The Rock

The Rock of Helm's Deep (somewhat conjectural)

As the valley of the Deeping-coomb cut deeper into the White Mountains, its walls rose to become high cliffs, and from the northern cliff a sheer-sided mass of rock stood out. In the early days of Gondor, the people of that land had raised a castle on this outcropping, with a sturdy wall surrounding an inner tower. In later years this castle was granted by Gondor to the new land of Rohan, and the Rohirrim later named it the Hornburg.¹ The great rock on which the castle had been built took its name from the castle, being called the Hornrock, or often simply 'the Rock'.

The Rock and its castle formed an important part of the defences of western Rohan. From the face of the Rock the Deeping-wall ran across the gate of Helm's Deep to the opposite cliff, protecting the gorge behind. Through a culvert in the wall the Deeping-stream emerged from the Deep, and then flowed on around the feet of the Rock before continuing along the vale of the Deeping-coomb. On the Rock itself, a courtyard stood before the walls of the Hornburg, and a set of broad steps ran up from the ground below to reach the inner gate of the castle on its rocky height.

The Hornburg on its Rock was commanded by the lords of Westfold, and at the time of the War of the Ring this was the Rider named Erkenbrand. After the Battles of the Fords of Isen, many of the Men of Rohan gathered at Helm's Deep, and the armies of Saruman made an assault on the Deeping-wall and the Hornburg. In the desperate fighting that followed, the beleaguered Men of Rohan made a sortie from the castle, and a battle was fought on the steep heights of the Rock itself. The Rohirrim were ultimately victorious, and the Rock and Hornburg continued to guard Helm's Deep into the Fourth Age.