Wedding Practices of the Rohirrim - Continued
Wéofodþegn (Gandalf) to Groom (Faramir): Do you have the handgeld as you oathed to have?
Faramir: Yes.
Faramir to Brother of the Bride (Éomer): I give you this, the handgeld as I oathed to do. This deed contains ten cattle, fifteen sheep, a purse of gold and several loads of wood to advantage your family and realm, in parting with your sister.
Éomer: Having read and agreed to the deeds herein, I do accept your handgeld.
Gandalf to Éomer: Do you have the brýdgifu as you oathed to have?
Éomer: Yes.
Éomer to the Bride (Eowyn): I give you this brýdgifu, containing the deeds to five horses, a purse of gold and six bolts of cloth. It is yours to have and hold all of your days. Do with it as you wilt.
Gandalf: The brýdgifu and handgeld have been gifted and given. The holy oaths given have been held. Now let the bridegroom and bride exchange their oaths.
What am I going to do with cloth? Whose idea was that?
Mine and you can wrap your children up in it. It's for dresses and such things.
Eowyn! Éomer!
Sorry.
Sorry.
The Exchange of Swords
The groom then gives the bride his ancestral sword, saying: I give you this sword to save for our sons to have and to use.
The bride then gives the groom the new sword, saying: To keep us safe, you must bear a blade. With this sword keep safe our home.
Exchange of Rings, the Oaths, and the Keys
The couple should then exchange vows and rings. These oaths are best written by the couple and should involve any pre-marital agreements that were made. Promises of safeguarding, love, mutual respect and the families involvement should one member of the couple not keep their vows or grow upset with the marriage. Calling upon Vána and Bema to bless the marriage and keep it whole.
Both the groom's oath, and the bride's oath should end with something like "With this ring I thee wed," with the placement of the wedding ring upon the other's finger – the ring is held by the Groom's friend (not her brother, Aragorn in this case) and the Bride's friend (Arwen). The bride's ring is offered on the hilt of the new sword symbolizing his trust in her. Finally, all of the groom's keys are given to the bride, as she is now keeper of the household (Imrahil holds the keys). Another friend of the Bride steps forward with the honey cakes (Lothiriel – Me!) and the couple take one cake to share, the rest are given out amongst the friends and relatives.
The Weofodthegn witnessing the vows then pronounces the couple as married and states whatever else is prescribed by his state or nation for a legal wedding (so the oaths and rites of Gondor, blessings of both Kings and the acceptance of the witnesses).
The Brýdeala
Two chairs are brought forward, the Bride and Groom sit down facing one another, their friends and relatives depart to sit down in the Hall. The Weofodthegn's assistances (Pippen and Merry) bring forward the Hall's Ceremonial Cup and the Brideale. The Weofodthegn bless both and gives the Bride the jug and ale, which she then pours. The Bride and Groom both hold the cup and stand up, the bride blesses the groom and the groom her, they then drink from the cup. Cup is then passed around those gathered.
Gandalf: And so before all here gathered, among friends, relations and kin you are thus wed. All agreements being made and the tightening of the Handfasting cord about your wrist (this being done), from now on be bound to one another, both in love, honour and wisdom. As the documents and rituals have been rightly sealed, so seal this marriage with a binding kiss.
The Groom kisses the bride, wrapping her in his cloak while doing so, proving that his wife is now under his safe guarding. Bride's friends throw flowers, Groom's friends hail them.
FEAST TIME! Eating, drinking, dancing, singing and giving of smaller gifts (from friends and relations). Last dance of the evening is the most important. Two lines form, men following the groom, women following the bride. Easier to show you when you're there before the wedding; but they have to dance all over the Hall, outside and inside, before reaching their bedroom (the women's handmaidens and the male servants will have taken the man and woman's possessions, and put them in one room). The men take the groom off to his old room, to get him ready for bed – friendly advice, bit of banter, that sort of thing – while the women prepare the bride in her new bedroom.
Bride's hair is done up in a plait, for him to undo. New robe or nightdress may be given as a present to the bride. Bed is blessed and anointed, honey cakes and wedding ale left in the bedroom. Wife is put in bed by female friends, man is brought in by his and they are left alone.
Unless anyone gets stinking drunk and decides to sing love songs outside their window.
No one is getting stinking drunk and singing outside the window, EOMER!
It was a joke! In the morning men's friends wake the couple up, the couple being wrapped in the man's cloak. Wedding breakfast and Honymone ale.
Are we done now?
Yes, though by Bema this will have to be written out in neat, I'll do that though.
…
Wasn't a joke Faramir, I am so singing outside your window and bawling up like a baby!
I think Eowyn was so annoyed with Eomer, she was at a complete lost as to what to say to him! Thanks again to MamaBirdCat, tommyginger and the two guests who left reviews (unless you're the same person? I think you can leave a name in the review box, so I can thank you personally). Next week, Eowyn is going back to Rohan for the Yuletide period, so the lovers are once more separated, but Faramir is definitely visiting her in the early spring, then later on to get married!
Tommyginger - Thanks again, your words are very kind. I also might be posting up some oneshots of Faramir and Eowyn's life, and I'm sort of working on a sequel to my other fanfic (As I am) about them.
Guest - Nooooooooo, of course she didn't! ;) Fainiel is an odd mix of being a young woman, and interested in 'these' matters, while still trying to be a lady. Borlas is meant to be the son of Beregond and he is meant to be older than his brother Bergil. I don't think he actually appears in Lord of the Rings, but was a character Tolkien invented in the sequel The New Shadow, I just wanted someone who was actually there (or would have been) and if Tolkien isn't going to use him, I may as well! The Lords/Ladies thing is part of Fainiel's airheadedness, she's quite friendly with Lothiriel (so often drops her's) and really she should call Eomer - Eomer King (but again doesn't), I don't think she drops Eowyn's, because Fainiel respects her and likes her.
Guest - Eowyn was at her wit's end! Um...Not sure if he was, but then I can't seem to remember if Eowyn's and Faramir's marriage date is mentioned (though people tend to believe it was a year after the War, and Lothiriel/Eomer's a year after that) and so I think it's relatively reasonable to assume Gandalf stuck around for a tiny bit! At least for the purposes of my story he does.