Notice! Spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim ahead!
Helm Hammerhand is far more powerful than any mortal man in The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrimbut he may not have been born with such strength. Tolkien wrote the story of Hammerhand as a traditional legend, with a central character who is profoundly powerful and heroic, but also full of arrogance. It is for each of these qualities that this Rohirrim king dies, as he stands before the Hornberg during the most terrible winter in Middle-earth and faces an army alone. It's certainly incredible, although far beyond what Men of The Lord of the Rings are normally capable.
Kenji Kamiyama War of the Rohirrim took a unique approach to Helm Hammerhand's story, focusing instead on his daughter. Although unnamed in Tolkien's works, H̩ra is presented as a spirited and powerful heroine in the 2024 film Рalthough she is still not as strong as her father. War of the Rohirrim leaned into Helm Hammerhand's impossible strength when his own people began calling him a specter, capable of killing an entire army in mere moments. Of course, as H̩ra said, Helm wasn't actually a specter, but for a moment in this Lord of the Rings the movie could explain why he isn't human either.
Helm Hammerhand is seen removing a ring in The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim
In The Lord of the Rings: War of the RohirrimFreca, lord of the Dunlendings, challenges Helm Hammerhand to hand-to-hand combat. King Rohirrim accepts, and as he prepares to fight without weapons, he is seen removing a ring. No further attention is drawn to this little trinket, but given the universe in which Helm Hammerhand exists, his possession of the ring is undoubtedly intriguing. After all, Middle Earth is full of Rings of Power, which give their users a variety of abilities that go beyond the typical limits of their race.
Helm may owe his immense strength to this ring in War of the Rohirrim. If it was presented as a typical piece of royal jewelry, no one would have thought of it. However, it may have been constructed to give its user superhuman strength, which allowed Helm Hammerhand to defeat enemies with nothing but his bare hands – something he was known for.
This theory is reinforced by Helm's surprise at Freca's death, after he had only hit him once in a while. War of the Rohirrim. It's strange that the legendary king would be shocked by this, since his ability to defeat enemies with just his fists is exactly why he was called “hammer hand.” However, he may have thought that removing his ring would give Freca a fair chance in a fight. However, prolonged use of a Power Ring may have impacted Helm's strength more than he thought.
Helm having a ring of power would explain the orcs in the depths of Helm
After the deaths of his sons, Helm Hammerhand developed an even more fearsome reputation among the Rohirrim. That's when they started calling him the specter because he would disappear from his room without a trace on the nights Dunlendings was found in pieces. When Héra went to investigate this, however, she discovered some Orcs from Mordor, who were on a mission from their Dark Lord to hunt for rings. Of course, The Lord of the Rings audienceI understood immediately that Sauron had instructed them to do this in the hope of discovering his One Ring – but why would they be in Hornberg?
It is possible that the Orcs traveled to Hornberg during this terrible winter in Middle Earth because of the rumors about Helm Hammerhand. King Rohirrim had become a feared legend among the Dunlending, and word would certainly have traveled through his human allies, many of whom also had ties to Mordor. Stories of Helm Hammerhand's immense power may have made Sauron or his Orcs suspect that the man possessed a Ring of Power, and they may have traveled to Hornberg to investigate.
Helm Hammerhand's ring would not necessarily be one of Sauron's power rings
Whether Helm Hammerhand had a Ring of Power or not, it certainly wouldn't have been Sauron's One Ring. In fact, it may not have been one of Sauron's Rings of Power at all. The Dark Lord manipulated the elf Celebrimbor into making the Nine Rings for Men in the Second Age, and these were given to nine kings and lords – one of which could certainly have been Rohan's. However, by the time of Helm Hammerhand's rule, the Nine had already become Ringwraiths and were unable to take shape in the realm of the living until Sauron regained some strength about a century later.
Still, this doesn't necessarily mean that Helm Hammerhand didn't have a Ring of Power. Sauron and Celebrimbor were not the only makers of these weapons in Middle-earth – they were just the most notable. Gandalf mentioned in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings that hundreds of smaller rings have been made over the years. He suspected, at first, that the ring Bilbo found was simply one of these (until he did some more research and discovered it was The Ring). If Helm Hammerhand had a magic Ring that gave him strength, he could have come from practically anywhere.
The War of the Rohirrim may provide another explanation for Helm's strength
The War of the Rohirrim never confirmed or denied that Helm Hammerhand had a Ring of Power, but provided another explanation for why the king was so powerful. Mentionthat Helm and Héra, by extension, were descendants of the “Ancient Men.” This information reinforced the idea that father and daughter were strong warriors, but it is not entirely clear why.
The Ancient Men mentioned in War of the Rohirrim they were probably the first Men (Edain) who woke up in Middle-earth. These people migrated across Middle-earth, with some settling in the island kingdom of Númenor and eventually Gondor. The “Tall Men“as they were often called, they could live for centuries, although they were not immortal. This long lifespan continued in many of their descendants, including the Dúnedain (such as Aragorn). Additionally, the Edain were known to be physically stronger than the inferior Men who populated Middle Earth in later ages.
It is possible that Helm Hammerhand's ancestry is the reason he is as strong as he is. However, even among the Edain, there are no stories of any man possessing the same kind of immense strength as King Rohan. It seems more likely that there is a magical explanation for this The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim character strength. While we may never know for sure, the theory that Helm Hammerhand was the wearer of a Power Ring may hold some weight.