Heroes of Azeroth
Grom Hellscream: Chieftain of the Warsong
Grommash "Grom" Hellscream was the legendary chieftain of the Warsong clan, Thrall's closest friend and greatest lieutenant. He was the first orc to drink the blood of the pit lord Mannoroth, which bound the Horde to the Burning Legion. Decades later, in the forests of Ashenvale, he paid the ultimate price to free himself and his people from that blood curse. His name means "Giant's Heart" in the orcish tongue, and Thrall called him Big Brother.
Video: Grom Hellscream, the Warsong legend
The Warlord with the Iron Will
Grom was young for a chieftain, only a few years older than Durotan and Orgrim Doomhammer. There were mutterings about the mysterious death of the previous Warsong chieftain, but no one challenged Grom. When he took power, his lower jaw was ritually tattooed black. His mate Golka bore him a son, Garrosh. Garrosh caught the red pox as a child and was sent to live in Garadar, and Grom never saw him again.
Around eleven years before the opening of the Dark Portal, Grom led aggressive raids deep into ogre lands, and the ogres' counterattack nearly destroyed the Warsong. Golka was critically wounded and begged him to finish her. Disgusted that she asked for death instead of fighting to live, Grom called her "a wolf with no teeth" and walked away. The truth was that he could not bring himself to kill the one he loved, and that weakness gnawed at him for years.
Hunting the ogre raiders, Grom fell into a trap. The ogre warlord tied him to a tree and taunted him for days while his body withered, but his will never broke. Declaring that "this wolf still has teeth", he bit and killed the warlord when he came too close. From then on he was the Warlord with the Iron Will. He later had that tree carried to Grommashar as his throne.
The first to drink
As Gul'dan's Shadow Council pushed the orcs toward war, a few chieftains such as Durotan spoke out against the growing bloodlust. Grom championed it instead. He was the first to heed Ner'zhul's warning against the draenei, and on the Throne of Kil'jaeden he was the first to drink the blood of Mannoroth, aged 23. The other chieftains followed. Grom fought in the assault on Shattrath City, where the vindicator Nobundo crushed the fingers of his right hand; Grom only smiled.
Gul'dan manipulated Grom into staying on Draenor during the Second War, so the Warsong never fought the Alliance then. To keep his warriors sharp, he warred against other clans, and after the bloodlust he always felt hollow and unclean. After the Horde's defeat, Ner'zhul's new Horde sent him for the Skull of Gul'dan. When the Portal reopened, he and Rexxar led the attack on Nethergarde Keep as a distraction. He held the Azerothian side of the Portal for months. When the Alliance destroyed it, he rallied the survivors, and with some sadness he respected Rexxar's choice to leave.
Lord of the Clans: Thrall's big brother
Trapped in Lordaeron, the Warsong lived for almost fifteen years on the edge of human lands. Grom fought the demonic lethargy that had broken most orcs, and he came to see how much warlock magic had cost his people. Then a young escaped slave named Thrall sought him out. Grom was inspired by his courage, strength and mercy, accepted him and taught him the ways of the orcs. When Thrall left, Grom gave him his necklace as a sign of trust. The Warsong then joined Orgrim Doomhammer and the Frostwolves to free the internment camps around Durnholde.
Kalimdor: the blood of Mannoroth
During the Third War the Alliance captured Grom, and Thrall rescued him. Grom suggested seizing the human ships to sail to Kalimdor. Separated from the fleet, the Warsong landed first and met Jaina Proudmoore's expedition in Ashenvale. Grom and his warriors repeatedly defied Thrall's order to ignore the humans, so Thrall sent them to build an outpost deep in the forest. Their logging enraged the night elves and then the demigod Cenarius, who believed they were "demon-spawned wretches". Cenarius was immune to ordinary weapons.
A troll witch doctor sensed strange energies nearby, and Grom found a fountain of blood. The pit lord Mannoroth had filled it with his own blood, on Tichondrius's suggestion. One of Grom's soldiers warned that drinking would betray everything Thrall had taught them. Desperate to save his clan, Grom drank anyway and made his warriors drink too.
Driven by demonic power, the Warsong killed Cenarius. Then Mannoroth appeared and revealed that the orcs were his slaves again. Grom's horror was one of his last free thoughts.
Thrall would not abandon his friend. He fought through the corrupted Warsong and, with the help of Cairne Bloodhoof and his tauren, captured Grom. Jaina and the spellcasters of both forces then freed him from the curse in a ritual. Grom confessed the truth: the chieftains had chosen the bloodlust.
Redemption and death at Demon Fall Canyon
Thrall and Grom hunted Mannoroth down in what is now Demon Fall Canyon. The pit lord shrugged off Thrall's Doomhammer and stunned him. When Mannoroth taunted Grom that they were the same, Grom charged and drove Gorehowl into the demon's chest, shattering his armour and splitting his infernal heart. Mannoroth exploded in hellfire, and Grom took its full fury alone.
As Thrall reached him, the crimson glow faded from Grom's eyes. With Mannoroth dead, the Legion's hold over the orcs was broken, even for those who had drunk willingly. Still undefeated, Grom died at the site of his greatest triumph, a redeemed spirit.
Legacy
- The monument: Thrall raised a monument in Ashenvale, which reads: "In many ways, the curse of our people began and ended with Grom… Lok'Tar Ogar, Big Brother. May the Warsong never fade." Every Harvest Festival, Horde heroes leave spirits at the Hellscream memorial there.
- Grommash Hold: the great hall of Orgrimmar bears his name.
- Gorehowl: Thrall brought the axe back to Orgrimmar and later gave it to Garrosh.
- Garrosh: in Nagrand, Thrall met Garrosh, who was ashamed of his father. Thrall showed him the truth of Grom's sacrifice. Garrosh became chieftain of the Warsong and later Warchief, and his tyranny is a story of its own.
- The Kosh'harg (Dragonflight): Grom's spirit appeared at Razor Hill. He admitted that the memory of his sacrifice had been used for many causes, and that his one regret was not having lived to guide Garrosh down a better path.
Grom Hellscream family tree
Mermaid source of the family tree
%% Grom Hellscream – canonical family tree (The Tirisfalen)
flowchart TD
GM["Golmash<br/><i>Father</i>"]
G["Grommash Hellscream<br/><i>Chieftain of the Warsong · d. aged 46</i>"]
K["Golka<br/><i>Mate · left gravely wounded, fate unstated</i>"]
U(( ))
GA["Garrosh Hellscream<br/><i>Son · Warchief · killed by Thrall</i>"]
GM --> G
G === U
K === U
U --> GA
Canon note: Golmash is named only as Grom's father; nothing else is known about him. Golka was left critically wounded after the ogre battle. Our sources describe Grom walking away but do not narrate her death. In the alternate Draenor of Warlords of Draenor, Golka died before having a child, which is not the main timeline. No canonical children of Garrosh are known. Thrall was Grom's sworn "brother", not a blood relative.
Related heroes
FAQ
Who was the first orc to drink Mannoroth's blood?
Grom Hellscream. On Draenor he was the first chieftain to drink the blood of Mannoroth, which bound the Horde to the Burning Legion.
How did Grom Hellscream die?
He killed the pit lord Mannoroth by driving Gorehowl into his chest at Demon Fall Canyon in Ashenvale, and he died in the demon's explosion of hellfire with Thrall at his side.
Who killed Cenarius?
Grom Hellscream and the Warsong clan, empowered by drinking from Mannoroth's corrupted fountain in Ashenvale during Warcraft III.
What is the name of Grom Hellscream's axe?
Gorehowl. Thrall brought it back to Orgrimmar and later gave it to Grom's son Garrosh.
Who is Grom Hellscream's son?
Garrosh Hellscream, his son with his mate Golka. Garrosh became chieftain of the Warsong and later Warchief of the Horde.
Who was Grom Hellscream's wife?
His mate was Golka of the Warsong clan, mother of Garrosh.
How old was Grom Hellscream when he died?
46 years old, according to the Warcraft III manual.
What does Grommash mean?
"Giant's Heart" in orcish, as written on his monument in Ashenvale.
Sources
- Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, orc campaign (Departures, The Spirits of Ashenvale, The Blood of Mannoroth, The Hunter of Shadows, By Demons Be Driven, The Death of Hellscream) and game manual.
- Christie Golden, Rise of the Horde (pp. 127–128 and 419–421); Lord of the Clans, ch. 10; The Shattering.
- Christie Golden, Beyond the Dark Portal, ch. 3; Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal manual.
- Lords of War, Part 2; short stories Hellscream and Unbroken; Code of Rule.
- World of Warcraft: Chronicle, Vol. 2 and Vol. 3, p. 68.
- In-game: Monument to Grom Hellscream (Ashenvale), Harvest Festival, There Is No Hope (Nagrand), A Worthy Offering and The Kosh'harg (Dragonflight).
- Community wikis cross-checked: Warcraft Wiki – Grom Hellscream, Wowpedia – Grom Hellscream, plus their pages on Garrosh Hellscream, Gorehowl and the Warsong clan.
Illustrations: original artwork by The Tirisfalen. World of Warcraft and Warcraft are trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment. This page is fan content and is not affiliated with Blizzard.