Wormtongue a cannibal?

[Snowdog]

Originally Posted by ElanorGamgee

So, did Wormtongue really eat Lotho? Although the passage is chilling, I always assumed that Saruman's comment about Wormtongue being hungry lately was only a sick joke, probably out of jealousy at the hobbit's pity on the man, and when Worm says "You told me to; you made me do it," "it" is referring to the actual stabbing. What does everyone think? Was Wormtongue capable of such an act?

Hmm.... I think way back to the first time I read it, I just thought Saruman was berating Wormtongue by throwing the possibility of him eating Lotho out there. But maybe he did eat him. I'm sure Wormtongue thought about eating Eowyn back in his days at Meduseld....

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Snowdog

I'm sure Wormtongue thought about eating Eowyn back in his days at Meduseld....

That is all.

[Encaitare]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

That is all.

I poke my head in to the forums after a long time away and THIS is what I see? For shame, 'Downers, this used to be a family-friendly establishment!

[Galadriel55]

I would say Wormtongue at that stage was capable of cannibalism but only as a last resort, and once the murder victim disintegrates enough to be unrecognisable. I see him more as feeding on rotten stuff, being forbidden to touch Saruman's food, which would prompt the comment.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

I would say Wormtongue at that stage was capable of cannibalism but only as a last resort, and once the murder victim disintegrates enough to be unrecognisable. I see him more as feeding on rotten stuff, being forbidden to touch Saruman's food, which would prompt the comment.

And a nice little means for Saruman to assert his superiority in a twisted way. Wormtongue was already debased in having that as his new name. Leave it to Saruman to find a way to further knock him down.

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

And a nice little means for Saruman to assert his superiority in a twisted way. Wormtongue was already debased in having that as his new name. Leave it to Saruman to find a way to further knock him down.

Actually, now I begin to wonder how much my interpretation was influenced by the Russian translation of his name, Rot-mouth (and Saruman calls him Rot at the end). But in any case I still imagine him feeding off inedible quality food.

[Kuruharan]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

Granted, he'd been ordered apparently to stay out of sight and do his dirty work at night, but surely there was some sort of wretched food he could subsist on. There were the Shirrif-houses, and local Hobbit-holes and houses would have had gardens he could raid.

Originally Posted by Boromir88

And in this wonderful thread, SpM and I have it out, where I and a few others again put on a defense attorney hat and try to get Gollum off baby-eating charges.

The parallel to Gollum really is quite striking.

[HerenIstarion]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

Actually, now I begin to wonder how much my interpretation was influenced by the Russian translation of his name, Rot-mouth (and Saruman calls him Rot at the end). But in any case I still imagine him feeding off inedible quality food.

On a veeery veeery offtopic trend, my apologies, - so your first was Muraviev-Kistiakovsky translation, then? I remember Гнилоуст was theirs