Here's everything you need to know about the forthcoming Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim anime prequel, and what relation this chapter in Tolkien legend bears to the original trilogy. With production underway on Amazon's Second Age Lord of the Rings TV series, Middle-earth fans are tentatively anticipating the famous fantasy franchise's new direction on Jeff Bezos' ever-expanding streaming platform. In a somewhat unexpected announcement, however, New Line, the studio behind Peter Jackson's groundbreaking Lord of the Rings trilogy, has unveiled a new anime project based upon the War of the Rohirrim.
Philippa Boyens, a screenwriter from the Jackson movies, is on board in a consultancy role, and Kenji Kamiyama (Eden of the East) is directing a script from Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews, the pair responsible for Netflix's The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. They'll be working alongside Warner Bros. Animation, and production is currently in the casting phase.
Though the story isn't Middle-earth's most famous yarn, the term "Rohirrim" will be familiar to fans of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. The Kingdom of Rohan plays a major role in The Two Towers and The Return of the King, and its people, the Rohirrim, are renowned for their skill as horse riders and warriors. Movie fans will remember the noble King Théoden, as well as the pounding hooves that followed Karl Urban's Éomer as he led the Rohirrim into battle alongside Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings. Rohan obviously has a long, untold history in Tolkien lore, but what of the War of the Rohirrim?
War Of The Rohirrim In Lord Of The Rings' Timeline
The people of Rohan are descended from the Northmen of Rhovanion, a free group of men who took no side in the battles against Morgoth. Despite being known as "middle-men" for their neutrality, the Northmen developed a strong alliance with the kingdom of Gondor, and that friendship was tested in the year 2510 of the Third Age (for context, The Fellowship of the Ring begins in 3001). Gondor came under attack from a group of Easterlings (men who traditionally side with Morogth/Sauron throughout history) known as the Balchoth. Though the Northmen themselves weren't targets of the Balchoth's wrath, King Eorl the Young rightly deduced that Gondor's fall would be bad news for men across Middle-earth, and thus accepted Gondor's call for aid. As reward for their valor, Gondor gave the people of Rhovanion a large chunk of land called Calenardhon - which would soon become the Kingdom of Rohan.
The War of the Rohirrim occurs more than 200 years later, during the reign of Helm Hammerhand. After Eorl the Young, a line of seven kings lead Rohan from strength to strength from 2545 to 2741, at which point Hammerhand ascends to the throne. Since these events all occur within the Third Age, the War of Rohirrim is relatively recent history considering the millennia Tolkien's mythology covers. Hammerhand's rule ends in 2759, just shy of 200 years before The Hobbit begins in 2941, and around 250 years before Bilbo Baggins' fateful birthday party. This means War of the Rohirrim takes place in an established Rohan (no origin stories here), but sits far apart from the material fans will be most familiar with.
Helm Hammerhand & War With The Dunlendings Explained
Rohirrim kings rarely had it easy on the plains, but Helm Hammerhand's reign, which provides the narrative foundation for War of the Rohirrim, was especially traumatic. The Dunlendings were another group of tribal wild men, similar to the Northmen of Rhovanion, but mostly found in Dunland. They slowly moved south into Gondor's Calenardhon, but when these dusty plains were gifted to Eorl the Young and renamed Rohan, the incoming Rohirrim duly kicked the Dunlendings off their property. As you might expect, the Dunlendings were not best pleased about this, and held a grudge for the best part of two centuries.
Typically, the War of the Rohirrim wasn't sparked by a historic hatred between two clans, but a political squabble within Rohan itself. A lord of Rohan called Freca had royal ambitions, and demanded his son, Wulf, be wed to Helm Hammerhand's daughter, effectively making a grab for Rohan's throne. Hammerhand refused, obviously, and when Freca threatened his liege, Helm killed the treasonous lord. Somewhat more savvy than his old man, Wulf took revenge by harnessing the simmering hatred of the Dunlendings and leading them to war against Rohan.
Under Wulf's command, the Dunlendings were successful in claiming Rohan as their own, driving Helm Hammerhand and his people into the Hornburg, where they hid for the better part of a year, and killing his son and heir. Helm's younger son died while the Rohirrim were camped in the Hornburg. Gondor was otherwise preoccupied with Sauron rearing his ugly head and, therefore, couldn't lend aid. This wouldn't be the last time Gondor failed to help Rohan in its time of need, eh, Théoden? Ultimately, Wulf and Dunlendings were unable to crack Helm's famously hardy stronghold, but King Hammerhand eventually succumbed to the hardship of endless battle during Middle-earth's infamous Long Winter.
The tide turned when Fréaláf Hildeson, Helm's nephew, became King of Rohan. Holding refuge at Dunharrow, Fréaláf endured long enough for the weather to change and Gondor to finally show up, swinging the battle in favor of the Rohirrim and booting Wulf the usurper into the afterlife. These events are merely a rough outline of what J.R.R. Tolkien describes. The upcoming War of the Rohirrim anime film will no doubt elaborate on the details of Helm Hammerhand's siege, and the long, cold struggle between the Rohirrim and the Dunlendings.
How War Of The Rohirrim Connects To The LOTR Trilogy
On the surface, there's very little clear-cut crossover between War of the Rohirrim and the main Lord of the Rings trilogy. No characters from one appear in the other, and the violent struggle for Rohan's throne has precious little impact upon Frodo's mission to destroy the One Ring, or Middle-earth's final battle against the Dark Lord Sauron. Nevertheless, War of the Rohirrim will provide fascinating context and insight into locations, cultures and races that feature prominently throughout The Lord of the Rings.
Firstly, the anime will offer deeper insight into the roller coaster relationship between Gondor and Rohan. Peter Jackson's cinematic adaptations played up this animosity far more than Tolkien's original books, but there's evidently some resentment between the two kingdoms - old allies that aren't necessarily as reliable as they used to be. War of the Rohirrim marks an instance in which Gondor let their neighbors down (albeit not without good reason), which, in turn, explains Théoden's distrustful attitude in The Two Towers. War of the Rohirrim can also offer a far more intricate depiction of Rohan's culture in the centuries before Frodo's adventure. The Two Towers and Return of the King merely scratch the surface of this rich civilization, but the story of Helm Hammerhand will go a long way toward explaining the values, beliefs and talents of characters such as Éomer and Éowyn. Think of the anime as a solo spinoff for the entirety of Rohan.
Probably the biggest connection between War of the Rohirrim and The Lord of the Rings will be Helm's Deep, which serves as the setting for an almighty battle against Saruman's forces in The Two Towers. Not only will the prequel detail how Helm's Deep was named, but the conflict against the Dunlendings will explain why, even 250 years later, King Théoden staunchly believes Helm's Deep will protect his people. It worked once, it'll do so again. While Sauron has no part in the War of the Rohirrim, his influence might still be felt in the anime. Concurrent to the Dunlendings' attack, Sauron launches an assault of his own from his hiding place in Dol Guldur - the same forest Gandalf and Radagast venture into during The Hobbit. Though still recovering his strength, Sauron is a shadowy background force during this period, and might receive an indirect mention.
Several fan favorites are alive during War of the Rohirrim, including Legolas and Gandalf, but don't expect them to feature. Neither character was involved in Rohan's travails, and hammering them into Helm Hammerhand's story would likely be ill-received. The only notable character who was involved with Rohan before The Lord of the Rings is Aragorn, and he isn't born in time to be involved in this battle.