Siege of the Hornburg

The Siege of the Hornburg occurred during the War between Rohan and Dunland.
== History ==
=== Background ===
The siege began in TA 2758 after the Dunlendings, reinforced by Easterlings and Corsairs of Umbar, defeated the armies of Rohan, overran their country and conquered Edoras. The populace fled to the dales in the White Mountains to escape death or slavery. There they took refuge, while King Helm and a modest group of loyal followers not willing to surrender or flee held Súthburg, a fortress in the White Mountains. There began a deadly siege.The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers, II: The House of Eorl
=== Under Siege ===
Within the fortification, Helm endured the enemy but the worst was yet to come. The Long Winter that began in November, 2758 brought heavy snows and freezing colds. The terrible weather brought hardship to both sides and there was great hunger to near starvation during Yule. The hardship and suffering led Háma, the son of Helm to attack the enemy and look for food without the approval of the king. He and his company were lost in the snow. What followed afterwards is unclear and possibly part legend but apparently the resistance continued. It was said that Helm himself grew terrible and fierce from the hardships of the siege and the loss of his son. He continued defending the Hornburg, sortieing alone at night to stalk and kill Dunlendings with his bare hands. The Dunlendings came to fear his horn so much that they would leave the Deeping-coomb at night.
=== Afterwards ===
One night near the end of the winter, the Dunlendings heard his horn but he did not appear. When the sun broke the sky, Helm was found on the dike frozen to death. The fortress likely continued to resist even after Helm's death as it was later said by Aragorn II Elessar; "Is it not said that no foe has ever taken the Hornburg, if men defended it?"The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, Helm's Deep.
=== Legacy ===
Helm's final stand in the Hornburg led Rohan's enemies to fear ever after the sound of his name and his horn. This fear was used again against Rohan's enemies during the War of the Ring when Saruman's army besieged the Hornburg during the Battle of the Hornburg, when the horn was sounded as a sign of Théoden's desire to continue resisting the invaders despite the odds.The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, Book Three, Chapter VII: "Helm's Deep"
The fortress of Súthburg was renamed in honour of Helm and his horn, becoming the Hornburg.
== References ==
it:Assedio di Hornburg
Category:Sieges