When they arrive they find Rohan in the midst of a crisis. The guards will not speak to them in Common Tongue, forcing Gandalf to translate most of the exchange back and forth. One of Saruman's own men sits as chief advisor to Theoden, who has been enchanted to keep him weak of body and dull of mind. Eomer, upon returning from his ride during which we met him earlier, has been imprisoned. Finally, Theodred, the king's son, has been recently killed in battle. Rohan is on the brink of existential disaster.
Fortunately, there are those among Rohan's rank and file who realize their hard situation and are distrustful of the chief advisor, unsubtly named Gríma Wormtongue. Eomer's imprisonment is the last straw for them - but what can they do now? When Gandalf speaks to them in their own language they realize he may be their salvation. They escort them all to Edoras.
At the door to the king's hall there is another confrontation. The guard informs them that Gríma has forbidden all weapons from coming inside. Gandalf insists his staff is just a walking stick. The guard, Háma, says:
'The staff in the hand of a wizard may be more than a
prop for age' said Háma. He looked hard at the ash-staff
on which Gandalf leaned. 'Yet in doubt a man of worth
will trust to his own wisdom. I believe you are friends and folk
worthy of honour, who have no evil purpose. You may go in.'
These two decisions, to break the law of the land in pursuit of something else, allows our heroes to assist the Rohirrim. Gandalf is able to counter Saruman's enchantments and free King Theoden from Gríma's grip. Eomer is set free and Gríma flees. Rohan survives to fight another day.
Theoden, like any wise leader, does not rule autocratically. He surrounds himself with trustworthy people who share his goal - to do what is best for Rohan. These people have Theoden's interest in mind, sure, but they are not slaves or yes men and women. Being surrounded by those who always support you may feel good but it will lead you to failure and stagnation. When Theoden is being led astray by Gríma, his people can be depended on to right the situation. Let's examine:
The Rohirrim are told to greet strangers only in their own tongue. This is a protective move - it makes outsiders feel unwelcome and more likely to leave them alone - but it also prevents outsiders from helping, too. Gríma knows the more isolated Rohan becomes, the more dependent on him Theoden will become. When they hear Gandalf speaking in their language the guards see he must have been a friend of Rohan at one point, since he speaks their language with such ease.
Háma, too, finds himself in a difficult spot. He has orders to take everyone's weapons before allowing them entry (we learn Gríma specifically told him to take Gandalf's staff). But Háma does not enforce the order. As we saw earlier, Háma says "Yet in doubt a man of worth will trust to his own wisdom. I believe you are friends and folkworthy of honour, who have no evil purpose." Háma takes orders, but he is not a pawn. When there is a conflict he follows his conscience. Indeed, Theoden rewards Háma once he recovers from the enchantment.
People don't like when they are forced by circumstances to act against their moral sense. Theoden is saved not because his people are loyal to his commands (for indeed, while Gríma was making the decisions, the commands were proclaimed in Theoden's name), but because they are loyal to his values - to protect Rohan. If that means they must occasionally subvert his power, so be it.
Sometimes we will go astray. Whether our Gríma is a pet project or our own ego or we just stray from the course, all of us at some time or another lose sight of our goals. When that happens, we need to be surrounded not by people who support us, but by people who support our mission. Those are the people most likely to speak truthfully to us in need or to subvert bad directions. The best advisors are dedicated to the same ideals as you, but not necessarily dedicated to you.
The converse of all of this is true, too. Sometimes we are not Theoden, needing to be rescued from Gríma, but Gandalf, needing to provide redirection to someone. If they are surrounded by yes people, it will be more difficult. You will need to find a way to get under their skin, so to speak.
Michael Cohen's recent House testimony is a good example. By his own admission, he worked to empower and protect "a liar, a conman, and a racist," for years. But he has been caught, and he is going to pay for what he's done. No longer seeing any value in keeping quiet, he is speaking the truth. Is it to cleanse his previous sins? Is it to clear his mind? Is it to get attention? It doesn't really matter. He is a crack in the dam.
If you want to redirect (or fully replace) someone, your best bet is to start small. Find their allies who are dissatisfied, who feel they're being used for a purpose different than that for which they signed up. It may take a long time, but one's lower levels of support often hold key pieces of information. The guards Gandalf first speaks to are not given names in our text, yet their decisions are critical to how the chapter unfolds. No one is without value.
At the end of the chapter Theoden gives Eomer some relevant praise. "'I owe much to Éomer,' said Théoden. 'Faithful heart may have froward tongue.'" Sometimes the person we need protection from is ourselves. No one likes being denied, but those who love us and share our ideals must sometimes do it. They challenge us so we can grow. We must create a space for them to do so, and cultivate an atmosphere of constructive criticism.
Theoden, like any wise leader, does not rule autocratically. He surrounds himself with trustworthy people who share his goal - to do what is best for Rohan. These people have Theoden's interest in mind, sure, but they are not slaves or yes men and women. Being surrounded by those who always support you may feel good but it will lead you to failure and stagnation. When Theoden is being led astray by Gríma, his people can be depended on to right the situation. Let's examine:
The Rohirrim are told to greet strangers only in their own tongue. This is a protective move - it makes outsiders feel unwelcome and more likely to leave them alone - but it also prevents outsiders from helping, too. Gríma knows the more isolated Rohan becomes, the more dependent on him Theoden will become. When they hear Gandalf speaking in their language the guards see he must have been a friend of Rohan at one point, since he speaks their language with such ease.
Háma, too, finds himself in a difficult spot. He has orders to take everyone's weapons before allowing them entry (we learn Gríma specifically told him to take Gandalf's staff). But Háma does not enforce the order. As we saw earlier, Háma says "Yet in doubt a man of worth will trust to his own wisdom. I believe you are friends and folkworthy of honour, who have no evil purpose." Háma takes orders, but he is not a pawn. When there is a conflict he follows his conscience. Indeed, Theoden rewards Háma once he recovers from the enchantment.
People don't like when they are forced by circumstances to act against their moral sense. Theoden is saved not because his people are loyal to his commands (for indeed, while Gríma was making the decisions, the commands were proclaimed in Theoden's name), but because they are loyal to his values - to protect Rohan. If that means they must occasionally subvert his power, so be it.
Sometimes we will go astray. Whether our Gríma is a pet project or our own ego or we just stray from the course, all of us at some time or another lose sight of our goals. When that happens, we need to be surrounded not by people who support us, but by people who support our mission. Those are the people most likely to speak truthfully to us in need or to subvert bad directions. The best advisors are dedicated to the same ideals as you, but not necessarily dedicated to you.
The converse of all of this is true, too. Sometimes we are not Theoden, needing to be rescued from Gríma, but Gandalf, needing to provide redirection to someone. If they are surrounded by yes people, it will be more difficult. You will need to find a way to get under their skin, so to speak.
Michael Cohen's recent House testimony is a good example. By his own admission, he worked to empower and protect "a liar, a conman, and a racist," for years. But he has been caught, and he is going to pay for what he's done. No longer seeing any value in keeping quiet, he is speaking the truth. Is it to cleanse his previous sins? Is it to clear his mind? Is it to get attention? It doesn't really matter. He is a crack in the dam.
If you want to redirect (or fully replace) someone, your best bet is to start small. Find their allies who are dissatisfied, who feel they're being used for a purpose different than that for which they signed up. It may take a long time, but one's lower levels of support often hold key pieces of information. The guards Gandalf first speaks to are not given names in our text, yet their decisions are critical to how the chapter unfolds. No one is without value.
At the end of the chapter Theoden gives Eomer some relevant praise. "'I owe much to Éomer,' said Théoden. 'Faithful heart may have froward tongue.'" Sometimes the person we need protection from is ourselves. No one likes being denied, but those who love us and share our ideals must sometimes do it. They challenge us so we can grow. We must create a space for them to do so, and cultivate an atmosphere of constructive criticism.
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