Gimli is a 10/10 example of a comic relief character who is actually funny and isn't obnoxious and is actually useful and doesn't just sit around for no reason.
It works for Gimli because A.) He's useful and does far more than just make jokes B.) His humor is very character-specific. Every funny thing he says is funny because it's Gimli saying it, and the humorous ways he responds to various situations are very in-character
one big issue i have with the extended editions is there's even more gimli comic relief, when it would've been nice if he had been fleshed out at least a little more.
@@Definitely_Not_Sheev_Palpatine This is true. Merry and Pippin were able to deliver the slapstick or dimwitted styles of joke, Smeagol/Gollum the nonsensical and strange and Gimli the hyper masculine competitive humour. Spreading the humour across characters like this allows each character to breathe and have a rational reason for being included in the plot. Compare Jar Jar. Had he been clumsy under pressure but keen to consider options when given time to do so, he could've been a valuable foil to Anakin's rage. Were he a physical specimen with no mind for strategy or decision making, he would counter the Jedi teaching neatly yet remain a useful ally. Meanwhile, C3PO and R2D2 could've taken some comedic aspects from him - as could young Anakin and even Yoda.
"Dad, will you tell me about the battle of Helms Deep?" "It was a dark night, the smell of blood and the rotting meat filled the air around me as I drew my last Breath...then a mighty Dwarven warrior saved me...I'll never forget what he said" "What did he say dad?" "32"
this is the line that converted me into a Gimli fan. i love him so much and it took 20 years. it was when i put captions on the extended version for the first time and read every line. he said that and i immediately loved what a bad ass he was. never really realized it growing up.
i dig the german translation here more. "Hier ist noch ein Zwerg der nicht zu Staub zerfallen ist". which would translate to "there is still one more dwarf who hasn't crumbled to dust."
If you pay attention, you'll notice Gimli only had the single head axes till he got to the Mines of Moria. He aquired the Double Sided Axe used throughout the trilogy in the tomb and that axe belonged to his father's cousin Balin....known as the Lord of Moria.
@@aeroanosupremo No Idea, but in the book, the chamber they're in is called the "Chamber of Mazabel", or the Chamber of Records. Before the fight, they found a book in there, which chronicled the fortunes of Balin's expedition, and it explicitly mentions both "Durin's Axe" and "something Helm", probably relics that the dwarves retrieved from wherever the King of the Dwarves' regalia was stolen off to by the orcs. If I'm right, then the axe Gimli picked up to use in that fight, and which he kept for the rest of the adventure is that so-named Durin's Axe. The Axe of the Dwarven King. But that's just my wild speculation. ^^
Gimli is secretly the most intelligent Creature at his time. He knew about the nervous system at a time when people believed thoughts originated in the heart.
Well considering there are wizards that work magic. There might be more efficient studies on the human body. So people's knowing about the nervouss system isn't that surprising.
*You missed the most heartwarming one of them all:* "Never thought I'd die fighting side-by-side with an Elf." "What about fighting side-by-side with a friend?" "Aye, I could do that."
"We Dwarfs are natural sprinters, very dangerous on short distances!" No one believed that in 2002, but then 11 years later Bombur proved us all wrong!
melkor lapich That the opposite is true? That dwarves are better cross country than sprinting because of their short legs but great endurance? Yeah, it’s supposed to. That was the whole point of Gimli’s line, it’s the same way he said he has the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox but failed to notice the elves drawing their bowstrings in his face. It was meant to be completely contradictory to reality.
The lord of the rings had such masculine male characters. But they were definitely not toxic because they fought for the ones they loved and cared about.
He works as a comic relief, because as someone said in this comment section, they split the comic relief between him, Merry and Pippin and, oddly enough, Gollum; all with their own way of being funny.
@@SubduedRadical Right! Its surely a huge Moral boost to the troops. "That Dwarf is killing them all by himself! His at Twenty already!" And how quickly he counted when smacking down the orc's on the ladders. "His really getting em!" And his rather "calm" counting might even have had a slight calming effect among all that chaos.
Omenakookos haha yes! Same with Richard Armitage (Thorin). I think Lee Pace was the tallest main actor at 6'4", but Richard and Graham McTavish were very close behind, both over 6'. Yet they have to appear to be about 5' tall. Movie magic is great.
“Where is he?! I’m gonna kill him!!” *bursts into tears the minute he sees Aragorn* Also Gimli counting his kills in the voice of a bear is the coolest thing I’ve heard today.
It's a credit to the LOTR that it still feels like believeable fiction without taking you out of the adventure despite them being able to rack up all those kills. Meanwhile the Studio made Hobbit movies have scenes where the characters talk about being ready to take on 100s (1000s?) of Orcs on their way in open ground with no cover as just the two of them and it seems so silly and like you're watching a dumb video game instead lol.
I really love how you can hear Giml I counting as he kills orcs even when the camera zooms out. It's like the whole battle is made up of men and elves and a ton of orcs and then there's this one noisy dwarf who can be heard the whole time screaming while he's wracking up kills.
John Rhys Davies who played Gimli was the tallest member of the fellowship, 20 years later I still love that fact. He also decided to portray Gimli with predominantly a Scottish accent, with a smattering of others, yet as Treebeard he stuck with Welsh, which he his.
Not a lot of people know why gimli being given 3 of galadriels hairs is so important. It's a long story. But to sum it up quick. She deemed him to be completely pure of heart.
I add more. Centuries before Faenor, perhaps the greatest elven smith in the Middle Earth and grandfather of Celebrimbor, asked for a single strand of her hair. Yet Galadriel refused. She felt the darkness on his heart, the greed and envy running inside him. And he requested it in 3 ocasions. Granting three to Gimli is, as result, a proof that she trusts and believes on the pure hearted dwarf more than one of her folk.
@@fabiocosta3830, I'll add more. Feanor created the Silmarills because he was inspired by the concept that Galadriel's hair captured the merged light of the Two Trees of Valinor, which were the source of light before the sun. Once Melkor and Ungoliant had poisoned the two trees, and Feanor was denied strands of Galadriel's hair, the Silmarills were the only way of retaining the light of the trees. Feanor hoarded the gems and would not allow the Gods (the Valar) to restore the two trees with their light. This allowed Melkor to steal them and retreat to Middle Earth. Feanor then swore an oath to pursue Melkor and regain the Silmarils. It was this oath that first led the Elves to return to Middle Earth from Valar since creation, and though the elves were never strong enough to directly oppose Melkor...it would be this conflict over the Silmarils that would lead to much death and sadness among the elves in Middle Earth. This is essentially the beginning of recorded history in Middle Earth. Eventually, one would be recovered by Beren...and eventually through a long story set in the heavens as the brightest evening star. The other two would not be recovered for a long time...and their recovery would be resisted by the jewels themselves. The two elves that recovered them from Melkor's defeat would throw themselves into a volcano and the sea respectively. Meaning that the three jewels would reside in the sky, sea, and land. It is said that when the end of time comes, the Valar (the Gods) will reunite the gems, and Feanor will open them and restore the two trees and the world will again be restored to perfection. So...Galadriel's hair is as desired as the three most powerful peaces of jewelry EVER KNOWN in all the history of Middle Earth. They are even more desired than Sauron's ring of power. Feanor, one of the most accomplished and powerful Elves EVER asked for them even to restore the world...and Galadriel said no. So, when Gimli asks and she gives him three...its a HUGELY significant symbolic gesture.
@@lisahenry20 did he really? That would be funny af but i can't imagine Aragorn being so humorous during battle when his men are dying and fighting for their lives..
They missed my favorite. When they're getting off the boat with the army of the dead in Osgiliath, Gimli says, "There's plenty for the both of us, may the best dwarf win!"
I just love that Gimli got three hairs from Galadriel and Legolas understands the weight of that development to such an extent that he respects Gimli considerably more for the rest of the story. His genuine kind demeanor erased an era’s worth of animosity and racial hatred
@@kyoswkyosw1216 Pretty sure it was the CGI making it look like that. You'd have to be pretty stacked to be able to physically throw all 6'1" of John Rhys-Davies across a film set.
I know orcs don’t suffer from demoralisation, but having a 4”1 dwarf with an enormous axe counting his kills in front of the remaining orcs as he’s notching them up must have done something, surely.
I am very shocked to find out everyone missed his actual greatest line. during the fight with the warg scouts, just after he falls off the horse and gets up, the man himself lays out the challenge with "Bring your pretty face to my AXE"
I just realised the context of that comment. All these years I assumed he meant a box to use as his coffin. I didn't realise he also meant to stand on.
Legolas' interaction @4:20 is really underrated. It's the first time he really lets down his guard with Gimli and isn't competing with him as a dwarf with all that history and animosity; he is more annoyed he lost the competition with his friend. Typically Legolas would have said Gimli was lying about the amount of kills, but he 100% trusts his word and has to make a white lie of his own to be even with his friend.
I feel bad for Gimli when they're running across the plains. Legolas and Aragorn are all lightly armored and Gimli is wearing all plate and chainmail and carrying 4-5 iron axes.
Dwarves have shit tons of stamina, he might not have been the fastest sprinter but in terms of continued pursuit over hundreds of miles he was a monster
Nope, chapter: The riders of rohan p 25 'They were going slowly now, and Gimli's back was bent. Stonehard are the dwarves in labour or journey, but this endless chase began to tell on him, as all hope failed in his heart. Aragorn walked behind him, grim and silent, stooping now and again to scan some print or mark upon the ground. Only Legolas stepped as lightly as ever, his feet hardly seeming to press the grass, leaving no footprints as he passed,...'
"Give me your name, Horsemaster, and I shall give ye mine." The mix of courtesy and "fuck around and find out" energy of it should have put this line on the list.
What I'm more concerned about is that apparently their DM let them have two rangers and a fighter. Couldn't he at least convince one of them to play a cleric or something?
@@WolfFireheart yes absolutely, they're stronger than both elves and men. Who are in turn slightly stronger than Orcs. However, take into consideration that Uruk Hai are superpowered Orcs, about as tall as men and stronger. And dwarves also lack a far reach which can be terrible for combat. But yes, Dwarves are stronger.
@@Killerwale-hk4wy I speculate, that a well trained Dwarf like Gimli is stronger then the Uruk Hai. As we see Gimli slam his axe through Uruk plate armor. Granted Uruk armor isn't thaat great. But its still plate. So with this in mind, I think, or believe that as long as Gimli isn't caught off guard, he can easily stop/parry most attacks aimed at him. And when he counter attacks with his axe, he wouldn't need as much space to get the axe up to deadly force. Or at least enough force to knock someone down to then deliver a finishing blow. And that is how I see him doing these impressive feats. His just, raw strength helps him bulldoze through most disadvantages. Also just as a side note. We don't see, or at least I don't remember seeing Uruk's with great swords. Mostly one handed swords and shield. Gimli's axe that he picks up in Moria is a great axe. So despite the size differences. Gimli's axe gives he more reach, so the reach difference miiiight not be as big as it seems?
Can we talk about how strong Aragorn is for being able to toss a dwarf in the first place they're dense little muscle machines that are way heavier than any man or elf, Aragorn's a freaking strong dude
3:14 is one of my favorite moments. Imagine walking hundreds of miles to war to climb a ladder, only to reach the top and have a dwarf get a crotch shot on you.
They were the boys. All from different sides of life and backgrounds but they always had one another’s back. The back and forth between Legolas and Gimli is priceless. They never said they loved one another as a brother but they didn’t have to. You could see how much they cared for each other.
"I asked her for one hair from her golden head. She gave me three..." The amount of history behind that small action speaks a lot to Gimli's character and his respect for Galadriel and her beauty. Him asking was actually a giant faux pas among the elves, as one of Galadriel's relatives constantly asked for strands of her hair to create something, rather than out of respect for her, so she always denied him. And here walks up this little dwarf, child of a race unbegotten by god, who when offered a gift by Galadriel said he needed nothing. But when she said she'd give anything in her power, all he asked was a hair from her head, not for anything but to admire her beauty from afar. And she gave him three.
After years of watching and reading, Gimli has become one of my absolute favorite characters. Terribly underrated. He was like the hearth of The Fellowship and could always be counted on to punch way over his level. *"TIE ME TO AN ARROW AND LAUNCH ME INTO MORDOR, I AM READY TO DIE!"* 😂
What is always found amusing is that at 4:42 Gimili says "he was twitching becaus he got my axe imbedded in his nervous system" this implies that the dwarfs of middle earth have some sense of anatomy pretty interesting.
@@FreedomFighter08 nice refference made to the other battles that place at the same time as the siege of Minas Tirith: the three sieges of Lorien, the battles in Mirkwood (the Battle Under the Trees) and the battle of Dale and Erebor (battle which cost the life of King Dain Ironfoot for Erebor and King Brand for Dale).
@@FreedomFighter08 nice refference made to the other battles that place at the same time as the siege of Minas Tirith: the three sieges of Lorien, the battles in Mirkwood (the Battle Under the Trees) and the battle of Dale and Erebor (battle which cost the life of King Dain Ironfoot for Erebor and King Brand for Dale).
@dianna k Thranduil's kingdom was attacked by an orc host from Dol Guldur and possibly Easterlings of Rhûn, under the supposed leadership of Khamul the Easterling (second Nazgul in command). It was part of a larger invasion force which was also involved in the three sieges of Lorien. Both the sieges and the Battle Under the Trees took place around the same time, the plan being to attack the north from multiple directions and not allowing the dwarves, men and elves gather together their forces.
Piotr Dubrawski it is a possibility people knew about the nervous system for a very long time. Records dating all the way back to ancient Egypt when pharaohs would get mummified mentioned muscle movement after death due to specific muscles being touched. So it's very well possible for it to be known in medieval fantasy. A good example is looking at medieval autopsies. You'd be very surprised, doctors back then knew a good amount about the human body, they just didn't know until after the fact and how to experiment.
I don't know why, but seeing Gimli's solution to ward off the spirits of the damned being frantically blowing at them until they go away just cracks me everytime 😂.
My favorite fact about Gimli is that he got three strands of hair from Galadriel, where other, more prominent characters failed to get even one. He's the G!
2 more 1. "Soon master elf, you'll be enjoying the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves. Roaring fires, Malt beer, Ripe meat off the bone. 2. "Certainty of Death, small chance of success, what are we waiting for?"
You also forgot: Gimli to Aragorn: Well Lad, if its luck you live by, lets hope it last's the night. Legolas: Your friends are with you Aragorn. Gimli: Lets hope, they last the night................ AND Gimli: This new Gandalf's more grumpier than the old one....
While he is very poetic in the books, most of his lines are ironically funny in a badass sort of way, his exchange with Theoden about the shield always makes me chuckle a little.
I love Gimli because he’s the essence of all Dwarfs. Stubborn, quick to anger, loyal to a fault, resourceful, and wears his heart on his sleeve. His admiration for Arogorn is only surpassed by his mutual friendship earned with Legolas
0:58 That line becomes even more meaningfull when you know a bit about Galadriels history. A long time before the story of the lord of the rings, during the first Age, Fëanor, considered to be the greatest Elf to exist (seriously it took multiple Balrogs to kill him) asked, almost demanded, from Galadriel a single strand of her hair. She denied him three times because of his arrogance (though back then she herself was quite pridefull). Here she freely gives Gimli, a dwarf who wasnt even part of royal line, not one but three.
How Gimli changes throughout the Peter Jackson’s movies, lends to the fact that the most stubborn of people can change and that the most unlikeliest of bonds and friendships can come about from anywhere.
Two of my faves not in this video: “Release us. You gave us your word” Gimli: “Bad idea. Very handy in a tight spot these lads, despite the fact they’re dead.” *Aragorn beheads mouth of Sauron Gimli: “I guess that concludes negotiations.”
Legolas is a wood elf, which means he has partied alot since wood elves love to party. The fact that he's a prince means he had acces to the best elvish wine for millenia (which is stronger then regular beer) And not to forget that elves have a natural immunity to poison. So the fact that Gimli managed to get legolas to drink so much beer that he started to feel a slight tingling in his fingers is extremely impressive.
During the wargs attack in the Two Towers, there was a wag attacking Gimli. He was bracing himself for the fight and siad "Bring your pretty face to my axe". Legolas killed the wag with an arrow and Gimli said: "And that one counts as mine". It is just so funny how can you miss it. Also, when Éowyn asked Gimli if he wanted her stew, he literally smelled it and said "No, I couldn't". 4:51 should also add: "Salted pork👁👄👁". After the black ship was taken and the trio landed: Gimli said "There is plenty for the both of us, may the best dwarf win".
Best Gimli quotation, from the book - "Torment in the dark was the danger that I feared, and it did not hold me back. But I would have never come, had I known the danger of light and joy."
+PuellaRogue Its common knowledge that the constitution of a dwarf is far far greater then the one of an elf. Their only strength against them really. I would say intoxication is a fortitude save so unless Legolas rolled stupid good, Gimli should have won easily. The dwarf body is much better in handling poisons, alcohol, stress and pain. The scene where Gimli explains that dwarfs are short sprinters is also not logical. A dwarf has superior stamina and can run for days. Elfs on the other hand can run really fast, light and stealthily but not for a great amount of time.
EVERY gimli quote is great. John Rhys-Davies was a God among men in this role. His acting is so good, Jackson had no choice but to give him TWO roles, his talent being too great to be contained in one.
"What's that up there?" "Sounds like a dwarf counting." "Counting w... I'm not climbing that ladder. You climb the ladder, I'm going to try my luck with the elf."
Legolas: “He was twitching.” Gimli: “He was twitching... because I have my axe embedded in his nervous system! If only that quote made it to the final cut.
@@qr-code6334 it’s only in the extended version. The final cut version does not have it. I grew up watching that version and I never saw this scene in it.
Gimli is written so God damn perfectly perfect stubbornness...over talkative and competivness against elves it was God tier writing. And over the rain and sound of metal I could hear a deep voice just counting.
It's weird but I never thought about how strong Aragorn must be to be able to toss Gimli over that distance. Just tossing Gimli's armor and weapons by themselves should be pretty damn hard, tossing Gimli himself also is just insane.
