For those who wander here, puzzled by the meaning of this jest, let me offer some clarity. The name of this realm, www.gondorwhenthewestfoldfell.com, harks back to a moment of great sorrow and wrath, when Théoden, King of Rohan, cried aloud in bitter reproach: "Where was Gondor when the Westfold fell?" In his lament, he grieved the absence of aid from his allies in a time of dire need. The humor of this place is woven into the very fabric of that absence. For as Théoden sought Gondor's strength and found none, so too do visitors seek a page here and find naught but a "404 error," a sign of something lost or never found. Thus, it mirrors the tale of Rohan’s plight, a clever union of high lore and the strange workings of the modern world. It is a jest crafted for those who understand the weight of absence, be it on the battlefield or upon the web.
If you're confused by the joke, let me explain! The name of this website, www.gondorwhenthewestfoldfell.com, references a famous line from The Lord of the Rings film The Two Towers. In the movie, King Théoden of Rohan angrily asks, "Where was Gondor when the Westfold fell?" as he laments the absence of Gondor’s help during a crucial battle. The website itself plays off this quote by leading to a "404 page not found" error, which is what happens when a webpage doesn’t exist or can’t be found. The humor comes from the parallel between Gondor’s failure to show up in the story and the webpage’s failure to load—both are instances of something not being there when it's needed! It’s a playful blend of geeky fantasy trivia and internet humor, mixing frustration with a bit of fun.