Summary
With so many fantastic battles to witness acrossThe Lord Of The Ringstrilogy, some might be led to believe that much of the world’s fighting occurred during that film alone. On the contrary, there are countless wars throughout the history of Middle Earth, and many of them were just as important as the battles seen in the films. Some battles may have some lesser-known figures, but the most important always seem to feature at least one heavy-hitter.
A rather pivotal battle that took place long before Frodo’s adventure inThe Lord Of The Ringswas The Battle of Fornost. It wasn’t just a key battle, as it also laid the groundwork for one of the most fascinating prophecies from the series, something that would end up being acknowledged years after this battle. The war for Fornost Erain was bloody, brutal, and more important than anyone who participated in it could have ever known.
When Did The Battle Of Fornost Take Place?
The Battle of Fornostkicked off in the year 1975 of the Third Agewhen the combined forces of Gondor, Arthedain, Lindon, and even more marched to take back the capital of Dunedain from the forces of Angmar. For reference, Frodo’s journey to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom wouldn’t occur for more than another one thousand years. A year prior to The Battle of Fornost, the lands of Fornost Erain, Arthedain, and Dunedain were taken over completely by Angmar, leaving the once proud lands of Arnor in the hands of one of the most villainous figures in Middle Earth.
The efforts to reclaim the kingdom in TA 1975didn’t actually see the armies clashing within the city’s walls, but instead, the forces of Angmar were amassed to tackle their foe in the nearby plains. This was to keep the battle out of the city altogether, but Gondor had planned for that exact thing and set up an ambush to decimate the Angmar army. A large force met with Angmar in a brutal clash, though the tides weren’t going well for the combined armies until Gondor’s cavalry force launched their surprise charge.
While this battle would prove to be far bloodier for the forces of Angmar, it was that force that could have been said to be the true victor. Angmar had completelydecimated the lands of Arnor, leaving them in ruin and scattering whatever survivors remained. It wouldn’t be until the reign of Aragorn more than a thousand years later that the lands of Arnor would begin being restored to their former glory.
Who Fought In The Battle Of Fornost?
The three major forces on the side of good in The Battle of Fornost were Gondor, what remained of Arthedain, andthe Elvish forces of Lindon. Earnur commanded the armies of men, collaborating with Glorfindel, the commander of the Elves. The two brilliant commanders were able to pull together such a foolproof plan that they were able to embarrass and brutalize the forces of Angmar with seemingly little effort. On the other side, Angmar was led by the infamous Witch-King of Angmar.
Earnur was a mighty, albeit foolish king who served as the final ruler of Gondoruntil Sauron was finally defeated for good. Even before he was named king, Earnur had earned the respect of the lands for his prowess on the battlefield and his natural ability to lead Men. While there’s no telling whether or not he would have been skilled enough to truly defeat the Witch-King in a fair fight, it is worth noting that he showed no fear when it came to the idea of fighting the monstrous foe by himself.
Glorfindel is one of the most powerful Elvish figures in the entirety ofThe Lord Of The Ringsseries. He was so mighty that he was actually brought back to Middle Earth long afterhis death back in the First Age. He was given strength that was unseen even among the Elves, and as a result, led his people against Sauron’s vile forces wherever they may lie. Without the aid of Glorfindel in Middle Earth, it’s possible that Sauron could have been successful in his schemes long before Frodo even came into existence.
The Witch-King of Angmaris one of the most fearsome enemies in Middle Earth and one of the few trusted allies of Sauron. Believed to be one of the corrupted rulers of Numenor, the Witch-King of Angmar serves as the leader of the Nazgul, and wields all the power that one might expect a position such as that would entail. His entire purpose of existence is to serve Sauron, leading him to wage war against the peaceful races of Middle Earth. This character is the same one that is eventually slain by Eowyn, getting around a prophecy Glorfindel would create about the foe.
How Did The Battle Of Fornost End?
After Gondor’s surprise cavalry charge into the battle, Angmar was unable to recover. Their forces were quickly overwhelmed and nearly completely wiped out, forcing the Witch-King of Angmar to call a retreat. He took what little forces he had remaining and tried to flee to the east, though he would be met with another surprise. Little did the Witch-King know, Glorfindel was lying in wait for the perfect moment to enter the battle, thus making itfar bloodier than the Battle Of Helms Deepcould have ever hoped to be. Taking the retreating forces by surprise yet again, the forces of good were able to further decimate Angmar in what promised to be a forceful military victory.
Seeing victory just moments away, Earnur decided to challenge the Witch-King to a one-on-one fight, though just how fearful his horse was would amuse his foe. The Witch-King ended up fleeing the battleground altogether, and despite Earnur wanting to give chase, he was stopped by Glorfindel. It’s at this moment that Glorfindel would vocalize a prophecy that would ring true for thousands of years,no mortal man would be capable of killing the Witch-King. Sometime later, Earnur would foolishly go to battle the Witch-King inside of Minas Morgul, only to never be seen again.
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The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is one of the most iconic names in entertainment. The franchise started with novels from J. R. R. Tolkien before being adapted onto the big screen by Peter Jackson in one of the most critically-acclaimed film trilogies of all time. There have also been numerous The Lord of the Rings video games of varying quality.
