The Rohirrim, led by Théoden and Éomer (with lots of help from Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli), man the Deeping Wall and the Hornburg as Saruman’s assault on Helm’s Deep begins. A quick flash of lightning in the darkness reveals overwhelming odds, but Aragorn and Éomer draw swords together and keep morale high, even while rammers nearly break through the Hornburg gates. Also, Gimli and Legolas begin a contest to see who can take down the most Orcs. Legolas starts out strong, but our money’s on Gimli, who is deadly when he’s bored.
A big thank-you from the PPP to Bret Devereaux at A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry for his 8-part blog series analyzing the Battle of Helm’s Deep. Please see Bret’s blog here, and follow Bret on Twitter at @BretDevereaux.
Recommended Reading:
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Two Towers: Being the Second Part of The Lord of the Rings (Mariner Books, paperback) “Helm’s Deep”, pp. 519-25
Tolkien, J. R. R. (Christopher Tolkien, ed.) The Silmarillion (Mariner Books, paperback)
Tolkien, J. R. R. Tree and Leaf: Including “Mythopoeia” (HarperCollins, paperback)
Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (Mariner Books, paperback)
I was surprised to hear Alan refer to Rohan as vassals of Gondor. I see Rohan as an independent kingdom. The oaths that Eorl and Cirion took put the same obligations on both kingdoms, to offer mutual aid.
An admitted exaggeration on my part – simply to point out the obligation of Rohan towards Gondor. But yes, it was an alliance in the sense that Gondor would aid them as well. Just that Rohan is clearly the less powerful and wealthy of the two. But thanks for the kind correction! 🙂
We Eroglinas fanboys and girls are sensitive to this sort of thing. 😉 One certainly could look at Rohan as the younger brother but there is no doubt that when you find yourself in a tight spot there’s nothing better to see than the Rohan calvary arrive.
And when the Rohirrim cavalry *do* arrive, in three years’ time on the show, we’ll certainly be celebrating!
I’ve been thinking of the issue of Legolas’ impossible senses (especially sight), and I’m increasingly I’m sure it relates to the fact that Elves are in some sense magical creatures: they are after all immortal, and some of them can *glow*.
Therefore I think their senses are not constrained to the normal extent by physical laws, but are at least partially paranormal. Legolas can see farther and more clearly than he should because his eyes are not merely biological devices for collecting light, but portals through which his consciousness reaches out into the world and perceives it directly.
Hey, it’s not the *craziest* thing anyone’s ever suggested about Tolkien’s creation 😂
I’m halfway through the first of the Blog posts by Bret Devereaux, and I have to say, it’s a brilliant analysis. I can’t help but think that Saruman is one of those micromanaging leaders that just doesn’t like to delegate, nor does he like strong, independent lieutenants under him. He may have planned on leading his forces more directly in the field. Treebeard, of course, kept him bottled up in Isengard, leaving his army cut-off and rather leaderless in the field.