Gamling
Gamling | |
---|---|
Man | |
Biographical Information | |
Other names | Gamling the Old |
Birth | Unknown, late Third Age |
Death | Unknown |
Physical Description | |
Gender | Male |
Gallery | Images of Gamling |
Gamling (late Third Age) was a man of Rohan and the leader of the watchers of Helm's Dike. 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.
Portrayal in Adaptations
In The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy, Gamling was played by New Zealand actor Bruce Hopkins.
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
It is the origin of the surnames Gamlen, Gam(b)lin. The medieval poem The Tale of Gamelin (inspiration of Shakespeare's As You Like It)[1]