The wind was in the East and all the mists had rolled away; wide lands lay bleak about them in the bitter light. Ahead and eastward they saw the windy uplands of the Wold of Rohan that they had already glimpsed many days ago from the Great River.
– The Two Towers (Book 3), Chapter 2
The Wold is the northernmost and least populated region of Rohan. In the summer months, camps of herdsmen can be found scattered among its vast plains. Its proximity to Mirkwood and Dol Guldur makes the region prone to raids by both evil men and Orcs. In millennia past, when the region was still part of the Gondorian province of Calenardhon, a series of forts were erected to protect the region’s eastern border from such attacks.
Geography
The Wold is a large plainland bordered by Fangorn Forest in the west and the river Anduin in the east. It marks the northern frontier of the kingdom of Rohan as the region lies next to the Elven realm of Lothlórien and the vast lands of Rhovanion.
Culture
Lone men, riding wild, brought word of foes assailing their east-borders, of orc-hosts marching in the Wold of Rohan.
– The Return of the King (Book 5), Chapter 3
The only region of Rohan without any permanent settlements, the Wold is only occupied during the summer months. Then, herdsmen from other parts of the kingdom, most notably the Eastemnet, migrate north to lead their stock across the plains. As they make their way across the land, so do their camps. The region’s size and relative isolation from the rest of the kingdom make it a prime target for raids, as well as a first target for larger attacks on Rohan.
