The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim 2024

Set 183 years before the events of the War of the Ring, the voice of Éowyn narrates the story, and tells how the story of Héra, a would-be shieldmaiden of Rohan and the king’s daughter, will not be remembered in great tales or songs.

Freca, a Dunlending lord, comes to the hall of King Helm with his son, Wulf. Freca is unimpressed that Héra is to be married to a lord of Gondor and tries to force a marriage between Wulf and Héra, in order to usurp the throne of Rohan. Wulf wishes to marry Héra while she is uninterested in marriage. Helm and Freca begin a fist-fight outside the hall, during which Helm unintentionally kills Freca with a single blow, earning Helm the nickname ‘Hammerhand’. Wulf, devastated, vows revenge.

Wulf leaves and is not seen or heard of for years. Héra is kidnapped by General Targg – one of Freca’s generals who follows her into a forest. She is taken to Wulf’s stronghold at Isengard and discovers that Wulf has become High Lord of the Dunlendings – a host of Dunlending rebels from the hill tribes. She offers to marry Wulf to stop his attacking Rohan, but she is rescued and Wulf invades Rohan.

Helm thinks his nephew, Fréaláf a coward for wishing to evacuate Edoras to a nearby fortress and casts him out. Helm prepares for battle; as battle ensues Héra evacuates Edoras to the Hornburg upon realising that her father has been betrayed and his army is outnumbered. Helm’s sons Hama and Haleth are killed by Wulf, who begins a siege of the Hornburg which lasts the winter and begins to build an enormous siege-tower.

Helm, wounded and grief-stricken, sneaks out at night to kill Wulf’s forces using only his fists and dies fighting outside the gates of the Hornburg, frozen standing up, knees unbent. While seeking for Helm during one of his night raids, Héra chances upon two orcs from Mordor who are taking rings from the dead, as instructed by their master.

Héra sends an eagle bearing Helm’s armour to Fréaláf for help and, dressed as a bride, rides onto the siege-tower bridge Wulf has just lowered to invade the Hornburg, and challenges him to combat, to distract him and his army from the Rohirrim escaping via a secret passage – the one used by Helm during his night-raids on Wulf’s men. She defeats Wulf, saying he gave his word to surrender. Fréaláf and cavalry arrive. Fréaláf uses Helm’s horn and armour to scare the Dunlendings into believing Helm’s wraith is come, and they flee. Wulf knifes Héra but she chokes him to death using a shield, ending the war.

Helm goes on to be the namesake for the valley of the Hornburg and its stronghold, Helm’s Deep. Saruman the White is the new keeper of Isengard and offers friendship to the new king: Fréaláf. Héra, uninterested in ruling, goes off to seek adventure; her first is meeting Gandalf, who has questions about the orcs she saw hunting for rings, while Fréaláf rebuilds Edoras and a new hall, Meduseld.