This article contains spoilers forThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimis full of J.R.R. Tolkien Easter eggs. The movie, released in December 2024, is based on “The House of Eorl,” a short story in Appendix A ofThe Lord of the Rings. It does not follow its source material to the letter but does drop intriguing references to the rest ofThe Lord of the Ringsand the wider legendarium. The movie enjoys referring toPeter Jackson’sHobbitandLord of the Ringstrilogieswith smart callbacks, making its deep myth and legend known.
TheLord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimmovieis directed by anime legend Kenji Kamiyama, who also worked onGhost in the Shell. It was about time Tolkien’s high fantasy masterpiece was united with Japan’s ancient animated art form.Lord of the Ringsis perfectly suited to anime, which allows its fantastical monsters and characters to breathe and grow into the most spectacular versions of themselves. The format allowed Tolkien’s work to bleed into every line, corner, and image of the movie, making every scene Tolkienian, even if it was original material.
10The War Of The Rohirrim Creatures
The Lord Of The Rings' Fantasy Beasts Appear In The Movie
There are some obviousLord of the Ringscallbacks inThe War of the Rohirrimmovie, and many of these involve monsters.Tolkien populated his work with fantasy beaststhat influenced writers and moviemakers for generations to come. These included the Great Eagles, the Mûmakil, the Watcher in the Water, and the Orcs. Uniquely for a Warner Bros.Lord of the Ringsmovie,War of the Rohirrimdoes not include Elves.
What Happens To Héra After War Of The Rohirrim In Lord Of The Rings Lore
Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim tells the story of Héra and her leadership during a devastating conflict. Here’s what happens to her next.
However,it certainly does include the Great Eagles, the Mûmakil, the Watcher in the Water, and Orcs. And yet, none of these beasts appear in the movie’s source material, making them Tolkien Easter eggs rather than natural and logical aspects of the adaptation. The Watcher in the Water appears most beguilingly in a lake, bearing very little resemblance to Peter Jackson’s version of the beast. Likewise, the Mûmakil rampages through the woods like the infected boar inPrincess Mononoke,Hayao Miyazaki’s legendary anime movie.
9Symbols Of Rohan Pervade War Of The Rohirrim
J.R.R. Tolkien’s Rohan Echoes Through The Movie
The War of the Rohirrimpictureensures ample reference to J.R.R. Tolkien’s rich Rohan imagery.Tolkien went to great pains to describe simbelmynë, the white flower that grew on Rohirrim graves. This flower was also known as aspirin and is referenced in Amazon Prime Video’sThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. This rich Easter egg occurs toward the end ofWar of the Rohirrimas the flower creeps into view during Fréaláf’s coronation.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towerscame out in 2002.
The movie also displays Helm’s horn, which was proudly blown by Gimli, son of Glóin, inThe Lord of the Rings:The Two Towersmovie. This is the horn of Helm Hammerhand, a Rohirrim relic used to herald war and the assault of the legendary Riders of Rohan.The horn was blown inThe War of the Rohirrimduring Rohan’s war with the Dunlendings, signaling the onset of greater violence.
8Southrons Venture Into The War Of The Rohirrim
War Of The Rohirrim References Wider Middle-Earth
Tolkien’s scary Southrons made an appearance inThe War of the Rohirrim, despite not showing up in “The House of Eorl.” Of allThe Lord of the Rings’types of Men, the Haradrim may have been the most warlike. These mysterious people were also known as the Southrons due to their southerly climes. The Haradrim hailed from Harad and allied with Sauron in the War of the Ring, also appearing as a mysterious threat inThe War of the Rohirrim.
Northern Harad was known as Near Harad and southern Harad was called Far Harad.
In one of the movie’s earlier scenes, a dead and decaying Southron is discovered in the snow. This is a portent of war, with violence soon to follow.The Southron recalls Peter Jackson’s Haradrimwithout copying them, displaying a tribal aesthetic all its own. The Oliphaunts, or Mûmakil, which also appeared in the movie, were linked to the Haradrim inThe Lord of the Rings.
7War Of The Rohirrim Develops Tolkien’s Shieldmaidens
Lord Of The Rings' Female Warriors Have Pride Of Place In The Movie
One ofLord of the Rings’strongest women(Éowyn) was a shieldmaiden andThe War of the Rohirrimriffs on this.The shieldmaidens are a major theme inWar of the Rohirrim, symbolizing female empowerment.War of the Rohirrimrepresents the first time a woman has been a main character in aLord of the Ringsmovie, and this is accompanied by her growth into a shieldmaiden.
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Héra honorsLord of the Rings’ÉowynthroughWar of the Rohirrim’sshieldmaiden Easter eggs.The movie tries to show how Héra paved the way for Éowynto become the Third Age hero that she is inThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Perhaps even more interesting than Héra is the significantly less sexualized Olwyn, the older shieldmaiden who inspires and guides Héra.
6No Tales Tell Of War Of The Rohirrim’s Main Character
The Movie Knows That Hèra Gets Just One Line In the Book
The movie’s narration confirms that “no tales tell” of Héra, which is a “The House of Eorl” Easter egg. This clever aspect of the script references its source material, knowingly acknowledging its bizarre choice of main character.War of the Rohirrim’sdivisive choice of main characterdoes make sense as it allows Helm to remain something of a mystery, but Héra only occupied one line in “The House of Eorl.”
The movie provides an in-universe reason for its choice of main character, suggesting that a subtle misogyny exists in the historical documentation of Rohan’s legends.
Helm Hammerhand is the main character of “The House of Eorl”, but giving him the lead role in the movie may have evaporated some of the appeal of his mythological character. The movie provides an in-universe reason for its choice of main character, suggesting that a subtle misogyny exists in the historical documentation of Rohan’s legends, leaving Héra out of its narrative. This interesting twist gives the movie a feminist slant.
5The War Of The Rohirrim Uses The Rohirrim’s Famous Battle Cry
The Movie’s Dialogue References J.R.R. Tolkien’s Book
The War of the Rohirrimdrops Tolkien’s dialogue into its script, constituting some of its most evocativeLord of the RingsEaster eggs.The Lord of the Ringsbuilds the Rohirrim into one of its most glorious races. They were based on the Anglo-Saxons, who Tolkien was an expert on, and symbolized early English people. This race, of huge importance to Tolkien, was given some of the best lines in the book and movies, which wasn’t ignored byWar of the Rohirrim.
The anime film screamed its Tolkienian origins from the rooftopsevery time a Rohirrim bellowed “Forth Eorlingas.” This beloved line, pulled straight from the pages ofLord of the Rings, may have been most famously yelled by Théoden inThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. “Fell deeds awake. Now for wrath, now for ruin and the red dawn” were the immortal lines shouted by the King before he unleashed the Rohirrim’s legendary battle cry.
4War Of The Rohirrim References Lord Of The Rings' Beacons
Rohan Hesitates To Light The Beacons In The Movie
Helm is not keen to light the beacons and call for aid inThe War of the Rohirrim, which bears a striking resemblance to a political quandary inThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.These two proud nations just can’t seem to maintain their historical friendshipwithout the odd quarrel. Just as Denethor stubbornly refused to call for help inReturn of the Kingby lighting the beacons, Helm refused to do so inWar of the Rohirrim.
The Nature of Middle-earthspecifically refers to “the full beacon system,” confirming that the beacons worked both ways. This justifies the movie’s allusion to the beacons being lit from Rohan’s side, although it may seem as if they were only for Gondor’s use.This Easter egg shows a deep appreciation of the wider legendarium, suggesting strong knowledge of Tolkien’s work on the screenwriters' parts.
3War Of The Rohirrim Shows Lord Of The Rings' Looming Evil
Tolkien’s Third Age Isengard Is On Show In The Movie
There is evil lurking in the background ofThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim,and it is littered with Easter eggs that prove it. Isengard becomes populated by Wulf and his team of warriors inThe War of the Rohirrim, showing the intriguing development of the area.Wulf is shown to start pioneering the kind of machinery that Saruman was known forinThe Two Towers.
Saruman appears at the end of the movie, solidifying its exploration of Isengard. This appearance, however, is totally canonical, unlike the movie’s detailed engines of war, which weren’t outlined in “The House of Eorl.” Meanwhile,Lord of the Rings’villain Sauronis referenced in a subtle Easter egg as well.Orcs hunt for rings inWar of the Rohirrim, wondering out loud what Mordor wants with them. This positions the movie’s story in the bigger picture of the looming threat of the War of the Ring.
2A Tolkien Rune Appears At The End Of War Of The Rohirrim
This Ancient Symbol Is One Of Lord Of The Rings' Runes
A mysterious symbol appears near the end ofThe War of the Rohirrim, but this is actually aLord of the RingsEaster egg recalling one ofLord of the Rings’best characters. Héra appears after the movie’s war has ended, holding a letter. This letter bears a strange mark, seeming like a rune. This is a Cirth rune from an alphabet invented by J.R.R. Tolkien forThe Lord of the Rings.
Tolkien invented numerous languages forThe Lord of the Rings, many of which were Elvish. The Elves used an alphabet called Tengwar, which was precipitated by the Cirth Runes. The runes were adopted by the Dwarves as they were composed of many straight lines, making them easy to carve into rock, and they were fond of carving rock.This rune was used among DwarvesinThe Hobbit.
1The War Of The Rohirrim Drops A Gandalf Reference
The Movie Alludes To One Of Tolkien’s Best Characters
IfThe War of the Rohirrim’srune is familiar to some, that is likely because it is the same rune that Gandalf carved on the door of Bag End inThe Hobbit. Those who recognize this may, at this point, be getting excited about what is to come.This rune, meaning “G,” does indeed signify Gandalf’s appearancein the movie. However, this iconic Wizard does not appear in person.
As she handles the letter,Héra reveals that she rides to meet Gandalfto discuss the search for rings, paralleling the movie’s previous reference to Mordor’s hunt for the same. This powerful closing Easter egg confirms the movie as a part of a huge ongoing story. Gandalf’s name is a highlight ofThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, offering the possibility of an exciting sequel.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Cast
Set before the events of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is an animated action-adventure fantasy film that follows a King of Rohan named Helm Hammerhand. When his home comes under siege by Dunlendings, Hammerhand prepares himself and his allies to fight back against them, with the war leading to the eventual establishment of Helm’s Deep.
