Gríma Wormtongue

Théoden's treacherous adviser and Saruman's agent in Rohan.

Gríma Wormtongue is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, introduced in The Two Towers as chief adviser to King Théoden of Rohan and a henchman of Saruman.

Quick Facts

Series: Middle-earth
Also known as: Wormtongue, Worm
Race: Men of Rohan

Facts from the source article.

Background

Gríma, son of Gálmód, starts as a faithful servant but joins the traitorous wizard Saruman, and from his post as the king's chief adviser he weakens Théoden and his kingdom through lies and persuasion. Tolkien describes him as a wizened man with a pale wise face, heavy-lidded eyes and a long pale tongue, and everyone in Edoras except the king calls him Wormtongue. Saruman has promised him the king's niece Éowyn as his reward.

His schemes are foiled when Gandalf the White comes to Edoras and convinces Théoden that he is not as weak as his adviser had made him seem; many missing things, the king's sword Herugrim among them, are found locked in Gríma's trunk. Given the choice of riding to battle with the king or riding into exile, he chooses exile and goes to Saruman at Orthanc. There he mistakenly throws the palantír of Orthanc at Gandalf's party, or perhaps at Saruman, and so lets Peregrin Took capture it.

Gríma follows Saruman to the Shire, where Saruman shortens his nickname to Worm. When the hobbits overthrow Saruman, Frodo Baggins offers Gríma food, shelter and forgiveness, but Saruman reveals that Gríma murdered Lotho Sackville-Baggins; Gríma then kills Saruman by slitting his throat and is in turn shot by hobbit archers.

Unfinished Tales says the Nazgûl captured him on his way to Isengard and that he told them of Saruman's interest in the Shire and where it lay. Tolkien scholars note that he is based on Unferth, the untrustworthy spokesman of King Hrothgar in Beowulf, and the name Gríma comes from a word meaning mask, helmet or spectre.