On the eve of Rama's banishment, Sita was crushed. Through her sobs she begged and pleaded for Rama not to leave. "Why do you not just imprison that mad woman?" she cried. "My love," Rama replied, "I know that she is mad. This whole situation is mad, but I am a man of honor and will not disrespect the orders of my King".
Trying to calm the nerves of his beloved Sita, Rama told her the tale of the noble Eomer and his dedication to the well-being of his people.
Rohan, the Kingdom of Men, was once a majestic and noble land. Under the protection of King Théoden, the people lived in peace and harmony. However, the age of men was threatened by evil forces who had awakened from an extended period of dormancy.
Trying to calm the nerves of his beloved Sita, Rama told her the tale of the noble Eomer and his dedication to the well-being of his people.
Rohan, the Kingdom of Men, was once a majestic and noble land. Under the protection of King Théoden, the people lived in peace and harmony. However, the age of men was threatened by evil forces who had awakened from an extended period of dormancy.
You see, in Middle Earth
there lives not only men, but elves, dwarfs, wizards, and the dreaded orcs.
The orcs were evil and slimy creatures. Bred solely for war, the orcs were a
brutal race that sought to disrupt the peace that had swept across the vast
lands of Middle Earth. Their master, the Dark Lord Sauron, was considered dead for many years. However, while everyone had forgotten his name, the Dark Lord
had secretly been raising the most immense army the world had ever seen. With
an army the likes of had never before been seen, the future of Middle Earth seemed dismal.
Another tool by which the Dark Lord carried out his mischief were his magical powers- unknown in the world of men. With almost a god-like presence, Sauron was able to corrupt the minds of others through fear. The most notable of
those to fall victim to the influence of the Dark Lord was Saruman. Once known as The White Wizard, Saruman was transcended from one of the
mightiest and wisest wizard in all of Middle Earth. However, once he glimpsed the forces of Sauron, he saw no future for those who opposed his will and so
forfeited his nobility for malevolence.
Now, back to Théoden. The
mighty King of Men had a vassal, Grima. Grima was once a loyal companion to Théoden, but
his mortal mind would soon be tainted by the Dark Lord. Working under the orders of Saruman,
Grima, gradually poisoned the mind and health of Théoden so that he would be
blind to the operations of the Dark Lord within his lands. With Théoden under
this spell, the orcs ran free in his lands. Killing anyone in their path and destroying every village they came across, the orcs wreaked havoc on the lands of Rohan. Only one man was brave enough to question the orders of the Théoden: Èomer, his nephew. Grima, who had quickly earned the name Wormtongue amongst the people
of Rohan, saw Èomer as a threat to his master’s plans. To rid the Kingdom of
this clarity and justice, Wormtongue convinced Théoden to banish Èomer from the
Kingdom, never to return.
Heartbroken and angered
beyond belief, Èomer honored the wishes of his King, poisoned as he was.
However, Èomer was not alone. A group of soldiers still loyal to the true interests of their people,
known as the Riders of Rohan, accompanied him in his exile. Traveling as
nomadic warriors, the Riders of Rohan sought out and destroyed regiments of
orcs that plagued their lands, never losing sight of what they knew their king truly
stood for.
Author's Note.
Bibliography:
The Scheming of Kaikeyi,
from Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists, by Sister Nivedita (1914)
