Marhwini (Third Age 1812 – c. 1905, aged approx. 93 years) was a Northman and a member of the noble family of the Kingdom of Rhovanion. His father Marhari was a descendant of King Vidugavia of Rhovanion.
In Third Age 1856, Rhovanion was invaded by a tribe of Easterlings known as the Wainriders. The soldiers of the Kingdom of Rhovanion, together with the armies of Gondor, met the Wainriders at the Battle of the Plains, which was a disaster. The King of Gondor, Narmacil II, was killed and Marhwini's father Marhari died leading the rearguard. Much of the Kingdom of Rhovanion was lost and its people were enslaved. Some Northmen escaped, and Marhwini led one band of refugees to the west.
The refugees wandered until they reached the untamed land between the eastern bank of the River Anduin and the western edge of Mirkwood Forest. Settling there in the Vales of Anduin, the refugees would become the Éothéod, the ancestors of the mighty Riders of Rohan.
Marhwini is Gothic for "horse-friend". The first element of the name is related to the English word "mare" (see mearas). The second is an early form of Old English -wine meaning "friend" seen in several Rohirric names (eg. Folcwine, Elfwine).
|Lord of the Éothéod