Lord Of The Rings: Where WAS Gondor When The Westfold Fell?

You've seen the "where was Gondor when the Westfold fell?" memes online, but what does Théoden's iconic The Lord of the Rings line actually refer to, and why didn't Gondor lend Rohan a hand? One of the most prevalent Lord of the Rings memes is Rohan's King Théoden meme in The Two Towers angrily questioning Gondor's willingness to help in battle. As Théoden and Aragorn plot their ambitious defense of Helm's Deep, Aragorn advises the King to call for aid, assured that Gondor will come. In his bitterness, Théoden replies through gritted teeth, "where was Gondor when the Westfold fell?" Thanks to the power of the internet, the line became far more famous than intended, but many wonder what Théoden meant. What was the Westfold? How and when did it fall? And why didn't Gondor bother showing up?

The Westfold is the large section of western Rohan within which Helm's Deep sits (although some consider it adjacent). The fall of the Westfold referenced in the Théoden meme takes place during Lord of the Rings' timeline, shortly before Gandalf, Aragorn, and the others arrive in Rohan. These events are spoken of, but largely happen off-screen. Roughly coinciding with Frodo and his still-intact Fellowship traveling the River Anduin by boat (near the end of Fellowship of the Ring), Saruman attacked the Fords of Isen, which sit between his Isengard stronghold and Helm's Deep. The wizard's forces were bravely met by Théoden's son, Théodred, who was a respected commander, but the goal of Saruman's sortie was solely to kill the prince, and thus weaken Rohan ahead of future assaults. A second attack at the Fords was launched several weeks later (the Fellowship had split by this point), and Saruman claimed a decisive victory, thus the Westfold fell. So where was Gondor while this was happening, and what's with the Théoden meme?

Related: Where The Hobbit's Dwarves Are During Lord Of The Rings (Are Any Alive?)

Where Gondor Was When The Westfold Fell

Answering the question "where was Gondor?" is tricky, as most of the action happens off-screen. King Théoden casts aspersions upon Gondor for not helping defend the Westfold, but Denethor's people had several very valid reasons for being no-shows. To begin with, Rohan didn't ask for aid. Théoden was still in his malaise, the strength of Saruman's forces remained unknown, and Wormtongue's influence held sway. The Théoden meme implies that Gondor refused an SOS call when, truthfully, Rohan didn't pick up the phone. Even if they had, Gondor was in no position to answer. While Rohan was defending the Westfold, Faramir was fighting Nazgul and other dark minions of Sauron at Osgiliath (the ruined city seen in The Two Towers and The Return of the King). Gondor's soldiers were spread thinly between this and other key strategic points, leaving no soldiers to spare. To complicate matters further, the distance from Minas Tirith to the Westfold is over 300 miles, and mountains lay between them. Even if Rohan had called for aid, and Gondor did have the numbers to respond, they would've been late to the party.

But if Gondor wasn't to blame, why is Théoden so vexed about their absence? This simmering tension between the thrones of Gondor and Rohan is largely a creation of Peter Jackson's movie trilogy, perhaps designed to ramp up dramatic tension. Held against Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Théoden's attitude doesn't quite correlate, but it could be argued that the loss of his son at the Fords of Isen made the Westfold's fall a touchy subject.

Where Is Gondor In The Rings Of Power?

Technically, the new Lord of the Rings show Rings of Power is set pre-Gondor — but the series has recently set up the human kingdom. In Rings of Power season 1, episode 7, Bronwyn tells Galadriel that she's leading her people to "an old Númenórean colony by the mouth of the Anduin. Pelargir." Pelagir isn't a new place on the map of Middle-Earth. In fact, the location itself is in Lord of the Rings, and it eventually becomes Gondor's huge port city. The Southlanders in Rings of Power moving to Pelagir is promising in that this could show the earliest stages of the kingdom of Gondor coming to fruition. Since the Southlanders will be settling in Pelagir, it's very possible that they could be Gondor's first inhabitants who would be responsible for founding the kingdom. Tolkien has already explained the history behind Gondor's creation, which sees Elendil and his sons leading ships away from Númenor, making contact, and establishing themselves as leaders in what would be Gondor. Elendil's son Isildur is already in Rings of Power and a friend of the Southlands. In addition, it would make sense that Bronwyn and Theo would follow Elendil's son in establishing a new kingdom since he came to their aid during the Southlands' destruction. Therefore, the Southlanders could be the Lord of the Rings kingdom of Gondor's first generation.

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