Summary

The War of the Rohirrim, set for Dec. 13, 2024, delves into Rohan's history and introduces a new protagonist in anime style.
Conflict between Rohan and the Dunlendings and their allies led to heavy casualties but culminated in Rohan's victory.
At the core of the story lies deep-seated animosities, and Helm Hammerhand's last stand against the Dunlendings is a pivotal moment in Middle-earth's history.

The War of the Rohirrim release date is currently set for December 13th, 2024 following several delays thanks to the 2023 Hollywood Strikes, and it will depict its action in anime-style animation. The movie will also feature the return of The Two Towers' Miranda Otto, who will reprise her role as Eowyn in a narrator role.

While any fan of The Lord of the Rings will be familiar with the kingdom of Rohan and its key figures during the War of the Ring, its history is only hinted at in the primary novels and in Peter Jackson's movie trilogy. There are many references in The Two Towers; for example, Helm's Deep is named after Helm Hammerhand, the Rohan king who is poised to be the main hero in The War of the Rohirrim. While the story's hero may be familiar to some Middle-earth die-hards, the conflict at the center of the story is far less well-known.

Lord Of The Rings' New Movie Character Means It Can't Ignore Rohan's Most Iconic Line

War of the Rohirrim will introduce a unique new protagonist, which means the perfect opportunity to tie in the most iconic line from Rohan's warrior.

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The War Of The Rohirrim Is Between Rohan & The Dunlendings

The Dunlendings were bitter foes of Rohan for centuries

The Dunlendings raiding Rohan in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

The War of the Rohirrim will feature the kingdom of Rohan at war with the Dunlendings, tribal hill-folk who settled in the lands between Moria and Isengard known as Dunland. Their animosity towards Rohan is long-standing, as it dates all the way back to the year 2510 of the Third Age. At that time, Gondor granted the rich lands to the north of Gondor to Eorl the Young, the first king of Rohan. In the following years, the Eorlingas of Rohan drove the Dunlendings into the hills, and in turn the Dunlendings raided outlying Rohan areas for centuries.

Allies of the Dunlendings in the War of the Rohirrim
Easterlings	A race of men who lived east of Mordor, who have typically been aligned with Sauron, and before him Morgoth. Throughout the history of Middle-earth, they have often opposed the Free Peoples. They participated in the Siege of Gondor in The Return of the King.
Haradrim	Also known as the "Southrons" as they are from the area south of Gondor, the Haradrim famously use Mûmakil (oliphaunts) on the battlefield to aid their forces, as seen in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields in The Return of the King.
Corsairs	The Corsairs of Umbar were pirates who frequently raided Gondor's waterways and coastlines, and were summoned to assist in the battle against Rohan and Gondor in the War of the Rohirrim. Aragorn and the Dead Men of Dunharrow laid waste to their fleet en route to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields in The Return of the King.
Sauron	Each of the Dunlendings' allies were minions of Sauron, and while the Dark Lord may not have participated in the War of the Rohirrim, he has always aligned his forces against Rohan and her ally, Gondor.

While the battle is largely fought between the Dunlendings and Rohan, both sides have allies. Rohan's primary ally is Gondor, although Gondor is unable to help in the War of the Rohirrim as they are under attack from corsair armies and Haradrim. The Dunlendings are aligned with both of those races, along with the dark men known as Easterlings, who provide more direct assistance in the battle against Rohan. Gondor's refusal to come to Rohan's aid is referenced by Theoden in The Return of the King, and is an echo of the same situation from the War of the Rohirrim.

Why Rohan & The Dunlendings Are Fighting In Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim

The sabotage of a royal marriage led to bloodshed

Hera holding a sword in The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.

Despite the long-standing enmity, there was some co-mingling between the two people, and The War of the Rohirrim will feature an individual with the blood of both sides in his veins. Freca, a lord of Rohan with Dunlending blood, insisted that his son Wulf be wedded to the daughter, Héra, of the king Helm Hammerhand. Freca insisted upon the marriage so that he might have some influence over the throne of Rohan, but Helm refused and insulted Freca, leading to anger escalating on both sides.

Ultimately, Helm kills Freca and summarily banishes Wulf and all of Freca's kin (specifically the Dunlendings), which kicks off the war that's showcased in the movie. Wulf leads the Dunlending forces, along with their allies from around Middle-Earth, against Helm Hammerhand and Edoras, eventually driving Helm to the area that will be referred to as "Helm's Deep" later on. It is there that the movie's main battle will likely take place, as it features the last stand of Helm Hammerhand, which is echoed centuries later by Theoden and Aragorn in the face of Saruman's Uruk-Hai army in The Two Towers.

Who Wins The War Of The Rohirrim?

The events of The Lord of the Rings provide a clue

The War of the Rohirrim exacts heavy tolls from royalty; Helm Hammerhand meets his end in the war, as does his son Haleth. Many soldiers and civilians are lost on both sides, especially as the Dunlendings succeed in taking Edoras and the Golden Hall of Meduseld. However, the Dunlendings are ultimately defeated by the combined forces of Rohan and Gondor, and over time they are driven back into the hills from whence they came.

The story of the War of the Rohirrim can be found in the appendices of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, specifically in Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers.

As the Dunlendings lay siege to Helm Hammerhand and the rest of his army at Súthburg (a.k.a. Helm's Deep), both sides suffer in the clutches of the Long Winter, a famously long and brutal winter that killed many people across Middle-earth, in areas including Rohan, Gondor, and even The Shire. Helm himself is even forced to lead raids on his enemies just to get food. Once the winter breaks, Helm's nephew Fréaláf is able to rally a force to expel Wulf from Edoras with the help of Beregond, the Steward of Gondor.

Are The Dunlendings In The Lord Of The Rings?

They're prominently featured in The Two Towers

The animosity between the Dunlendings and the Horse Lords was never forgotten, and it led to the Dunlendings being called upon to fight centuries later. In Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Saruman can be seen rallying a group of hill tribesmen to assault Rohan, commanding them to "burn every village." That group, along with their leader who cuts his hand in front of Saruman as a blood oath of their loyalty, is in fact the Dunlendings, the descendants of the same people who attacked Rohan in the War of the Rohirrim.

The conflict between the Dunlendings and the Rohirrim lays the groundwork for Saruman to reignite their enmity once Sauron rises to power again.

The Dunlendings never forgot the original offense of the Eorlingas, who drove them into the hills while taking the good lands granted to them by Gondor for themselves. They also never forgot the perceived murder of Freca at the hands of Helm Hammerhand; centuries of pent-up anger and hatred made them easy targets for Saruman during the War of the Ring, and that's why they are featured prominently in The Two Towers as the main bulk of the forces burning through the West Fold.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim will feature an important time period in the history of Middle-Earth. The conflict between the Dunlendings and the Rohirrim is based on far-reaching animosities sharpened to a point, and it lays the groundwork for Saruman to reignite their enmity once Sauron rises to power again. It remains to be seen how closely the narrative in The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim sticks to the source material, as there are only a few pages from Tolkien about the conflict.

Source: Tolkien Gateway