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The Battle of Helm's Deep was a large battle that took place in the fortress of Helm's Deep during the War of the Ring. The battle pitted the forces of the Wizard Saruman against the Rohirrim under King Théoden, who had taken refuge in the mountain fortress of the Hornburg at Helm's Deep.
Prelude[]
During the War of the Ring in TA 3019, Saruman the White manipulated the Men of Rohan by sending Grima Wormtongue to Edoras and also enchanting King Théoden, taking control of his mind to prevent him from foiling his plans in the war. During this time, Prince Théodred was mortally wounded and Grima used Théoden's weakness to get Éomer who left with a hundred men. Saruman sent out Orcs and the wild men of Dunland to wreak havoc in the villages of Rohan. One such raid drove out Morwen and her children Éothain and Fréda. Morwen mounted her kids on a horse and told them to ride to Edoras as the Orcs attacked around them. The journey would take the two kids a number of days.[1]
In the meantime, Gandalf the White, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli arrived in Edoras and Gandalf managed to free Théoden from Saruman's enchantment, allowing him to think clearly. After a quick moment to mourn the death of his son, Théoden witnessed the arrival of Éothain and Fréda, the latter of whom was so exhausted she fell from the horse upon arriving outside the walls of Edoras. With the news that Saruman was attacking his people, Théoden made the decision to fall back to Helm's Deep. Knowing that they would be cornered, Gandalf expressed his disagreement although knowing that Théoden was trying to make the best decision for his people. Gandalf left Edoras, telling Aragorn to look for him at first light on the fifth day and to look to the east.[1]
The men, women and children of Rohan began to pack lightly and move in a pack towards Helm's Deep and Saruman became aware of their travels, deciding to send out a pack of Warg Riders led by Sharku. During the skirmish that followed, Aragorn was thought dead by his companions after taking a fall off a cliff. Aragorn survived the fall and upon waking, witnessed the full 10,000 strong force from Isengard on it's way to Helm's Deep.[1]
The Rohirrim reached Helm's Deep and Théoden had the men and even some of the older boys prepare for war. They sent the women down into the caverns and prepared for the arrival of the Uruk-hai. They were surprised when Haldir arrived with a force of Galadhrim Elves who had been sent by Galadriel and Elrond, wishing to give the Men of Middle-earth a fighting chance against the darkness before they left for the Undying Lands.[1]
The Battle[]
The Isengard force arrived at Helm's Deep at nightfall and it began to rain, making it even harder to see. The Rohirrim and the Galadhrim stood at the top of the wall as the Uruks marched towards the wall in an orderly fashion. Théoden and his core group of men stood in the keep where he could see and command.[1]
The Uruk-hai stopped and began chanting and smashing their pikes on the ground as an intimidation tactic. The Uruk-hai commander stood on a rock where he could see above the rest of the army. The Rohirrim archers and Elves drew their bows and readied for the attack. An older man named Aldor shook with fear and accidentally released his arrow, killing one of the Uruk-hai amongst the front ranks. This caused the Uruk-hai to become enraged and they began their assault. Aragorn ordered a volley of arrows and the Elves and Rohirrim archers on the wall fired, taking out the front rows of charging Uruk-hai. A group of archers was also stationed behind the wall and fired at the same time into the oncoming onslaught.[1]
The Uruk-hai raised ladders onto the wall and Uruk-hai Berserkers jumped onto the wall, engaging the Men and Elves at the top. Uruk-hai poured from the ladders onto the wall. Aragorn killed at least two Berserkers as Legolas and Gimli began a competition on how many enemies they could kill. Gimli jumped up between two Orc ladders and began slaying them as they reached the top, counting out-loud how many he killed.[1]
A group of Uruk-hai with shields created a formation to protect themselves from arrows from above and marched up the pathway to the main door to attempt to break through. Aragorn noticed this and had the archers on the wall turn and fire at them from the side, killing a number of them.[1]
The wall is destroyed
Uruk-hai sappers placed bombs made from the Fire of Orthanc in the small culvert drain at the base of the wall. A Berserker then took a flaming torch and ran towards the culvert in a suicidal attempt to bring down the wall. Aragorn yelled at Legolas to shoot the Berserker down but despite the Elf's best efforts the Uruk was successful and blew up a huge chunk of the wall. Aragorn was blown from the wall and landed on the ground near the new opening. He managed to get to his feet and saw the Uruks pouring through.[1]
The Uruks managed to get a battering ram to the main gate and Théoden yelled for the men inside to brace it. Gimli saw Aragorn about to be overrun by the Uruks throught the wall opening and jumped from the wall into the fray. Gimli was knocked down as he single-handedly took on the Uruk force but Aragorn had the Elven archers behind him shoot the front row of enemies, saving the Dwarf. Aragorn and the Elves charged and took on the Uruks head on. Eventually the Uruks were too many inside the wall and Théoden ordered Aragorn to fall back to the keep.[1]
Aragorn yelled to Legolas and Haldir to fall back but Haldir was attacked by multiple Uruks, unable to defend himself. Aragorn tried to reach the Elf but was too late as an Uruk struck him in the back with his sword. The Elf fell to his knees and reflected, looking at his dead Elf brothers before dying. Aragorn reached the Elf as he fell but was forced to leave his body and fall back as the Uruks swarmed in. The Uruks at the gate began to break through and the men inside began shooting arrows at the enemies through the holes. Aragorn and Gimli snuck out a side door on the tower and looked over at the Orcs on the bridge. Aragorn tossed Gimli over before following himself. Their attack allowed Théoden and his men time to re-baricade the door. Large ladders of Uruks were lifted to the main keep where Legolas was holding them off with the remaining Elves. He saw Aragorn and Gimli stuck on the bridge below and threw them a rope, pulling them up onto the keep.[1]
Riding out to meet the Uruks
They were forced to retreat once again inside the keep. Outside the sun began to rise and although Théoden was losing hope, Aragorn remembered Gandalf's words that he would return on that very morning in the east. He encouraged Théoden to ride out on horseback with his men and not to give up. Théoden rode out with Aragorn and the remaining men into the Uruks as Gimli blew the Horn of Helm Hammerhand. They rode into the pool of Uruks at the bottom of the bridge and then looked up to see Gandalf arrive with Éomer and two thousand Rohirrim.[1]
The charge of the White Rider
The riders followed Gandalf and Éomer, charging down the hill and destroying the Uruk forces. After the new forces managed to overwhelm the Uruks, the enemy retreated into the forest nearby and the Huorns who were enraged by Saruman's destruction of the forests and trees killed them.[1]
Aftermath[]
To be added
Battle Tactics[]
The battle-plan visualised in Chris Smith's The Lord of the Rings: Weapons and Warfare
Offensive[]
The Uruk-hai were 10,000 strong and therefore had the numerical advantage during the battle. They split their attack on two fronts, the wall attack force and the keep attack force.[1][2]
The Uruks who attacked the wall climbed ladders to overwhelm the Men and Elves at the top of the wall while distracting the archers. The Uruk-hai crossbow wielders took advantage of the low merlons on the deep wall to shoot the Elves from below, picking them off. They sent up Uruk-hai Berserkers first, which caused more trouble for the Men and Elves due to their increased strength and rage. The occupation of the Men and Elves allowed the Sappers to take the bombs with the Fire of Orthanc into the weak point of the wall. They then used a Beserker to suicide run into the wall with a torch to light up the explosives and were successful in blowing section of the wall to nothing. They then poured in through this opening. This force would overrun Aragorn and the Elves and manage to make it onto the keep through the doorways and passageways in the side of the main building. This force would be responsible for causing Théoden to call everyone back to the keep.[1][2]
A group of Uruks attacked the main gate, using a defensive formation with shields marked with the white hand of Saruman as they marched up the bridge to the gate. They were vulnerable on the side and the archers on the wall to their left easily picked them off. After the wall defense was obliterated the Uruks at the gate were able to get a battering ram to the door and began to break through. When they broke a hole in the door, some Uruks began picking off the strong men inside with crossbows. This force was held off until morning when Théoden and Aragorn rode out.[1][2]
Defensive[]
Gandalf knew the keep was a death trap and therefore warned Théoden against going to Helm's Deep in the first place. While it was defendable for a period of time, the sheer number of Uruk-hai were too many to combat. Aragorn commanded the Galadhrim archers and a small group of Rohirrim archers on the deep wall with Legolas, Haldir and Haethen. Aragorn also positioned a decent-sized force of Galadhrim behind the wall in preparation for the inevitable breaking through. The Elves on the wall were also armed with swords and when the Orcs scaled the walls they switched weaponry. Théoden stood at the keep to command the battle from above. When the Uruks broke through the wall he called Aragorn back to the keep and then everyone retreated inside. The defensive side was only saved due to the arrival of Gandalf and the two-thousand riders led by Éomer.[1][2]
Behind the Scenes[]
Deleted Scenes[]
There was a few deleted scenes for the Battle of Helm's Deep. One of these was included as an official deleted scene and shows Éowyn defending the women and childen in the caves against some Uruk-hai that had gotten in. This scene could be considered canon as there is no contradicting scenes and it works narratively as some Uruks would have been able to find a way into the caves after Théoden called his men back into the keep.[3]
Arwen and Aragorn in Helm's Deep
Another scene or concept included having Arwen arrive and fight at Helm's Deep and scenes were filmed. This was probably written in as a way to give Liv Tyler more screen-time but it was eventually scrapped for contradicting the lore too much. While she was removed from the battle entirely in editing, some fans have analysed and found some frames where she is still visible in the background by mistake.[3]
Appearances[]
Note: This list is incomplete
The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (First appearance)
Non-canon[]
- The Lord of the Rings: Conquest