The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is a highly-anticipated release in 2024. Here are some Middle Earth questions it can clear up.

SUMMARY

 “The War of the Rohirrim” will be released in December 2024 and takes place 250 years before the events of Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
 The film explores the human conflict between Helm Hammerhand, King of Rohan, and the Dunderling wildmen, with potential involvement from Sauron behind the scenes.
 The film introduces Helm Hammerhand’s daughter, Héra, who is a prominent character and has been developed almost entirely from scratch for the film.

SPOILERS ahead for the Appendixes of The Return of the King, which The War of the Rohirrim is based on.The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim will be released in December 2024, and the film can clear up some questions about Tolkien’s Middle Earth histories.

The animated movie is set to take place roughly 250 years before the events of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and will take inspiration from the aesthetic he established with his film trilogy.

Brian Cox stars as the voice of Helm Hammerhand, King of Rohan, whose rule was defined by an ongoing conflict with the Dunderling wildmen. Miranda Otto will return as Éowyn to narrate the film.

Lord of the Rings is one of many popular franchises that hasn’t had a good film in years, and The War of the Rohirrim seems promising to right the ship. The context of its events is drawn from the Appendixes at the end of Tolkien’s The Return of the King.

All of the material for the film is pulled from The Lord of the Rings, meaning nothing from The Silmarillion or the expanded histories. It’s an area that Tolkien barely covered, and given its ties to The Two Towers and beloved characters, the film can hopefully answer some questions.

7. Was Sauron Involved Behind The Scenes?

Sauron won’t be a prominent figure in The War of the Rohirrim, but he could be pulling strings.

Sauron certainly doesn’t need to be involved in every Middle Earth story, and it might benefit the film to explore the human conflict between Helm Hammerhand and Wulf. However, simultaneously with the war between Rohan and the Dunderlings, Gondor was also invaded by the Corsair fleet of Umbar.

The Corsair assault seems to have been instigated by Sauron, and it’s possible the Dunderling effort could have been involved. While Sauron certainly won’t be as present as in The Lord of the Rings, his influence may be shown through emissaries working on his behalf.

6. How Did The Rohirrim Feel About Saruman?

Saruman arrives to inhabit Isengard just after the Long Winter.

Helm Hammerhand’s nephew Fréaláf will be an essential player in The War of the Rohirrim, as he’s the one who inherits the Kingdom of Rohan after Helm’s death. At Fréaláf’s coronation, a familiar face will appear: Saruman, the White Wizard. At this time, Saruman brokered a deal to inhabit Isengard, the tower fortress he famously uses in the War of the Ring to launch attacks on Rohan.

Fréaláf bestowed the tower upon Saruman on the understanding that he would protect it from those who sought ill on Rohan.

The Dunlendings had previously used Isengard throughout the War of the Rohirrim to attack Rohan, dealing devastating blows against Edoras and other towns and villages. It’s a vital strategic location, and Saruman swayed Fréaláf with gifts at his coronation to win it over.

But, given Saruman’s deep-rooted desire for power and the fact that he sought out Isengard to establish his own seat of power in Middle Earth, it will be interesting to see how the Rohirrim perceived the wicked Wizard at the time.

5. How Did Helm Hammerhand Die?

Helm Hammerhand’s last moments aren’t described in the histories.

Helm Hammerhand will be a significant instigator throughout The War of the Rohirrim, pushing along the conflict while much of the film’s character focus will likely be spent with his daughter, Héra.

The conflict eventually leads to his death at the tale-end of the Long Winter, after an ice-cold winter siege. Known as a mighty warrior with great strength in hand-to-hand combat, he seems ripe for a warrior’s death like Boromir. However, Helm’s death is unclear, with his body discovered standing upright, frozen in snow. It will be interesting to see his final moments.

4. Who Was Helm Hammerhand’s Daughter?

Helm Hammerhand’s daughter doesn’t have a name in Tolkien’s works.

Helm Hammerhand’s daughter, Héra, will be a prominent character in The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. It presents a fascinating premise, as Héra was left unnamed in Tolkien’s works, and the film writers decided her name.

In the novels, she’s simply noted as Helm Hammerhand’s daughter and has little characterization, meaning she’s being developed almost entirely from scratch in the film. The conflict begins when Helm botches an arranged marriage between Héra and Wulf, the film’s antagonist.

3. What Did Éowyn Mean About The Women Of Rohan?

An Éowyn quote could tie directly to The War of the Rohirrim’s themes.

In The Two Towers, Éowyn delivers a striking quote in a conversation with Aragorn, saying, “The women of this country learned long ago: Those without swords can still die upon them.”

Given that Éowyn will be narrating the film and telling the story of a woman whose name wasn’t even mentioned in the histories, it seems the story will have particular relevance to her character in The Lord of the Rings. Éowyn seeks to defend her country with her sword, just like any man would be allowed to.

This idea poses an apt thematic continuation of Tolkien’s work, as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings examine the great deeds of those who would be overlooked by history: the hobbits.

The War of the Rohirrim will see a woman share her perspective on another woman of great importance who was ignored by Tolkien’s fictional history. According to a Warner Bros. panel discussing the film (via The One Ring), Héra will be a significant heroine and leader to the Rohirrim. She’ll be voiced by actress Gaia Wise.

2. Did All Of Middle Earth Know Of Erebor’s Wealth And Power?

The prologue of The Hobbit films happens around the same time as The War of the Rohirrim.

The Kingdom of Erebor is a central historical element in The Hobbit, and The War of the Rohirrim will take place just before Smaug’s assault and occupation of the Lonely Mountain.

The film adaptations of The Hobbit establish Erebor as a prospering kingdom for decades before its destruction, and it will be fascinating to see if it has a reputation around Middle Earth during the time of the Long Winter. There’s a significant distance between the two kingdoms, but it may be beneficial to film fans to mention Erebor as a reference for the film’s era.

1. Why Was Helm’s Deep Built In The First Place?

Helm’s Deep is named after Helm Hammerhand, but it’s construction is left vague.

Helm’s Deep is a beloved location for Lord of the Rings movie fans, seeing as it’s the site of one of the most epic movie battles. Théoden and the Rohirrim boast of the strength of Helm’s Deep and how it’s saved their people in the past.

The War of the Rohirrim will display this event, as Helm Hammerhand utilized the fortress to defend his people during the Long Winter. The history of Helm’s Deep is vague, though its first component was actually settled and constructed by the Men of Gondor. Hopefully, the new film will offer some more context.