Eofor was the third son of Brego, and thus a grandson of Eorl the Young, founder of Rohan. The seat of the Kings of Rohan had been at Aldburg in the Folde, but Brego removed it to Edoras, where he built the great hall of Meduseld. At the feast to celebrate the new hall's founding, Eofor's eldest brother Baldor set out to pass through the Paths of the Dead, and was lost. Thus Brego's second son Aldor became his father's heir, and Eofor was given the lordship of the old capital of Aldburg.
Though it was no longer the seat of Kings, Aldburg remained an important town, and was the headquarters of the Muster of the East-mark. As such, Eofor and his descendants were important nobles in Rohan, throughout the later years of the Third Age. Éomund of Eastfold was said to be descended from Eofor, and thus so was his son Éomer, who fought in the War of the Ring and succeeded Théoden to become King in his own right.
Notes
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We do not know the date of Eofor's birth, but we do know that of his elder brother Aldor: III 2544. Aldor was Brego's second son and Eofor his third, so at the absolute earliest Eofor might have been born late in that year, though his birthdate was far more likely to have been within a few years after that date.
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Aldburg in the Folde had been the home of Eorl after he settled in Rohan, and thus the original royal seat. Eorl's son Brego founded a new capital at Edoras and built the Golden Hall of Meduseld there. After the King's seat moved to Edoras, Aldburg was given into the keeping of Brego's younger son Eofor, and remained in his family until the end of the Third Age.
At least, that's the simple account that we're given in records, but in practice the transfer may have been rather more complicated than this. At the time Brego built Meduseld, he had three sons, and Eofor was the youngest of the three. Given that Brego and his heir Baldor would remove to Edoras, one would naturally assume that Aldburg would fall to Brego's second son Aldor. In the event, the eldest son Baldor did not long survive: at the first feast in the Golden Hall, he vowed to walk the Paths of the Dead, and was lost after he passed through the Dark Door. Thus Brego's second son Aldor became his heir and dwelt with his father in Edoras, and Aldburg fell to his third son Eofor.
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Eofor is a minor character in the Old English poem Beowulf, and given Tolkien's familiarity with that work, it seems reasonable to assume that Eofor of Rohan was partially inspired, in name if not in character, by Beowulf's Eofor of Geatland. In Old English eofor means 'boar', and Tolkien uses the same name (in a modernised form ever) in 'Everholt', which means 'boar wood'.
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Eofor is not specifically named as being one of the Marshals of the Mark, but taking account of his rank as the King's son, and the fact that his descendants were named as Marshals, it seems overwhelming likely that Eofor held the position himself.
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- Updated 22 November 2017
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