An Archer is a soldier whose primary weapons are a Bow and Arrows. There are many different archers in The Lord of the Rings and the other Books by Tolkien.

Contents 1 Lórien Archers 2 Gondorian Archer 2.1 Ithilien Archers 3 Rohirrim Archers 4 Haradrim and Easterling Archers 5 Orc Archers 6 Hobbit Archers

Lórien ArchersEdit

The Elven archers from Lórien use large bows of mallorn wood strung with Elf hair; their arrows were almost four feet long and usually made of ash with a tip made of gold and shaped like a mallorn] leaf. They used a spiral method of fletching (attaching feathers to the arrow shaft), thus making their arrows more accurate, up to a quarter mile.

Gondorian ArcherEdit

The Gondorian army contains units of archers who use a longbow. The bows are made of heartwood, about 68 inches tall. The arrows are about 28 inches long with four-inch steel tips. They are accurate up to 200 yards. The longbowmen of the army wear their quiver (the case that holds the arrows) on their hips rather than on their backs like most archers, such as Legolas and Haldir.

Ithilien ArchersEdit

The Rangers of Ithilien were primarily archers. They used a simple longbow, often made of yew, up to 80 inches in length. Their arrows averaged about 28 inches in length with a steel tip with consistent accuracy up to 200 yards.

Rohirrim ArchersEdit

Rohan included archers in its militia. They used shortbows, possibly because they fought mounted on horses and a longer bow might get in the way. The shortbows were much less powerful than those used by their allies, having a range of only 125 yards. Their arrows were unique in having a cutout in the heads; this cut down on weight & the amount of metal used while still allowing the arrowheads to have a larger surface area, which would cause a larger wound. Another unique aspect of the arrows was that they were fletched with leather.

Note: Information comes from "The Lord of the Rings Weapons and Warfare" book by Chris Smith.

Haradrim and Easterling ArchersEdit

The Haradrim (Southrons) were also skilled archers, along with their allies the Easterlings. The Haradrim were masters of horse archery and had expert snipers positioned on the feared Mumakil. Their bows were short, possibly made of composite materials and by the time of the War of the Ring, could possibly have been compound, making them extremely deadly, their bows maximum effective range was 300 yards. Easterlings are depicted with various types of bows, either long or short, depending on where they come from (Variag, Wainriders, etc.). An interesting note about Easterlings is that most of their troops, even shock types, carry bows, indicating a very archer-oriented culture, like the ancient Persians. Their bows maximum effective range was at 500 yards, making them an imperialistic tool of a professional elite fighter.

Orc ArchersEdit

Orcs and Goblins are often seen carrying bows, but are also viewed as poor handlers of the weapon. Their bows can range from being as tall as an Uruk to relatively short. The maximum effective ranges included 50 and 100 yards. Orc arrows were often tipped with poison or barbed, so a well-aimed hit could often be fatal. Mordor Uruk-hai and Isengard Scouts are also seen with these bows, but were merely only as effective as Rohirric Bowmen.

Hobbit ArchersEdit

Hobbits are not a warring people, but their best unit in times of war are their archers. During the rein of the Last King of Arnor before its dispansion the first time, hobbits sent archers to his aid as was agreed when they moved to live in Arnor. Also Hobbit archers were responsible for the death of Grima Wormtongue.