Rohan Armor
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Merry's Rohan Armor

(check out more information and pictures under Fellowship Hobbits)

Merry in his Rohan armor, photos curtsey to Secret Elf   (or high rez here)
(or high rez here)   (or high rez here)
     
 
  Back view of the Merry's mantle.  Note how tight it is pulled.  
  Note the dart to keep the mantle on his shoulders.  This is about the only time we see it.  It's not sewn it, looks like it was pinned that way so don't know if we see it in the movie or not.  
     
   
Sword Mantle Clasp Fabrics at shoulder, note seam.
Partial view of the embroidery, but best to see the setup of the machined stitches. This version is bigger and complete, but slightly blurry and flexed.  
Two different enhancements of the full design   (or high rez version here)

 

            
Examples of the trim    
    
     
 
     
 
Merry's Rohan Cloak    

Description

His arms are covered by grey wool sleeves, (which being the wrong color as well as darn awkward to wear with armor probably is not his regular frock coat) and over these there are apparently short sleeves of nearly the same color or a shade darker. He seems to be wearing his usual breeches, and no mail or other armor can be seen covering his legs at all.

CUIRASS or BREASTPLATE

   
(Or high rez here)  
   
   
   

Made of bronze covered in tooled and red painted leather in the same general style as Eomer, Theoden, or Dernhelm. It appears to be one plate though stitched together from 4 or 5 (or more) segments: a chest panel, a thinner panel, two stomach panels of different widths, and then a thin bottom panel. The top section has a seam down the center. (MIGHT be an actual opening that is laced shut, but that's very iffy.) Across the middle is a band about 2 inches or so wide. The lower section is 2 or 3 horizontal segments, probably not articulated. The bottom is flared outwards and comes to a slight point (downwards) at the center front.(you can see what I mean on The Two Towers DVD Behind the Scenes look at ROTK when Dom is talking to PJ.) The photo with Pippin shows a bottom edge which is indented upwards in the middle, similar to a concept sketch in The Art of the Two Towers, but this must be Merry's vambrace or something else. The seams of each panel are rounded upwards. In the more recent picture of Merry and Pippin you can see that the indeterminate design on the stomach panel actually stretches slightly over two separate panels, though most of the design (that is raised a little and appears to be some kind of crest) is primarily on the stomach (third) panel. The top edge is curved upwards and has a band of metallic decoration across it. I believe this band simply stops at the edges of the arm openings. A roughly octagonal decorated medallion (brass?) which seems to be two horse heads facing away in opposite directions is riveted to the center of the top edge. Two heavy leather bands, about 3 to 3-1/2 inches wide and undecorated, go from the top edge (presumably stitched to the back of it) over the shoulders. They may continue down the back, perhaps joined to a belt of some sort around the waist. But again, in the concept art the cuirass goes all the way around the torso and laces shut at the left side, so something like that is a possibility. The sides and bottom of the cuirass are obscured, unfortunately.

BALDRIC

Over the right shoulder and crossing the chest is a wide red leather baldric which presumably supports the sword scabbard. It is two layers, the bottom about 2-1/2 inches wide with a stitch line along both edges, the upper being half an inch narrower and decorated with tooled and painted designs of men on horseback (at least four). At the top end is a narrower part, under 2 inches wide, which seems to be stitched under the end of the upper layer, with a sort of Gothic-arch-shaped medallion at the juncture. Just above that is the buckle, figure-8 shaped with a raised design, identical to this:

http://www.alleycatscratch.com/lotr/Human/Rohan/Armor/rohanbelt11_kl.jpg

The problem is that the buckle's tongue is pointing upwards, so the end of the baldric MUST be pointing downwards. If so, is it NOT stitched between the baldric layers but tucked into a slot of some sort? Is the pointed medallion a strap end, folded back on itself? Pattern: the belt is tooled with scenes of the king marching with his army - cavalry, foot soldiers, horse archers, even hunting dogs - set in panels the entire length.

VAMBRACES

   
(or high rez here)  
 
   

Tooled and painted leather, like the armor. Could actually be done in layers with openwork on top, since the front edge shows 2 layers. A fairly simple pointed shape overall, probably buckled but the inner side is not visible. A tooled band of red leather forms a border along the back edge. A brass medallion similar to the one on the breastplate is at the point of each vambrace. The hands are covered by gloves of thin dark leather, no way to tell if they are connected to the vambraces or not.




Thanks to Matthew, Garfeimao, Essay. Page constructed by Sophie and Judy

 

Open Question: what are these grey wool sleeves from?


Pictures in this section thanks to Secrete Elf, Garfeimao, Kelldar and Rae


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This page was last updated 04/22/08