In the far off days of the glory of Gondor, when the rule of Osgiliath stretched over the sun swept
plains that men now know as Rohan, it is said the Sea Kings constructed a secret refuge in the White
Mountains. A place that no foe could ever take so long as men defended it. A place where any
trumpet sounded would echo across the surrounding slopes, as if armies long forgotten were issuing
to war from caves beneath the hills. A place known in the Third Age of Middle Earth as Helm’s Deep.
Situated beneath three towering peaks known as the Thrihyrne, Helm’s Deep was a great
gorge, situated within the northward spur of the White Mountains. This gorge narrowed from the
north, with the cliffs surrounding it growing in height until its southernmost point. Here a small
stream flowed out of an immense and beautiful cavern system known as the Glittering Caves.
The gorge was recognized in the Second Age by the Men of Gondor
as an excellent site from which to control the Fords of Isen.
The Fords were a critical river crossing within the Gap of Calenardhon,
later the Gap of Rohan. A fortress was constructed here, named Aglarond which together
with neighboring Isenguard protected Gondor from any incursion from the Wild Lands beyond.
The fortress itself was built at the peak of Gondor’s craftsmanship,
before the teachings of the Elves and Gods had been forgotten.
It was carved from smooth solid stone that seemed to form from the very bones of the Earth itself.
The fortresses’ main strength was situated on an out-thrust spur of rock,
from which rose a single tower. Surrounding this tower were several concentric walls, with access
to the ground below provided by a long, slender causeway which wound up to the outer gates.
The narrowest part of the gorge, which lay beside and behind the fortress,
was barred by an enormous wall, many times the height of a man and thick enough that four ranks
of soldiers might walk abreast. This outer wall was completely smooth, save for a small drainage
culvert which prevented the stream from the Glittering Caves from welling up within the gorge.
Stairs linked this outer formation with the main fortress, protected by towers and parapets.
The outermost structure was a steep trench a quarter-mile below the structure.
It’s bridging gap however was quite wide,
and the dike was intended more for delaying actions than any serious defense.
For many centuries during an era known as the watchful peace, the fortress Aglarond guarded
the surrounding lands of Calenardhon, but its people dwindled, with most migrating further East.
The garrisons maintained by Gondor were not renewed and the fortress was turned over to
local chieftains. When the ancestors of the Rohirrum eventually swept into the region,
and drove out the Orcs and Easterlings that had flourished in Gondor’s absence,
Calenardhon and the Aglarond were officially gifted to their care.
Now a stronghold of the Rohirrim known as the Súthburg, the fortress and the surrounding
gorge provided a site from which the otherwise nomadic horse lords might rest and recuperate.
The most famous such sheltering took place in the Long Winter, when Helm Hammerhand
endured a brutal siege against the Corsairs of Umbar and a host of Easterlings. His ferocious
sorties against the foe, each marked by a terrible blast of the Súthburg’s great horn,
led to the belief that even in death his spirit would forever guard the fortress.
In his honor, the gorge was named Helm’s Deep and the fortress became known as the Hornburg.
The fortress was finally breached during the War of Ring, when King Theoden of Rohan led
the people of Edoras to take shelter there. The Hornburg was assaulted by a vast host of Uruk Hai,
which with the sorcery of Saruman was able to blast apart the outer walls.
Only the timely arrival of the Istari Gandalf prevented the annihilation of the defenders,
turning almost certain defeat into one of the greatest victories of the Rohirrim.
With the eventual destruction of the Dark Lord Sauron and the return of a king in Gondor,
a new golden age befell the Men of the West. The battered walls
of the Hornburg were restored, and Helm’s Deep became home to a new Dwarven colony.
Within the Glittering Caves, Lord Gimli, a member of the Fellowship of the Ring crafted new wonders,
bringing to Minas Tirith jeweled splendor and renewed pacts of friendship. But even in this
new age of peace, the memory of the horn of Helm Hammerhand, sounding in the deep,
remained, As powerful and enduring as the mountains that surrounded it.