| Théoden | |
|---|---|
| Tolkien character | |
| In-universe information | |
| Aliases | Lord of the Mark, King ofRohan |
| Race | Men of Rohan[T 1] |
| Book(s) | The Two Towers (1954) The Return of the King (1955) Unfinished Tales (1980) |
Théoden is a fictional character inJ. R. R. Tolkien'sfantasy novel,The Lord of the Rings. The King ofRohan and Lord of the Mark or of the Riddermark, names used by theRohirrim for their land, he appears as a supporting character inThe Two Towers andThe Return of the King. 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. Once roused by the wizardGandalf, however, he becomes an instrumental ally in the war againstSaruman andSauron, leading theRohirrim into theBattle of the Pelennor Fields.
Scholars have compared Théoden toTheodoric, King of theVisigoths, and Théoden's death in the battle to Theodoric's in theBattle of the Catalaunian Fields. He has been contrasted, too, with another protagonist inThe Lord of the Rings,Denethor Steward ofGondor; where Denethor is harsh, Théoden is open and welcoming.
Théoden is introduced inThe Two Towers, the second volume ofThe Lord of the Rings, as King ofRohan. By this point Théoden had grown weak with age, and was largely controlled by his chief advisorGríma Wormtongue, who was secretly in the employ of the corrupt wizardSaruman.[T 1] One of the lastHunt for the Ring manuscripts says Wormtongue has "great influence over the king", who is "enthralled by his counsel".[1]InUnfinished Tales, it is further implied that the failure of the king's health was "...induced or increased by subtle poisons, administered by Gríma".[T 2] As Théoden sat powerless, Rohan was troubled byOrcs andDunlendings, who operated under the will of Saruman, ruling fromIsengard.[T 1]
At that sound the bent shape of [King Théoden] sprang suddenly erect. Tall and proud he seemed again; and rising in his stirrups he cried in a loud voice, more clear than any there had ever heard a mortal man achieve before: 'Arise, arise, Riders of Théoden! Fell deeds awake: fire and slaughter! spear shall be shaken, shield be splintered, a sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises! Ride now, ride now! Ride to Gondor!'
WhenGandalf andAragorn, along withLegolas andGimli, appeared before him inThe Two Towers, Théoden initially rebuffed thewizard's advice to oppose Saruman. When Gandalf revealed Wormtongue for what he was, however, Théoden returned to his senses. He restored his nephew, took up his swordHerugrim,[T 1] and in spite of his age, led the Riders of Rohan to victory in theBattle of Helm's Deep.[T 3] He then visited Isengard, saw that it had been destroyed by theEnts ofFangorn forest,[T 4] and, speaking with the wizard Saruman in the tower of Orthanc, saw Gandalf break Saruman's staff.[T 5]
InThe Return of the King, Théoden led the Rohirrim to the aid ofGondor at theBattle of the Pelennor Fields.[T 6][T 7] In that battle, he routed theHarad cavalry, personally killing their chieftain. He challenged theWitch-king of Angmar, the leader of theNazgûl, but was mortally wounded when his own horse Snowmane fell upon him. He was avenged by his nieceÉowyn and aHobbit,Merry Brandybuck, who had ridden to war together in secret; together, they destroyed the Witch-king. In his last moments, Théoden bade farewell to Merry and Éowyn.[T 8]
Théoden's body lay inMinas Tirith until it was buried in Rohan after the defeat ofSauron. He was the last of the Second Line of the kings, judging from direct descent from Eorl the Young. He was succeeded as King by his nephewÉomer.[T 9]
Théoden is transliterated directly from theOld Englishþēoden, "king, prince", in turn fromþeod, "a people, a nation".[2][3][4] As with other descriptive names inhis legendarium, Tolkien uses this name to create the impression that the text is historical. Tolkien mapped the Westron or Common Speech to modern English; the ancestral language of the Rohirrim in hissystem of invented languages would therefore map to Old English.[5]
According to the scholarElizabeth Solopova, the character of Théoden was inspired by the concept ofNorthern courage inNorse mythology, particularly in theBeowulf epos: the protagonist of a story shows perseverance while knowing that he is going to be defeated and killed. This is reflected in Théoden's decision to ride against Sauron's far superior army in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.[6] There are also repeated references by Tolkien to a historic account of theBattle of the Catalaunian Fields by the 6th century historianJordanes. Both battles take place between civilizations of the "East" (Huns) and "West" (Romans and their allies,Visigoths), and like Jordanes, Tolkien describes his battle as one of legendary fame that lasted for several generations. Another apparent similarity is the death of KingTheodoric I of the Visigoths on the Catalaunian Fields and that of Théoden on the Pelennor. Jordanes reports that Theodoric was thrown off by his horse and trampled to death by his own men who charged forward. Théoden also rallies his men shortly before he falls and is crushed by his horse. And like Theodoric, Théoden is carried from the battlefield with his knights weeping and singing for him while the battle still goes on.[7]
| Situation | Théoden | Theodoric |
|---|---|---|
| Final battle | Battle of the Pelennor Fields | Battle of the Catalaunian Fields |
| Combatants "West" versus "East" | Rohan,Gondor vsMordor, Easterlings | Romans,Visigoths vsHuns |
| Cause of death | Thrown by horse, which falls on him | Thrown by horse, trampled by own men, charging enemy |
| Lament | Carried from battlefield by his knights, singing and weeping | |
Numerous scholars have admired Tolkien's simile of Théoden riding into his final battle "like a god of old, even asOromë the Great in the battle of the Valar when the world was young".[T 7] Among them, Steve Walker calls it "almost epic in its amplitude", inviting the reader's imagination by alluding "to unseen complexity", a whole mythology of Middle-earthunder the visible text.[8]Fleming Rutledge calls it imitative of the language of myth and saga, andan echo of the messianic prophecy in Malachi 4:1-3.[9]Jason Fisher compares the passage, which links the blowing of all the horns of the host of Rohan, Oromë, dawn, and the Rohirrim, withBeowulf's pairing ofaer daege ("before day", i.e. "dawn") andHygelaces horn ond byman ("Hygelac's horn and trumpet") in lines 2941-2944.[10][a]Peter Kreeft writes that "it is hardnot to feel your heart leap with joy at Théoden's transformation into a warrior", however difficult people find the old Roman view that it is sweet to die for your country,dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.[11]
The Tolkien scholarTom Shippey writes that Rohan is directlycalqued on Anglo-Saxon England,taking many features fromBeowulf, and not only in personal names, place-names, and language. He states that Tolkien'slament for Théoden equally closely echoes the dirge that ends the Old English poemBeowulf. Théoden's warriors and gate-guards behave likeBeowulf characters, making their own minds up rather than just saying "I was only obeying orders".[12][13]
Tolkien scholars includingJane Chance contrast Théoden with another "Germanic king",Denethor, the last of theRuling Stewards of Gondor. In Chance's view, Théoden represents good, Denethor evil; she notes that their names are almostanagrams, and that where Théoden welcomes the hobbitMerry Brandybuck into his service with loving friendship, Denethor accepts Merry's friend,Pippin Took with a harsh contract offealty.[14] Hilary Wynne, inThe J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia, writes further that where both Théoden and Denethor had despaired, Théoden, his courage "renewed" by Gandalf, went to a hopeless-seeming battle at Helm's Deep and won, and then again on the Pelennor Fields where "his attack saved the city of Minas Tirith from sack and destruction".[2] Shippey makes the same comparison, extending it to numerous elements of the two Men's stories, writing that Théoden lives by a theory of Northern courage, and dies through Denethor's despair.[15][16]
| Story element | Théoden, King of Rohan | Denethor, Steward of Gondor |
|---|---|---|
| Subgroup meets a helpful stranger | Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas meetÉomer | Frodo andSam meetFaramir |
| Subgroup leader confronts the stranger | Aragorn defies Éomer | Frodo hides his quest fromFaramir |
| Stranger decides to help the group, against their superior's wishes | Éomer lends horses | Faramir lets Frodo and Sam go |
| Leader is an old man who has lost a son | Théodred died in battle | Boromir died saving the Hobbits |
| Leader sees other heir as "doubtful replacement" | Éomer is a nephew | Faramir is scholarly, not warlike |
| Leader dies at time ofBattle of the Pelennor Fields | Théoden dies in battle | Denethor commits suicide during battle |
| Leader's hall is described in detail | Meduseld, the "golden hall" | The stone hall inMinas Tirith |
| A Hobbit swears allegiance to leader | Merry joins the Riders of Rohan | Pippin becomes a palace guard ofGondor |
In the 1981BBC Radio 4version ofThe Lord of the Rings, Théoden's death is described in song rather than dramatized conventionally; he is voiced byJack May.[17] InRalph Bakshi's 1978 animated version ofThe Lord of the Rings, the voice of Théoden was provided byPhilip Stone.[18] Théoden also appears inRankin/Bass's attempt to complete the story left unfinished by Bakshi in their televisionadaptation ofThe Return of the King, though he speaks little, and is voiced byDon Messick.[19] His death is narrated by Gandalf (voiced byJohn Huston); in the animation, he is killed by a cloud, not by the Witch-king.[20]
Théoden is an important character inPeter Jackson'sLord of the Rings film trilogy.[21][22] The character, played byBernard Hill, first appears inThe Two Towers (2002).[23][24] However, unlike in the books, the Lord of the Mark is actuallypossessed and prematurely aged by Saruman (Christopher Lee). Gandalf (Ian McKellen) releases him from the spell, instantly restoring him to his true age, after which Théoden banishes Gríma Wormtongue (Brad Dourif) from Edoras.[21]
'thechief of a :þeod (a nation, people)'... His name as King, Theoden "Ednew," comes from the Old Englished-niowe, 'To recover, renew.'
The key dramatic determinant in Lesnie's method was the change that comes over King Théoden (Bernard Hill) after Gandalf lifts Saruman's spell.
