EntertainmentMoviesFantasy MoviesLord of the Rings MoviesThe Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The RohirrimIf you squint, those Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim cameos work surprisingly well in Tolkien loreWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentMoviesFantasy MoviesLord of the Rings MoviesThe Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The RohirrimIf you squint, those Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim cameos work surprisingly well in Tolkien loreWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Warner Bros)
DespiteThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimtaking place 183 years before Bilbo Baggins embarked on his grand quest far over the Misty Mountains, several recognizable characters appear in director Kenji Kamiyama’s anime adventure. And thanks to the everlasting nature of many of Middle-earth’s inhabitants, the various cameos make sense within the confines of Tolkien’s text. Sort of…
Many of the movie’s events happen between the lines of Tolkien’s work as we’re introduced to new characters who go on to meet others that there’s no record of them ever meeting.
But before we start naming names, here’s yourspoiler warning.We’re about to dive deep into those The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim cameos and whether they align with Tolkien’s works. Then we’ll look closer at how their appearances hint at the events of a certain upcoming live-action movie.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim cameos – who appears from Peter Jackson’s movies?
(Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)
First up and the most widely publicized: Miranda Otto returns as Éowyn, the Witch King-killing shield-maiden. Being a human, Éowyn hasn’t been born yet and she instead acts as the movie’s narrator, helping frame the story as a fable being passed down the generations.
(Image credit: Warner Bros)
Now, The War of the Rohirrim ends with Héra, the daughter of Helm, riding off to see a certain wizard called Gandalf. He’s interested in her encounter with those mysterious orcs outside of the Hornburg, the fortified stronghold that will later be known as Helm’s Deep, named after Hammerhand himself. Those orcs were collecting rings presumably on behalf of Sauron, the Dark Lord, whose One Ring has been missing for a couple of thousand years. However, we know that the all-powerful ring is, at this moment, in the hands of the corrupted Store Hobbit once known as Sméagol, now Gollum.
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Do The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim cameos work within Tolkien lore?
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
So, does Saruman and Gandalf’s presence in this story make sense? Considering Saruman will eventually take over Isenguard, there’s no question he would have at some stage introduced himself to the new King of Rohan, Fréaláf Hildeson, following his defeat of Wulf. Tolkien even specified in his histories of Middle-earth that Saruman took over Isenguard the exact year Helm Hammerhand froze to death in T.A. (Third Age) 2759.
The Gandalf name-drop also works within the confines of Tolkien’s text, though not quite as neatly. First, it’s worth noting that, at this point in Tolkien’s story, Sauron is indeed searching for the One Ring, the Dark Lord having taken the form of a Necromancer haunting Dol Guldur, a stronghold in Murkwood later seen in Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy.
Sauron’s search for the remaining Rings of Power eventually leads to him capturing the dwarf king Thrain II, who holds one of the seven Dwarf Rings. Gandalf arrives in Dol Goldur and confirms Sauron’s presence in the year T.A. 2850 – almost 100 years after the death of Helm Hammerhand.
Before that, Gandalf was almost certainly worried about the One Ring potentially returning to Sauron. Indeed, he sat upon the White Council – consisting of himself, Saruman, Galadriel, Elrond, and Círdan – who were brought together in T.A. 2464 to keep a watchful eye on the evil growing in Middle-earth. However, it’s not until T.A. 2851, a year after Gandalf’s encounter with Sauron at Dol Goldur, that the White Council discuss the idea of the One Ring returning to the hands of its master. It’s during this meeting that Saruman’s desire to take the One Ring for himself is first hinted at as he overrules Gandalf’s plea to attack Sauron at Dol Goldur.
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
But what does this mean for the War of the Rohirrim’s ending? Well, Gandalf would clearly have been interested in any news concerning rings, especially if the forces of darkness were involved. Should news of Héra’s encounter have reached his ears, he would have certainly wanted to meet her to discuss what she had seen.
However, with Héra having barely a fleshed-out story in Tolkien’s text, there’s nothing there to say that she ever met with Gandalf. Conversely, there’s also nothing to say that she didn’t meet with Gandalf. In other words, this could all fit inside Tolkien’s words, even if the author had never contemplated having the daughter of Helm Hammerhand meet the Wise Wizard.
Something fun to note: the Long Winter seen in The War of the Rohirrim impacted many regions of Middle-earth, including The Shire. Although many Hobbits would die during a great famine that took hold that year, Gandalf would come to their aid. It was during this time that Gandalf became fond of Hobbits, which would one day lead to him asking Bilbo Baggins to join him on a quest to a certain dragon-infested Misty Mountain.
Does that Gandalf name-drop hint at a Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim sequel?
(Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)
The movie’s creative team have said nothing about a sequel to The War of the Rohirrim, and frankly going any further with Hera’s interactions with Gandalf could easily tip this into a lore-breaking space. If her story continued, it would most likely revolve around an entirely new adventure.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim arrives is out now in theaters worldwide. For more, check out ourThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review,as well ashow to watch The Lord of the Rings movies and shows in order.
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