I have been thinking recently on one of the more glaring textual problems in LOTR, a seeming error from the normally meticulous pen of Professor Tolkien. At the Battle of Helm’s Deep, Éomer is ambushed by Uruk-hai, and only saved by the timely intervention of Gimli the Dwarf, who slays two speedily. In response to Éomer’s gratitude, Gimli expresses satisfaction, saying,
‘Till now I have hewn naught but wood since I left Moria.’
The Lord of the Rings, Book III, Chapter 7, ‘Helm’s Deep’, by J.R.R. Tolkien
Yet, at Amon Hen and the Breaking of the Fellowship, Legolas has this to say when he and Gimli come across the grieving Aragorn by the body of Boromir:
So it was that Legolas and Gimli found him. They came from the western slopes of the hill, silently, creeping through the trees as if they were hunting. Gimli had his axe in hand, and Legolas his long knife: all his arrows were spent. When they came into the glade they halted in amazement; and then they stood a moment with heads bowed in grief, for it seemed to them plain what had happened.
‘Alas!’ said Legolas, coming to Aragorn’s side. ‘We have hunted and slain many Orcs in the woods, but we should have been of more use here. We came when we heard the horn – but too late, it seems. I fear you have taken deadly hurt.’
LOTR, Book III, Chapter 1, ‘The Departure of Boromir’
Noted Tolkien scholars and commentators Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull even address this seeming contradiction (and their reason for not changing it) in their “Note on the 50th Anniversary Edition”, in which they elucidated a number of changes and errors that have crept into the text of LOTR over the years or were initially missed by Tolkien when he submitted the manuscript for publication:
Most of the demonstrable errors noted by Christopher Tolkien in The History of Middle-earth also have been corrected, such as the distance from the Brandywine Bridge to the Ferry (ten miles rather than twenty) and the number of Merry’s ponies (five rather than six), shadows of earlier drafts. But those inconsistencies of content, such as Gimli’s famous (and erroneous) statement in Book III, Chapter 7, ‘Till now I have hewn naught but wood since I left Moria’, which would require rewriting to emend rather than simple correction, remain unchanged.
LOTR, ‘Note on the 50th Anniversary Edition’, by Hammond and Scull
A simple error, then, of text, agreed upon as such by the best Tolkien scholars there are.
And yet. And yet is this the end of the story? I say no.
Over the previous days, I have embarked upon an incredible analytical journey to uncover a wealth of subtextual material that, if not for this all-too-revealing comment by Gimli, may have been hidden forever. I have studied clues, uncovered hidden meanings, and come to realise that, under the surface of the already complex and multi-faceted stories of LOTR, there is a tale of intrigue, of betrayal, of greed and of redemption…all of which is told through the merest of hints and allusions peppered through the text.
This, then, for the first time, is the tale of how Gimli Gloín’s son operated, as a double agent, under the command of Saruman the White.
In order to pick this mystery apart, it is first worth considering why Gimli would make such a claim in the first place. Mere forgetfulness? Unlikely. Perhaps an attempt to deceive Éomer and Aragorn in the moment? Also seems implausible, given how off the cuff the remark is. Did Gimli simply have a dry day at Amon Hen? Also unlikely, given how capable he shows himself to be in every other combat engagement throughout the story.
Nay, I believe that Gimli deliberately did not kill any of the Orcs who attacked the Fellowship at Amon Hen. Let’s go back to the relevant passage at the start of book III:
So it was that Legolas and Gimli found him. They came from the western slopes of the hill, silently, creeping through the trees as if they were hunting. Gimli had his axe in hand, and Legolas his long knife: all his arrows were spent. When they came into the glade they halted in amazement; and then they stood a moment with heads bowed in grief, for it seemed to them plain what had happened.
‘Alas!’ said Legolas, coming to Aragorn’s side. ‘We have hunted and slain many Orcs in the woods, but we should have been of more use here. We came when we heard the horn – but too late, it seems. I fear you have taken deadly hurt.’
‘Boromir is dead,’ said Aragorn. ‘I am unscathed, for I was not here with him. He fell defending the hobbits, while I was away upon the hill.’ ‘The hobbits!’ cried Gimli. ‘Where are they then? Where is Frodo?’
LOTR, Book III, Chapter 1
Note first the description and reaction of Legolas. We are told that “all his arrows were spent”, and later see him foraging for them – plainly, Legolas has been engaged in battle. Legolas is also the one who speaks first, because there is no deceit in him – his is a full and honest reaction. And, though he says that “we” have hunted Orcs, we are not shown this – for all we know, Legolas did indeed fight Orcs, and found Gimli later in the woods, before the two of them heard the horn of Gondor.
Gimli, by contrast, is initially silent, calculating and weighing the situation. He has found Legolas, and lied to him that he too was engaged in strife, but he is reticent to repeat the lie to Aragorn. Gimli’s reaction is rather upon hearing Aragorn mention the Hobbits, eagerly asking where they are, where is Frodo.
Perhaps too eagerly.
For on what errand was Gimli engaged, if not hunting Orc? Further, how could he have avoided the Orcs, given how thick the woods were with them? The answer is simple. Gimli did not avoid the Orcs, because he was in league with them. Gimli found the Orcs (or they him) and they exchanged information, advice, especially on Gimli’s side. And, given the mission of the Orcs and the mission of the Fellowship, as well as Gimli’s quick question to Aragorn concerning Frodo, it should be plain what the nature of Gimli’s information concerned.
Gimli was a spy of Saruman’s, planted within the Fellowship from the beginning. When the Fellowship split and fled through the woods, Gimli went straight to his Orc handlers, to give up Frodo. Here, crucial miscommunication occurred – Gimli, perhaps, thought that Boromir would have had the best chance of finding Frodo (having seen him last) and so directed the Uruk-hai after Boromir. Boromir, being found in the company of Merry and Pippin, was killed, and the latter two were captured as the assumed Ringbearer – likely, they were taken back to Gimli for positive identification. In the meantime however, Gimli had been found by an unsuspecting Legolas, and was forced to resume his cover – hence, the Orc company beat a hasty retreat, and Gimli is now desperate to know whether the right targets were seized.
Not convinced? That’s ok – the narrative is sound, but it is not unreasonable to search for additional textual support.
There were four goblin-soldiers of greater stature, swart, slant-eyed, with thick legs and large hands. They were armed with short broad-bladed swords, not with the curved scimitars usual with Orcs; and they had bows of yew, in length and shape like the bows of Men. Upon their shields they bore a strange device: a small white hand in the centre of a black field; on the front of their iron helms was set an S-rune, wrought of some white metal.
‘I have not seen these tokens before,’ said Aragorn. ‘What do they mean?’
‘S is for Sauron,’ said Gimli. ‘That is easy to read.’
‘Nay!’ said Legolas. ‘Sauron does not use the elf-runes.’
‘Neither does he use his right name, nor permit it to be spelt or spoken,’
said Aragorn. ‘And he does not use white. The Orcs in the service of Barad- dûr use the sign of the Red Eye.’ He stood for a moment in thought. ‘S is for Saruman, I guess,’ he said at length. ‘There is evil afoot in Isengard, and the West is no longer safe.
LOTR, Book III, Chapter 1
In this passage from the same chapter, we see Gimli at work trying to sow misinformation and falsehoods – “S is for Sauron”, indeed. The words of a guessing idiot? Or a ploy to throw Aragorn and Legolas off the scent? It would serve Gimli well to throw suspicion away from Saruman in this moment, and so he tries to encourage Aragorn to believe that it is servants of Sauron who are responsible – a quick attempt at sowing misinformation. We see more of this misdirection in the following chapter, though rather more subtly on Gimli’s part:
There was a silence, for suddenly the dark and unknown forest, so near at hand, made itself felt as a great brooding presence, full of secret purpose. After a while Legolas spoke again.
‘Celeborn warned us not to go far into Fangorn,’ he said. ‘Do you know why, Aragorn? What are the fables of the forest that Boromir had heard?’
‘I have heard many tales in Gondor and elsewhere,’ said Aragorn, ‘but if it were not for the words of Celeborn I should deem them only fables that Men have made as true knowledge fades. I had thought of asking you what was the truth of the matter. And if an Elf of the wood does not know, how shall a Man answer?’
‘You have journeyed further than I,’ said Legolas. ‘I have heard nothing of this in my own land, save only songs that tell how the Onodrim, that Men call Ents, dwelt there long ago; for Fangorn is old, old even as the Elves would reckon it.’
‘Yes, it is old,’ said Aragorn, ‘as old as the forest by the Barrow-downs, and it is far greater. Elrond says that the two are akin, the last strongholds of the mighty woods of the Elder Days, in which the Firstborn roamed while Men still slept. Yet Fangorn holds some secret of its own. What it is I do not know.’
‘And I do not wish to know,’ said Gimli. ‘Let nothing that dwells in Fangorn be troubled on my account!
LOTR, Book III, Chapter 2, ‘The Riders of Rohan’
Here, the observations are twofold. First, see how Gimli does not interrupt the dialogue of Aragorn and Legolas concerning Fangorn. Naturally, the pair do not think Gimli would have much to add concerning these far distant lands, and there is no reason for Gimli to correct them. For Gimli has travelled Rohan, most assuredly, and likely has been through Fangorn to Isengard. How else would he have met with Saruman in the first place, and negotiated the terms under which he would serve the White Wizard? For there were terms, a deal struck – there is no reason to suspect Gimli worked for Saruman out of charity! But we will return to that.
Suffice it to say further, though, that while Gimli does not contribute to the discussion of Aragorn and Legolas, he does make his opposition to entering Fangorn known. The hesitancy of a superstitious, axe-bearing Dwarf? Or the sudden realisation that, if there be eyes in Fangorn, those eyes may well have spied Gimli Glóin’s son on his previous errands – and that those eyes could well speak and betray his secrets?
Nonetheless, despite Gimli’s continued and repeated arguments against entering Fangorn, the Three Hunters do so, and make camp there.
Suddenly Gimli looked up, and there just on the edge of the firelight stood an old bent man, leaning on a staff, and wrapped in a great cloak; his wide-brimmed hat was pulled down over his eyes. Gimli sprang up, too amazed for the moment to cry out, though at once the thought flashed into his mind that Saruman had caught them. Both Aragorn and Legolas, roused by his sudden movement, sat up and stared. The old man did not speak or make a sign.
LOTR, Book III, Chapter 2
The old man episode is one of the creepiest unexplained episodes in the entire story. That it was probably Saruman is later established by Gandalf, who denies having seen the trio at camp. It has long been assumed that Saruman had personally set out from Orthanc in order to search the burned heap of Orcs left by the Rohirrim, or was at the least projecting some phantasm in order to spy out the happenings in the area.
But what if he had an additional purpose, a purpose that drew him to the Three Hunters? What if he intended to consult with Gimli, his spy?
Note how Gimli does not cry out on seeing the old man. Indeed, his rousing of Aragorn and Legolas is entirely involuntary, which seems strange indeed given that Gimli was on watch. No shout to rouse his ‘friends’, no surreptitious movement to alert them. No, Gimli did not want them to awaken at that moment, so that he could finally consult with his master, share in full the happenings at Amon Hen and since, and receive orders on how to proceed.
Even more damning is how obsessed Gimli then becomes with the “old man”, bringing it up loudly at every opportunity over the following few chapters. This is Gimli at his most flustered and worried, knowing full well that he very nearly blew his cover, and so overreacting to a comical degree in order to assure anyone who will listen that the old man incident was A Surprise to him.
At this point, evidence is looking very conclusive – and, at this point, we come to a crucial moment in the hidden story of Gimli. The turn of the double agent. For at this point in the narrative, Gandalf re-enters. And not just Gandalf, but Gandalf the White. And, for the first time in possibly years, Gimli’s faith in the superiority of his master is shaken. We see this doubt in a passage soon after Gandalf’s healing of Théoden.
At the gate they found a great host of men, old and young, all ready in the saddle. More than a thousand were there mustered. Their spears were like a springing wood. Loudly and joyously they shouted as Théoden came forth. Some held in readiness the king’s horse, Snowmane, and others held the horses of Aragorn and Legolas. Gimli stood ill at ease, frowning, but Éomer came up to him, leading his horse.
LOTR, Book III, Chapter 6, ‘The King of the Golden Hall’
The text leads us to believe that Gimli is merely uncomfortable at the prospect of riding a horse, but why should he be? He has already been borne by both Legolas and Gandalf (itself a biting metaphor, for how Gimli himself has parasite-like attached himself to the Fellowship), and has no reason to suspect he will be left behind now. Nay, Gimli, for the first time in the story, is doubtful. Doubtful as to whether allying himself with Saruman is the surest way to achieve his goal.
And what be that goal? What could Saruman the White have tempted Gimli the Dwarf with, what could the wizard have promised him in victory, in order to win his allegiance long months or even years ago?
Why, the answer is simple. Aglarond, The Glittering Caves, that lay in the White Mountains behind Helm’s Deep.
We are led to believe that Gimli first sees the Caves during the Battle of Helm’s Deep – but what evidence have we for this, other than from his own lying tongue? Indeed, Gimli’s poetic and eloquent description of the Caves and their beauty to Legolas after the battle, reads like it has been long-pondered and considered. How, in the heat of battle and the panic of war, could Gimli have seen or observed so much of the beauty and grandeur of the Caves?
The answer is simple – this is not the first time Gimli has been there. He has travelled to these caves in secret, long before the Quest of the Fellowship, and through them was he ensnared by Saruman, who promised him lordship and mastery of them once Rohan had fallen. This was the bait that captured Gimli.
But Gimli is no mere agent of evil, either – he is a complex and a wary player in his own right. And now, at the Battle of Helm’s Deep, he sees an unbelievable opportunity for himself. If Saruman be victorious, than all is well and their webs of deceit shall continue tightening.
But if, if the Rohirrim win out? Then Gimli can continue working with them. So good a job has he done as a double agent, so deep undercover he has wormed himself, that none suspect him – and he knows this. If the Rohirrim win, then Gimli can turn on his former master without pause, and none will be the wiser – and, having won valour and renown, Gimli is full aware that he may yet be granted the Caves by the King of Rohan for his service.
So, during the Battle of Helm’s Deep, Gimli retreats to the Caves (note how he knew exactly where to go!), prepared to emerge as their eventual master no matter who won the battle. And, with the victory of Gandalf and Théoden, Gimli realises that, without skipping a beat, he is able to continue working for the Free Peoples, as he has pretended to all along. Truly, this be a master of duplicity and double-dealing.
Yet it is not the end of the story.
For, though Gimli has now switched sides, Saruman does not know this. And Gimli knows that Saruman does not know, and realises he can exploit this for all that it is worth.
So Théoden and his company set out for Orthanc, and there they meet with Merry and Pippin. Gimli, in particular, is interested to hear their story, given the pivotal role he played in it. Indeed, Gimli’s attention to detail regarding all things concerning the business of Isengard can be seen when he picks up on a throwaway remark by one of the hobbits, following it up much later:
They all fell silent for a while. Gimli re-filled his pipe. ‘There is one thing I wonder about,’ he said as he lit it with his flint and tinder: ‘Wormtongue. You told Théoden he was with Saruman. How did he get there?’
LOTR, Book III, Chapter 9, ‘Flotsam and Jetsam’
As highly important agents in Saruman’s employ, it is reasonable to assume that Gimli and Gríma were passingly familiar with each other. Indeed, it is exceedingly likely that Gríma is the one who recruited Gimli long years ago, recognising the same desires in the Dwarf that he was ensnared by and bringing him before Saruman. Gimli is also aware that Gríma may now be a liability, and is therefore anxious to know what he has said or told – the fact that Wormtongue was forced into the tower, rather than being interrogated and giving up Gimli’s own secrets, is doubtless a great relief to the Dwarf.
And so, Gimli sets the final piece of his own little trap, as he insists on coming to the parley with Saruman.
‘As you will,’ said Gandalf. ‘Aragorn shall come with me. Let the others await us at the foot of the stairs. They will hear and see enough, if there is anything to hear or see.’
‘Nay!’ said Gimli. ‘Legolas and I wish for a closer view. We alone here represent our kindreds. We also will come behind.’
LOTR, Book III, Chapter 10, ‘The Voice of Saruman’
Gimli, of course, knows Saruman well and does not need to see him. However, Gimli wants Saruman to see him, to deceive the latter that he is still positioned and ready for action.
Whatever coded messages Gimli and Saruman exchange during this public meeting cannot be deciphered through context alone, though doubtless Gimli played his part well, well enough to convince Saruman he was still loyal. We know this in part because Saruman does not expose the cover of his ‘ally’. Further, we know this because Saruman clearly intended to communicate further with Gimli, in order to salvage victory – hence, the order for Wormtongue to cast a palantír to Gimli as he left.
This was a desperate move on Saruman’s part, but not foolish. He knew that Gimli could use the palantír to speak directly with Sauron, to explain where the plan fell apart (since Saruman is operating with imperfect information). Saruman likely even hoped that he would then receive the news from Gimli in full via a Nazgûl, perhaps even a backup palantír to facilitate further communication.
However, Wormtongue’s throw is poorly judged, and the palantír ends up in the hands of Pippin. And, as Gimli now had no intent of using it at all, he does not protest or struggle over the handling of the globe. In book V, though, we receive this small reminder that he was meant to use the Stone to speak with Sauron and/or his allies:
‘A struggle somewhat grimmer for my part than the battle of the Hornburg,’ answered Aragorn. ‘I have looked in the Stone of Orthanc, my friends.’
‘You have looked in that accursed stone of wizardry!’ exclaimed Gimli with fear and astonishment in his face. ‘Did you say aught to – him?’
LOTR, Book V, Chapter 2, ‘The Passing of the Grey Company’
A fleeting moment of fear for the newly repentant double agent, realising that Sauron may have inadvertently revealed his treachery to Aragorn. But Aragorn did not think to probe the mind of Sauron, and Sauron himself was likely too surprised to react. Gimli, through a stroke of luck, passes the final hurdle.
And by this point, Gimli’s double-dealing victory is settled. He rides out the remainder of the War as an ally of the West, and is in latter days granted lordship over the Glittering Caves – doubtless after years of careful scheming, subtle politicking, perhaps even a well-chosen poisoning or two.
So, to sum up this extraordinary tale. In the few years before the War of the Ring started, Gimli the Dwarf comes across the Glittering Caves during his secret travels across Middle-earth. Coveting them, he is ensnared (possibly by Gríma Wormtongue) and brought into the service of Saruman the White (himself a former pupil of Aulë, Father of the Dwarves), with the Caves being promised to him as reward for his aid. Gimli, knowing the One Ring to be in the possession of Baggins, contrives to be present in Rivendell when the Fellowship is formed, and exploits (likely even forces) a demand for “racial representation” to force his way into the company. For months, Gimli sincerely guards the Ringbearer, escorting him as close as possible to the borders of Saruman’s lands, where a trap is sprung. Gimli meets with his Orc allies in the woods of Amon Hen, and tries to direct them to follow Boromir in order to seize Frodo and his servant. However, Legolas discovers Gimli in the midst of this plot and Gimli is forced to maintain his cover. Upon realising that the Uruk-hai captured the wrong hobbits, Gimli is forced to abandon the Ringbearer and trust that others will hunt him down….Gimli must now return to Orthanc to debrief and receive new orders. However, upon seeing the returned Gandalf and subsequently participating in Saruman’s failed offensive against Rohan, Gimli realises that he has chosen the wrong side…but also that he is incredibly well-positioned to turn traitor once more, with none being the wiser. He exploits this triple agent status to extract valuable resources and information from Saruman, and, despite the risk of his web of falsehoods being revealed by Treebeard, by Wormtongue, or even by Sauron himself, Gimli is able to dodge all such happenings, and later uses his “heroic” actions as justification to claim dominion over the Glittering Caves – his long, secret goal these many years.
And, in proof of the greatness of J.R.R. Tolkien, this entire thrilling, complex story of espionage, of treachery and of subterfuge is revealed through a single line of dialogue, a pithy quip – “Till now I have hewn naught but wood since I left Moria.” Truly, a master at his literary craft.
This may scarcely seem believable, but I assure you, no other version of events fits the text as well as mine does. It may seem ludicrous, far-fetched, cherry-picked, needlessly complex, and flimsily justified, but this is not my fault. Rather, such a thrilling tale must always seem unbelievable, its myriad twists and turns be so heightened as to bewilder the senses and baffle reason. Indeed, were it a more mundane tale, it would lose also its drama and scope. I am sure that, upon reading the text of LOTR more closely, with careful attention paid to this hidden story and the clues sprinkled throughout that allude to it, you will realise that my interpretation of the tale is the right one.
And for any who still doubt? I present one final, thrilling piece of evidence sure to silence the naysayers: Happy April 1, dear readers. Until next time.
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