Folcwine’s third son, Fengel, is not remembered with honor. He did little to further strengthen Rohan, and was at odds with both his Marshalls and his kin. His only son, Thengel, therefore spent much time in Gondor, and won praise through his service to Steward Turgon. He married Morwen of Lossarnach, and began to raise a family in Gondor. Eventually, when Fengel died, Thengel returned to Rohan to take up the kingship. While Thengel was wise and restored dignity to the House of Eorl, he did create some discord by encouraging the use of the language of Gondor in Edoras. At the time of Thengel’s return to Rohan, Saruman first began to openly trouble the Rohirrim, and he declared himself Lord of Isengard. Also during Thengel’s reign, the captain Thorongil (later revealed to be Aragorn II Elessar) first appeared in Rohan, and entered the service of the king, and was renowned. Thengel’s son was Théoden the Renowned.
The War of the Ring:
Théoden Ednew had the makings of a great king for, in his youth, he proved valiant in battle, and he possessed both wisdom and a gentle heart away from war. Yet by 3014, Saruman had begun to invade the king’s mind, using spells and his servant Gríma Wormtongue to bewitch Théoden. As the king slipped into indifference, Saruman began to probe the borders of Rohan with his armies. He had taken into his service orcs and Uruk-hai, and would eventually recruit the hillmen of Dunland to again assail their neighbors in Rohan. Théodred, son of Théoden, along with his cousin Éomer (who was of the royal line by both parents; his father was descended from Éofor, third son of Brego, and his mother was Theoden’s sister), took charge of the Mark and its defenses against the growing threat of Isengard. Saruman, through Gríma, constantly forestalled Théodred and the other Marshalls of the Mark, and, by the bewitchment of Théoden, thwarted Rohan’s attempts to muster any great force of arms in opposition. He even blinded the king to Gandalf’s warnings that Rohan was in peril upon his return from Orthanc, and Gandalf was forced to take Shadowfax and ride to Rivendell in hopes of meeting up with Frodo.
As the Fellowship took the One Ring east from Rivendell, Saruman’s forces increased their attack upon Rohan, in addition to his intensified hunt for the Ring. Aragorn and his companions chanced to meet up with Éomer and his eored upon the plains of Rohan near Fangorn, and there revealed himself to be the heir of Isildur, and asked news and aid from Éomer. The Rohirrim were returning from battle with a legion of Uruk-hai that had captured Merry and Pippin, and Éomer gave what tidings he could of his doings and the condition of Rohan to Aragorn. Lending the companions a pair of horses, Éomer then led his men to continue their task of gathering the East-mark’s herdfolk to safety. Upon his return to Edoras, Gríma had Éomer imprisoned for defying Saruman’s orders spoken through Theoden.