In J. R. R. Tolkien

J. R. R. Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...

's Middle-earth

Middle-earth

Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....

 legendarium

Legendarium

Legendary may refer to:*A hagiography, or study of the lives of saints and other religious figures**The South English Legendary, a Middle English legendary*A legend-Entertainment:*Legendary, an album by Kaysha*Legendary...

, Gorlim the Unhappy was the son of Angrim and one of the twelve companions of Barahir

Barahir

Barahir is a fictional character in the fantasy-world Middle-earth of the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. He appears in The Silmarillion, the epic poem The Lay of Leithian and the Grey Annals.-Character overview:...

. In the Lay of Leithian it is told how Barahir, last lord of the Men

Man (Middle-earth)

The race of Men in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth books, such as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, refers to humanity and does not denote gender...

 of Ladros (Dorthonion

Dorthonion

In the fictional world of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, Dorthonion , later Taur-nu-Fuin, was a highland region of the First Age, lying immediately to the north of Beleriand, and south of the plains of Ard-galen that extended north to Morgoth's stronghold of Thangorodrim...

), remained as an outlaw in his own land after it was lost to Morgoth

Morgoth

Morgoth Bauglir is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth legendarium. He is the main antagonist of The Silmarillion, figures in The Children of Húrin, and is mentioned briefly in The Lord of the Rings.Melkor was the most powerful of the Ainur, but turned to darkness and became...

 in the Dagor Bragollach

Dagor Bragollach

In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, the Dagor Bragollach was the fourth battle of the Wars of Beleriand...

. (See Barahir

Barahir

Barahir is a fictional character in the fantasy-world Middle-earth of the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. He appears in The Silmarillion, the epic poem The Lay of Leithian and the Grey Annals.-Character overview:...

)

Gorlim had a wife named Eilinel whom he had left when he went off to war against Morgoth. He returned from battle to find his house destroyed and plundered, and his wife gone. However, he maintained a hope that Eilinel was not dead or captured, and occasionally would return from Barahir's camp at Tarn Aeluin to his old house, seeking his wife. This soon became known to Sauron

Sauron

Sauron is the primary antagonist and titular character of the epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.In the same work, he is revealed to be the same character as "the Necromancer" from Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit...

, the chief servant of Morgoth in Dorthonion and master of shapes and phantoms. One night, as he returned to the house, he saw Eilinel at the window, weeping and calling his name. He called back to her, but at that moment she disappeared and he was captured by orcs

Orc (Middle-earth)

In J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings, Orcs or Orks are a race of creatures who are used as soldiers and henchmen by both the greater and lesser villains of The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings — Morgoth, Sauron and Saruman...

.

He was brought captive before Sauron, who sought to know Barahir's hiding-place. He violently tortured Gorlim until he agreed that he would tell where Barahir was hiding if he could be reunited with Eilinel, whom he supposed now to be captured. Sauron accepted, and Gorlim betrayed Barahir. Sauron revealed then to Gorlim that Eilinel was long dead, and that what he had thought was his wife was a phantom intended to trick him. But Sauron remembered that he had agreed to reunite Gorlim with his wife, and put Gorlim to death.

And Gorlim then they dragged away, and cruelly slew him; and at last in the dark mould his body cast, where Eilinel long since had lain in the burned woods by butchers slain.    Thus Gorlim died an evil death, and cursed himself with dying breath. (The Lay of Leithian)

Gorlim appeared as a spectre before Beren

Beren

Beren is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in The Silmarillion. Huan spoke to him.-Character overview:...

, who was out hunting, and confessed his deeds, "begging forgiveness, wept, and passed out into darkness". Beren came too late, after Orcs had slain all of Barahir's remaining men, but later reclaimed the Ring of Barahir, heirloom of his house, and escaped alive.

Other versions of the legendarium

In the first version of the Lay of Leithian, it was Morgoth himself, not Sauron, that tricked Gorlim into betraying Barahir.