Portrayed as the comic relief character in The Lord of the Rings film ranchise, the dwarf warrior Gimli is a fan favorite. But did you know of his trailblazing and progressive ways, or his capability to love? Did you know he has a sensitive side? What do you know about John Rhys-Davies, the actor who portrayed Gimli in the films? Did you know that he suffered physical pain while filming, or that he already had a breakout role long before partaking in the trilogy?
With his many axes and long red beard, it could be so easy to just think of Gimli as the funny, sort-of slow dwarf. But he’s so much more than that, and he deserves a better reputation than he currently holds. Read on for some untold trivia and details from the books, and have your mind opened to a much more multi-dimensional character than is often portrayed. Here are 20 Things You Didn't Know About Gimli.
20. He Founded A Dwarven Colony In The Glittering Caves
Everyone re the great Battle of Helm’s Deep in The Two Towers. It was, after all, one of the greatest battles portrayed on film. Ever. those caves behind the fortress where the women and children hid? Well, those were none other than the enchanting Glittering Caves, which Gimli still had time to ire for a moment, mid-battle. As an intricate and beautiful underground fortress, Gimli was not the first to be awe-struck by the magnitude of them; when Legolas first saw the Glittering Caves, he was speechless.
After the great war of the ring, Gimli returns to the Glittering Caves and, with the group of dwarves that accompany him, establishes a dwarven colony. Gimli is honored as Lord of the Glittering Caves.
Fans can visit the inspiration for Gimli’s dwarven colony at the Glittering Caves if they travel to the caves of Cheddar Gorge, in the county of Somerset, England.
19. His Name Means "Fire"
With Gimli’s striking red head of hair and long ginget beard, animated personality, and piercing eyes, "fire" seems a suitable descriptor for the rather fiery dwarf warrior.
The name Gimli originates from one of Tolkien’s Mannish dialects, meant to be based on the Viking language of Old Norse, and the remnants of which can still be found in Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, and Icelandic languages today.
Although Tolkien never put too much thought into what Gimli meant, mentioning the name’s meaning as an afterthought years later, much thought was put into deciding on Gimli as a name at all. Prior to choosing the name Gimli, working names considered by Tolkien were Frar and Burin, according to Christopher Tolkien’s History of Middle-Earth Volume 1: Return of the Shadow.
Fortunately, it was settled that his name should be Gimli, and thank goodness for that. Can we really imagine Gimli by any other name?!
18. He May Have Been In Love With Galadriel, Lady Of Lothlorien
when the Fellowship, in the first installment, visit the forest elves and meet Galadriel, Lady of Lothlorien (aka the stunning Cate Blanchett)? Gimli certainly re. When the Fellowship departs, Galadriel goes around the circle, honouring each member with a gift. When she reaches Gimli, asking him what he might want, he asks for just one hair from her golden head. She gives him three.
He is clearly enamored of her grace and beauty, and this respect for her resurfaces throughout the three installments. Gimli is known as "Elf Friend" to many, and his care for Galadriel might partly explain how he could have gone to the Undying Lands years later.
Whether Gimli’s respect for Galadriel was just that—respect—or if it was something more is a matter of contestation amongst fans. Most don’t go so far as imagining the possibility of a Gimli-Galadriel relationship, but the adoration Gimli has for Galadriel could be interpreted by many as love, platonic or otherwise.
17. He May Have Been A Better Orc-Slayer Than Legolas
The Legolas-Gimli orc slaying count has also been a hotly contested debate for fans. Most take Legolas’ side for his swift arrow shots, over Gimli’s rather precarious axe rampages.
But is it true? Consider this: For close combat, Legolas’s flimsy bows don’t stand a chance next to Gimli’s massive double-bladed axe, nor does Legolas possess the ion and drive that Gimli has. Not to mention, while perhaps Legolas could outdo Gimli in a remote orc-slaying contest from high up on a hill, for on-the-ground fighting, Gimli’s axe has no equal.
The real proof, however, lies in the results of the Battle at Helm’s Deep, as seen in the extended version of The Two Towers. In this scene, Legolas claims he’s killed 43 to Gimli’s 42, and although the results are again debatable, Gimli’s axe is already embedded in the orc’s nervous system, switching the count from 43 for Gimli to Legolas’s 42.
16. Gimli Is a Desirable Character In The Video Games
Considering dwarf warrior Gimli’s effective close combat style, it should be no surprise that this translates to the virtual world as well. Indeed, in the video games, Gimli is at least one of the most popular, if not the most popular choice of characters to choose from.
While not the fastest, his brute force is unparalleled, and his health gauge beats that of Legolas and Aragorn. He’s short, which plays to both his advantage and disadvantage— he can dodge things better as a smaller character, but he also cannot see as much as his adversaries.
Since he is much slower than Legolas and Aragorn, if you’re looking to run instead of fight, the other two might be better choices. However, for gamers looking to get right into the center of things (which you are often forced to do anyway), Gimli is the real head-on fighter of the clan, and will slay orcs like no other.
15. This Was Not The Actor’s Break Out Role
You would think the actor who portrays Gimli, John Rhys-Davies, after taking part in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, would never be ed for anything else. But this is definitely not the case for Rhys-Davies. Prior to playing Gimli, Rhys-Davies actually performed one of his breakout roles in the first installment of the Indiana Jones series, Raiders of the Lost Ark, in 1981. He appeared again in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989.
Rhys-Davies performed the part of Sallah: the jovial, loyal, enigmatic Egyptian friend to Indie, helping him in a few scrapes when Indie visits Northern Africa. The character Sallah has long been a fan favorite, rated on Entertainment Weekly’s list of top 50 best sidekicks of all time.
While Sallah may be a favourite sidekick for movie fans everywhere, we still think dwarf warrior Gimli takes the cake for his loyalty, humor, and ion. Either way, John Rhys-Davies is killin’ it.
14. John Rhys-Davies Is Not Of Conventional Dwarf Height
Between Orlando Bloom (Legolas), Vigo Mortensen (Aragorn), and John Rhys-Davies (Gimli), Rhys-Davies is actually the tallest of the three amigos - coming in at just over six feet, with both Bloom and Mortensen a touch shorter at 5'11.
Considering Rhys-Davies was cast as the dwarf, this is certainly surprising. How did the producers pull it off, and why?
There were several techniques used. For one, in scenes where just dwarves and hobbits interacted, no adjustments needed to be made, as Rhys-Davies and the actors who played hobbits were of proportional height differences (hobbits should be 3’6, and dwarves should be 4’6). In fact, casting of dwarves was done with taller-than-average actors taken into consideration, so that only two scale sets, rather than three, would need to be used.
Meanwhile, when hobbits, dwarves, men, and elves all filmed together, two shots needed to be taken, and the scenes would then be edited together at different scale sizes.
13. There Was Also An Elf Named Gimli
True to the "Elf Friend" nickname, dwarf Gimli was actually not the first of Tolkien’s characters to be named Gimli.
In The Tale of Tinuviel, there was a gnome/elf named Gimli, who was liberated with several other characters from slavery - now blind, but with a heightened sense of hearing. The story can be found in Christopher Tolkien’s The History of Middle-Earth Volume 2: The Book of Lost Tales. The Tale of Tinuviel was written in 1917 and later re-written and reformulated into the story The Tale of Beren and Luthien.
So, was the dwarf Gimli named after the elf Gimli from many years before that? Who knows, really. All we do know is that when it comes to being ed, Gimli the dwarf has done a much better job of it. Maybe Peter Jackson should further explore these lost tale stories and turn them into another Lord of the Rings franchise, so we can learn more about the various side stories and secrets. We certainly wouldn’t complain!
12. He Should Have Only Had One Axe
In the books, Gimli was supposed to only ever carry one special battle axe, but we prefer the film adaptation where there are several axes to ire! Plus, without his massive collection of axes, he would likely be unarmed, as he destroys at least two—one when he attempts to break the ring at the Council of Elrond, and one when he mistakes Gandalf (The White) for Saruman.
In the movies, Gimli carries as many as six axes. These include a bearded axe, a walking axe, a battle axe, two throwing axes, and of course, the iconic double-bladed axe. The double-bladed axe is the one used by Gimli in most of the great battles.
Given the number of axes he carries with him, fans have been quick to point out the inaccuracies of Gimli carrying six axes with him throughout the three installments. But doesn’t that explain why he was always so slow?!
11. He Was From A Family Of Trailblazers
Most know that Gimli was the only dwarf to partake in the fellowship of the ring, making him a dwarven trailblazer for the ages. Really, though, it should be of no surprise, considering that his dad, Gloin, also belonged to a super cool adventure team. Indeed, with his brother Oin and cousins Dwalin and Balin, Gloin took part in the Quest of Erebor, recapturing the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug.
Gloin, like his son Gimli, has a fiery character and brings unbridled loyalty to his friendships. In The Hobbit, Gloin and Bilbo Baggins soon form a fast friendship, just as Gimli did with Frodo years later.
Gloin is also present at the Council of Elrond with his son Gimli, though the specific actor portraying that character is never made clear. Clearly, though, bravery runs in the family, and Gimli is inspired to partake in adventure just as his father was.