Hera is the heroine of The War of the Rohirrim, the new film derived from the universe of Lord of the Rings. Although the character is indeed present in Tolkien’s texts, he nonetheless remains very mysterious. From her place in the Middle-earth saga to her role in the film and the extended universe, here’s a look back at 6 facts you (perhaps) didn’t know about Hera.
#6 Hera did not exist before the film War of the Rohirrim
Yes, the character of Hèra is, almost, an entirely new creation of the screenwriters you film The Rohirrim War. Indeed, in Tolkien’s writings, Helm Hammerhand, the ninth king of Rohan, is described as having two sons and a daughter. However, if the two boys are named (Haleth and Háma), his daughter is, surprisingly, never named by Tolkien. Until now, even Tolkien enthusiasts only knew this character as “the daughter of King Helm”. This female character had therefore never been developed in any of the author’s works.
Even more astonishing, although other creations in the extended universe had already featured it, none had sought to name it until the animated feature film directed by Kenji Kamiyama. It is therefore thanks to the film War of the Rohirrim that this character receives for the first time an identity and a voice, that of the actress Gaia Wise in the original version. This choice will obviously give more depth to the story. family of Helm and his children, and to add new adventures, since there are little risk of confusing the official canon of the work with a character about whom we knew nothing until then.
#5 Hera will be the last to have to face the most famous Saruman
Although it was created late by Tolkien, Saruman has become one of the most iconic characters in the saga of Lord of the Rings. In fact, different versions of the character have appeared in adaptations of the work. However, the version that is unanimous among spectators and fans is obviously the Saruman played by Christopher Lee in the version directed by Peter Jackson. From the trailers, The Rohirrim War announced that it would also feature the corrupt magician, which will ultimately betray the cause of free peoples. However, the real surprise is that it is indeed the voice of Christopher Lee who was chosen to voice the character, even though the actor died in 2015.
Indeed, The Rohirrim War, being written by Philippa Boyens, close collaborator of Peter Jackson, is considered part of the same version of this universe as the six Middle-earth films made by the New Zealand filmmaker (unlike the series The Rings of PowerFor example). Besides, the film will be entirely narrated by the character of Éowyn, still played by Miranda Otto, who already played this role in previous feature films. It is therefore in this idea of continuity that the producers looked for a way for Saruman to also keep the voice of the iconic Christopher Lee.
During an interview for the site TheOneRing, screenwriter and producer Philippa Boyens explained that the film teams used previously unpublished recordings of lines from the Hobbit. The producer also confided that if they had not found any recordings of Christopher Lee that could be used, they would have called on an impersonator, but she is glad that she did not have to resort to this fallback plan. Of course, beyond this very good news, we must face the facts: The War of the Rohirrim is certainly the last film allowing us to find the most famous Saruman.
#4 Hera’s enemies are Saruman’s future allies
The enemy of Hera and her family, Wulf, is a Rohirrim lord with common origins with the Dunlendings. These people, historical enemies of Rohan, inhabit the White Mountains and harbor an ancient hatred towards the Rohirrim. Due to past conflicts, they consider the donation of land to the Rohirrim as a betrayal and nicknamed the latter the “straw heads” because of their blond hair. It is therefore naturally towards them, among others, that Wulf turns to organize his vendetta against Hera’s father. Despite the blood shed during this war, the hatred of these people towards Rohan never goes out. Later, Saruman, in search of power over Rohan, aware of this grudge exploits it by manipulating the Dunlendings to make them his allies. Like Hera, her distant descendant Éowyn will have to face this same enemy despite the decades that separate their respective adventures.
#3 Hera’s story has already been reimagined in the Expanded Universe
The story of Hera, daughter of Helm Hammerhand, is very simple to summarize. She has two brothers, Haleth and Háma. One day, a Rohirrim lord named Freca comes to a council presided over by his father, Helm. Freca demands that Helm’s daughter Hera be married to his son Wulf. Helm, furious, kills Freca with a single but powerful punch. Mad with anger and sorrow, Freca’s son forms an army with all the mercenaries and enemies of Rohan he can find.
The war lasted for months. Helm’s sons die one by one in battle, and then it’s Helm’s turn. Hera’s fate, meanwhile, is not known, but her family’s history being a tragedy and the following kings of Rohan being from another branch of the royal lineage, it can be assumed that she died during the siege of the enemies. However, this vagueness around Hera’s destiny has already led to a reinvention well before the animated feature film featuring it.
So, even before The Rohirrim War, the unnamed character of the daughter of Helm Hand Hammer makes a brief but decisive appearance in the video game The Middle-earth: Shadow of War. In a flashback scene, we discover that the one who, here, is not yet called Hera, is kidnapped by a warlord who is an enemy of her father. The warlord in question here is directly Wulf, and we are therefore witnessing a proposed interpretation of what could have happened to Hera. In this situation, Helm Hammerhand flies into a rage similar to that described in Tolkien’s writings, but instead of killing his opponent, he accidentally kills his daughter while trying to rescue her. This version keeps the dramatic dimension of Hera’s destiny, but it allows her to drastically change her father’s destiny.
#2 Hera’s father became a Nazgûl
The identity of the Nazgûl is one of the best kept secrets in the universe of Lord of the Rings. In fact, there are many fan theories and each tries to rely on the few rare clues present in the books to guess who are those hiding behind the tattered trappings of the specters of the ring. Based on the principle that the Nazgûl were nine human kings before becoming servants of Sauron, the game The Shadow of War reinvents the destiny of certain known kings of Middle-earth to try to reconnect them to the Nazgûl. In a previous file, we told you how the game had transformed one of Aragorn’s ancestors into a specter (right there), well this is also the fate that the game promises to Hera’s father.
As we have just seen in the previous fact, In The Shadow of WarHelm accidentally kills Hera. However, the story takes an unexpected detour. Indeed, when Helm meets Wulf, the latter, accompanied by his archers, has Hera’s father killed. Riddled with arrows, Helm is brought back between life and death in his palace. It is then that he receives a visit from Celebrimbor and a being named Annatar (who is actually Sauron “in disguise”, to put it simply).He then offers Hammerhand a ring that can put him back on his feet and allow him to save his daughter. Armed with the ring, Helm becomes an unstoppable warrior who, after killing all his enemies, goes mad when he realizes that he himself killed his daughter. After this tragedy, he is permanently corrupted by the ring and becomes a powerful Nazgûl capable of controlling animals linked to the dark world.
#1 Hera is inspired by the warriors of Tolkien and Peter Jackson
The world described by Tolkien is a medieval universe, seen by a man born in 1892 and Christian. In fact, his treatment of female characters may seem clumsy and outdated for a contemporary audience. However, it would be reductive to limit these characters to passive princesses waiting to be saved by a charming elf. Tolkien also presents strong female figures like Shelob, a giant spider, or Thuringwethil, a vampire warrior. Fortunately, strong female characters aren’t limited to the dark side.
So, Galadriel is an elven warrior as formidable as she is wise, et Éowyn, a simple human, triumphs over the Witch-King of Angmar, one of the greatest villains of Middle-earth. These two heroines are still important characters in pop culture today, and Hera was designed to continue to trace their path. These strong female characters are extremely important within this version of the lore which has been redesigned by Peter Jackson. The New Zealand director even took the liberty of creating ever more space for female characters.
It thus allowed characters like the elf Arwen to oppose the Nazgûls and directly invited a new warrior, Tauriel, into his trilogy of Hobbit. With this idea, the creators of The War of the Rohirrim were inspired by the figures of strong women created by Tolkien and reinterpreted by Jackson. Hera, like Éowyn, must take up the challenge of defending her land and her family in a world dominated by men. The writers saw in this character not named by Tolkien an opportunity to explore a female destiny within the epic battles of Rohan. By integrating Hera into Tolkien’s universe, they continue his tradition of creating strong and independent female characters, willing to risk their lives for their cause.
If you want to know even more about the world of the great warriors of Middle-earth, you can also discover our files on Shelob, Galadriel, Arwen and Éowyn. And if it’s Rohan that interests you, we suggest you learn more about Théoden, Éomer, Merry and Grima Serpenttongue.
