By clicking “Accept”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. View our Privacy Policy for more information.
The host rode on. Need drove them. Fearing to come too late, they rode with all the speed they could, pausing seldom. Swift and enduring were the steeds of Rohan, but there were many leagues to go. Forty leagues and more it was, as a bird flies, from Edoras to the fords of the Isen, where they hoped to find the king’s men that held back the hosts of Saruman.
- The Two Towers (Book 3), Chapter 7
Two forts sit on the western banks of the river Isen, marking the western border of the kingdom of Rohan. They guard the only safe crossing for larger hosts over the river south of Isengard.
The fords were originally guarded by the Dúnedain at Isengard and Helm's Deep as they marked the north-western border of the kingdom of Gondor. They were given to the Éothéod along with the other lands that would thereafter be known as Rohan in T.A. 2510. The Rohirrim erected the two forts to guard the western entrance into their kingdom more closely.
