What is the meaning of the name Gríma Wormtongue?
Gríma derives from an Old English or Icelandic word meaning "mask," "helmet," or "spectre." The surname Wormtongue comes from the Old English wyrm, a word covering serpents, snakes, and dragons.
Questions about Gríma Wormtongue
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What does Gríma Wormtongue do in The Lord of the Rings?
Gríma Wormtongue serves as chief advisor to King Théoden of Rohan while secretly working for the wizard Saruman, weakening the king through lies and persuasion. Unfinished Tales also suggests he may have administered subtle poisons that accelerated Théoden's aging. He is later exiled, kills Saruman in the Shire, and is shot by hobbit archers.
Who played Gríma Wormtongue in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films?
Brad Dourif played Wormtongue in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. According to Dourif, Jackson encouraged him to shave off his eyebrows so that audiences would have an immediate, subliminal reaction of unease to the character.
What literary character is Gríma Wormtongue based on?
Tolkien scholars have identified Gríma as closely based on Unferth, King Hrothgar's "ambiguous" spokesman in the Old English epic Beowulf. The confrontation between Wormtongue and Gandalf in Meduseld closely mirrors Beowulf's discrediting of Unferth in the hall of Heorot.
How does Gríma Wormtongue die in The Lord of the Rings?
Gríma kills Saruman by slitting his throat in the Shire, after Saruman reveals that Gríma had murdered Lotho Sackville-Baggins, a kinsman of Frodo Baggins. Hobbit archers shoot Gríma immediately afterward.
What role does Gríma Wormtongue play in Tolkien's Unfinished Tales?
In Unfinished Tales, Gríma is captured by the Nazgûl in the fields of the Rohirrim while traveling to Isengard to inform Saruman that Gandalf had arrived in Edoras. He reveals Saruman's interest in the Shire and its location, after which the Nazgûl set out for the Shire immediately. Tolkien also suggests in the same volume that Gríma may have given Théoden subtle poisons that caused accelerated aging.