Tolkien Gateway

Helm's Deep (chapter)

The Two Towers chapters
Book III
  1. The Departure of Boromir
  2. The Riders of Rohan
  3. The Uruk-hai
  4. Treebeard
  5. The White Rider
  6. The King of the Golden Hall
  7. Helm's Deep
  8. The Road to Isengard
  9. Flotsam and Jetsam
  10. The Voice of Saruman
  11. The Palantír
Book IV
  1. The Taming of Sméagol
  2. The Passage of the Marshes
  3. The Black Gate is Closed
  4. Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit
  5. The Window on the West
  6. The Forbidden Pool
  7. Journey to the Cross-Roads
  8. The Stairs of Cirith Ungol
  9. Shelob's Lair
  10. The Choices of Master Samwise

Helm's Deep is the seventh chapter of the third book in The Two Towers.


On the second day of their journey, a messenger who tells them that Saruman has almost won meets the group. Gandalf leaves them with the excuse of having an errand to run. When they reach Helm's Deep, the battle is fierce and the Orcs seem to be winning. Suddenly, Theoden and his men ride up from behind, trapping the Orcs. Gandalf appears with a contingent of reinforcements. The Orcs flee into the forest, but the Ents capture them and the battle is over as quickly as it began.