MOC: Meduseld, The Golden Hall of Edoras

[Preuss]

Meduseld, also known as The Golden Hall, is the center of power in the city of Edoras, the capital of the kingdom of Rohan. Build on a stone plateau on top of the highest hill in the city, the palace can be seen from afar by anyone approaching Edoras.

Meduseld is built mostly from wood, but it was its straw roof reflecting sunlight in golden tones that earned the hall its nickname. Equestrian themes carved in wood or represented in tapestries honor the Rohirrim riders and the kingdom's love of horses.

During the War of the Ring, Théoden King sat on his throne in the Golden Hall while he was manipulated by Gríma Wormtongue, until Gandalf, The White, came to free him. Gríma was then literally kicked out of the kingdom on the stone steps that lead to Meduseld.

The following images were captured right before the Rohan people retreated to Helm's Deep. They portray a refreshed Théoden King between his niece Éowyn and his nephew Éomer, the Third Marshall of the Mark, shielded by archers and Rohirrim.

About this MOC:

I had been trying to choose a LOTR setting to build as my first post-dark-ages MOC for a while. Meduseld wasn't one of my first choices and I was already planning another Middle Earth landmark when the VII LugBrasil Challenge pushed me towards non-gray/blay subjects. Since I already had a good supply of brown and tan pieces and a dozen Rohirrim, the Golden Hall ended up being a natural choice.

In order to keep my MOC within the challenge's 48x48 stud limit (and my own brick supply) I had to adapt a lot from the film trilogy Meduseld. Major changes were the removal of the stone obelisks and side halls, which contributed to the change of the roof profile. Even then, I believe the overall look of the building, inspired by Norman mead halls, was well preserved. The highlights are the wood-carved horses and the green and gold detailing to match the flags over the observation post.

The hall's interior was also very simplified, being restricted to the throne room with a lightbrick-lit hearth and some benches. I had to improvise a crown for the King and hairpieces for his niece/nephew because they didn't look good wearing their helms, but those are presented to the sides of the throne with some weapons and the kingdom's treasure.

C&C are very welcome and appreciated!

Best,

Preuss

[kermit]

Wow this is a beautiful moc. I like how you made the roof. Question though is there access to the watch tower on the roof?

[tahoethewhite]

Wow it looks beautiful. The outside looks great and I really like the archer tower on top. The inside looks amazing as well.

[pogie]

Some really cool details going on. I'm not feeling the gambrel roof though, although I have no clue what a Viking mead hall looks like.

[Preuss]

Wow this is a beautiful moc. I like how you made the roof. Question though is there access to the watch tower on the roof?

Thanks. Unfortunately, there isn't. The Watch tower was kind of an afterthought. Or I could just say that the Rohirrim have a very precise catapult to fling the archers up there :-)

Some really cool details going on. I'm not feeling the gambrel roof though, although I have no clue what a Viking mead hall looks like.

Thanks. Yeah, I don't love the shape of the roof either. I didn't want it to be flat and needed a high ceiling, so it ended up like that, but it's something I'd certainly want to change if I improve the build.

Wow it looks beautiful. The outside looks great and I really like the archer tower on top. The inside looks amazing as well.

Thanks. I'm glad you liked!

Best,

Preuss

Edited September 9, 2013 by Preuss

[janatale]

This is awesome! I especially love the interior shot of King Theoden.

[Infernum]

This is awesome! Love the rockwork! Nice figs too!

[Sir Jonathan]

Looks beautiful, the details are great

[Preuss]

This is awesome! I especially love the interior shot of King Theoden.

Thanks! I took most of the interior shots throught the door, with LED lamps pointed at the windows. Didn't really expect those reflections from the crown, but they added a nice touch.

This is awesome! Love the rockwork! Nice figs too!

Thanks. I'm actually thinking of repurposing just the "stone" base for another MOC now.

The figs are mostly original, except for the hairpieces / crown. Congrats to TLG!

Looks beautiful, the details are great

Thanks! I keep thinking of more things do add, but want to finish another project first.

Best,

Preuss

[ZCerberus]

Excellent build. Looks like you could use some work with lighting the photos to get rid of the shadows, but that is a minor quibble compared to the excellent quality of the MOC. Bravo!

[SerenityInFire]

Absolutely gorgeous work, and a good use of the "gold coin" pieces in the smaller 2013 Castle sets.

[Preuss]

Excellent build. Looks like you could use some work with lighting the photos to get rid of the shadows, but that is a minor quibble compared to the excellent quality of the MOC. Bravo!

Thanks! I find it interesting that you didn't like the lighting. I've posted the same pictures on another forum and most of the comments were praising the lighting. While the shadows weren't exactly intended, the sideways lighting was done on purpose with a couple of LED lamps and the flash pointed to the side. I wanted to create a sunset atmosphere to match the "Golden Hall" nickname. As for the interior shots, they were lit with the two lamps pointing at the windows, so as to create the darkish look referenced in the book. There is also a light brick within the hearth, but that one ended up not helping at all.

Absolutely gorgeous work, and a good use of the "gold coin" pieces in the smaller 2013 Castle sets.

Thanks! I got those parts from BL, but had no idea they were supposed to be gold coins. Still have to buy some of these new sets.

Best,

Preuss