Éowyn states that there is no record of Héra’s story in The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim—so how does she know it then? One of the significant surprises of this animated Lord of the Rings movie is that rather than focusing on Helm Hammerhand, the Rohan king’s daughter, Héra took center stage. In Tolkien’s works, Helm’s daughter is an unnamed character and certainly isn’t regarded as a heroic figure. War of the Rohirrim expands on this woman’s story, making her a forgotten hero solely responsible for saving her kingdom from the Dunlendings.

Despite everything Héra did for Rohan, Éowyn explains at the film’s beginning that there is no record of this heroic princess in the kingdom’s texts or songs. This explains why Tolkien’s works, which are approached as “found manuscripts” that the author is meant to have found and translated (rather than conceived himself), didn’t even mention the daughter of Helm Hammerhand’s name. While this provided War of the Rohirrim with some room to take creative liberties, it’s unclear how Éowyn came to know of Héra’s story. However, the ending of this Lord of the Rings movie may provide a clue.

War Of The Rohirrim’s Ending Reveals That Gandalf Met With Héra

Héra Rode Out To Meet With Gandalf The Grey

Custom Image by Debanjana Chowdhury

At the end of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, Héra sets out from Rohan to meet with a wizard called Gandalf. Of course, this is the very same Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings, and he has taken an interest in Héra since she saw Orcs of Mordor searching for rings at Helm’s Deep. Clearly, the wizard is interested in any news related to Sauron’s search for his One Ring, but he surely would have been interested in more than just Héra’s confrontation with the Orcs. Gandalf liked to know just about everything going on in Middle-earth, so he likely would have asked Héra to describe her full story.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim was released to theaters on December 13, 2024.

Gandalf Likely Told Éowyn Héra’s Story

This Connection Kept Héra’s Story Alive (Even Though Rohan Forgot Her)

Custom image by Nick Bythrow

The fact that Gandalf and Héra knew each other in War of the Rohirrim explains why this Rohan princess’ story lived on to be told—even if it wasn’t known by many. Éowyn is very similar to her distant relative, and after her victory over the Witch-king of Angmar at the Battle of Pelennor Fields, Gandalf might have thought this Rohirrim Shieldmaiden would take interest in Héra’s story. A couple of centuries later, Gandalf might very well have been the only one to remember the significance of Helm Hammerhand’s daughter. Before retiring to Valinor, he could have seen fit to pass it on.

It’s fun to imagine the wizard taking the time to continue Héra’s legacy, knowing that a heroic warrior like Éowyn would be the perfect person to hear and pass on the story.

Éowyn’s similarities to Héra made her the perfect narrator for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. The idea that she heard this story in the first place from Gandalf the White makes it even more impactful. It’s fun to imagine the wizard taking the time to continue Héra’s legacy, knowing that a heroic warrior like Éowyn would be the perfect person to hear and pass on the story. Though Héra’s role in the story of Helm Hammerhand is a creative liberty taken by The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, the film found the perfect way to make it beautifully cohesive with Tolkien’s works.