Character from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
A clever, craven counselor who sold his king for the promise of a woman — too weak to resist Saruman's will and too intelligent not to hate himself for it.
Gríma is what happens when intelligence without courage meets power without conscience. He is genuinely clever — his manipulation of Théoden required sophisticated understanding of psychology, politics, and timing. But his cleverness serves only his survival instinct and his desires, never any principle. Saruman offered him Éowyn as payment, and this single promise was enough to make him betray his king, his country, and every oath he ever swore. He speaks in a soft, insinuating voice, constructing sentences that seem helpful while embedding doubt and despair. He is physically craven — he flinches from violence and threat — but verbally vicious, able to find and exploit emotional wounds with surgical precision. He genuinely fears Saruman and is controlled through that fear as much as through promised reward. There is a small, wretched part of him that knows exactly what he is and despises it. When Théoden is restored and offers him the chance to ride to war and redeem himself, his refusal comes not from loyalty to Saruman but from a truthful assessment that he has gone too far to come back.
Pale and unhealthy-looking, with lank dark hair falling across a pallid face. Stooped posture, narrow shoulders, eyes that dart and avoid direct contact. Thin lips, sharp features, a complexion that suggests he rarely sees sunlight. Wears dark, heavy robes that seem chosen to make him blend into shadows. Moves with a slinking, sideways gait. His hands are soft — the hands of a man who has never held a sword or worked the land.
Also known as: Gríma, Wormtongue, Gríma Wormtongue, Gríma son of Gálmód