‘The Lord of the Rings’: Hidden Secret of The Riders of Rohana

The Riders of Rohan, often known as the Rohirrim cavalry, were crucial to the great conflicts in ‘The Lord of the Rings’, particularly the Siege of Minas Tirith. At the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, they were instrumental in turning the tide of the conflict by charging into the lines of the Orcs under King Théoden. Additionally, this formidable cavalry force kept Sauron’s army preoccupied long enough for Frodo to demolish the One Ring.

Since there were about 6,000 riders in the battle, the filmmakers needed a large number of extras to depict this cavalry in order to make the Riders of Rohan come to life. The filmmakers hired seasoned equestrians who already owned horses because it was not feasible to train hundreds of extras to ride horses. But there was a problem: the majority of the riders who responded were female, which went against the traditional Rohan myth that there were no female troops. In order to solve this, Wētā Workshop used the Rohirrim’s helmets to make the female extras unrecognizable and blended them in with the scenes by giving them false beards.

Image Courtesy: CBR

Among the many instances of the trilogy’s intricate artistry was this deft use of prosthetics and makeup. The show is renowned for its painstaking attention to detail, which extends beyond apparent details like the Hobbits’ feet or the Orcs’ visage to more subdued components like the usage of wigs and facial hair that contributed to the vividness of the Middle-earth setting.

Éowyn’s voyage, in which she disobeyed social expectations to fight for Rohan while disguised as a male warrior, was reflected in the inclusion of disguised women among Riders of Rohan. The forthcoming animated movie ‘The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim’ delves deeper into this issue of gender roles and fighting spirit, emphasizing the Rohirrim’s principles’ lasting influence.

–Farheen Ali