Gamling

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Gamgling the Old
Rohir
Daniel Govar - Gamling.jpg
Biographical Information
PositionCaptain
BirthLate Third Age
Family
ChildrenUnnamed child
Physical Description
GenderMale
GalleryImages of Gamgling the Old

Gamling (late Third Age) was a man of Rohan and the leader of the watchers of Helm's Dike.

History

An old man during the War of the Ring, Gamling was still a commanding presence at the time of the Battle of the Hornburg. During the battle Gamling was the first to realize that Orcs had penetrated the Deep through its culvert, and he led the counterattack himself.

Gamling seems to have been brought up in the western valleys of Rohan; he understood the tongue of Dunland that was still spoken in those regions.

Etymology

Gamling translates to "old man" from the Old English term, "gamol", meaning "old, aged, ancient", but only found in Old English in verse-language[1]

Gamling is somewhat anglicized/modernized while genuinely it should be Gameling. It would be one of the words and names that hobbits recognized as similar to Hobbitish (like Shadowfax or Wormtongue).[1]

Inspiration

Tolkien noted that it is the origin of the surnames Gamlen, Gam(b)lin. It appears in the medieval poem The Tale of Gamelin (inspiration of Shakespeare's As You Like It)[1]

Portrayal in Adaptations

1981: The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series):

Patrick Barr provided the voice of Gamgling.

2001-3: The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy:

Gamling was played by New Zealand actor Bruce Hopkins. His role was expanded to that of a lieutenant to Théoden.

2010: The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest:

Despite the game's heavy reliance on movie audio tracks, Gamling's speech at the departure from Edoras is not resampled, but dubbed in verbatim by Tom Kane.

References