War Of The Rohirrim Hints Where Gandalf Got His Big Lord Of The Rings Battle Plan

Warning! Spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim ahead!The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim subtly hints at where Gandalf the White got his battle plan in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Both these movies center around conflicts involving Rohan and the Dunlendings, though they are set about 200 years apart from one another. Despite the time difference, various commonalities exist between the battles featured in each film. Both take place at the Hornburg (or Helm’s Deep), and both make Rohan’s chance at victory appear rather small. Moreover, both these Lord of the Rings battles involve a surprise ambush.

Set just under 200 years before Frodo destroyed Sauron’s One Ring, The War of the Rohirrim tells a renewed version of Tolkien’s legend of Helm Hammerhand. This king of Rohan famously died at Helm’s Deep while single-handedly fighting a Dunlending army in Middle-earth‘s famed Long Winter. In War of the Rohirrim‘s version of the tale, Helm’s daughter, Héra, took charge following her father’s death and was, ultimately, responsible for saving the kingdom. Of course, she couldn’t have done so without the help of her cousin Fréaláf, who turned up with an army at just the right moment.

Fréaláf’s Sudden Appearance At Helm’s Deep Is Just Like Gandalf’s Big Two Towers Surprise

Gandalf Copied Fréaláf’s Plan

In The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, Fréaláf appeared with his army at the top of a steep hill east of the Hornburg. This gave him an advantage over the Dunlendings, as his charge trapped them between the army and fortress. It was a clever ambush that put a quick end to the drawn-out siege. Of course, this entire scenario was familiar since this is precisely what Gandalf did with the Riders of Rohan in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

In The Two Towers, Gandalf departed before Saruman’s Orcs laid siege to Helm’s Deep. He told Aragorn to “look to my coming at first light on the 5th day. At dawn, look to the East.“ As promised, Gandalf appeared on Shadowfax at the top of the very same hill as Fréaláf. He was accompanied by Éomer and the Riders of Rohan, who had previously been banished from the kingdom while Théoden was under Saruman’s control. Gandalf had found the riders and led them to Helm’s Deep to perfectly position them to ambush Saruman’s Orcs and the allied Dunlendings, putting a swift end to the siege.

Héra Likely Told Gandalf About Fréaláf’s Ambush At The Hornburg

Héra & Gandalf Met At The End Of War Of The Rohirrim

War of the Rohirrim may be an animated film, but it is heavily influenced by Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. The art depicting Rohan, its people, and the Hornburg is cohesive with the set designs of Two Towers, and the hill Fréaláf appeared on before saving Rohan was clearly the same as the one Gandalf showed up on 200 years later. With Jackson involved in both projects, this surely wasn’t a coincidence. War of the Rohirrim even came with an answer for how Gandalf would have known about Fréaláf’s ambush, hinting that he truly took inspiration from the man’s battle plan.

At the end of War of the Rohirrim, Héra sets out from Rohan to meet Gandalf. At some point following the siege at the Hornburg, the old wizard requested that they meet to discuss the Mordor Orcs Héra encountered at Helm’s Deep. While Héra and Gandalf’s meeting is never shown on screen, it can be assumed that they talked about more than just Orcs and rings. Gandalf would have wanted to know the details of Helm Hammerhand’s death and Fréaláf’s victory. Hearing about this Eastern advantage is likely precisely what inspired the wizard to take this approach 200 years later.

How These Lord Of The Rings Ambushes Differ From Tolkien Canon

These Lord Of The Rings Movies Took Creative Liberties

Gandalf and Fréaláf’s ambushes beingso similar in The Two Towers and War of the Rohirrim is certainly a fun Easter egg. It creates further cohesiveness between these two installments in Jackson’s version of Middle-earth while retroactively providing additional context for future events. However, this connection is most certainly an invention of the creative minds behind these films and not something Tolkien intended himself. Both battles went quite differently in the legendary author’s version of events, so there isn’t as much room for crossover.

Related

Why Gandalf Claims He Is Saruman When He Returns In The Two Towers

Gandalf’s resurrection in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was made even more confusing by his claim that he had become Saruman.

In the Two Towers book, Gandalf doesn’t tell Aragorn to look for him in the East on the fifth day. Instead, he said he had to run an errand and would return when he could (in classic Gandalf fashion). When he returned, it wasn’t with Éomer and the Riders of Rohan (they were already taking part in the battle), but with Erkenbrand, Lord of the Westfold, and his people. Then, in Tolkien’s version of the siege that took place during Hammerhand’s day, Fréaláf didn’t turn up at the Hornburg himself. Regardless, this is a circumstance where War of the Rorhirrim‘s changes to canon were for the better.

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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 action-adventure fantasy film that follows a King of Rohan named Helm Hammerhand. When his home comes under siege by Dunlendings, Hammerhand prepares himself and his allies to fight back against them, with the war leading to the eventual establishment of Helm’s Deep.

Release Date

December 13, 2024

Runtime

134 Minutes

Director

Kenji Kamiyama

Studio(s)

New Line Cinema
, Warner Bros. Animation
, Sola Entertainment

Distributor(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

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