Pippin and Frodo) own ponies get to know Fatty Lumpkin and manage to find him after the Hobbits encounter a fog on the Barrow Downs.

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