Gamling

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Gamling is a character from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and is a Man of Rohan. An older man (he is called "Gamling the Old"), he was from the Westfold. He understood the language of Dunland and was familiar with the hatred that the Dunlendings had for the Rohirrim.

Gamling is left in charge of the forces defending Helm's Dike (a fortification across the Deeping-coomb before the stronghold of the Hornburg defending Helm's Deep) by command of Erkenbrand. About 1,000 men had been left to defend Helm's Deep, including Gamling's grandson, and Gamling notes that most of the defenders were either very old (like himself) or very young (like his grandson)—in Peter Jackson’s movie adaptation, this observation is made by Gimli and Legolas).

King Théoden of Rohan arrives at Helm's Deep with reinforcements from Edoras on March 3, 3019. As the forces of Isengard approach, Gamling and his men pull back from Helm's Dike and enter the stronghold of the Hornburg. Gamling hears Gimli's warning that Orcs have entered a culvert under the wall and leads the Men of the Westfold in a charge that drives them back.

Gamling then asks Gimli to help block up the opening with small boulders and broken stones with the remark, "We must stop this rat-hole. Dwarves are said to be cunning folk with stone. Lend us your aid, master!" However, Saruman's forces later breach the Deeping Wall using an explosive device. Gamling retreats into the Deep with Gimli and Éomer. There they defend the narrows before the entrance to the Glittering Caves until dawn, when Gandalf and Erkenbrand arrive and the Battle of the Hornburg is won.

He is not mentioned again, but he presumably rides with the Rohirrim to Minas Tirith and fights in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.

[edit] In adaptations

In Peter Jackson’s movie adaptation, the character of Gamling is slightly modified: Gamling, as played by New Zealand actor Bruce Hopkins, is portrayed as a middle-aged man (this is a bit awkward, as "Gamling" literally means "old man," from the Old English word gamol meaning "old, aged, ancient" ). In the movies he accompanies King Théoden and plays an important role in directing the construction of added defences in the Hornburg and the arming of every available man prior to battle. Gamling serves as a sort of page to Théoden and arms him. To Gamling, Théoden asks, "Who am I, Gamling?" "You are our king, sire," Gamling replies. In the DVD extras, Bernard Hill (who plays Théoden) explained that he did not think Théoden seemed very authoritative if he was shouting out his own orders: he felt a king should have a lieutenant that shouted out the kings orders to his troops, so Gamling was expanded to follow Théoden around throughout the movies.

In the film, Gamling survives this battle (and is in fact one of the defenders who ride out to meet the Orc forces before the fortuitous arrival of Gandalf and the reinforcements under Éomer), and is also present at the battles of Pelennor Fields; he is not seen after the battle, but it is not indicated if he died. In the extended version of the film, he is last seen riding underneath one of the enemy's mûmakil.