Middle-Earth Tours

Tour 2: The Places of Middle-Earth

The Pelennor Fields

Imrahil Tends to his Nephew,
by Anke-Katrin Eiszmann		 Even as the Nazgûl has swerved aside from the onset of the White Rider, there came flying a deadly dart, and Faramir, as he held at bay a mounted champion of Harad, had fallen to the earth. Only the charge of Dol Amroth had saved him from the red southland swords that would have hewed him as he lay.
     The Prince Imrahil brought Faramir to the White Tower, and he said: 'Your son has returned, lord, after great deeds,' and he told all that he had seen. --RotK, "The Siege of Gondor"
The drums rolled louder. Fires leaped up. Great engines crawled across the field; and in the midst was a huge ram, great as a forest-tree a hundred feet in length, swinging on mighty chains. Long had it been forging in the dark smithies of Mordor, and its hideous head, founded of black steel, was shaped in the likeness of a ravening wolf; on it spells of ruin lay. Grond they named it, in memory of the Hammer of the Underworld of old. Great beasts drew it, orcs surrounded it, and behind walked mountain-trolls to wield it. --RotK, "The Siege of Gondor"
The Siege of Minas Tirith, by John Howe

Éowyn and the Nazgul,
by John Howe


image courtesy of theonering.net


Éowyn and the Lord of the Nazgul,
by Ted Nasmith


image courtesy of Framecap Library

A sword rang as it was drawn. 'Do what you will; but I shall hinder it, if I may.'
     'Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man may hinder me!'
     Then Merry heard of all sounds in that hour the strangest. It seemed that Dernhelm laughed, and the clear voice was like the ring of steel. 'But no living man am I! You look upon a woman. Éowyn I am, Éomund's daughter. You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you, if you touch him.'
      The winged creature screamed at her, but the Ringwraith made no answer, and was silent, as if in sudden doubt. Very amazement for a moment conquored Merry's fear. He opened his eyes and the blackness was lifted from them. A little to the left facing them stood she whom he had called Dernhelm. But the helm of her secrecy had fallen from her, and her bright hair, released from its bonds, gleamed with pale gold upon her shoulders. Her eyes grey as the sea were hard and fell, and yet tears were on her cheek. A sword was in her hand, and she raised her shield against the horror of her enemy's eyes....
     Suddenly the great beast beat its hideous wings, and the wind of them was foul. Again it leaped into the air, and then swiftly fell down upon Éowyn, shrieking, striking with beak and claw.
     Still she did not blench: a maiden of the Rohirrim, child of kings, slender but as a steel-blade, fair yet terrible. A swift stroke she dealt, skilled and deadly. The outstretched neck she clove asunder, and the hewn head fell like a stone. Backward she sprang as the huge shaped crashed to ruin, vast wings outspread, crumpled on the earth; and with its fall the shadow passed away. A light fell about her, and her hair shone in the sunrise.
     Out of the wreck rose the Black Rider, tall and threatening, towering above her. With a cry of hatred that stung the very ears like venom he let fall his mace. Her shield was shivered in many pieces, and her arm was broken; she stumbled to her knees. He bent over her like a cloud, and his eyes glittered; he raised his mace to kill.
     But suddenly he too stumbled forward with a cry of bitter pain, and his stroke went wide, driving into the ground. Merry's sword had stabbed him from behind, shearing through the black mantle, and passing up beneath the hauberk had pierced the sinew behind his mighty knee.
     'Éowyn! Éowyn!' cried Merry. Then tottering, struggling up, with her last strength she drove her sword between crown and mantle, as the great shoulders bowed before her. The sword broke sparkling into many shards. The crown rolled away with a clang. Éowyn fell forward upon her fallen foe. --trotK, "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields"

The Lord of the Nazgul, by Roger Garland
Éowyn and the Nazgûl, by David Wyatt

The Battle of the Pelennor Fields,
by Alan Lee		 Well nigh all the northern half of the Pelennor was overrun, and there camps were blazing, orcs were flying towards the River like herds before the hunters; and the Rohirrim went hither and thither at their will. --RotK, "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields"

Note the two Mumak at the top of the lefthand picture. And could that be Eomer in the center, holding the banner?


RotK trailer image from theonering.net
Pelennor Fields and Minas Tirith,
by Alan Lee
We haven't seen very many Pelennor pics from the RotK movie yet...well, not many legal ones, at least. But for now you can at least feast your eyes on these shots of Gandalf, Dernhelm, the siege engines, and the Ride of the Rohirrim:

image from the official LotR movie site
image courtesy of theonering.net
image from a DVD preview


image from a DVD preview

Full-size versions of these pictures are on display at Rolozo Tolkien.