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- "The Hill Tribes have sworn an oath to me. Every last one."
- — Wulf to Héra, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
The Hill Tribes, also called the Hordes of Dunland, were a sizable rabble made up of the many tribes of Wild Men. All of the factions of Dunland had a deep-rooted hatred for the Rohirrim, enough so that they were willing to ally with the enemies of Gondor and Rohan, including the servants of Sauron.
In the years leading to the War of the Rohirrim, all of the Hill Tribes swore fealty to the renegade lord Wulf, recognizing him as their High Lord. Lodged in Isengard, the Wild Men prepared to wage war on King Helm Hammerhand and were joined by Eastern invaders and Southron mercenaries. Once Wulf's army was ready, the Hill Tribes and their new allies began to pillage their way to Edoras, where they claimed Meduseld and left the city to burn. After the Battle of Edoras, the hordes of Dunland pursued the people of Rohan to the Hornburg and besieged the stronghold during the Long Winter. Wulf's death at the hands of Helm’s daughter, Héra, marked the defeat of the Dunlendings, who were driven back by Fréaláf.
During the War of the Ring, the Dunlending chieftain subsequently known as the Oathmaker[1][2] swore the Wild Men’s allegiance to the Wizard Saruman, an agent of the Dark Lord Sauron. Now doing the bidding of Mordor, the Hill Tribes joined the forces of Isengard in their assault upon the Westfold of Rohan, burning and plundering the defenseless villages. But the Dunlending hordes never reached Edoras, being presumably vanquished by Prince Éomer's cavalry.[3]
History[]
Early History[]
Having been driven from their lands in Calenardhon (later Rohan) by Eorl's people, the Wild Men congregated in Dunland and reorganized into the Hill Tribes. Though all shared a common hatred for the Horsemen, the many communities traditionally lacked a High Lord to unite them under one banner.
During the reign of King Déor in Rohan, the hordes of Dunland seized control of the deserted Isengard and could not be dislodged. The Hill Tribes turned the stronghold into an outpost, from where they would venture over the Isen and attack the Free People of Rohan, raiding settlements and horse herds under the cover of night. The Dunlendings' incursions into Rohirrim territory continued well into the reign of King Gram and his son, Helm Hammerhand, forcing the kingdom to maintain "a strong force of Riders" in northern Westfold.
By the time of King Helm's reign, the Hill Tribes were allied with the Men of the West-march and their lord Freca, thus being under the command of General Targg. After Freca's death at the hands of Helm, his son, Wulf, fled northwards to Dunland where he was welcomed with open arms. When he called, all of the Hill Tribes answered, swearing an oath of fealty to fight for him. Finally united under a High Lord, the Wild Men joined forces with nomadic Southrons, who were offering their services as mercenaries, and Eastern invaders. The Dunlendings and their new allies then made camps in Isengard and prepared to wage war against the Rohirrim at Wulf's behest.
War of the Rohirrim[]
After their discovery by Helm's daughter, Héra, in Isengard, Wulf's army was readied for war. Led by their High Lord, the Hill Tribes slowly made their way to the capital, killing, pillaging and leaving smoldering villages in their wake. Gathering on the western side of the Fords of Isen, the hordes of Dunland were met with the defenders of Rohan led by Helm himself on the opposite side. As the Horsemen of Rohan charged at them, Dunlending bowmen loosed fiery volleys of arrows upon them. The clash was brutal, with many a Rohirrim brought down by Dunlendings, just as well as Dunlendings were brought down with a swing of Helm's hammer. Unbeknownst to the Horsemen, this was but the first wave: the Wild Men were waiting for their secret allies. Reinforced by Easterlings, Variag mercenaries and Mûmakil siege beasts, the Dunlendings headed for Edoras. Although briefly slowed down by Héra and Helm's eldest son, Haleth, Wulf's army overran the capital and left it to burn. Following the Battle of Edoras, the Hill Tribes continued to pursue Helm's people to the Hornburg, while Wulf crowned himself king amidst the charred ruins of Meduseld.
Under the command of Wulf's general, Targg, the Dunlendings set up camp before the Hornburg and began to build a siege tower to breach the strongholds' walls. But the Long Winter that followed caught the Hill Tribes unprepared. And famine and cold were not the only things that awaited them. Driven by grief and seeking to avenge the deaths of both his sons, Haleth and Háma, Helm ventured out of the Hornburg bare-handed and into the Dunlending camp, hunting the invaders down one by one. Superstitious and terrified by the grim apparition of Helm, the Hill Tribesmen began to spread tall tales that the king was a monstrous wraith. Their false narrative was backed by the disappearance of dead Dunlending bodies; in truth, preyed upon by a Snow Troll and Orcs of the White Mountains. After Helm's scuffle with the scavengers from the White Mountains, the Dunlendings pursued Helm and Héra to the gate of the Hornburg. There, the king stood alone in the snow storm against the Wild Men, facing as many as two or three at the same time; by dawn, Helm's body stood frozen atop a mound of Dunlending corpses. Though their progress was slowed, the Hill Tribes continued work on the siege tower. Wulf further encouraged by the Dunlendings to press on with the Siege of the Hornburg, claiming that the stronghold was filled with Rohirrim treasures ripe for the taking. Once the tower was finished and breached the wall, the savage mob began to climb onto the bridge-like contraption. The timely arrival of Lord Fréaláf's army from Dunharrow, however, forced the Hill Tribes to give up on their ambitions: seeing Fréaláf dressed up in his uncle Helm's armor, the Wild Men mistook him for the warrior king returned from the dead to haunt them. As the Wild Men made a run for it, Wulf fought Héra one last time and was slain. Leaderless, the Dunlendings were chased by the Rohirrim away from the Hornburg - hence known as Helm's Deep - but were shown mercy, being allowed to flee back to their homeland.
War of the Ring[]
The Wizard Saruman encouraged the Hill Tribes to take back their lands from the Men of Rohan.
During the War of the Ring, the Dunlending chieftain[3] Freca[4] - hence known as the Oathmaker[1][2] - swore the Hill Tribes' allegiance in blood to the Wizard Saruman, a servant of the Dark Lord Sauron, and promised to fight for him. A large mob out of Dunland was soon assembled in Isengard by Saruman, who reminded the Wild Men of the Horsemen's alleged injustices and encouraged them to repay their old enemies in kind, even if it meant slaying every man, woman and child of Rohan that they came across. Reinforced by Saruman's Orc warriors and Uruk-hai scouts, the Dunlending marauders were let loose in a concerted attack upon the Westfold, pillaging the villages and savagely murdering the unarmed peasants.[5] Led by chiefs such as Wulf,[4] the Hill Tribes burned "every ric, cot and tree", thus doing the bidding of Mordor by spreading terror among those left in Rohan who still dared oppose Sauron and Saruman.
By the time of the Battle of Helm's Deep, the hordes of Dunland had been stopped in their advance towards Edoras, being presumably destroyed by Prince Éomer's cavalry, or else by Rohirrim interior patrols.[3]
Appearances[]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Heroes of Dunland™miniatures
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 https://lotrbay.com/product/heroes-of-dunland/]miniatures
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Lord of the Rings: Weapons and Warfare
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers