Riders of Théoden (Forth Eorlingas!) - Rohirrim Battle Song

Arise! This is my attempt to create a battle song using two Rohirrim poems from the Lord of the Rings. The main chorus and beginning verse uses Théoden's rallying cry, with the "lament for the Rohirrim" worked in as a second verse/bridge. Some of the lyrics were re-worked and re-arranged to create the song structure, but I hope that I kept it as respectful as possible to the source.

The video uses footage from the films and Bernard Hill's excellent portrayal as the heroic King Théoden. The world unfortunately lost Hill in 2024, but we are lucky enough to have these films to remember him as his legacy. I teared up quite a few times editing this; such happy memories of these scenes, "for not all tears are an evil."

Music created using Suno, then stemmed and re-edited and remixed in an audio editor with additional vocals, music, and sound effects added.

Enjoy!

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Lyrics:

(Death! Death!)

Arise now, arise! Riders of Théoden!
Ride now, ride! Forth Eorlingas!

Dire deeds awake;
Eastward it is dark.
Horse bridled, horn sounded,
Riders of the Mark!

Fell deeds await;
To slaughter and to fire.
Spears shaken, shields splintered,
Ride without tire!

A sword-day,
A red day,
Ere the sun rises!

Arise now, arise! Riders of Théoden!
Ride now, ride! Forth Eorlingas!
Arise now, arise! Riders of Théoden!
Ride now, ride! Forth Eorlingas!

Where now the horse and the rider?
Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk,
and the bright hair flowing?
Where is the hand on the harpstring,
and the red fire glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest
and the tall corn growing?

They have passed like rain on the mountain,
like a wind in the meadow;
The days have gone down in the West
behind the hills into shadow.
Who shall gather the smoke
of the deadwood burning,
Or behold the flowing years
from the Sea returning?

Arise now, arise! Riders of Théoden!
Ride now, ride! Forth Eorlingas!
Arise now, arise! Riders of Théoden!
Ride now, ride! Forth Eorlingas!

Ride now, ride now!
Out of doubt, out of dark!
Now for wrath!
Now for ruin!
Riders of the Mark!

Death!
Death!
Death!
Death!
Death!
Death!