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There are a lot of characters inThe Lord of the Rings. The world of Middle-Earth is an incredibly expansive place, filled with hobbits, men, orcs, elves, dwarves, ents, and all sorts of other beings and creatures. Naturally, this results in the story including countless different characters with their own extensive backstories, ranging from its core heroes, like Aragorn, Gandalf and Frodo, to more secondary and background characters, like Éomer, Galadriel and Farmer Maggot. Those are just the characters who have already been in the movies.
It can already be difficult to keep all thecharacters in the mainLord of the Ringsstory straight, which is why you’d be forgiven for knowing nothing about the deeper-cut characters found in the lore of Middle-Earth. One such character isHelm Hammerhand, a famous king of Rohan who will be central to the story ofThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, the new anime film set to release this December. This will mark the first time Helm Hammerhand’s story will be fully brought to life on-screen, and he will be voiced in the new movie bySuccessionstar Brian Cox. The film will be the first new theatrically released entry in the franchise in a decade and the beginning of a newera forThe Lord of the Ringson the big screen. WithThe War of the Rohirrimonly six months away, here’s what you need to know about Helm Hammerhand.
The War of the Rohirrim in Lord of the Rings Lore
Much of the story surrounding Helm Hammerhand and his time as the King of Rohancan be found in the Appendicesincluded at the end of Tolkien’s thirdLord of the Ringsbook,The Return of the King. His story unfolds nearly two hundred years before thejourney of Frodo Bagginsand the War of the Ring. He was the ninth King of Rohan, and his lifetime was defined by the war between the Rohirrim and the Dunlendings, the wild men of the mountains who had a long-standing rivalry and feud with the horse lords of Rohan. This conflict was a substantial part of Helm’s childhood during the reigns of his father and grandfather, and it ultimately came to a head during his time on the throne.
The specific conflict we will see inThe War of the Rohirrimbegins with a Dunlending leader named Freca, who attempts to force Helm to wed his daughter (whom the film names Hèra) to Freca’s son, Wulf. Enraged by this, Helm kills Freca with a single blow from his bare hand – the King had a tendency to dispatch his enemies in this fashion, which is where his nickname of “Hammerhand” comes from. This event sparks the biggest conflict between the Rohirrim and the Dunlendings in their history. The ensuing war is a savage one in which many soldiers lose their lives on the battlefield.
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The Dunlendings, now led by Wulf, make allies with the Corsairs of Umbar and the Easterlings, whichpushes the Rohirrimto the edge of defeat. Ultimately, the Rohirrim can make an extended final stand in a heavily fortified mountain fortress. This long stand lasts through a brutal winter, and the bitter cold and intense fighting claim many more lives, including several of Helm’s own kin. Without spoiling how this war ultimately plays out, Helm achieves a legendary status in the history of Rohan. The fortress is given the name Helm’s Deep, and the stories of this fearsome King of Rohan are told for centuries to come.
The Battle of Helm’s Deep in the Two Towers
Though we have not seen Helm Hammerhand in the flesh in aLord of the Ringsadaptation before,his presence has been felt on-screen. Most obviously, this comes throughthe Battle of Helm’s Deep, the extensive battle between the Rohirrim and the Uruk-hai forces of Saruman that is depicted at the end ofThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. The final stand of the Rohirrim once again takes place at Helm’s Deep. In the film, Gimli balks at King Théoden’s decision to flee to Helm’s Deep instead of standing and fighting at the city of Edoras, to which Aragorn replies, “He’s only doing what he thinks is best for his people. Helm’s Deep has saved them in the past.” This is a clear allusion to the events of Helm Hammerhand’s last stand that will be depicted inThe War of the Rohirrim.
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Helm Hammerhand himself also gets a couple of direct nods in the film as well. When the Rohirrim arrive at Helm’s Deep, one shot highlights a statue of the legendary King of Rohan that is raised in the center of the fortress. Additionally, the Horn of Helm Hammerhand plays a key part in the battle’s finale. After Aragorn reinvigorates King Théoden with a speech about the people of Rohan, the king declares, “The horn of Helm Hammerhand shall sound in the deep one last time!” before they ride out to battle the hordes from Isengard on horseback.
Expanding on Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The Lord of the Ringsfranchise is on the verge of a major on-screen expansion like we’ve never seen before. Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema will be bringing the series back to theaters to expand it into a broader franchise similar to the current state ofStar Wars. WhileThe War of the Rohirrimentered production before that new ambition was formally announced, it will still serve as the beginning of this newera for Middle-Earth. This new wave of films, which will continue with the live-action filmThe Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollumin 2026, will consist of spin-offs from Peter Jackson’sLord of the RingsandThe Hobbitfilm trilogies.
It’s important to recognize that the Prime Video seriesThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerisnot connected to these new films. There are many technical reasons why, but the general reason is that Prime Video’sLord of the Ringsseries cannot legally be connected to Jackson’s films since Amazon does not own the rights to those specific films.
The War of the Rohirrimpresents a solid idea of what we can expect from this new era ofLord of the Ringsfilms produced by WB and New Line. The movie is spun directly from Jackson’s movies, telling the story of a legendary character only briefly mentioned in the films. This allows for the new movie to expand the on-screen continuity of theLord of the Ringsfilm franchise while also giving the creatives behindThe War of the Rohirrimplenty of space to tell their own story.
The decision to bring the story to life through anime is also exciting, as it indicates a willingness to experiment with this franchise rather than just attempting to recreate what has already worked in the past.The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimis releasing in theaters on Aug 24, 2025.
