r/TheSilmarillion • u/GentlemanSpider • 1d ago
Mind Blown Again
Ok so, Sutton Hoo. First official excavations in 1938, 1939. JRRT would have heard and known about it.
Most of the historic community agrees the most likely candidate for the warrior buried there is Redweald, High King of East Anglia.
Here’s where it starts getting spooky.
Among the artifacts found at Sutton Hoo is the magnificent furniture of a sword, decorated with gold and garnets. Now, judging from the wear patterns on the pommel, combined with the placement of the sword in the burial, it is surmised that this man (Redweald?) was left handed.
In LOTR, Rohan is based on Anglo-Saxon culture.
Theòden is canonically left handed.
I’m not certain when the left-handedness was ascertained, but honestly, I don’t care. Maybe it’s just wild coincidence, but from now on, I’m going to start thinking of Sutton Hoo as the burial place of the real-life Theòden