#snake oil was a real thing and there's some baggae with the term snake oil salesman

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

thinking on how leechcraft means the art of healing/doctoring someone - if it’s not already been done, someone needs to lean into Grima was the King’s Fucking Doctor Gone Rogue as a concept. 

Theoden does say: “If this is bewitchment [sic] it seems to me more wholesome than your whisperings. Your leechcraft ere long would have had me walking on all four like a beast. [...]”

And in this context it is very much a comparison of spellwork to spellwork - Grima’s weaving compared to Gandalf’s weaving. Of course we know that Grima was giving Theoden all sorts of who knows what to keep him sedated, as a sort of quasi-doctoring, but his role is always implied to be much more of a counselor/advisor/court-type than doctor. As in, he fell into leechcraft-ing about with Theoden because it benefited him to do so as part of his grander schemes but he is not a trained healer/doctor/physic/whatever. 

However. Please imagine him as, like, the fucking GP of Meduseld. 

Theoden: my knee hurts. 

Grima: have you considered bed rest and never getting up because you are old, frail and are liable to die soon? also drink this mystery juice. i’m not telling you what’s in it. secret recipe. 

Eomer: I have a chest cold. 

Grima: henbane. monk’s hood. lots of it. 

Eomer: 

Eomer:

Grima: trust me. I’m a doctor.