First Battle of the Fords of Isen

The First Battle of the Fords of Isen is one of the two encounters between the Men of Rohan or Rohirrim versus the Orc armies of Saruman. The clash occurred on February 25, 3019, during the Third Age.

Théodred, Rohan's heir to the throne and son of King Theoden, received a warning from his heralds that Isengard is assembling an army. For this reason, he rode with his cavalry to stand guard of their lands in the ford. He patrolled all over the ford and stationed three cavalry units to watch over the east. At the break of dawn, he passed through the west ford with a company of riders and bowmen, aiming to startle the Uruk-hai forces with an ambush.

But Saruman deceived the heralds of Rohan as Isengard's Uruk-hai horde has already advanced to strike the Rohirrim in the ford. Isengard's forces encountered the Rohirrim north of the ford, twenty miles away. Théodred charged against the Uruk-hai's frontlines and swiftly struck the horde. He then stormed the central flank, but the Orcs were already waiting, concealed in gutters lined with spikes. And more forces of Isengard arrived, they outnumbered the Rohirrim and encircled them. Théodred called out his cavalry to fall back, yet the Uruk-hai would not let them getaway.

Grimbold, the Rohirrim's south flank captain, had to charge repeatedly against the Uruk-hai after them. The eastern attack of Isengard's army was fewer in number but more powerful, as it included the Uruk-hai, Dunlendings, and Warg riders. The Rohirrim's eastern flank began to fall back as they perceived the incoming numbers. The Orc army began to spread their forces to charge on Théodred's cavalry from two fronts. Then, seeing that Grimbold and his men were in danger, Théodred and his riders got off their horses and battled the Orcs on foot in an islet, to give more time for the other unit.

But the Orc flank from the west was already clashing against Grimbold's company. Grimbold watched as the eastern Orc flank close in on Théodred and his men, forcing them towards a hill. To help Théodred, Grimbold and his cavalry rushed to the prince, as the prince stood his ground against the Uruk-hai swarm. But a massive Orc struck down Théodred, and the prince fell to the ground before Grimbold made it to his location. Grimbold forcefully slew the Orc who struck Théodred and fought off the rest of the Orcs to protect the prince's body.

The Orcs almost defeated Grimbold, but their reinforcement arrived in time, led by Elfhelm, a Marshall of Rohan, and saved the remaining Rohirrim on the battlefield. Elfhelm headed four cavalry units patrolling Helm's Deep. Then, a scout alerted them of a sighting of two Orcs mounted on Wargs. They stormed as fast as possible to the cavalry in the ford and attacked upon seeing the transpiring battle.

Soon after, they secured the ford's west field and moved towards the islet. Upon seeing the incoming Rohirrim cavalry, many of the enemies fled to Isengard. Elfhelm and his riders approached the islet and saw the fallen Théodred and Grimbold protecting his body while fighting two enormous Orcs. Elfhelm charged to help Grimbold and slays one of the Orcs, then Grimbold kills the second one. As they prepared to take Théodred home, they discovered the prince was still breathing. With his last breath, Théodred uttered to leave him there and let him remain in the ford at least until Eomer reached them. The battle ended by sundown, and the Rohirrim kept the ford despite their army's countless deaths. Théodred succumbs to his grievous wounds, and Grimbold lays him to rest in the middle of the eyot of the Fords of Isen; building a hasty burial mound over him and setting his banner upon it. The Rohirrim set the spears of their dead all about Théodred's mound and mounted the heads of the many slain enemy that had been slain there.

The Lord of the Rings' extended edition features a scene of the aftermath of the First Battle of the Fords of Isen. Eomer reaches the islet with his men, with countless dead bodies of the Rohirrim and Uruk-hai. They discover Théodred, who was severely injured yet breathing, and take him back to Rohan. They take him to Meduseld in Rohan's capital Edoras, but he dies afterward. Director Peter Jackson mentions that Grima Wormtongue brought about the battle's ill-fated events, being Saruman's spy.

The video game The Lord of the Rings Online [1] precisely showed the events and details of the First Battle of the Fords of Isen. There were only two missions in the game, which were initially part of Tolkien's narrative of the battle, and this quest was one of them. Also, the only difference in the books and the game was the size of the armies. The encounter involved vast numbers in the book, but they showed fewer characters in the campaign due to the game design's limitations.

1. ^The Lord of the Rings Online.