Posted: November 12, 1999 at 11:21:40: by Martin Read
Elsewhere I argued that the Dunedain Rangers could have been horse archers (they are described as being armed with sword, spear and bow - whilst mounted) and what advantages this ability would have given them in skirmish warfare against more numerous foes. Looking at the section of LOTR when the Rohirrim discover Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas in Rohan, a number of the Rohirrim horsemen (apparently a minority) are described as nocking arrows in bows whilst mounted. These seem to be undoubted horse archers, which given the fact that Aragorn is known to have fought amongst the Rohirrim before the War of the Ring, raises the possibility that he was instrumental in instructing either his own folk or alternatively the Rohirrim in this martial technique. Alternatively both peoples may have had a long history of using mounted archery as both had common ancestry derived in part from the "horse-rich" Hadorian folk which gave rise to the Third House of the Edain.
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