Today’s video is in conjunction with my new channel I’m doing with my son - Nerd
of the Bricks - where we build and review LEGOs from our favorite nerdy franchises.
Stick around at the end of the video for a sneak peek at our Helm’s Deep build
which includes a trivia challenge - and go subscribe to Nerd of the Bricks!
It’s one of the most iconic locations in the realms of men.
Home of a pivotal battle in the War of the Ring, its origins trace back to
the glory days of Gondor - long before the kingdom of Rohan would come to be.
Today, on Nerd of the Rings, we cover the fortress
of the Hornburg and the defensive system known as Helm’s Deep.
The great fortress of the northern White Mountains finds its origin in the earliest days of Gondor,
possibly in the Second Age, during the reign of Isildur and Anarion.
It lies on western edge of the lands of Calenardhon. There,
upon a black spur of the mountain that would become known as Hornrock, the fortress that
would later become the Hornburg is built. At this time, the settlement is named Aglarond.
The Deeping Wall is constructed to span the space between the spurs of the mountain,
enclosing the deep valley. The wall is roughly 20 feet high and is wide enough that four men
could walk side-by-side atop it. The fortress and the wall are connected by a flight of steps. The
fortress, like it’s northern neighbor Isengard, is originally home to Gondorians, and played a
major role in guarding the Gap between the Misty Mountains and the White Mountains.
Over the centuries and millennia, as the glory days of Gondor fade and the realm suffers from
plagues and war, the lands of Calenardhon become vastly depopulated. However, as the late third age
begins, the northern horsemen known as the Eotheod come to the rescue of Steward Cirion of Gondor
and in return, Cirion gifts the men of Eorl the lands of Calenardhon. Thus in 2510 of the Third
Age, the lands are renamed Rohan and the horse lords are ever after known as the Rohirrim.
The Rohirrim take possession of their new lands, including the realm of Aglarond and its great
fortress. In their own tongue, they call it the Suthburg, meaning “southern fortress”,
while the previously mentioned Isengard is the northern fortress guarding the Gap of Rohan.
One of the most famous events in the history of the fortress comes in 2758 TA
and would lead to a name change for both the fortress and the entire system.
The story begins in 2754, when Helm son of Gram, the ninth king of Rohan, rules from
the capital of Edoras. In that year, Freca, a Dunlending who is also of Rohirric descent,
attempts to threaten the king into arranging the marriage of his daughter to Freca’s son, Wulf.
In response, Helm strikes Freca with his fist, killing him, and earning the name Hammerhand.
Four years later, Wulf returns to Rohan with a great force of Dunlendings,
reinforced by enemies of Gondor who had landed in the south. Helm and his soldiers fight them
at the Crossings of Isen, but are defeated, and the survivors retreat to the Suthburg.
As Wulf overruns the lands of Rohan, and takes control of the king’s throne in Edoras,
Helm is under siege in the Suthburg. They would be forced to suffer through a long and brutal winter.
During this time, the King would go into a rage and setting out during the frozen nights,
he would blow his great war-horn then set out to exact his revenge.
Clad in white, he would stalk his enemies like a snow-troll and slay them with his bare hands.
As the siege goes on, the kings sons are slain, and while Helm would grow gaunt from grief and
famine, his horn would still sound in the deep, instilling fear in the hearts of the Dunlendings
as he hunted them. One morning, the men of Rohan would wake to discover Helm had died during one of
his nightly raids. His body is discovered frozen in the snow, still standing and ready to fight.
Helm’s nephew, who had retreated with another force to Dunharrow, would rally
to defeat the Dunlendings and become the 10th King of Rohan, the first of the second line.
The fortress and the surrounding area would be renamed in honor of their fallen king
and his deeds. Aglarond is now known as Helm’s Deep, and the Suthburg is renamed the Hornburg,
in honor of the king’s war-horn that filled his enemies with
dread. There was a belief among the Rohirrim that sometimes in the Deep,
the wraith of Helm Hammerhand still wandered, defending the keep from enemies of Rohan.
It is implied that Helm’s Deep would play a role in the protection of the
Rohirrim on multiple occasions. For in the late third age, it is stated that Helm’s
Deep had never fallen to an enemy and that the deeping wall had never been breached.
As we know, the latter of these would indeed happen in the Battle of the Hornburg
in 3019. Unlike in the films, after being freed from Wormtongue’s influence,
Theoden seeks to take the fight to Saruman. He leads his army from Edoras toward Isengard, while
Eowyn leads the civilian population to Dunharrow as it is more defensible than Edoras. En route,
Theoden is warned by soldiers retreating from the Fords of Isen that Isengard has been unleashed.
Even their force of 1000 riders would be no match for 10,000 Uruk-hai and Dunlendings.
Theoden retreats to Helm’s Deep and much like the great king of old, prepares to endure a siege
upon the Hornburg. There, we meet Gamling the Old, the leader of the watchers of Helm’s Dike.
The orcs and dunlendings march to Helm’s Deep, where they use hundreds of ladders in an attempt
to scale the Deeping Wall. The defenders, led by Aragorn and Eomer, are successful in
repelling these attacks. As the attack rages on, a handful of orcs manage to sneak in via a culvert,
the first enemies to step foot inside the deeping wall. After their attack, they are
quickly driven back, and Gimli supervises the men of Rohan in blocking the culvert.
However, the Uruks would re-enter the culvert, this time using a device of Saruman and causing
an explosion, ripping a hole in the Deeping Wall - the great defense of Helm’s Deep
that had stood for so long could no longer protect the Rohirrim. While some soldiers,
Gimli among them, retreat to the Glittering Caves, others, including Aragorn go into the Hornburg.
Once again, the Uruks seek to use Saruman’s explosive power to breach the keep. At this
very moment, the Horn of Helm’s Deep sounds once again, and Aragorn and Theoden lead the
men of the Hornburg, and those of the caves in a last-ditch effort to strive against the invaders.
They cut through their enemies and arrive at Helm’s Dike. To the surprise of all,
in the dawn of March 4th, the Huorns had come, and blocked the retreat of Saruman’s army.
In that moment, Gandalf the White also arrives, having rallied Erkenbrand and
1000 men from the Westfold. They charge the enemy ranks. The Dunlendings are in such
terror at the sight of the white wizard that they could no longer fight, and the orcs completely
lose control and retreat into the trees, where every last one is destroyed by the Huorns.
After the battle, the Dunlendings who had surrendered are given amnesty by
Theoden King, and are permitted to return to their homes under the condition that they
never again bring hostilities against Rohan or cross the river Isen. The Dunlendings killed in
the siege are buried in their own mound, more honorably than, and separate from,
the Uruks. As for the dead orcs, they are left in a mound, which is gone the following day.
The Huorns had left in the night, and in their place, there was a great mound covered in stone.
Believed to be the final resting place of the orcs of Saruman,
nothing would ever after grow upon the hill, and no man would ever set foot upon the Death Down.
Little is known of Helm’s Deep after the War of the Ring, though we know it would play host to
a new colony of Durin’s Folk, The Glittering Caves, led by Lord Gimli son of Gloin. The
Glittering Caves is set to be one of the most important realms of the Fourth Age, helping
with the rebuilding of the Gate of Minas Tirith, and establishing a great friendship with Eomer,
the 18th King of Rohan, and the first of the third line. Though it’s wall had been
breached by the forces of Saruman, no enemy of Rohan would ever conquer Helm’s Deep.
Here’s a sneak peek at my new channel with my son called Nerd of the Bricks.
is it the light of elwing the light of a arendelle or the light of gil gallad
yes you got it good job
who according to gandalf was the greatest traveler and huntsman of this age taramir
aragorn good job all been right I told him that when his channel hits 10,000 subscribers
we will get the massive Millenium Falcon set, so at the risk of throwing down some serious cash
way earlier than expected, go check out our Helm’s Deep build and subscribe to Nerd of the Bricks.
as always i want to say a huge thank you to my patreon supporters who make this channel possible
tom de bombadil 19 listen me the cinder mandu pendu andrew carlisle the mighty mim sky carcass
slide belts dane ragnerson selimer mon zetrock bertoberg grand strategy nerd graham daricotte
the dark haired one wyland michael wu and debbie if you enjoyed the artwork in this video
check out the artists in the description and purchase prints of their great work for yourself
thanks so much for watching and subscribing and we'll see you next time on nerd of the rings