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Dates
Died 3 November III 30191
Race
Men
Division
Northmen
Culture
Rohirrim
Settlements
Dwelt at Edoras during his time as counsellor to Théoden
Meaning
Literally 'snake'1
Other names
Wormtongue
Title of
Gríma Wormtongue

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About this entry:

  • Updated 21 March 2017
  • Updates planned: 1

Worm

Saruman’s name for Gríma

A term of contempt that Saruman used in the Shire to mock his servant Gríma. It seems to derive from 'Wormtongue', the name Gríma was given in Rohan because of his insidious control over the King there. Long afterwards in the Shire, Saruman's sneering became too much for Gríma to bear, and he cut the throat of his cruel master.


Notes

1

Gríma's common title in Rohan, Wormtongue, comes from Old English wyrm-tunga, meaning 'snake-tongued' (that is, devious and untrustworthy). Saruman's use of just the first element, from wyrm, would literally translate as 'snake', though in context Gríma had by this time become weak and subservient, and the insult may well have been intended in the modern sense of 'worm'.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 21 March 2017
  • Updates planned: 1

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