Grey Company

The Grey Company was a war-party of the Dúnedain of the North, the last remnant of the ancient kingdom of Arnor. Thirty Rangers answered the summons that came to Rivendell, riding in haste under the leadership of Halbarad, a kinsman of Aragorn. With them came the twin sons of Elrond, Elladan and Elrohir, who desired to go to the war. The company was grim and silent, clad in dark grey cloaks pinned with silver brooches shaped like rayed stars, and they bore no bright ornament save those stars. Their horses were rough-haired but strong and proud. They overtook Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and King Théoden's party at the Fords of Isen, riding hard through the night, and were greeted with joy by Aragorn, who had not summoned them but had long wished for their aid.

Purpose and the Standard

The Grey Company's errand was twofold: to fight at Aragorn's side and to deliver a gift from the Lady of Rivendell. Halbarad carried a tall staff, close-furled in black cloth and bound with many thongs. When Aragorn asked what he bore, Halbarad replied that it was a gift from Arwen, wrought in secret over a long time, and that she sent word: "The days now are short. Either our hope cometh, or all hope's end. Therefore I send thee what I have made for thee." Aragorn recognized the standard and bade Halbarad bear it still for a while. This banner, later unfurled on the ships at Pelargir and at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, displayed a White Tree, seven stars, and a high crown—the emblems of Elendil—and was made of gems and mithril and gold by Arwen herself.

The Ride to Dunharrow and the Paths of the Dead

From the Hornburg the Grey Company rode swiftly across the plains of Rohan, passing through Edoras and up the valley to Dunharrow, where they arrived as darkness fell. There the Lady Éowyn greeted them, and her eyes rested most on Aragorn. When she learned that he intended to take the Paths of the Dead, she pleaded with him to remain and ride to war with her brother, but Aragorn refused, saying he must go on a path appointed. The Grey Company followed him without hesitation. At the Dimholt, under the black trees of the Haunted Mountain, they came to the Dark Door. The horses of the Rangers, loving their riders, were willing to enter, but Arod, the horse of Rohan, refused until Legolas sang to him and led him in. Gimli alone hesitated, ashamed that an Elf would go underground while a Dwarf dared not, and then plunged in. Within the darkness, the company felt the presence of an unseen host following them, and Gimli heard a rumour of many feet. They passed the bones of a mighty man who had died clawing at a closed stone door, and Aragorn called out to the whispering darkness, summoning the Dead to the Stone of Erech.

The Summoning at Erech and the March to Pelargir

Riding through the night, the Grey Company came at midnight to the Hill of Erech, where a black stone stood. Aragorn blew a silver horn and cried out to the Oathbreakers, who answered from the darkness, saying they had come to fulfil their oath and have peace. Aragorn declared himself Elessar, Isildur's heir, and commanded them to follow him to Pelargir. Then Halbarad unfurled the great standard, black with a hidden device, and the Dead fell silent. At dawn the company set out on a journey of greatest haste and weariness, passing through Lamedon and across the Ciril and Ringló rivers, with the Shadow Host pressing behind and fear going before them. They came to Linhir, where men of Lamedon fought the Corsairs of Umbar, but both sides fled at the sight of the King of the Dead. At Pelargir, Aragorn called the Dead to him, and they swept through the fleet like a grey tide, filling the mariners with madness and terror. The Grey Company then boarded the captured ships and sailed up the Anduin to the Harlond, arriving at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields in the third hour of the morning with the standard unfurled, turning the tide of battle.

Loss and Legacy

The Grey Company did not survive the war unscathed. Halbarad, the dour-handed Ranger who had led them, fell in the battle on the Pelennor Fields, and his name was remembered among the fallen in the songs of Rohan and Gondor. The remaining Dúnedain fought alongside Aragorn and Éomer, and their arrival with the black fleet was a decisive stroke that broke the morale of the hosts of Mordor. The Grey Company thus fulfilled its purpose: to bring the heir of Isildur to his kingdom, bearing the token of his queen, and to summon the Dead to their long-delayed oath. Their ride through the Paths of the Dead became a legend, and the standard of Arwen flew over the crowning of King Elessar.