Théoden decided to go forth to battle at the Fords of Isen, and Gríma was given a choice: prove his loyalty and ride into battle with the king, or ride into exile. Upon Théoden's restoration, "many things which men had missed" were found locked in Gríma's trunk, including the king's sword, Herugrim. His schemes were foiled when Gandalf the White and his companions arrived at Edoras, and convinced the king that he was not as weak as his adviser had made him seem. Her brother Éomer accused him of "watching her under his lids and haunting her steps". Saruman had promised him Éowyn, the king's niece, as a reward for his services. Once it was a man, and it did you service in its fashion. See, Théoden, here is a snake! To slay it would be just. I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a serving-man till the lightning falls. Therefore be silent, and keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. The wise speak only of what they know, Gríma son of Gálmód. In Old English wyrm means "serpent, snake, dragon", and Gandalf repeatedly compares him to a snake: Gríma was widely disliked in Edoras everyone except Théoden called him "Wormtongue". Tolkien describes him as "a wizened figure of a man, with a pale wise face, and heavy lidded eyes", and a "long pale tongue". Gríma, son of Gálmód, was at first a faithful servant, but he eventually fell in league with Saruman, and from then on worked to weaken Théoden and his kingdom through lies and persuasion, in his position as chief advisor to the King. The name Gríma derives from the Old English or Icelandic word meaning "mask", "helmet" or "spectre". He is presumptive, behaving as if he already rules Rohan, and exemplifies lechery, as correctly guessed by Gandalf he hopes to become rich, and to take Éowyn as the woman he desires. Tolkien scholars note that Tolkien based Wormtongue on the untrustworthy character Unferth in Beowulf. To some psychologists, Wormtongue serves as an archetypal sycophant. He is introduced in The Two Towers as the chief advisor to King Théoden of Rohan and henchman of Saruman. He appears in the second and third volumes of the work, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, and his role is expanded in Unfinished Tales. Gríma, called (the) Wormtongue, is a fictional character in J. For the Icelandic poet, see Gunnlaugr Ormstunga.