The Front Gate of Erebor looks, at first, like the perfect defensive position. It opened from the southern face of the Lonely Mountain into the narrow valley between two great spurs. Behind it lay halls cut into living stone. An enemy approaching the restored kingdom could not simply surround a wooden town or climb an … Read more
At Rivendell, the fate of the One Ring produces an unusual military problem. Sauron cannot be defeated by sending a greater army against him. The Wise know that the Free Peoples do not possess the strength to overthrow Mordor by conventional force. Nor can the Ring simply be hidden forever. The only path to victory … Read more
One of the most memorable images of the Battle of Helm’s Deep is Gimli standing upon the Deeping Wall beside Legolas, axe ready while the armies of Saruman gather in the darkness below. It seems exactly where he ought to be. Gimli likes the stonework immediately. He stamps upon it approvingly and declares that the … Read more
When black sails appeared on the Anduin during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, the defenders of Gondor believed the worst had happened. They knew a Corsair fleet was coming from the south. They knew southern Gondor had already been threatened. And when those ships finally approached the Harlond beneath Minas Tirith, the obvious conclusion … Read more
When Théoden’s riders approached Isengard after the Battle of the Hornburg, they were riding toward what should have been one of the hardest fortresses in western Middle-earth to enter by force. The Ring of Isengard was not merely a curtain wall surrounding Saruman’s tower. It was a vast enclosure of black stone, compared in The … Read more
The Fellowship has already crossed dangerous country when a dark shape appears in the southern sky over Hollin. Yet what alarms Aragorn is not an army, an Orc-band, or a Nazgûl. It is a flock of birds. That seems almost absurdly minor beside the dangers waiting ahead. But Aragorn watches the birds closely, orders Sam … Read more
Why the Army Leaves Men at the Cross-roads Instead of Taking Everyone to the Morannon When the Captains of the West march toward Mordor, every soldier seems precious. Their host is already astonishingly small. Only about seven thousand set out from Minas Tirith to challenge Sauron, and everyone involved understands that this army cannot defeat … Read more
When the armies of Mordor close around Minas Tirith, the Sun has effectively disappeared. This is not ordinary bad weather. A vast darkness has spread westward from Mordor, blotting out the daylight over Gondor. Under it, the Nazgûl circle above retreating soldiers, the defenders of Minas Tirith struggle to judge what is happening beyond their … Read more
When Théoden finally answered Gondor’s Red Arrow, his problem was not simply whether Rohan could send enough warriors. It was whether thousands of horses could reach Minas Tirith quickly enough to matter—and still have enough strength left to charge. That distinction is easy to miss. The Rohirrim did not merely have to move an army … Read more
The Council of Elrond reaches its terrible conclusion on October 25, 3018: the One Ring cannot safely be used, hidden, or sent away. It must be taken into Mordor and destroyed in the fire where it was made. Frodo accepts the burden. Yet the Fellowship does not immediately ride south. Instead, weeks pass in Rivendell. … Read more