théoden death

In this biweekly series, we’re exploring the evolution of both major and minor figures in Tolkien’s legendarium, tracing the transformations of these characters through drafts and early manuscripts through to the finished work. There are many other things we might say about Théoden. But we can still choose to stand up and to look towards the sunlight; to rely on friends and other loved ones to support us when we cannot stand ourselves. When JRRT transferred many of Théoden’s words to Gríma, he still didn’t give any indication that the latter is wicked and a pawn of Saruman. A moment later he smiles, and “so many lines of care were smoothed away and did not return” (515). Théoden’s redemption cannot be taken lightly; later, the event even becomes incorporated into his name, as future generations know him as Théoden Ednew, “Théoden the Renewed” (PM 274). But it may well have been induced or increased by subtle poisons, administered by Gríma. It is a quiet, intimate moment after the high drama of her confrontation with the Witch-king, and I have always loved the small moments in which all the work the storyteller has put in to make you care about their characters pays off, and you get to see the characters shine. And then Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli come and with their burning ardour overthrow the prisons of Wormtongue and his master, Saruman. Even Tolkien knew it well. Aragorn: For Rohan. The armies of Rohan are no more powerful than before and the threat from their enemies is undiminished but Théoden steps out from his prison and feels the good rain upon his face and the hilt of a sword in the grasp of his hand. Arwen finds the choice of her husband to lay down his life a hard one but Aragorn replies, “Take counsel with yourself, beloved, and ask whether you would indeed have me wait until I wither and fall from my high seat unmanned and witless.”, Aragorn chooses the grace given to the Númenorians by the Valar of old to lay down their lives freely and so entrust themselves to the mystery of death unafraid. It was 4 years ago when I first wrote about Théoden, a man bound to his chair by the leachcraft of Grima Wormtongue staring miserably at the image of his glorious ancestor, Eorl the Young, the founder of the Kingdom of Rohan. He says there will be no escape for anyone” (TI 435). It is a wise lord who knows how to make peace even as they must, in time of need, know how to make war. Arise! And yet—“No counsel have I give to those that despair,” he adds. Each of these aspects of Théoden’s character only serves to render his death-scene on the Fields of Pelennor more affecting. It is said that Thengel “returned …

Hold your ground!

But his eyes burned with a keen light that glinted from afar off” (TI 444; bracketed terms indicate inconclusive transcriptions by Christopher Tolkien; JRRT’s handwriting is famously difficult to read). But for all his flaws, Tolkien understood the power of story, and Peter Jackson understands storytelling (for all that that is not abundantly evident in the Hobbit movies). When Fengel, father of Thengel and King of the Mark, died, Morwen and her husband were summoned back to Rohan.

But a deeper feeling is awoken in both of them by the Lord of the Nazgûl. He does not speak (TI 444).

To withdraw your consent, see Your Choices. One of my favourite movie scenes of all time is the death of Théoden in The Return of the King. And such power comes to those who desire some good for others and never for some selfish end. Behold!

Take your Èored down the left flank.

Let’s Celebrate Tolkien Week (By Force of Hobbit)! But because of that step, he has seen the sunlight once again. And Théoden’s response?

Théoden laments that Gandalf has “come at the end of the days of Rohan. Our leaders and we whom they lead need to consider how we can allow those who regard themselves as our enemies to withdraw from conflict with pride. To hope’s end I rode and to heart’s breaking: Now for wrath, now for ruin and a red nightfall.”.

I soared with the Eagles as they swept the broken and bloody body of Frodo and his companion Samwise the Brave from the smoking crags of the fiery mountain. It is the fate of the people of the Fisher King in the Parsifal legend. -- If Gandalf had failed to heal him or if he had chosen to leave him in his chair then doubtless Théoden would have held onto life a little longer. When first introduced, Théoden is weak with age and sorrow and the machinations of his top advisor, Gríma Wormtongue, and he does nothing as his kingdom is crumbling. This week’s installment takes a look at Théoden, son of Thengel, King of Rohan and a champion in the fight against Sauron. Yet, though Théoden has one of the best arcs in the Lord of the Rings films, the real reason I love his death scene is that it is Éowyn’s moment, too: her moment of triumph, having defeated the Witch-king of Angmar, but also her moment of tragedy, since no Lord of the Rings character is allowed to enjoy triumph unmixed with bitterness. Many who have achieved something of significance in their lives have spoken of an energy, a strength, that is given to them at a critical moment. The first description of Théoden, too, reads somewhat like the final version: “In the chair sat a man so bent with age that he seemed almost a dwarf. It is something that might be done by a mighty person who does not fear the power of their enemies, who seeks to display their own greatness by means of humiliation, but resentment will always lead to deeds of revenge and memories forged by bitterness are long. “It is not so dark here” (514). And then he does what must be done. Come, my friends.

TO WAR! Aragorn lays down his life in freedom in the glory of his kingship. Because of this, I want to take a moment to look specifically at that scene in the published Lord of the Rings in order to determine just how it contextualizes Théoden’s later actions.

Théoden’s “adoption” of Merry is another touching and powerful aspect of his story. Frodo Meets Strider for the First Time. Ride now, ride now! Now tall and straight he stood” (515). It is but thirteen days since Gandalf came to Edoras and restored a shrivelled old man to life and to vigour.

Similarly, Théoden’s commitment to stand firm and face the enemy no matter how hopeless the situation, to “make such an end as will be worth a song—if any be left to sing of us hereafter” (539), is indebted to Old English literature and what we now call the heroic code. But the voice that tells him he cannot weather it has been silenced. Even after Théoden dies and is laid to rest, he continues to bless his people, according to one of Tolkien’s drafts: King Théoden is laid on a bier in [the] Hall of the Tower covered with gold. These are the conditions for which fear and negativity long and in which they thrive. Théoden is overthrown at the last by the Lord of the Nazgûl but dies at peace and without shame as he prepares to meet his ancestors.

Théoden’s career is brief but brilliant: one that, in the end, proves to be nothing short of glorious. It is this divine power that comes to Merry and to Éowyn at this critical moment. This is made apparent in both The Two Towers and Return of the King, where he plots and executes his clearly thought-out battle plan.The decision to hole up in Helms Deep and position the various units accordingly, as well as his stampede charges in the Pelennor Fields shows this is a man who has a sense of military strategy. Théoden is shamed by the ancestral hero upon whose image he is forced to gaze each day and his people live in a wasteland. And now he makes his return to Edoras in glory as a true king should, honoured by all free peoples. Zen Cho writes speculative fiction, with the occasional foray into romance. He was the uncle of Eomer and Eowyn and the father of Theodred.

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