Helmingas
Helmingas was probably a name for the Rohirrim, indicating the followers of and descendants of King Helm, just as the name Eorlingas referred to the people of Rohan who followed the first King of Rohan, Eorl the Young.
History[edit | edit source]
On 4 March T.A. 3019 during the Battle of the Hornburg,[1] when Orcs managed to penetrate the Deeping Wall, Gamling cried, "Helm! Helm! Forth Helmingas! " to rally the Rohirrim who defended Hornburg to repel the invaders.[2]
Etymology[edit | edit source]
Helmingas is a name in the language of Rohan, represented by Old English. It consists of Helm and -ingas ("people").[3]
Helmingas appears only once in the text, spoken by Gamling, and when he does, Westfold-men gather with him. The Index of 50th Anniversary Edition of The Lord of the Rings (edited by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull) seems to interpret Helmingas and Westfold-men as somehow synonymous, and connects the two.
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Great Years"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, "Helm's Deep", p. 535
- ↑ Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 407
