Helm is deeply explained in Lord of the Rings

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Helm is deeply explained in Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim includes one of JRR Tolkien's most important stories about Helm's Deep, highlighting why the location is so important to the people of Rohan through the events of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Introduced in The Lord of the Rings: The Two TowersRohan is one of the nations of Men that the heroes must recruit to combat Sauron's forces. Targeted and manipulated by Saruman, the Rohirrim end up returning to their ancient fortress in Helm's Deep to resist the White Wizard's attack.

The battle that follows is one of the main battles of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, with the adaptation of the conflict seen in Peter Jackson's film trilogy standing out as one of the film's most impressive and enduring sequences. However, Helm's Deep survived more than just a massive siege within the lore and timeline of Lord of the Rings. This is where much of the subject matter in The War of the Rohirrim takes place, which investigates a conflict that ended up giving the fortress its name.

Helm's Deep is named after Helm Hammerhead

Helm Hammerhead's story is a big part The War of the Rohirrim


Hammerhand Helmet from The Lord of the Rings The War of the Rohirrim

Custom image of Milica Djordjevic

The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim delves into the history of Helm's Deep and the fate of the king for whom it is named, Helm Hammerhead. About two hundred years before the events of Lord of the Rings and Théoden's rule, the Rohirrim were ruled by Helm Hammerhead. Helm commanded the Rohirrim during a tumultuous time for the kingdomas his battles with the Dunlendings became increasingly dangerous. After refusing the rich Freca's request to marry his son Wulf to Helm's daughter Héra, Helm attacked Freca and killed him.

King Helm is played by Brian Cox in The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim

This triggered a massive conflict with the Dunlendings, led by a vengeful Wulf. The Rohirrim only survived by retreating to Súthburg, which would later be known as Helm's Deep in honor of Hammerhead. Helm plays an important role in The War of the Rohirrimand the event that ended up giving the fortress its name is portrayed in the film. The War of the Rohirrim fills in the gaps because the Rohirrim have such confidence in the place as a refuge during The Two Towersas the fortress has survived attacks similar to the one sent by Saruman.

The Story of Helm's Deep in The Lord of the Rings Explained

Helm's Deep was originally built by the Men of Gondor


Hera in the middle of a sword fight with Wulf in The Lord of the Rings The War of the Rohirrim

Despite eventually becoming irrevocably linked to them, Helm's Deep was not actually built by the Rohirrim. TThe fortress was built during the height of Númenórean powerwith the first leaders of Gondor building the fortress within a huge gorge. Called the Fortress of Aglarond (which translates as “Shining Caves” in the Elvish language of Sindarin), this fortress stood for many years before being used as a prominent location in Tolkien's stories.

The Keep of Aglarond ended up being one of the places granted by the Steward of Gondor Cirion to King Eorl of Éothéod. This helped establish the nation of Rohan. While Gondor continued to control the great fortress Angrenost (also known as Isengard) for a time, the Rohirrim nicknamed their new fortress Súthburg. I would keep these names until the events of The War of the Rohirrimat which point it began to be known as Helm's Deep and Hornburg in honor of King Helm.

The Battle of Helm's Deep in Two Towers and What Happened

Helm's Deep was crucial to the survival of Middle Earth

One of the most emblematic conflicts The Lord of the RingsThe Battle of Helm's Deep takes place during the events of The Two Towers. Hoping to exterminate those who would resist Sauron's rule, Saruman sent his armies of Orcs and Dunlendings to attack Rohan. When the nation retreated to Helm's Deep, Saruman's armies followed them. Although the specifics of the battle differ slightly from the original books and the film directed by Peter Jackson, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towersthey eventually came to the same conclusion.

Although the fortress initially resisted the armies, Saruman's experiments with explosives gave the Orcs a means of blowing up the walls and storming the fortress. However, Théoden and Aragorn were able to successfully lead a counterattack that forced the orcs back onto the battlefield – where reinforcements led by Gandalf helped defeat the orcs. The Battle of Helm's Deep is a pivotal moment in the War of the Ringsolidifying the resistance against Sauron's influence and setting the stage for the Rohirrim to play a vital role in saving Gondor during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.

Where is Helm's Deep located in Middle Earth

Rohan's proximity to Isengard made him a natural target for Saruman


Helm's Deep Map in The Lord of the Rings

On the map of Middle-earth, Helm's Deep can be found at the top of the West Vale, a mountain range that stretches across most of Gondor. This puts Helm's Deep at the base of Thrihyrneone of the White Mountains. Protected by a massive gorge behind them, Helm's Deep makes sense as an ideal fortress of last resort. Helm's Deep is located northwest of Edoras, capital of Rohan. The closest other notable location in Middle-earth to Helm's Deep is Isengard, located on the edge of the northernmost range of the Misty Mountains.

This makes sense, given the shared history of Helm's Deep and Isengard as fortresses built by the ancient citizens of Gondor long before the events of The Lord of the Rings. Likewise, its proximity to the Ent-filled Fangorn Forests also means that (as seen in Tolkien's original texts and Peter Jackson's extended edition of the book) The Two Towers) part of the forest was able to move to Helm's Deep to help destroy Saruman's last forces. In the expanded tradition of the Fourth Age after The Lord of the Rings, Gimili helped establish a dwarven colony in the Shining Caverns.

How Helm's Deep is Connected to the War of the Rohirrim

The War of the Rohirrim Investigate the importance of Helm's Deep


Hèra fights Wulf in The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.

The War of the Rohirrim is largely about the conflict that broke out in Rohan centuries before The Lord of the Rings. At this time, the kingdom still knew the fortress as Súthburg. The film's plot is based on the massive siege of Súthburg and Helm's efforts to defeat the Dunlending armies trying to overthrow them. This battle and Helm's actions during it led to the fortress being renamed Helm's Deep in his honor..

The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim goes a step beyond that too, using Middle-earth lore to create a story of lost friendship and generational ghosts.

Even the term “the Trumpet Fort” derives from this battle, as stories of Helm blowing his mighty trumpet and terrifying his kingdom's enemies with it also became part of his legend. The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim goes a step further than that too, using Middle-earth lore to create a story of lost friendship and generational ghosts. The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim is based on the history of Middle-earth and highlights the stunning stories that took place in Helm's Deep but have never been adapted for the screen before.

Set before the events of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is an animated fantasy action-adventure film that follows a King of Rohan named Helm Hammerhand. When his home is besieged by Dunlendings, Hammerhand prepares himself and his allies to fight against them, with the war leading to the eventual establishment of Helm's Deep.

Release date

December 13, 2024

Director

Kenji Kamiyama

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