A knight of the King's Riders of Rohan, who was apparently promoted to lead those Riders of the King's household after the loss of Háma2 in the Battle of the Hornburg. After the Rohirrim were victorious in that battle, Déorwine rode with them as they followed King Théoden to the defence of Minas Tirith, and fought beside their King in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
In that great battle, Théoden led his Riders against a force of Haradrim, and though they defeated that small force, they were set upon by the Lord of the Nazgûl, swooping down from the air. At this point, seven Riders of his bodyguard remained to defend their King, with Déorwine as their chief, but all were slain in the fighting, either by the Southrons or by the descending Nazgûl. After the battle, Déorwine and his companions were honoured, and years after the War of the Ring, minstrels in Rohan would sing of brave Déorwine and his fall.
Notes
1 |
The most likely interpretation of Déorwine's name is probably 'brave friend' (from the same linguistic origins as Déor, the seventh King of Rohan) but two other possible derivations from Old English are possible. Déor wine literally means 'friend of deer', or the name might also be interpreted as from déore wine, which means 'beloved friend'. |
2 |
For some years before the Battle of the Hornburg, the rank of Captain of the King's Household was held by Háma, but Háma fell defending the Hornburg. At the Battle of the Pelennor, the chief of the King's knights is named as Déorwine (a name that had not appeared in the narrative before this point). Déorwine therefore replaced Háma, and we might infer that he had formerly been Háma's deputy or second-in-command, though the details of the transition are not explained.
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- Updated 13 January 2026
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