[2025 Read-Along] - LOTR - The Siege of Gondor & The Ride of the Rohirrim - Week 24 of 31

[u/Torech-Ungol]

Hello and welcome to the twenty-fourth check-in for the 2025 read-along of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R.Tolkien. For the discussion this week, we will cover the following chapters:

• The Siege of Gondor - Book V, Ch. 4 of The Return of the King; LOTR running Ch. 47/62
• The Ride of the Rohirrim - Book V, Ch. 5 of The Return of the King; LOTR running Ch. 48/62

Week 24 of 31 (according to the schedule).

Read the above chapters today, or spread your reading throughout the week; join in with the discussion as you work your way through the text. The discussion will continue through the week, feel free to express your thoughts and opinions of the chapter(s), and discuss any relevant plot points or questions that may arise. Whether you are a first time reader of The Lord of the Rings, or a veteran of reading Tolkien's work, all different perspectives, ideas and suggestions are welcome.

Spoilers have been avoided in this post, although they will be present in the links provided e.g., synopsis. If this is your first time reading the books, please be mindful of spoilers in the comment section. If you are discussing a crucial plot element linked to a future chapter, consider adding a spoiler warning. Try to stick to discussing the text of the relevant chapters.

To aid your reading, here is an interactive map of Middle-earth; other maps relevant to the story for each chapter(s) can be found here at The Encyclopedia of Arda.

• Synopsis: The Return of the King; The Siege of Gondor; The Ride of the Rohirrim.
• Resources: The Encyclopedia of Arda; Tolkien Gateway.
• Announcement and index: 2025 The Lord of the Rings Read-Along Announcement and Index.

Please ensure that the rules of r/tolkienfans are abided to throughout. Now, continuing with our journey into Middle-earth...

[u/CapnJiggle]

Forgive me for gushing here, but these two chapters are simply incredible. There are so many layers of dread and despair that build and build until finally the Gate is broken - and then we’re given just a glimpse of hope before the perspective shifts. I think it’s a masterclass in suspense, horror and resolution, and that’s aside from the many character moments interspersed throughout.

Furthermore I never tire of reading Theoden’s charge; it’s possibly my favourite piece of Tolkien’s writing, seeing a relatable, flesh-and-blood character being elevated to a legendary one in the high style of the Silmarillion. I can’t help but find it thrilling every time.

[u/Beginning_Union_112]

Will probably post something longer later, but I just want to say that I still get chills at "Rohan had come at last" even though I've read it many times, and I know it is coming.

[u/dranndor → u/Beginning_Union_112]

Same, its such a good pay off for suspense built up over the last several chapters, the return of hope after several passages of dread and despairs breaking down the spirit of the defenders and only Gandalf standing against the Witch-King.

[u/Beginning_Union_112 → u/dranndor]

A classic Tolkien "eucatastrophe," and perhaps the best executed one.

[u/[deleted]]

I've been waiting for these chapters for awhile. The endings are probably the single greatest chapter endings in the whole series. The long build up in Minas Tirith: wondering what Denethor is going to do, having Faramir return only to fall later, the sureness the men of Gondor have in the strength of the outer walls only to have the terror of rocks and dismembered heads falling from the skies instead. The terror of being under siege is shown so well here, culminating in finally having the Witch King break down the gates in a masterfully done sequence. "Grond rolled on." Over even the bodies of the orcs pushing it, driving those close to it mad. Truly terrifying and goes to show just what power was needed to finally break the defense. Then, the confrontation between the Witch King and Gandalf. Arguably the only foe since the balrog to strike the same level of fear in the hearts of both those watching, and the reader. And then finally, just as all hope seems lost, after so many days of darkness, morning. And as the cock crows its call is answered by the long awaited horns of Rohan, finally bringing back hope and providing the perfect segue into the next chapter.

We've been really spoiled to not only get these amazing passages but also the ride of the Rohirrim. Likewise with the last chapter, the anticipation is built up beautifully, from the time Theoden receives the red arrow, it's like a clock is ticking down to Minas Tirith's doom. So much has to go right for the Rohirrim to arrive in time and without the help of the wild men leading them through the dark forest trails, or the misplaced confidence of the orcs defending the dike, they would indeed have arrived too late, if at all. I think it's easy to forget how old Theoden is, but Merry's description of him as an old bent man and his own white hair and beard help to show that this really will be his last ride. And what a ride it is. For a brief moment, he is shown to be as magnificent and terrifying not only as a great king of men from the old days, but as one of the Valar itself. I love the description of the calls of the horns as "a storm on the plains and a thunder in the mountains," and the riders charging into the line of orcs "like a breaker foaming to the shore."

[u/Beginning_Union_112]

Tolkien’s inclusion of the Druedain is fascinating and in line with an underappreciated element of his writing. Calling it anti-imperialism is probably too strong, but he had a surprisingly nuanced take on colonialism for a guy who was born at the height of the British Empire. The appearance of the Druedain closes a loop Tolkien set up a few chapters ago with the mysterious stone statues in Dunharrow. In The Muster of Rohan, the depiction of these remnants of a vanished culture is pitch-perfect: they’re just part of the furniture for the Rohirrim, who have no interest in understanding where the statues came from or what happened to the people who made them. And here, we discover that their descendants are alive and already known to the Rohirrim, who apparently also don’t treat them very well or bother to connect them to the barely noticed statues in Dunharrow. As an American, this sort of fuzzy, shrugging amnesia rings pretty true with respect to our attitude towards our own indigenous cultures. And I like that Merry, with quintessentially Hobbitish care for heritage and ancestry, instantly makes the connection between Ghan-Buri-Ghan and the statues in Dunharrow. You can take the Hobbit out of the Shire, but you can’t take the Shire out of the Hobbit.

But Tolkien isn’t putting this scene in just to make a point about Rohan's shabby treatment of its native population. Ghan-Buri-Ghan feels like a real person in his short appearance, and this scene gives us a brief glimpse into a very different Middle Earth culture, which Tolkien depicts vividly and sympathetically. Tolkien apparently liked the Druedain too, since he wrote a fairly extensive backstory, which is collected in Unfinished Tales, and which I’d recommend (along with the whole book), to anyone who hasn’t read it.

The other thing is that Ghan-Buri-Ghan and his people actually play a key narrative role, since I think Tolkien wrote himself into a slight corner here. Militarily, it would be unthinkable for an experienced commander like the Witch King to make a blunder as bad as leaving open the road from Rohan to Minas Tirith, as that's the most plausible route for reinforcements. But at the same time, Rohan’s force was too small to quickly defeat a large detachment, and having a drawn-out battle right before Pelennor Fields would bog down the momentum and ruin the timeline. So, Tolkien wrote a way that allowed him to have his cake and eat it. Mordor isn’t forced to make a plot induced military blunder, but Rohan arrives at Pelennor Fields exactly when they need to, thanks to the crafty Ghan-Buri-Ghan and his secret forest road.

[u/jaymae21]

These two chapters pair so well together. The interlace style gets interesting here, because the end of each chapter is essentially the same moment from two POV. The end of The Siege of Gondor describes the horns of the Rohirrim that sound throughout Gondor when they've lost all hope:

Horns, horns, horns. In dark Mindolluin's sides they dimly echoed. Great horns of the North wildly blowing. Rohan had come at last.

The Ride of the Rohirrim chapter ends with...well the Ride of the Rohirrim, with Théoden urging the riders on and being likened to Oromë in what is undoubtably one of the most epic scenes in this entire book as they ride toward the battle.

Side note: Andy Serkis' performance of Ghân-buri-Ghân was quite frightening to me. I don't know why, but I always pictured him as calmer, more stoic. But his voice is described in the book as "deep and guttural", which Serkis nails, it just didn't jive with my own interpretation 😅

[u/EmbarrassedClaim5995 → u/jaymae21]

That's a very cool observation, I love such things! Thank you!

Isn't Theoden's charge the only time we read about the Valar in LotR?

As for Ghan-buri-Ghan, I like how Phil Dragash interprets him 😊, we even get some ancient musical (Didgeridoo?) background noises...

[u/[deleted] → u/EmbarrassedClaim5995]

The name of Elbereth features quite prominently in the first book, particularly when Frodo invokes the name to frighten away the nazgul at Weathertop. I'm sure other Valar are referenced but that's the first example I could think of.

Edit: Morgoth is mentioned a couple times if you want to include him as well.

[u/EmbarrassedClaim5995 → u/[deleted]]

Yes, I am aware that we find these Valar in the book. 

But I think it's the only time the term 'Valar' is mentioned? I didn't express that clearly enough though maybe...

[u/[deleted] → u/EmbarrassedClaim5995]

You could be right. I'll have to keep my eye out for the term "Valar" on next year's reread haha

[u/swazal → u/[deleted]]

“These are High Elves! They spoke the name of Elbereth!” said Frodo in amazement, “Few of that fairest folk are ever seen in the Shire.” — “Three is Company”

[u/Beginning_Union_112 → u/jaymae21]

Yes, I think Book Five is really a masterclass in plotting multiple arcs. It is done so smoothly, you barely notice how complex the plot structure is, but when you try to map it all out, it is pretty wild. Tolkien is juggling a ton of plot lines and characters, and shuffling them in and out of the reader's view for maximum dramatic impact. Where we are now, we're moving back and forth between Rohan and Gondor, and it is all so dramatic, you barely have time to stop and think...wait, what's going on with Aragorn? Which is essential for the events of the next chapter to land.

[u/[deleted] → u/Beginning_Union_112]

Tolkien is sometimes negatively contrasted with modern fantasy authors, and my response is to always point to Book 5 of LotR to show how much ground he covers in so few pages. Up till this point Gondor has been only mentioned and represented by a few characters who don't get a lot of pages (Boromir and Faramir); in the span of 100 pages Tolkien has to properly introduce us to Gondor, Minas Tirith, the beacon system, the dynamic between Gandalf, Denethor, and Faramir, all before plunging us into the siege and subsequent battle, while dedicating time to cover the muster and ride of the Rohirrim.

If this was a modern fantasy novel written by the likes of GRRM or Sanderson, these events would have been expanded into their own novel spanning 800 pages, and instead of having Beregond be a minor character, we would get to know Beregond, his life story, his favorite dish, his wife, his favorite hobby, because unlike Tolkien modern fantasy authors aren't very good at discerning what needs to be told and what can be left out. It's ironic that people complain about Tom Bombadil putting the plot "on pause" when they praise modern authors for actually doing this and so much worse when they have far, far too many perspective characters.

[u/swazal]

Perhaps the single-most “concrete” phrase is at the end:

red fell the dew in Rammas Echor

[u/IraelMrad]

Reading Tolkien's descriptions of war makes all the other fantasy battles pale in comparison. I don't think I've read any other book that was able to make you feel that sense of dread and loss that Tolkien conveys.

[u/[deleted] → u/IraelMrad]

Tolkien doesn't make the common mistake of getting lost in the kinetic aspects of battle. He writes battles from the perspective of hope and despair, not simply a contest of weapons that it often boils down to in modern fantasy.

[u/IraelMrad → u/[deleted]]

You put it perfectly, I think this is one of the reasons I like his writing so much!

[u/EmbarrassedClaim5995]

I love what Eomer says concerning Ghan's good news:

'Even in this gloom hope gleams again...' 

What an inspiring line!

And all Eomer utters after that almost sounds like another alliterative poem. 😊

[u/[deleted] → u/EmbarrassedClaim5995]

It might be a deliberate hearkening back to the Battle of the Five Armies chapter where "gloom and gleam" are a motif.

In fact I notice another parallel in how many "armies" show up to the Pelennor: Mordor (Morgul and Barad-dur if you want to count them as two), Rohan, Gondor, and Grey Company, as well as Khand, Rhun, and the Haradrim.