<P> In the book The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, the size of the initial garrison at Helm's Deep for Rohan was nearly 1,000, but many more were coming into the fort from across Rohan . The estimated number of total Rohirrim defenders was 2,000 by the time Saruman's army arrived . Merry says that the force that left Isengard numbered 10,000 at least, most marching towards Helm's Deep and others heading off to the Fords of Isen . This number is later qualified by Gandalf: "I have about ten thousand Orcs to manage", so considerably more than 10,000 when the Men of Dunland are added . Though the battle appears severely lopsided, as Uruk - hai were much better in battle than simple orcs, the defenders managed to hold the fort until a force of almost 1,000 men on foot led by Gandalf along with a forest of Huorns arrived at dawn in the rear of the hosts of Isengard and surround the Uruks . </P> <P> After being released from the influence of his malevolent adviser, Gríma Wormtongue, by the benevolent Wizard Gandalf, Théoden set out to the Fords of Isen, where his marshal Erkenbrand was fighting Saruman's forces . However, Théoden found out that they had been scattered . Gandalf advised him to take refuge in the Hornburg fortress of Helm's Deep, an area named after one of their kings . Gandalf then left on an unexplained errand . Théoden's army went to the area, where local people were commanded by a captain called Gamling the Old . Many of the forces there were very old or young . The women and children of Théoden's capital Edoras were safe in Dunharrow, led by the King's niece Éowyn . </P> <P> The forces of Saruman, common Orcs and Uruk - hai, along with some orc - human hybrids (called "half - orcs and goblin - men"--which may have referred to or included the Uruk - hai themselves) and human Dunlendings, arrived at the valley of Helm's Deep in the middle of the night during a storm . Meanwhile, Legolas the Elf and Gimli the Dwarf agreed to compete to see which one could kill the most orcs . </P> <P> The attackers quickly scaled over the first defence, Helm's Dike, forcing the defenders there to fall back to the fortress . When the Orcs were close, the defenders drove them back with arrows and stones, but they managed to get close to the wall after multiple charges . They attempted to break down the gate with a battering ram, but a sortie led by Aragorn and Éomer scattered the forces . </P>

Who was the elf that came to helm's deep