IT General

Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for December 15 Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Rate of movement

• Green: Solo versions of teams

• Blue: Leaders of Philadelphia's football team

• Purple: Big games in college football

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Pace

• Green: NBA team names in singular form

• Blue: Eagles QBs

• Purple: ________ Bowl

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections Sports Edition #83 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Pace - CADENCE, RHYTHM, SPEED, TEMPO

• NBA team names in singular form - BUCK, GRIZZLY, PELICAN, SUN

• Eagles QBs - CUNNINGHAM, HURTS, MCNABB, WENTZ

• _______ Bowl - GATOR, ALAMO, LIBERTY, ORANGE

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for December 15 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for December 15 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Groovy ass music.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no reoccurring letters.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter F.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

FUNKY.

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for December 15

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Wordle.

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for December 15 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 15 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Moonlighting!

These words are how you might describe the size of the moon.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

Words describe phases of the moon.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is LunarPhases.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for December 15

• Waxing

• Full

• Waning

• Crescent

• Gibbous

• Quarter

• LunarPhase

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Strands.

Connections is a game from the New York Times that challenges you to find the association between words. It sounds easy, but it isn't—Connections categories can be almost anything, and they're usually quite specific. If you need a hand getting the answers, we've got you covered.

If you've just put together a new computer system, and it's taking forever to actually boot, don't panic! While you may have forgotten to plug something in, if it's a DDR5-powered computer you may just be encountering memory training.

A truly one-of-a-kind use for generative AI models is to scan a long document and give it prompts based on that. In a way, you’re chatting with the PDF. I want to show you how you can do just that right within Google Drive.

If you want to get the most from your home theater system, you must sound treat your room. Without proper acoustic treatment, the booming bass will easily dominate the experience. This is where bass traps come in to save the day.

Like most other Google products, Sheets dominates the market—in this case, the spreadsheet space. However, Apple Numbers offers some compelling advantages that might actually make it the better choice for you and your work.

Apple's automation triggers for it's time-saving Shortcuts app are limited on iOS and entirely absent on the Mac. Fortunately, there's a free app called Shortery that fixes that.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL cases range from the ultra-slim to the ultimate defender. Explore the options of eye-catching designs and practical features, but make sure your choice delivers the protection your Pixel phone deserves.

Android phones are packed with features, but not every one of them is worth keeping enabled. In fact, some can be downright annoying. Here’s a list of settings I always turn off to make my phone work better for me.

A common reason many people upgrade their iPhones is due to poor battery life. There are a few ways that you can help to extend the lifespan of your iPhone battery, without having a huge impact on your daily usage.

AI and supercomputers, step aside. I much prefer this approach to robotics which uses naught but a low-power gaming handheld and a 3D printer.

Teens' social media use — and its effect on their mental health — is often in the news, and new research from the Pew Research Center states that nearly half of American teens are "almost constantly" online.

SEE ALSO: World’s strictest social media law targets users under 16 in Australia

In its Teens, Social Media, and Technology 2024 study, released on Thursday, Pew stated that nearly half (46 percent) of today's teens aged 13 to 17 say they're online almost constantly. While this figure is consistent with 2022 and 2023 research, this is a 24 percent increase from a decade ago.

Nearly all (96 percent) of teens say they go online daily, which is around how many (95 percent) have access to a smartphone.

46 percent of teens say they're online almost constantly. Credit: Pew Research Center

This report is based on a self-administered web survey of 1,391 U.S. teens and a parent per teen, conducted between September and October this year.

Pew also broke down which platforms teens frequently visit, and how many said they're on them nearly constantly: 16 percent said they're "almost constantly" on TikTok, while 15 percent said the same about YouTube, 13 percent about Snapchat, 12 percent about Instagram, and three percent on Facebook.

More teens say they go on these platforms once or more daily. Overall, 73 percent say they're on YouTube, teens' most frequented social media platform, at least once a day. Fifty-seven percent say they go on TikTok at least once a day, and around half go on Instagram and/or Snapchat once a day. Facebook is the least-visited, but rounds out the top five, with 20 percent of teens saying they go on at least once a day.

How many teens frequently visit platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Credit: Pew Research Center

Pew found that more teen girls use Instagram and TikTok, while boys are more likely to say they use YouTube. Fewer teens use X (17 percent), Reddit (14 percent), and Threads (6 percent).

This research comes amid scrutiny of social media platforms and how they impact teens. In October, the CDC confirmed there is a link between social media use and mental health struggles for teens, and Australia recently banned social media for children under 16.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Friday, December 13, 2024:

Across"Live ___" (longtime Taco Bell slogan)

• The answer is Mas.

Jockey's garb

• The answer is Silks.

"Abso-freakin'-lutely!"

• The answer is Hell yes.

Antlered animal at Yellowstone National Park

• The answer is Elk.

Twenty-sided item for tabletop games

• The answer is Die.

Bordeaux or Burgundy

• The answer is Red wine.

Like a smooth operator

• The answer is Suave.

Green additive to the Chicago River on St. Patrick's Day

• The answer is Dye.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 12, 2024 DownChewy chocolate bite in a yellow box

• The answer is Milk Dud.

100%

• The answer is All.

Take a great leap of faith, say

• The answer is Skydive.

Tennis great Monica with a palindromic surname

• The answer is Seles.

River that meanders through Paris

• The answer is Seine.

"You understand?"

• The answer is See.

Path

• The answer is Way.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of Games

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Mini Crossword.

The holidays bring big expectations for parents.

Whether aiming to simply delight your child or really wow them, a flashy tech product can seem like the fastest way to make their holiday dreams come true.

But experts say it's worth reflecting on how that technology might upend your home life. A new gaming console can lead to arguments over time limits. Your preschooler may accidentally use their new tablet to play inappropriate games. That virtual reality headset your teenager begged for may trump in-person hangouts with friends.

SEE ALSO: One thing to know before you buy a gift card

Dr. Jenny Radesky, a developmental pediatrician who authored the American Academy of Pediatrics screen time guidelines for children ages zero to five, says there are thoughtful strategies for avoiding or managing these conflicts. (The AAP has its own set of related tips for parents.)

She recommends critically evaluating the tech you plan to gift, considering any alternatives as necessary, and then preparing to talk to your child about how they'll use it.

"It's good to have fun with your kids and enjoy their happiness," Radesky says. "But there's also really big differences in the design of different technologies that make them more of a headache for parents..."

And no one wants a headache after weeks of planning and prepping for holiday gift-giving.

Whether you've already purchased a tech device for your child, or plan to do so, here are five questions to ask yourself before you gift it:

Is the technology well-known?

Radesky says that buying your child a gaming console with years of user experience behind it is a different situation than purchasing a new AI-robot companion for your child (yes, such a thing exists).

With a Nintendo Switch or Sony PlayStation, you can scour expert reviews for pros and cons, talk to parents who own the console, and read related media coverage about their safety practices and parental controls. The same won't be true of new and emerging products; you'll have less information to make an informed decision, compared to other established tech products.

That said, trust your gut if you research a product that's been on the market for years and develop concerns that it's not right for you or your family.

Is it really educational?

Radesky says that children's tech toys and devices often claim, without evidence, that they're educational. The appealing marketing strategy can deceive parents into purchasing disappointing products.

There are devices and apps with simplistic designs and distracting ads, for example. And some products say they'll help your child with a fundamental skill, like reading, but actually have a narrow scope, such as practicing the alphabet.

Radesky recommends that parents think about whether a so-called educational product is indeed better than a child's own imaginative play, which can help them develop critical skills.

"Open-ended and pretend play is a really important process for kids to develop mental flexibility, their attention span, and their ability to do storytelling in their heads," Radesky says.

She also notes that educational claims aren't vetted by a regulatory body in the U.S., nor are the companies that make them required to provide proof substantiating those claims.

Are there any safety or privacy concerns?

Each tech device has its own safety and privacy considerations, which creates a lot of work for parents. A smartphone, for example, can give marketers, predators, and bullies a direct line to your child. A new video game, popular amongst your child's friends, might feature unexpectedly mature violent or sexual content.

To get a better handle on these issues, Radesky suggests that parents research what parental controls are available for devices and subscriptions.

Parents can also consult Common Sense Media's wide-ranging reviews of games and apps. (Radesky has received research funding from Common Sense Media in the past.) Mozilla's *Privacy Not Included guide offers reviews based on whether a product meets the company's minimum security standards. The guide includes a number of children's toys and games, as well as wearables and entertainment products, like Amazon and Apple tablets.

Once you better understand the potential safety and privacy tradeoffs, you can either decide against buying the product or choose to address them through parental controls or other protective settings.

Can you swap the tech out for something else?

Sometimes parents buy a tech device in an effort to solve one problem, like offering entertainment on long car rides, but the purchase inadvertently creates more conflict.

Radesky says parents should first consider how the tech will be used, and whether there's a more effective alternative. A parent interested in gifting a tablet or phone so their child can listen to music might instead look into smart or screen-free speakers, for example.

While less well-known than an Amazon Echo, the Yoto, Toniebox, and Mighty offer different types of screen-free access to music, podcasts, and audiobooks.

SEE ALSO: Yoto Player review: This screen-free speaker keeps kids entertained and engaged

Privacy issues with these alternatives may still be a deal-breaker for some parents, but Radesky says they can also facilitate skill-building and social interactions in ways that a tablet can't.

Without a screen to focus on, children have to train their attention on whatever is playing on the device. Additionally, smart or screen-free speakers mean family dance parties or conversations about a podcast are much more likely to happen than if a child is staring at a phone or tablet.

What conversation do you need to have with your child?

Radesky advises against letting your child use their gift without first talking to them about boundaries. You needn't have that conversation as they tear off the wrapping paper, but it's wise to chat with them before they start playing with the gift.

With their input, the discussion should focus on guardrails, such as parental controls and screen time limits. If there's an onboarding or setup process, Radesky recommends that parents do it alongside their child. That gives parents an opportunity to talk about any safety concerns while normalizing communication about technology and devices.

Depending on the product, you may also need to download a companion app or create your own account in order to connect to and monitor your child's account.

Importantly, parents should ensure that their child's age is accurately entered during setup, as it can affect default safety settings, such as the ability to message with other users or what kind of personal data is collected.

If you don't want to be a buzzkill, Radesky says you can let your child explore and play with their gift over the holidays with few or no time limits, then rein that use in before school starts.

Either way, parents should have low expectations of their child's ability to stop playing over the holiday break, and Radesky recommends not becoming anxious about that reality. Approach it with curiosity when your child spends several hours playing a new video game by simply asking, "How did that feel?"

And if reflecting on your plans to gift tech these holidays now has you doubting the impulse purchase of a deeply discounted product, that's OK. Radesky says you don't have to commit to the gift.

"You really want to go in with a sense of, 'I want to use this intentionally so that it doesn't feel like we're battling all the time," she says.

NASA's Juno spacecraft has made several close swoops by Jupiter's volcanic moon Io, and it's beamed back stunning views of this distant volcanic land.

The recent flybys in late 2023 and early 2024 have provided planetary scientists deeper insight into this tortured moon's volcanic workings. NASA has now released new images from this volcano world, captured by Juno's highly sensitive camera called the Stellar Reference Unit, showing hot lava and fresh lava flows.

"During the #JunoMission's close flybys of Io, its instruments detected recent changes on the surface, and even the glow of active lava," the space agency posted online.

SEE ALSO: NASA scientist viewed first Voyager images. What he saw gave him chills.

In the image below, snapped on Dec. 30, 2023, active lava breakouts on the surface are shown by the red arrows and circles. This volcanic region is called the Zal Montes-Patera complex, and it's comprised of those two mountains sandwiching a dark "patera," made of fresh lava flows.

Juno was just 932 miles (1,500 kilometers) above Io when it captured these images, which are the highest-resolution views Juno has ever captured of Io.

NASA's Juno spacecraft detected glowing lava hot spots in Dec. 2023 during a close flyby. Credit: NASA / Caltech-JPL / SwRI

The following image shows an "unprecedented elongated, curved emission feature," NASA explains, which is located near the dark patera. Planetary scientists suspect it's an active lava channel. Also visible is part of a giant lava flow, called Tonatiuh after the Aztec deity, that's 98 miles long and 11 miles wide. It's located on the left edge of the left image and the top edge of the right image.

High-resolution views of the Zal Montes-Patera complex on Io. Credit: NASA / Caltech-JPL / SwRI / LPI/USRA

Io is blanketed in erupting volcanoes because it's relentlessly locked in a tug-of-war between nearby objects, notably Jupiter. "Not only is the biggest planet in the solar system forever pulling at it gravitationally, but so are Io’s Galilean siblings — Europa and the biggest moon in the solar system, Ganymede," NASA explained in a statement. "The result is that Io is continuously stretched and squeezed, actions linked to the creation of the lava seen erupting from its many volcanoes."

NASA's recent flybys of Io, however, reveal that it likely doesn't contain a global magma ocean beneath its surface, as determined by new observations of the moon's gravity. Instead, each of Io's 400 or so volcanoes may harbor their own chamber of magma.

And as Juno's swoops by Io reveal, this roiling hot rock often pours onto the surface, creating a constantly evolving, extreme volcanic land.

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The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is a fascinating experiment in adaptation. It's not adapting a novel of J.R.R. Tolkien's, but rather two pages from his Appendices, which lay out the last great stand of one of Rohan's most famed kings, Helm Hammerhand (voiced by Succession's Brian Cox).

SEE ALSO: 'The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim' review: What if Éowyn got her own movie?

In this section of the Appendices, Tolkien writes that a rival lord named Freca (voiced by Shaun Dooley) proposed that his son Wulf (voiced by Luke Pasqualino) marry Helm's daughter. Not only does Helm reject the proposal outright — he also kills Freca with one mighty punch. (His name is Hammerhand for a reason.) Wulf vows vengeance and spends the next few years assembling a mighty army. Then, he takes the city of Edoras, and pushes Helm and the Rohirrim back to the Hornburg, where a long, cruel siege awaits.

It's a great story, one that sees Helm singlehandedly terrorizing Wulf's men until his very last breath. But to make it into a full-length film, screenwriters Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou (who took over from original writers Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews) had to make some changes from the original text, expanding on it in some places, and cutting it in others.

To learn more about The War of the Rohirrim's adaptation process, Mashable spoke with Gittins and Papageorgiou about the choice to center Helm's daughter Héra (voiced by Gaia Wise), the role of The Lord of the Rings' Éowyn (Miranda Otto, returning in voiceover) as narrator, and more.

Helm's daughter Héra — unnamed in Tolkien's work — takes the lead in The War of the Rohirrim. Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Featured Video For You

While you might think two pages of fictional history isn't a lot for writers to draw from, Gittins and Papageorgiou disagree.

"It's actually so dense," Papageourgiou told Mashable in a Zoom call alongside Gittins.

Gittins added: "It's Tolkien! The strength of his world-building means there's always going to be a thread that pulls another thread that pulls another thread."

One of the threads from the original text The War of the Rohirrim pulls on is that of Helm's unnamed daughter, mentioned just once in Tolkien's writing. ("Do not look for tales of her in the old songs," Éowyn tells us in her opening narration. "There are none.") It was producer Philippa Boyens, who co-wrote The Lord of the Rings movies and is also Gittins' mother, who suggested that the film dive into what her story might look like. After all, the conflict between Wulf and Helm starts as a result of a marriage proposal involving her.

SEE ALSO: 'The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim' trailer teases an epic battle for the fate of Rohan

"We felt Tolkien really did place her at the heart of this conflict," Gittins said. "It is her story in large part. A lot of this war is because of her. And once we got our heads around that, it became very exciting to see what we could do with this character, and see what we could bring to the table with her."

Héra's involvement allows The War of the Rohirrim to further flesh out Helm's dynamic with his own family, as well as pay tribute to Rohan's shieldmaidens. But it also solves a bit of a logistical problem in terms of how to carry The War of the Rohirrim forward following Helm's final sacrifice.

We felt Tolkien really did place [Héra] at the heart of this conflict. - Phoebe Gittins

"When you look at the text, you know the fate of Helm Hammerhand. You know it's epic, and it's tragic, and it's iconic, but it didn't really give us an ending," Gittins explained. "The value at stake, the Rohirrim, are still behind those walls in the Hornburg. You can't just leave them there. So who can see this story through for us?"

The answer became Héra, the only one of Helm's children whose fate is left uncertain in the Appendices. Bringing her to the forefront allowed The War of the Rohirrim to explore a new kind of warfare in the latter part of its siege sequence.

"We get to see the defense of the Hornburg from a nontraditional general or leader or commander," Papageorgiou said.

The War of the Rohirrim shows us a different kind of attack on the Hornburg — with some callbacks. Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

The War of the Rohirrim is not the first time Lord of the Rings fans have seen the Hornburg under attack. That honor falls to the Battle of Helm's Deep in The Two Towers, a sequence so monumental that anything remotely resembling it has some big shoes to fill.

"That is untouchable in the films," Gittins said.

So how would The War of the Rohirrim bring something new to an attack on the Hornburg? By focusing in on the brutal, months-long attrition of the siege. (For comparison, the Battle of Helm's Deep lasts one night.) As the Long Winter rages on, Helm leaves the Hornburg nightly and fights his way through parts of Wulf's camp. Meanwhile, Wulf has his men build a siege tower that will eventually breach the walls of the keep.

"It was exciting for us to go into that space in a deeper way," Gittins said. "What we found really cool was that there's suffering on both sides in the stalemate, and at some point it's going to break. There is this great horror that begins to unfold where the Rohirrim are seeing their impending doom."

"There's this sense of a ticking clock," Papageorgiou added.

SEE ALSO: The 'Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' cast debates whether Sauron is "brat"

Wulf's presence at the Hornburg is a deviation from Tolkien's work, where he remains on the throne in Edoras until his defeat at the hands of Helm's nephew Fréaláf (voiced by Laurence Ubong Williams). Here, though, his vengeance drives him to pursue Helm and Héra all the way to the Hornburg himself, intensifying the standoff. It also brings the final clash between Fréaláf and Wulf's men to the Hornburg, instead of leaving it in Edoras.

Fréaláf and his army's arrival at the battle echoes Gandalf and Éomer's arrival at Helm's Deep in The Two Towers — they even ride down the same hill! Meanwhile, Héra's idea to distract Wulf with a duel (a new addition to the story) calls to mind a smaller scale of Aragorn's plan to draw Sauron's eye away from Frodo in The Return of the King. But these aren't the only references to the original Lord of the Rings trilogy that Gittins and Papageorgiou added to The War of the Rohrrim.

The War of the Rohirrim brings Éowyn back ... as a narrator. Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Tolkien's appendices are presented as straightforward histories. The War of the Rohirrim adds a twist to that by presenting its story as a tale told by Éowyn. It's a fitting choice, given that Héra is basically Éowyn 2.0. Both are headstrong daughters of Rohan's king during a time of crisis, each desperate to help their people even when their fathers' protectiveness may hold them back.

"We knew we would need to draw inspiration for [Héra] from somewhere, and we asked ourselves the question, 'Who would have paved the way for the likes of Éowyn?'" Gittins said. "So it just felt like a really natural fit, given that we'd drawn so much inspiration from Éowyn to Héra, that we use Éowyn as a narrative device as well."

SEE ALSO: 'The Lord of the Rings' movies are stunning — except for one strange shot

Éowyn's narration frames the film as a story passed down through generations, in a choice that Papageorgiou said "spoke to the storytelling aspect of the Rohirrim culture."

There's an added layer of myth-making here. Since this tale is now legend, any of its exaggerations or deviations from Tolkien's text could simply be viewed as the legend warping and changing with each telling.

How does The War of the Rohirrim fit into the wider context of Middle-earth? Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Éowyn isn't the only familiar face — or really, voice — popping up in War of the Rohirrim. Saruman (voiced by the late Christopher Lee in a line taken from archival footage) makes an appearance at Fréaláf's coronation, just as he does in the Appendices. But we also get a hint at another wizard from The Lord of the Rings: Gandalf. He writes to Héra at the end of the film, hoping for more information about the orcs she encountered stealing rings behind the Hornburg.

Gandalf's inclusion was another idea of Boyens', in an effort to gesture out to the wider world of Middle-earth, and also provide a counterpoint to Saruman's cameo. "If you're going to introduce the dark, you have to introduce the light as well," said Papageorgiou. "You can't have Saruman without Gandalf."

The wizards are just some of many Lord of the Rings details Gittins and Papageorgiou incorporate into War of the Rohirrim. Also present are the ring-stealing orcs, the Great Eagles, and a runaway Mûmakil (or Oliphaunt), each a hint at the war to come, as well as proof of Tolkien's vast, interconnected legendarium.

"Even the smallest detail will launch a geopolitical rabbit warren of investigation," Papageorgiou said. "That's actually the hard part. It's not a question of, 'How did you make this number of paragraphs into a feature film?' It's more, 'Well, how didn't we make six films?'"

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is now in theaters.

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