A valley in the North-Western White Mountains in Middle Earth, Helm’s Deep was popularly known as the location of the Hornburg and also got fame by the Battle of the Hornburg, a fictional battle described in ‘The Lord of The Rings’ by J.R.R. Tolkien.
During the Third Age, Helm Hammerhand and an army of Rohirrim had taken refuge in the fortress and then they rode to Edoras. This is when the gorge got its name from Helm. During the War of the Ring, under the leadership of King Theoden, the people of Edoras took shelter in the Hornburg to protect themselves from the attack of Saruman. That was the beginning of the Battle of the Hornburg that resulted in the victory of Rohan with the arrival of Gandalf and Erkenbrand. Helm’s Deep contained about 1000 men but many more had arrived from all over Rohan as the battle started. The opponent, Saruman’s army, was made of about 1000 men and Orcs. Later, an additional force of Dunland had also joined the enemy side [1].
Description
The fortified gorge lay near the Westfold and is based on a limestone gorge with a depth of 400 feet with a cave complex that Tolkien describes as the Glittering Caves of Aglarond at the head of the valley behind the fortress. These caves were highly renowned for their beauty. Helm’s Deep is a narrow valley with cliffs on each side extending to the southern points where its source and the fortress of the Hornburg lie. The mouth of the gorge was covered by the Deeping Wall which is 20 feet tall and quite wide.History
Originally, Helm’s Deep, along with its fortress Hornburg, was a refuge of the army of Gondor who constructed it in the Second Age. However, when Calenardhon was given to the Eotheod by the Gondor during the reign of Eorl the Young, the gorge came in possession of the Rohirrim.During the Third Age, Helm Hammerhand and an army of Rohirrim had taken refuge in the fortress and then they rode to Edoras. This is when the gorge got its name from Helm. During the War of the Ring, under the leadership of King Theoden, the people of Edoras took shelter in the Hornburg to protect themselves from the attack of Saruman. That was the beginning of the Battle of the Hornburg that resulted in the victory of Rohan with the arrival of Gandalf and Erkenbrand. Helm’s Deep contained about 1000 men but many more had arrived from all over Rohan as the battle started. The opponent, Saruman’s army, was made of about 1000 men and Orcs. Later, an additional force of Dunland had also joined the enemy side [1].
Adaptations
In the 2002 film ‘The Two Towers’ by Peter Jackson, the gorge was constructed resembling the World War I bunker. In the movie, the fortress itself had the entry to the Glittery Caves instead of the top of the valley. The battle was fought in the night for over three months amidst rain and extreme conditions. The set of Helm’s Deep made use of some computerized imagery and it was depicted as one of the biggest battle scenes. [2] The 2013 version of ‘The Lord of the Rings Online’ named ‘Helm’s Deep’ shows the fortress and the surrounding region as well as the Battle of Helm’s Deep.
References
Categories:
Fortresses
Valleys
White Mountains
