Part 1: Gondor Calls For Aid

With the ever-going struggle of good and evil, the courage of men was what was needed to tip the balance of the fight. ‘The Lighting of the Beacons’ scene displays the vast Middle-earth landscape, and the deep rooted history once shared by Rohan and Gondor. Day turned into night and night into day, yet the mountaintop line of the beacons continued to be lit, until it reached the Rohan keep.

Aragorn was the first to notice the beacon’s signal, immediately realising its importance, and he made haste to alert King Theoden. He bursted into the throne room and exclaimed, “The beacons of Minas Tirith! The beacons are lit! Gondor calls for aid!”. Then Aragorn, along with all the elders, officers and officials who were present in the room, waited with bated breath for the King’s response. The tension was palpable…

“And Rohan will answer!”, proclaimed Theoden with utmost clarity and conviction.

The Howard Shore horn arrangement of ‘The Ride of the Rohirrim’ then kicks in, reaffirming the call to arms! “Muster the Rohirrim!”, further declared the King with a ruthless scowl of noble intent. Without delay, his officers and officials quickly departed and acted on his instruction, springing the Rohan camp into life with neighing horses, rustling armour, and the piercing bell tolls from a high watchtower.

Up until this point in The Lord of the Rings story, King Theoden had made it clear to his company and Aragorn that Gondor did not come to Rohan’s aid when they needed them in the past, so why should he? Rohan had also just survived the battle of Helm’s Deep, where they were heavily outnumbered against Sauron’s armies, but the cavalry of Gandalf and Eomer’s men arrived just in time to save the day. Nevertheless, and despite Gondor being undeserved of their help, Rohan were going to ride out in numbers to their aid. They were going to fight! These were Theoden’s final instructions to his second-in-command and nephew Eomer:

“Assemble the army at Dunharrow. As many men as can be found. You have two days. On the third, we ride for Gondor, and war!”