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Parallels are extant in Middle-Earth, whether it be in J.R.R. Tolkien's writings or the adaptations that follow them. You might've noticed similarities between a certain Dark Wizard from Rings of Power and Saruman from Peter Jackson's films, or perhaps you know how Aragorn and Arwen's romance mirrors Beren and Lúthien's in the text. The War of the Rohirrim anime is no exception, and apparently, its parallels were a major factor in narrator Miranda Otto's enjoyment of the films. Let us explain.

In case you didn't know, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is as anime retelling of Rohan's earlier days, before the fortress of Helm's Deep that we saw in The Two Towers has been built. It focuses on the daring adventures of the daughter of King Helm Hammerhand, originally unnamed in Tolkien's appendices, who audiences will come to know as Héra. 

Now, if "badass daughter figure of a Rohanese King" sounds familiar to you as a Tolkien fan, well, it should. It's a dead ringer for the character of Éowyn, memorably portrayed by Miranda Otto in the Peter Jackson films, and narrator of Héra's story. And according to the film's co-writer and producer Philippa Boyens, that connection was shared by Otto herself.

"The thing that [Otto] particularly loved was that line, ‘Do not go looking for her in the old songs, tales of her in the old songs. There are none,'" Boyens told IGN. "She loved that. I think she liked that challenge. … We always said to her, ‘Imagine that you're telling this tale to your young son in Gondor, or your ancestor.'"

Indeed, the character of Éowyn shares not just noble blood or talent with a sword with main character Héra, who lived some two centuries before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. The characters were also both under-appreciated in the men's world of battle heroics, and despite that fact, ended up making choices that forever influence the history of Middle-Earth.

Moreover, from the filmmaker's perspectives, both of the characters represent a common theme in Tolkien's writings. While tragic ends await the Kings of Rohan in both Éowyn's and Héra's stories, their characters represent a move forward, a belief in the future and the good that will come of it.

"I think always Tolkien brings that element of hope to his storytelling," Boyens says of Héra.

We couldn't agree more.

Whether you're Shirefolk, Elven, Dwarven, or something else, there's a good reason to love Lord of the Rings. We do! With that in mind, we have a dragon's horde of goodies for you from a Lord of the Rings reading guide, a Lord of the Rings watch guide, details on the upcoming animated film Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim, a full the Lord of the Rings reunion panel you can watch, how the OG Hobbit actors stay in touch every day on a groupchat, and the true message of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, according to Gimli himself - John Rhys-Davies.