I wonder what would have happened if Helm let Freca's son marry his daughter. It might have helped their relations with the Dunlendings, on the other hand, he might be letting a traitor into his court. Anyway, good video as usual, i agree with him being more of figure of legend for Rohan, rather than a good king.

People liked Helm because it’s human nature to admire strength in a leader. Killing enemies with your bare hands and striking fear into their hearts is always going to be remembered kindly.

Sounds a bit like Robert Baratheon who didn't become a wasted drunk, great warrior, able to inspire his people and keep the fight going despite the odds but a horrible in any other facet in ruling.

It wasn’t as simple as all that though Freka was constantly undermining him and even demanded helm marry his daughter to wulf, which is what really pissed tell off, the punch that killed him did set off the war but honestly no one expected him to die from a punch, and yes Rohan was invaded many times during his reign but most if it was unfortunate timing, not really helms fault (except for the dunlandings but the rohirim could definitely manage them alone, it was the eater king invasions that truly tipped the scales)

Reminds me a great deal of the English king Richard I the Lionheart. Legendary king, loved by his people in his own day as the perfect example of a warrior king. However, by our standards he was pretty terrible. Wasted enormous amount of money funding a crusade, broke off his engagement with the French princess, insulting his greatest ally on the crusade, alienated his other allies with his lack of diplomacy, bankrupted his kingdom with his ransom, and kept his kingdom in a state of almost perpetual war until he died in battle.

In regards to the Dunlanding beating Rohan it is possible that the Corsairs not only supplied them with fighting men, but also equipment like armour and weapons, which would increase their odds when fighting against Rohan

Legend, fool, or perhaps a psychopath? I wonder if Helm enjoyed killing people. I kind of want to see him that way. So Helm certainly did a mistake by not offering peace to Wulf after the 'incident'. It is sort of murky whether he intended to kill Freca, which would be a useful information to assess his character. The violence he dealt multiplied, and it accompanies him for the rest of his limited days. In other matters, the Rohirrim kind of deserved to be challenged by the Dunlendings.

Honestly one of your best videos (best one being the one called "What if you found the one ring") good job

Fascinating stuff! Helm does have that sort of mighty, brutish and undefeatable quality that heroes like Beowulf also posess. So for a people heavily inspired by Anglo-Saxon civilization, it makes a lot of sense.

Really good analysis 👌

can you imagine how inspiring he would have been from Rohan's POV? Here are these people that are illegally encroaching in our lands and ravaging our people - then their leader has the audacity to boss around our king , make a fool out of him and on top of that exert his power by asking for our princess. Rohan will never give any daughter to these barbarians! Then he fought a war against them for Rohan's honour and was a symbol of our honour and pride even to his last breath!!!! Patriotism at its best

Helm could’ve used that private moment to explain to Freca why he couldn’t agree to his request utilizing both the oath sworn to Gondor by his forebears and the Dunlendings’ hatred of the Gondorians for past sins as justification. If Freca was such a effective vassal governing and protecting the Westfold he’d have understood that while Helm might trust him to guard the western border, if Gondor called Rohan for aide Freca and his son would find themselves in a very awkward and dangerous position: be loyal to their own people and break their oath of loyalty to Helm whom they’d faithfully served (which wouldn’t end well for them) or side with Rohan and earn the hostility or even outright revolt from their own people for their perceived “betrayal”; which could’ve seen them replaced by someone more malleable to Sauron’s will. I could see Freca apologize for his unreasonable demand and the marriage issue dropped entirely.

Rohan's forces are primary light and medium cavalry with very little mention of either infantry or ranged weapons. If the Dunlending army is made of well drilled spear/pike men then it is no surprise than Rohan was defeated. Infantry trumps cavalry. The reason why pike men still existed on the battlefield after the introduction of gunpowder is that they provided a safe refuge for musketeers against cavalry. The bayonet was invented so that infantry armed with firearms could be their own pike men. If the Easterling's are employing heavy cavalry (similar to cataphracts or Sipahi) performing controlled mass charges (in the style of medieval knights), and backed up by mounted archers, then that would explain why Rohan lost to them as well. Rohan only seems to do well when it operates in combination with Gondor's foot and mounted infantry. This is mirrored in the real world and Tolkien would have been well aware of this.

Can't wait for this and hopefully more animated films 🙃

What if the Rohirrim had tolerated the Dunlendings like they could/should have?

Is Australia's equivalent to the Rohirrim's War against the Dunlendings the Emu War then?...😁

Whenever I see a headline on a video or article that goes like ": - or ?" in 90% of those cases I say "both" in my head before even reading or watching it.

old man strength is canon EVERYWHERE

I wonder if Helm Hammer hand and Gimli would have gotten along

Bruh you can’t blame him for killing That dude with one punch, I don’t think anyone saw that coming

Wait wait wait, where does it say many West-Marchers joined the Dunlendings during the War of the Ring? I don’t remember that? I do remember Gamling speaking the Dunnish language but he just says the Dunlendings are yelling “Death to the Forgoil! Death to the Strawheads! Death to the robbers of the North!” Also I kinda just assumed that Wulf and his men got lots of help from the Corsairs of Umbar. The appendixes make it clear that their fleet landed both in Western Gondor at the Lefnui and the Isen River north of there. That implies a significant force.

I bet a lot of the West March of Rohirim supported Wulf. Perhaps Helm wasn't a great king and lost a lot of support which is why he was effectively overthrown.

Who do you think would win, Helm Hammerhand or Corrin Thunderfist?

"I will starve my children on White Mountain, before I contenance your mud in my straw." - Chad Hammerhand

We want more ,,Peoples of ..." videos 😀

This is actually the first I've heard of "The War of the Rohirrim." After the fiasco that was The Rings of Prime, I'm not particularly excited to see any more adaptations or spin-offs. And the fact that it's described as an anime is even more discouraging.

He was right. It was cold or exposure that killed jim

Love the brick wall comment!

Steven Bradbury?

Could the man of gondor make orcs? Of domesticate them?

Bad king, great warrior and at least he died for his people. What do you think Legolas would've done having the sea longing if thranduil had died in the great war of the third age. Stay or go?

Title of this video is supported by dunlending gang

Interesting ♨now 💙🌼

I don't think Helm intended to kill Freca or at least he didn't expect Freca to die from one punch. It seems to me relations between Rohan and the Dunlendings were, as they so often had been, fraught with tension. Once Freca died, I doubt war could have been avoided. Certainly Helm blundered badly in letting Wulf prepare for war and launch it when Wulf was ready to. On the other hand, Wulf benefited from having the Easterlings attacking Rohan on one side and having Corsair allies attacking Rohan along with the Dunlendings yet in the end they weren't able to bring down Rohan when it looked like they really should have been able to.

Wait, wait, wait. Shadow of War did WHAT?! Oiiiiie🤦🏼‍♀️

I thought it was Crocodile Dundee...

So you mean that Tyrion's idea in the last episode of GoT was right? Also, sorry mate. But the story I mostly connect to Australia is not Bradbury's (awesome as it is) but the Emu War... Nevertheless... THANK YOU! I was thought Helm was kind of a moron and a prick.

If I was Helm I would accept the marriage proposal, gathering the whole family of Freca at Edoras, then imprisoning them, spreading lies to the population of the Westmatch about a plot to murder the King and take the throne. As for the dunlendings, I would give land to them for settling in Western Rohan during the time so they would be appeased, and might even help against the corsairs

He was a legendary fool.

Diplomacy THEN war. Helm was crap at forward thinking strategy, but did fight like a madman making for an inspiring story. So yeah, value, but could have done better.

The animated series was supposed to show these two sides: a legend, but a fool who brought tragedy to his people. The problem is that they invented, in the series, a name of an obscure daughter of Helm: Hera. She who will lead Rohan's resistance against enemies. I hope they don't surrender to the woke world (an intelligent and victorious woman "cleaning up the political and military mess" caused by men/patriarchy).