Théoden, son of Thengel was the King of Rohan towards the end of the Third Age; during the War of the Ring and a major character in J.R.R Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Peter Jackson's films of the same name.
He was the uncle of Éomer and Éowyn and the father of Théodred. During the war, he was brainwashed by Saruman the White and under the control, he unintentionally allowed orcs to roam the plains of Rohan and kill and destroy in their path. Saruman appointed Grima Wormtongue, Théoden's trusted servant to speak for Théoden. He was saved by Gandalf and offered his allegiance with the Fellowship in the war. He lost his son Théodred in battle and banished Eomer. Determined to save his people from Saruman, he retreats to Helm's Deep where one of the major battles of the war would occur. After the victory at Helm's Deep and the death of Saruman, Théoden reluctantly rode to Minas Tirith to aid Gondor in the Battle of Pelennor Fields against Mordor. He was attacked on the battlefield by the Witch-king of Angmar and almost slain but was rescued by Eowyn who slew the Ringwraith. He thanked his niece and died from his wounds. Théoden appeared in The Two Towers & The Return of the King and was portrayed by the late Bernard Hill.
His Good Ranking[]
What Makes Him Close to Being Pure Good?[]
- He successfully ruled Rohan for many years.
- When his sister died, he adopted her daughter Éowyn and son Éomer and cared for them.
- Due to the fact that Grima brainwashed him, he was not to blame for what was happening at that moment and the orders he gave essentially came from Grima, and not from Théoden himself.
- He feels guilty for the death of his son, although he is not to blame for what happened.
- He leads the battle at Helm's Deep and personally participates in it. This is also the moment he overcomes insecurities he had as the king of Rohan deep down at last.
- He warns Gimli and Aragorn to get away from a dangerous place in the battle.
- He goes to negotiate with Saruman alongside Gimli, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gandalf the White. He even pleas to Grima to leave Saruman's side only for him ended up backstabbing Saruman for another abuse and shot by Legolas as a result.
- He gathers an army to help Gondor. He does it even despite he himself highlights (in films at least) that Gondor never helped Rohan before.
- He inspires the soldiers before battle.
- He participates in the battle for Gondor, and although he dies in the battle, it is his actions that become one of the key ones in this battle and become one of the reasons for the victory of Gondor.
What Prevents Him From Being Pure Good?[]
- He is sometimes irreasonable. For example, he refused to ask for help when he needed to win the Battle of Helm's Deep, and although his motivation is understandable, since he did not want to depend on anyone, but to solve his problem on his own, there was no guarantee that he himself would have won this battle. If the elves had not come to his aid, and Gandalf had not brought Eomer with his army, the battle would have certainly ended in Théoden and all his people dead.
- When his wife and sister died, he essentially let his grief get the better of him, which was an indirect reason why Grima brainwashed him.
- He has a lethal moment. He tries to kill Grima after Gandalf heals him, and although he had his reasons for this, this act is too serious for a PG character.
External Links[]
- Théoden on the Heroes Wiki
- Théoden on the The Lord of the Rings Wiki
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 Near Pure Goods
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Both Peter Jackson Books | ||