The Battle of Helm’s Deep is a pivotal clash in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings:Â The Two Towers, where Rohan’s forces, aided by Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, defend Helm’s Deep (Rohan’s key stronghold located in a deep gorge within the White Mountains of Middle-Earth) from Saruman’s vast army of Uruk-hai. Despite the overwhelming odds, the fortress remained standing, primarily thanks to the valiant efforts of its defenders and the reinforcements led by Gandalf and Erkenbrand that arrived at the crucial moment.
Peter Jackson’s adaptation of the Battle of Helm’s Deep in 2002’s The Two Towers is widely praised for capturing the intensity and heroism of the original scene from Tolkien’s novel, despite introducing some significant changes for cinematic effect, like replacing Erkenbrand with Eomer and adding Elves to the battle. Still, neither the movies nor the main storyline of the novels touch upon the history of Helm’s Deep in any significant manner; any references to its history and significance are mainly to provide focus on its strategic importance during the events of The Two Towers.
Well, with the release of the upcoming The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim animated film, that’s all about to change, and the fans of Tolkien’s fantastic universe are about to receive a lore lesson into Helm’s Deep, the great Gondorian fortress, Hornburg guarding its entrance, and Helm Hammerhand — a legendary King of Rohan after whom Helm’s Deep got its name. Ever since its development began in June 2021, War of the Rohirrim has persevered through massive corporate changes that took place at Warner Bros.
Despite the challenges the production endured, the creative team behind the movie, including its producer Jason DeMarco, has completed the animated film, which is set to release this December, focusing on Helm Hammerhand and his battles. Now, while the movies and the novels’ main storylines don’t provide any significant information apart from a few references, the appendices of The Lord of the Rings (primarily Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers) do provide extensive background information about the region and its former king.
Namely, Helm’s Deep, the fortress that King Theoden defends in The Lord of the Rings, is actually named after Helm Hammerhand, after he and his troops took refuge in Suthburg during the Long Winter. But before we discuss those events, let’s go back to Helm’s roots. Helm was born during the long and peaceful reign of his great-grandfather, King Goldwine, as the son of Prince Gram, who was the king’s grandson. His grandfather’s subsequent rule was marked by open hostilities with Dunlendings, the wild men from outside Rohan who had taken the Gondorian fortress of Isengard.
The hostilities turned into open warfare by the time Helm ascended to the throne as the Ninth King of Rohan. During his reign, Helm came into conflict with Frecca, a rather arrogant local lord of Rohan who had Dunlending blood. At one point, Frecca demanded that Helm’s daughter (named Hera for the purpose of the upcoming animated film) marry his son Wulf. Following Helm’s mockery of Frecca and his demand, the unfortunate local lord threatened Helm, to which the king smote him so hard with his fist that Frecca soon succumbed to the injury he sustained.
So, no wonder why he’s called Hammerhand? Well, the king was known for his great physical strength and prowess and was also known for fighting barehanded, believing that “no weapon would upon bite him” if he used no weapon in combat. Whatever the case may be, the incident with Frecca had some long-reaching consequences, as Wulf later returned with Dunlendings, Corsairs of Umbar, and Easterlings and overran Rohan, with Helm withdrawing into the Suthburg fortress (later renamed to Hornburg) located at the mouth of the valley within the White Mountains.
The fortress also housed a large war-horn. Whenever the horn was blown, Helm would go out and break through the ranks of Dunlendings, killing many of their men, presumably slaying them with his bare hands, causing great fear among his enemies. It’s said that it was during this time (known as the Long Winter) Helm became so terrible and fierce that he ate other men when he became hungry and there was no food — as those within the fortress suffered from famine due to the siege. Sadly, he met his end during one of his night sorties.
Nobody knows how exactly he died; presumably, it was the extreme cold of the Long Winter and the famine that got to him, as his body was found frozen following a massive blizzard. He was still standing, with his eyes open. Apparently, his knees failed to bend even in death. Dunlendings still feared Helm, even in death, and wouldn’t dare go near the frozen corpse, while Rohan legends say that Helm still roams Rohan lands as a wraith, killing their enemies with fear alone.
So, it’s easy to understand why War of the Rohirrim, whose narrative is set 183 years before the main story, focuses on Helm Hammerhand. He’s one of the most awe-inspiring characters Tolkien ever created, and his actions were only spoken of in legends. Considering that Phillipa Boyens, the main Tolkien accuracy coordinator for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, is now on board as the executive producer, there’s very little doubt that War of the Rohirrim would adapt Helm and his legend perfectly.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim is scheduled to launch theatrically on December 13, 2024, in the United States, allowing us to finally witness the legend of Helm Hammerhand.