The Lord of the Rings: The King of the Golden Hall [Part Three]

Beyond the long hearth down the middle of the hall, on a three-stepped dais, in a great gilded chair sits Theoden, a man so bent with age he looks almost like a dwarf, a gold circlet on his head. His hair and beard are long and white. Behind him stands a woman clothed in white; on the steps at his feet sits a pale, wizened man.

The companions stop before the throne, and when the old man neither speaks nor moves from his chair, Gandalf addresses him: ‘Hail, Theoden son of Thengel! I have returned. For behold! The storm comes, and now old friends should gather together, lest each singly be destroyed.’

The old king rises to his feet, leaning on a short black staff, and they can see he must have been tall indeed when he was young. He greets the wizard, but does not welcome him. When Gandalf appears, Theoden claims, ‘troubles follow you like crows.’ He was glad when Shadowfax came back, but gladder that he had no rider. He was even happier when Eomer reported his death, but ‘news from afar is seldom sooth.’ And now he returns at an even worse time. ‘Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow?’ He sits down slowly.

Grima Wormtongue does not even rise to his feet to chime in. ‘You speak justly, lord.’ What with the king’s son slain just five days ago, and with Eomer being untrustworthy, and the Dark Lord stirring in the East, now he comes begging to the throne. ‘Lathspell I name you, Ill-news, and ill news is an ill guest they say.’ Gandalf answers him softly, but Wormtongue presses his attack on the wizard even further. He only appears when he wants something, like Shadowfax. But has he ever brought help, like men, horses, spears, swords? Only three ragged wanderers in grey, and Gandalf the worst looking of the lot!

But Gandalf ignores him and addresses Theoden. There is less courtesy in the King’s hall these days. Haven’t his messengers announced his companions? No King of Rohan ever had such guests, and they have brought weapons as ‘are worth many a mortal man.’ They are clad in grey because they were clothed by the Elves.

Wormtongue takes the opportunity to slight Galadriel as ‘the Sorceress of the Golden Wood’ who ‘weaves webs of deceit … in Dwimordene [Lorien].’

Gimli (of course) takes a step forward at the insult, but Gandalf stops him with a hand on his shoulder. The wizard sings a soft song in praise of Galadriel, ‘more fair than thoughts of Mortal Men.’ Then his attitude changes.

The wizard casts aside his tattered and stands straight and tall. His voice is clear and cold. ‘The wise speak only of what they know, Grima son of Galmod. A witless worm have you become. Therefore be silent, and keep your forked tongue between your teeth. I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crook words with a serving man till the lightning falls.’ He raises his staff and there is a roll of thunder. The eastern windows grow dark, and Gandalf stands there straight and white in the gloom.

They hear Wormtongue hissing in the dark that he told Hama to take his staff and that the door-warden has betrayed them. There is a flash like lightning, then silence, and Wormtongue goes sprawling on his face.

 

Bits and Bobs

Although Theoden is about 80 years old here, he comes from vigorous sires and a vigorous people, who keep their vitality well into old age. Tolkien (in Unfinished Tales) says it was held in Rohan that his infirmity was partly caused by subtle poisons given him by Wormtongue. Crows are of course carrion birds, and associated with battles and predation on the slain, along with ravens and vultures. To call Gandalf ‘Stormcrow’ is no compliment.

The King’s son, Theodred (theod = people, raed = counsel), was killed just five days before at the Battle of the Fords of Isen. It is plain that Saruman’s major plan for the battle was to kill Theodred to further demoralize Rohan and Theoden in particular, and that his Orcish troops particularly targeted the prince. Although Theodred’s last words of advice were to meet the foe again at the Fords rather than wait at Edoras, Wormtongue’s counsel kept delaying the King.

Lathspell, ‘Ill-News’, is almost the exact opposite of Godspell, ‘good news’ or Gospel as we pronounce it now.

There is no mention of Saruman in the woes that Grima lists; he is obviously trying to keep the King’s mind as far away from that subject as possible.

Dwimordene is the Rohirric name for Lothlorien. It translates to ‘Vale of Illusion’: dene = valley, and dwimor = phantom, illusion. Grima refers to Galadriel as a ‘sorceress’ who ‘weaves webs of deceit’, placing her powers in as negative light as possible, even perhaps down to her making the Elven-cloaks that they wear, which help hide and camouflage from enemy eyes. ‘Dwimor’ will also recur as an element in the name with which Eowyn taunts the Witch-King.

Gandalf calls Wormtongue by his full name, Grima son of Galmod, which is almost an insinuating insult as his nickname. At least Wormtongue might carry a meaning implying ‘wise or subtle’. ‘Grima’ means ‘mask’ or ‘specter’ in Old English, implying his double nature, while ‘galmod’ means ‘licentious, lustful’, hinting of his as-yet unrevealed desire for Eowyn.

But Wormtongue’s poisonous and lowly nature is emphasized by Gandalf again when he refers to him as truly a worm (‘snake’) speaking with a double, deceiving tongue. Grima’s words come hissing out of the darkness.

Gandalf proclaims he has passed ‘through fire and death’ on a more important mission than trading insults with a crooked counsellor. This can most probably be seen as a reference to his battle with the Balrog and his return, but might also (a more prosaic interpretation) be referring to his passage through a land at war.