Battle of the Pelennor Fields

• 1. Siege And Initial Assault

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  On the 15th of March, a Great Darkness blotted out the sun over Minas Tirith. Smoke and cloud from Mordor created what Tolkien called the Dawnless Day. The city walls stood firm against the forces of Sauron, but the enemy had broken the outer defenses known as the Rammas Echor. A massive battering ram named Grond struck the great gate of the city. The Witch-king of Angmar rode under the archway that no enemy had ever passed before him. Gandalf stood alone on his horse Shadowfax to block the path. Before they could engage, the horns of the Rohirrim sounded in the distance. These horns signaled the arrival of cavalry who had bypassed Sauron's lookouts through the hidden Stonewain Valley. The main battle began at dawn after the gates were breached.

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• 2. Rohan Cavalry Charge

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  The Rohirrim split their force into two distinct groups upon charging the ranks of Mordor. The left group broke the Witch-king's right wing while the right group secured the walls of Minas Tirith. They destroyed siege engines and drove off the Haradrim cavalry. King Théoden killed the chieftain of the Haradrim and threw down their standard. The Witch-king exchanged his horse for a winged steed to attack Théoden directly. He used a dart to kill the king's horse Snowmane. The heavy animal fell and crushed its rider beneath its weight. The Black Breath spread terror among Théoden's guards. His niece Éowyn disguised as Dernhelm stood firm against the Lord of the Nazgûl. She cut off the head of the Witch-king's mount but he broke her shield with his mace. Her brother Éomer arrived to find Théoden mortally wounded. He named Éomer king before the old monarch died.

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• 3. Death Of The Witch-king

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  Éowyn challenged the Witch-king after her brother had left the field unconscious. The hobbit Meriadoc Brandybuck stabbed the Witch-king behind the knee with a Barrow-blade. This dagger from ancient Arnor was enchanted specifically against the forces of Angmar. The undead lord staggered forward as Éowyn drove her sword between crown and mantle. Both weapons that struck his flesh were destroyed immediately after the killing blow. Glorfindel's prophecy stated the Lord of the Nazgûl would not die by the hand of man. A woman's hand and a hobbit fulfilled this ancient prediction. The cockerel crowed at the moment the Witch-king entered the city. This sound recalled the resurrection of Jesus when Simon Peter denied him three times. The death of the chief lieutenant marked a turning point in the war.

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• 4. Arrival Of Aragorn

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  A fleet of black ships sailed up the River Anduin toward the Harlond. These vessels appeared to be the navy of the Corsairs of Umbar. Just before reaching the quays, the flagship unfurled the ancient banner of the Kings of Gondor. This sight put heart into the Rohirrim and Imrahil's forces while demoralizing Sauron's armies. The ships were actually manned by Aragorn and his Rangers. They included Gimli the Dwarf and Legolas the Elf along with fresh troops from southern Gondor. A ghostly host commanded by Aragorn captured the ships from the Corsairs through fear alone. This proved the turning point of the battle as Sauron's forces became pinned between Aragorn and Éomer. Another prophecy was fulfilled when Aragorn and Éomer met again in the midst of the battle. Fighting continued until sunset left no living enemy on the Pelennor Fields.

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• 5. Historical Parallels

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  Scholars have compared this fictional conflict to the historic Battle of the Catalaunian Fields. Jordanes wrote that King Theodoric I fell from his horse during that real-world engagement. His own men trampled him to death after he was thrown off. Théoden similarly rallied his men shortly before falling and being crushed by Snowmane. Both battles take place between civilizations of the East and West. Tolkien described his battle as one of legendary fame lasting for several generations. Elizabeth Solopova notes these similarities repeatedly in her analysis. Theodoric was carried from the battlefield with his knights weeping and singing while the battle still raged. Théoden received the same treatment from his loyal followers. The parallel extends to the death of a Visigoth king and the Rohirric monarch.

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• 6. Northern Courage And Elegy

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  Tom Shippey writes that the arrival of Rohan is heralded by two calls. A cockerel crowed as morning came followed by great horns blowing wildly from the North. These sounds symbolize renewed hope and life after death in Western literature. The horns represent bravado and recklessness according to Shippey's interpretation. Thomas Honegger notes the style of chivalry is consciously Anglo-Saxon rather than French. Janet Brennan Croft observes the battle seen through Pippin's eyes feels like the trenches of World War One. There is tedious waiting, terror, pain, and ugliness alongside the glory. Hugh Brogan remarked that their determination masters all grief and horror. Robert Lee Mahon states the account is tinged with an elegiac tone. Men have the gift of Ilúvatar which is death itself. An elegiac lay ends the chapter where a scop imitates Beowulf. Death comes in the morning and at day's ending for lords and lowly alike.

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• 7. World War One Influence

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  Nancy Martsch notes Tolkien served in the Battle of the Somme in 1916. His descriptions of battle are vivid because he witnessed modern warfare firsthand. C. S. Lewis commented that Tolkien's war has the quality of the war his generation knew. It contains endless unintelligible movement and sinister quiet when everything is ready. Flying civilians and lively friendships appear alongside despair and merry foregrounds. A cache of choice tobacco salvaged from ruins adds realism to the narrative. The siege of Minas Tirith could reflect what Tolkien saw of the British attack on Thiepval Ridge. Fiery night-time bombardment and fortifications across a river mirror the fictional setting. Allied aircraft scouting and strafing Nazgûl-like over German lines influenced the aerial combat scenes. Recovery in the Houses of Healing provides a subject usually passed over in fantasy literature.

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• 8. Film Adaptation Analysis

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  Peter Jackson made this battle the centrepiece of The Lord of the Rings: The Return King. The Telegraph called the scenes involving the storming of Minas Tirith spectacular and breathtaking. Jackson took inspiration from Albrecht Altdorfer's 1529 oil painting The Battle of Alexander at Issus. That artwork depicts people holding pikes against an incredibly stormy landscape. CNN.com listed the scene twice among best and worst movie battles. One entry praised it before the Army of the Dead arrived while another criticized the climax as oversimplified. The visual style drew heavily from historical paintings rather than modern action sequences. Critics noted the transition between the two phases created mixed reactions among audiences. The film adaptation brought the written text to life with massive scale and detail.

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