A descendant3 of Forthwini of the Northmen, Frumgar became the Lord of the Éothéod at a time when they were dwelling in the Vales of Anduin near the southern parts of Mirkwood. At that time the Vales were becoming populous with peoples of Men, and the shadow of nearby Dol Guldur was spreading from the Forest. When word came to Frumgar of the fall of Angmar, therefore, he resolved to lead his people up the Great River to seek freer lands in the North.
When they reached the lands around the sources of Anduin, they did not find them deserted: survivors of Angmar were still dwelling there, having fled eastward from the Misty Mountains after the Witch-king's departure. Frumgar's people defeated them, and settled the lands around the rivers Langwell and Greylin, forming a nation that would survive for more than five hundred years.
Frumgar was succeeded as Lord of the Éothéod by his son Fram, and from his line (through many generations and centuries) the Kings of Rohan were descended.
Notes
1 |
We have no dates of birth or death for Frumgar, but we do know that he led his people north to the lands around the sources of Anduin in the year III 1977. That he had become chieftain of his people by that date implies that he was probably not a young man. A further clue to his age comes from the name of the main township founded of the new land of the Éothéod, which was named 'Framsburg' after Frumgar's son (rather than 'Frumgarsburg' as we might expect). This tends to suggest that Frumgar himself did not live long after the northward migration, and that the settlement was established by his son and successor Fram.
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2 |
Frumgar's name come from Old English frum-gār, which literally means 'first spear'. The name evidently had its origins in military leadership, but it came to be used as a general term for a leader or chieftain.
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3 |
Frumgar's relationship to Forthwini is uncertain. He was just possibly Forthwini's son, though this is unsure given the sparse dating information we have (our last definite date for Forthwini is III 1936, and our only sure date for Frumgar is III 1977). On that basis, he was perhaps more likely to have been Forthwini's grandson or great-grandson. |
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- Updated 20 October 2018
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