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Everything in Middle-earth has a name. From important characters to places and historical events, names are a significant factor inThe Lord of the Ringsuniverse. Even the horses are given proper names in the books, and fans are likely to remember noble steeds like Shadowfax and Brego from the films.
What is it about these animals in the Tolkien universe that makes them so special? What are the names of the other mounts that the movies didn’t mention? For the equine-minded fans, here are the names of the most noteworthy horses inThe Lord of the Ringsand their origins.
Shadowfax
Shadowfax was ridden by Gandalf, and washailed as the Lord of the Mearas. The Mearas were wild horses known for their superior strength, speed, and intelligence. In fact, Shadowfax was so intelligent that he was able to understand human speech. He was descended from Felaróf, the first of the Mearas who served Eorl, the first king of Rohan.
InThe Two Towersnovel, Shadowfax originally belonged to King Théoden. It was said that the horses of Mearas could only be tamed and ridden by the King of Rohan, yet much to Théoden’s chagrin, Shadowfax would only be tamed by Gandalf. The king reluctantly gifted the silver-gray horse to the wizard, who would come to Gandalf’s aid whenever he was called.
Brego
Aragorn’s horse was Brego, a stallion with a reddish-brown coat and dark mane and tail. Although Brego did not appear in the novels, he played a very important role inThe Lord of the Ringsfilm trilogy. He was named for a former king of Rohan, and first belonged to Théodred, son of King Théoden.
When Théodred died after receiving fatal wounds in battle, Brego was housed in the stables in Rohan. This is where Aragorn first met Brego, and their bond was formed. He instructed that Brego be released, believing the horse had seen enough war in his lifetime. This act of kindness was repaid later inThe Two Towerswhen Brego found Aragorn badly injured and carried him to Helm’s Deep.
Asfaloth
Asfaloth’s role in bothThe Fellowship of the Ringbook and the film is a dire one. The noble steed outran the Nazgûl from Weathertop and tookpoor Frodo, who was injured by a Morgal blade, to the river of Bruinen at the border of Rivendell. If not for Asfaloth’s speed and endurance, the War of the Ring might have turned out very differently.
Asfaloth’s rider in the book was the elf Glorfindel, but was changed to Arwen in the movie. Also a switch from the book, Arwen rode with Frodo on Asfaloth, while in the book the horse took Frodo alone. The horse was described as white in the books, but was gray in the movie. Asfaloth’s name is Sindarin elvish, and it means “sunlit foam.”
Arod
Arod was Legolas’s horse, and was gray and white in the films. He first appeared inThe Two Towerswhen Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli met Éomer in Rohan while hunting the orcs who took Pippin and Merry. Éomer gave Arod to the group since the horse’s first rider, a Rohirrim warrior, had died in battle.
Arod’s name in Rohanese means “swift,” and it also means “noble” in Sindarin. In the novel, it says that Legolas took off the horse’s saddle and bridle and rode him bareback. Legolas and Gimli rode on the back of Arod throughout their journey together.
Snowmane
Another noble mount of the Rohirrim, Snowmane was ridden by King Théoden. Appropriately named, Snowmane had a white coat, mane, and tail. In the movieThe Two Towers,Théoden rides out on Snowmane to charge the army of Uruk-hai at the Battle of Helm’s Deep. InThe Return of the King,Snowmane also bore Théoden on his back in the Battle of Pelennor Fields.
Sadly, the steed was also the cause ofthe King of Rohan’s death. Snowmane was struck by a black arrow on the battlefield, causing him to fall and crush Théoden. The Witch-king’s flying beast then landed on the horse, killing it. According to the novels, Snowmane was buried honorably in a marked grave.
Windfola
The horse known as Windfola was ridden by Éowyn and Merry in the Battle of Pelennor Fields when Éowyn disguised herself as a soldier inThe Return of the King.In the books, Windfola was a gray horse, but was brown in the movie. Windfola means “wind foal” in Rohanese.
Windfola’s fate is a sad one in both the book and in the film. In the novel, Windfola threw off Éowyn and Merry when the horse was spooked by the arrival of the Witch-king of Angmar and ran away, presumed to have been killed in the skirmish. InThe Return of the Kingmovie, Windfola meets a grisly death when he is crushed by a falling oliphaunt.
Bill the Pony
The little brown pony only made a brief appearance inThe Fellowship of the Ringmovie, but made a lasting impression in the hearts of fans. Bill carried the hobbits’ supplies and was accompanied primarily by Samwise Gamgee. He was set free outside the Doors of Durin at Aragorn’s behest, since it was deemed to be too dangerous for him in the Mines of Moria. Bill appeared in the movie without much of an explanation, but his origin was covered inThe Fellowship of the Ringnovel.
Bill was named after Bill Ferny, a cantankerous man from Bree who sold the pony to Sam after the hobbits’ ponies disappeared from the Prancing Pony Inn. In the novel, Bill ran off when the party was attacked by the Watcher in the Water, and Sam was afraid for Bill’s safety. Thankfully,the hobbits found Bill safe and sound back at the Prancing Ponyon their return trip to the Shire inThe Return of the King.Overjoyed, Sam reclaimed his loyal friend and brought him home to Hobbiton.
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is one of the most iconic names in entertainment. The franchise started with novels from J. R. R. Tolkien before being adapted onto the big screen by Peter Jackson in one of the most critically-acclaimed film trilogies of all time. There have also been numerous The Lord of the Rings video games of varying quality.
