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'''Gothmog''' was the lieutenant of [[Minas Morgul]], second-in-command to the [[Witch-king of Angmar]], lord of the [[Nazgûl]]. He commanded the forces of Morgul during the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]] after the Lord of the Nazgûl was slain by [[Éowyn]]. This is the only reference in "The Lord of the Rings" to Gothmog, and his fate is not recorded, although it is strongly implied that he and almost all of the servants of Sauron that fought before the gates of [[Minas Tirith]] were destroyed.
{{disambig-two|the Lieutenant of Morgul|Balrog of the First Age|[[Gothmog (balrog)]]}}
[[File:John Howe - Gothmog 01.jpg|thumb|''Gothmog'' by [[John Howe]]]]


Almost nothing is known of Gothmog — not even what race of beings he belonged to. [[Tolkienist]]s speculate that he might have been one of the [[Nazgûl]], an [[Orcs|Orc]] or a [[Men|Man]] (in which case he was probably a [[Black Númenóreans|Black Númenórean]] like the [[Mouth of Sauron]], the lieutenant of [[Barad-dûr]]). Since the Lord of the Nazgǔl's lieutenant is named by Tolkien in "Unfinished Tales" as [[Khamûl]], the "Black Easterling," it less likely that Gothmog was a [[Ringwraiths|Ringwraith]], unless it was an alternate name for the same character.  That an Orc could command so complex an assault also seems unlikely, strengthening the case for Gothmog having been an evil man grown powerful in Sauron's service.  It is even possible that while not a ringwraith, Gothmog was an undead human, similar in some respects to the [[Barrow-wights]], although more powerful and with greater capacity for independent action.   
{{Pronounce|Gothmog.mp3|Ardamir}}


In [[Peter Jackson]]'s ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (film)|The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]'' film, Gothmog is portrayed as an Orc with a misshapen face, and is played by [[Lawrence Makoare]], a [[New Zealand]] actor. It is also possible that he was in fact a [[Boldog]] (a fallen [[Maiar|Maia]] in Orc form).  
'''Gothmog''' was a lieutenant of [[Minas Morgul]]. He shared his name with [[Gothmog (balrog)|Gothmog]], lord of [[Balrogs|Balrog]] from the [[First Age]].<ref>{{S|Index}}</ref>
==History==
At the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]] he was second-in-command to the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]], lord of the [[Nazgûl]]. He commanded the forces of Morgul after the Lord of the Nazgûl was slain by [[Éowyn]].<ref>{{RK|V6}}</ref>


In the Special Extended Edition of ''Return of the King'' [[Aragorn]] and [[Gimli]] kill an injured Gothmog while he is heading towards [[Éowyn]] with the intention of killing her, after she has been injured fighting the [[Witch-king of Angmar|Witch King]].  
Presumably he perished along with almost all of the servants of Sauron that fought before the gates of [[Minas Tirith]].
==Origin==
Almost nothing is known of Gothmog, not even what being he was. Tolkien scholars speculate that he might have been one of the following:
*A [[Man]],<ref>{{webcite|author=Steuard Jensen|articleurl=http://tolkien.slimy.com/newsgroups/Gothmog.txt|articlename=Gothmog as a Human|website=tolkien.slimy.com}}</ref> in which case he was probably a [[Black Númenóreans|Black Númenórean]] like the [[Mouth of Sauron]]
*One of the [[Nazgûl]],<ref>{{HM|Guide}}, p. 172</ref> although [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] never specifically mentions his name among the Nazgûl.
*He could be anything from an [[Orcs|Orc]] (although he had a Sindarin name) or a [[Boldog]], a fallen [[Maiar|Maia]] in Orc form.


Gothmog shares his name with a much earlier character, [[Gothmog]], Lord of [[Balrogs]]. The original Gothmog is clearly a different character than the Gothmog of "The Lord of the Rings" despite sharing the same name. It would seem that the Gothmog of the Third Age had taken, or been given, the name in memory of Morgoth's captain;  an interesting choice, perhaps, since Sauron and the Lord of Balrogs were presumably rivals for Morgoth's favor during the Elder Days.
 
==Portrayal in Adaptations==
'''1982-97: ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]'':'''
:Gothmog is a [[Half-trolls|half-troll]], a crossbreed of trolls and [[Variags]].<ref>{{ICE|3112}}</ref>
 
[[File:The Lord of the Rings - The Motion Picture Trilogy - Gothmog.jpg|thumb|right|Gothmog in [[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]]]
'''2003: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]'':'''
:Gothmog is portrayed as an Orc-general with a misshapen face. He is played by [[Lawrence Makoare]], and his voice is provided by [[Craig Parker]]. [[Peter Jackson]] wanted to show a hideously deformed orc, one that would aptly convey the "ugliness" of [[Mordor]]. The upper left side of Gothmog's body is swollen and pock-marked from a disease of some sort, as described by the design department. His pale, yellow skin may also be a consequence of this illness. Gothmog's intelligence is far above that of the common orc and he, understandably, would be the perfect link between the Witch-King and the other planners of the siege of [[Minas Tirith]] (most likely men in Sauron's service) and the mindless mass of orc infantry on the front lines. While Gothmog likely did not have the intelligence to design the attack on the White City he certainly would have been able to ensure orders were carried out. Gothmog is clearly a brutal commander, but also an over-confident one. Peter Jackson comments that Gothmog feels powerful with Mordor's massive army behind him, but in reality is a crippled orc, as seen in his failed dismount from a [[Warg]] in the [[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (extended edition)|Extended edition]]. Gothmog does, however, seem to be a capable warrior, though somewhat inhibited by his crippled left side.
 
:In the midst of the chaos, Gothmog is forced into hand-to-hand combat. He sees a pocket of particularly stiff resistance, primarily from Théoden and [[Éowyn]], and decides to fight Éowyn. She is a more skilled fighter than he, however, and soon injures him on his crippled left leg, rendering him essentially unable to walk and useless to Mordor's army as a whole. After Éowyn has killed the Witch-King, in an act of revenge, Gothmog attempts to kill her with a mace he finds nearby. He was, however, killed just in time by [[Aragorn]] and [[Gimli]]. As he was about to strike, Aragorn cut off his armored right arm, but Gothmog persists and Gimli hit him in the abdomen with his axe. Aragorn then cut through Gothmog's armor on the right side with his sword to finally bring the Orc down.
 
==External links==
*[http://tolkien.slimy.com/newsgroups/Gothmog.txt Gothmog as a Human] - article by Steuard Jensen discussing the nature of Gothmog
 
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[[Category:Pronounced articles]]
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]
[[Category:Servants of Sauron]]
[[de:Gothmog (Statthalter von Minas Morgul)]]
[[fr:/encyclo/personnages/gothmog_de_morgul]]
[[fi:Gothmog (Morgulin komentaja)]]

Revision as of 02:44, 8 April 2014

This article is about the Lieutenant of Morgul. For the Balrog of the First Age, see Gothmog (balrog).
Gothmog by John Howe

Gothmog was a lieutenant of Minas Morgul. He shared his name with Gothmog, lord of Balrog from the First Age.[1]

History

At the Battle of the Pelennor Fields he was second-in-command to the Witch-king of Angmar, lord of the Nazgûl. He commanded the forces of Morgul after the Lord of the Nazgûl was slain by Éowyn.[2]

Presumably he perished along with almost all of the servants of Sauron that fought before the gates of Minas Tirith.

Origin

Almost nothing is known of Gothmog, not even what being he was. Tolkien scholars speculate that he might have been one of the following:


Portrayal in Adaptations

1982-97: Middle-earth Role Playing:

Gothmog is a half-troll, a crossbreed of trolls and Variags.[5]
Gothmog in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King:

Gothmog is portrayed as an Orc-general with a misshapen face. He is played by Lawrence Makoare, and his voice is provided by Craig Parker. Peter Jackson wanted to show a hideously deformed orc, one that would aptly convey the "ugliness" of Mordor. The upper left side of Gothmog's body is swollen and pock-marked from a disease of some sort, as described by the design department. His pale, yellow skin may also be a consequence of this illness. Gothmog's intelligence is far above that of the common orc and he, understandably, would be the perfect link between the Witch-King and the other planners of the siege of Minas Tirith (most likely men in Sauron's service) and the mindless mass of orc infantry on the front lines. While Gothmog likely did not have the intelligence to design the attack on the White City he certainly would have been able to ensure orders were carried out. Gothmog is clearly a brutal commander, but also an over-confident one. Peter Jackson comments that Gothmog feels powerful with Mordor's massive army behind him, but in reality is a crippled orc, as seen in his failed dismount from a Warg in the Extended edition. Gothmog does, however, seem to be a capable warrior, though somewhat inhibited by his crippled left side.
In the midst of the chaos, Gothmog is forced into hand-to-hand combat. He sees a pocket of particularly stiff resistance, primarily from Théoden and Éowyn, and decides to fight Éowyn. She is a more skilled fighter than he, however, and soon injures him on his crippled left leg, rendering him essentially unable to walk and useless to Mordor's army as a whole. After Éowyn has killed the Witch-King, in an act of revenge, Gothmog attempts to kill her with a mace he finds nearby. He was, however, killed just in time by Aragorn and Gimli. As he was about to strike, Aragorn cut off his armored right arm, but Gothmog persists and Gimli hit him in the abdomen with his axe. Aragorn then cut through Gothmog's armor on the right side with his sword to finally bring the Orc down.

External links

References

  1. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Index of Names"
  2. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields"
  3. ↑ Steuard Jensen, "Gothmog as a Human", tolkien.slimy.com (accessed 16 April 2024)
  4. ↑ Robert Foster, The Complete Guide to Middle-earth, p. 172
  5. ↑ Peter C. Fenlon, Coleman Charlton, Jessica Ney, John Croudis, Keith Robley, Anders Blixt (1990), Gorgoroth (#3112)
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