Friendship between Gondor & Rohan in Tolkien's Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth
From the chapter, "Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan"
p. 290:
Nonetheless the alliance of [King] Calimehtar [of Gondor] and Marhwini [of the Northmen who became the Rohirrim] had not been in vain. If the strength of the Wainriders of Rhovanion had not been broken, that assault would have come sooner and in greater force, and the realm of Gondor might have been destroyed. But the greatest effect of the alliance lay far in the future which none could then foresee: the two great rides of the Rohirrim to the salvation of Gondor, the coming of Eorl to the Field of Celebrant, and the horns of King Théoden upon the Pelennor but for which the return of the King would have been in vain.
The oath between Cirion, Steward of Gondor, and Eorl, King of the Rohirrim, took place on Amon Anwar, "hill of awe" (p. 301). The summit was a wide oval place of level turf, unfenced, but at its eastern end there stood a low mound on which grew the white flowers of alfirin, and the westering sun touched them with gold. Then the Lord of Dol Amroth, chief of those in the company of Cirion, went towards the mound and saw, lying on the grass before it and yet unmarred by weed or weather, a black stone; and on the stone three letters were engraved. Then he said to Cirion:
'Is this then a tomb? But what great man of old lies here?'
'Have you not read the letters?' said Cirion.
'I have,' said the Prince, 'and therefore I wonder; for the letters are lambe, ando, lambe [L ND L], but there is no tomb for Elendil, nor has any man since his day dared to use that name.'
'Nonetheless this is his tomb,' said Cirion, 'and from it comes the awe that dwells on this hill and in the woods below. From Isildur who raised it to Meneldil who succeeded him, and so down all the line of the Kings, and down the line of the Stewards even to myself, this tomb has been kept a secret by Isildur's command. For he said: "Here is the mid-point of the Kingdom of the South, and here shall the memorial of Elendil the Faithful abide in the keeping of the Valar, while the Kingdom endures. This hill shall be a hallow, and let no man disturb its peace and silence, unless he be an heir of Elendil." I have brought you here, so that the oaths here taken may seem of deepest solemnity to ourselves and to our heirs upon either side' (pp. 303-304).
The Oath of Eorl:
'Hear now all peoples who bow not to the Shadow in the East, by the gift of the Lord of the Mundburg we will come to dwell in the land that he names Calenardhon, and therefore I vow in my own name and on behalf of the Éothéod of the North that between us and the Great People of the West there shall be friendship for ever: their enemies shall be our enemies, their need shall be our need, and whatsoever evil, or threat, or assault may come upon them we will aid them to the utmost end of our strength. This vow shall descend to my heirs, all such as may come after me in our new land, and let them keep it in faith unbroken, lest the Shadow fall upon them and they become accursed' (pp. 304-305).
The Oath of Cirion:
'This oath shall stand in memory of the glory of the Land of the Star, and of the faith of Elendil the Faithful, in the keeping of those who sit upon the thrones of the West and of the One who is above all thrones for ever.'
Such an oath had not been heard in Middle-earth since Elendil himself had sworn alliance with Gil-galad King of the Eldar (p. 305).
footnote 44: And was not used again until King Elessar returned and renewed the bond in that same place with the King of the Rohirrim, Éomer the eighteenth descended from Eorl. [Cirion's] oath astounded those who heard it, and filled them with awe, and was alone (over and above the venerable tomb) sufficient to hallow the place where it was spoken (p. 317).
The chapter goes on to note that Cirion removed Elendil's casket from Amon Amwar after the oaths to the Hallows of Minas Tirith because this hill no longer marked the midpoint of the kingdom but the edge of the new land of Rohan granted to the Rohirrim for their faithfulness.
p. 290:
Nonetheless the alliance of [King] Calimehtar [of Gondor] and Marhwini [of the Northmen who became the Rohirrim] had not been in vain. If the strength of the Wainriders of Rhovanion had not been broken, that assault would have come sooner and in greater force, and the realm of Gondor might have been destroyed. But the greatest effect of the alliance lay far in the future which none could then foresee: the two great rides of the Rohirrim to the salvation of Gondor, the coming of Eorl to the Field of Celebrant, and the horns of King Théoden upon the Pelennor but for which the return of the King would have been in vain.
The oath between Cirion, Steward of Gondor, and Eorl, King of the Rohirrim, took place on Amon Anwar, "hill of awe" (p. 301). The summit was a wide oval place of level turf, unfenced, but at its eastern end there stood a low mound on which grew the white flowers of alfirin, and the westering sun touched them with gold. Then the Lord of Dol Amroth, chief of those in the company of Cirion, went towards the mound and saw, lying on the grass before it and yet unmarred by weed or weather, a black stone; and on the stone three letters were engraved. Then he said to Cirion:
'Is this then a tomb? But what great man of old lies here?'
'Have you not read the letters?' said Cirion.
'I have,' said the Prince, 'and therefore I wonder; for the letters are lambe, ando, lambe [L ND L], but there is no tomb for Elendil, nor has any man since his day dared to use that name.'
'Nonetheless this is his tomb,' said Cirion, 'and from it comes the awe that dwells on this hill and in the woods below. From Isildur who raised it to Meneldil who succeeded him, and so down all the line of the Kings, and down the line of the Stewards even to myself, this tomb has been kept a secret by Isildur's command. For he said: "Here is the mid-point of the Kingdom of the South, and here shall the memorial of Elendil the Faithful abide in the keeping of the Valar, while the Kingdom endures. This hill shall be a hallow, and let no man disturb its peace and silence, unless he be an heir of Elendil." I have brought you here, so that the oaths here taken may seem of deepest solemnity to ourselves and to our heirs upon either side' (pp. 303-304).
The Oath of Eorl:
'Hear now all peoples who bow not to the Shadow in the East, by the gift of the Lord of the Mundburg we will come to dwell in the land that he names Calenardhon, and therefore I vow in my own name and on behalf of the Éothéod of the North that between us and the Great People of the West there shall be friendship for ever: their enemies shall be our enemies, their need shall be our need, and whatsoever evil, or threat, or assault may come upon them we will aid them to the utmost end of our strength. This vow shall descend to my heirs, all such as may come after me in our new land, and let them keep it in faith unbroken, lest the Shadow fall upon them and they become accursed' (pp. 304-305).
The Oath of Cirion:
'This oath shall stand in memory of the glory of the Land of the Star, and of the faith of Elendil the Faithful, in the keeping of those who sit upon the thrones of the West and of the One who is above all thrones for ever.'
Such an oath had not been heard in Middle-earth since Elendil himself had sworn alliance with Gil-galad King of the Eldar (p. 305).
footnote 44: And was not used again until King Elessar returned and renewed the bond in that same place with the King of the Rohirrim, Éomer the eighteenth descended from Eorl. [Cirion's] oath astounded those who heard it, and filled them with awe, and was alone (over and above the venerable tomb) sufficient to hallow the place where it was spoken (p. 317).
The chapter goes on to note that Cirion removed Elendil's casket from Amon Amwar after the oaths to the Hallows of Minas Tirith because this hill no longer marked the midpoint of the kingdom but the edge of the new land of Rohan granted to the Rohirrim for their faithfulness.