Thorin

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Revision as of 22:31, 24 March 2011 by Ederchil (talk | contribs) (etym done. I have the Gould text on pdf if someone's interested.)
The name Thorin refers to more than one character, item or concept. For a list of other meanings, see Thorin (disambiguation).
Thorin Oakenshield
Dwarf
John Howe - The King Under the Mountain.jpg
Biographical Information
Other namesThorin II[1], King of Durin's Folk[2], King under the Mountain[3]
Family
ParentageThráin II[4]
Physical Description
GenderMale
GalleryImages of Thorin Oakenshield
"...Thorin, an enormously important Dwarf, in fact no other than the great Thorin Oakenshield himself"
― J.R.R. Tolkien[5]

Thorin II "Oakenshield" (Third Age 2746 - 2941) was the King of Durin's Folk from T.A. 2850 until his death in T.A. 2941. He was the son of Thráin II and the older brother to Frerin and Dís. Thorin led Durin's Folk of the Blue Mountains during their time in exile from Erebor. He briefly became King under the Mountain following his return to the Lonely Mountain in 2941.[6]

History

Youth

Born at the Lonely Mountain at the height of its glory, Thorin was just 24 years old when his people were driven into exile by the dragon Smaug. He fled with his father Thráin II and his grandfather King Thrór, but his grandfather was devastated by the loss and left his people, wandering south with a single companion, Nár. Thráin meanwhile led the exiles to Dunland, where they eked out a meagre living.

The War of the Dwarves and Orcs

Thorin, by Angelo Montanini.

Twenty years later, Nár returned with horrible news. He and Thrór had journeyed to Moria where the King of Durin's folk had been captured and butchered by the Orc-chieftain Azog. To add insult to injury, Azog had carved his name on Thrór's severed head in runes, releasing Nár only so that all Dwarves would know that an Orc now ruled Moria.

Filled with righteous anger, Thráin gathered together a massive army of Dwarves and began the War of the Dwarves and Orcs. One by one the Dwarves destroyed the Orc warrens in the Misty Mountains until the reached the East-gate of Moria. At the Dimrill Dale the Dwarves fought the bloody Battle of Azanulbizar. Thorin was 53 years old, young for a Dwarf, but he fought admirably. At one point his shield was broken and he was forced to use an oak branch to defend himself, earning him the epithet "Oakenshield". The Dwarves were ultimately victorious and Azog was slain, but they took horrible losses, included Thorin's brother Frerin. They were also unable to take back Moria, as Dáin Ironfoot had peered beyond the East-gate and saw that Durin's Bane still haunted the mines.

Another Exile

After the war, Thráin and Thorin led their people east to live in the Blue Mountains. In T.A. 2841 Thráin left with a small group to see if they could retake Lonely Mountain. While some of the companions returned, Thráin was never seen again by his kin.

So Thorin became king and seemed content to stay in Eriador. There he laboured long, and trafficked, and gained such wealth as he could; and his people were increased by many of the wandering Folk of Durin who heard of his realm in the west and came to him.

The years lengthened. The embers in the heart of Thorin grew hot again, as he brooded over the wrongs of his House and the vengeance upon the Dragon that he had inherited. He thought of weapons, armies, and alliances, as his great hammer rang in his forge; but the armies were dispersed, the alliances broken and the axes of his people few. A great anger without hope burned him as he smote the red iron on the anvil.

But at last years later, by a chance Thorin met Gandalf in the town of Bree. In T.A. 2850 Gandalf had gone on a secret mission to the dark fortress of Dol Guldur and in the dungeons he had found a Dwarf so diminished he no longer knew his own name. The Dwarf had given Gandalf his last two possessions, a map and key to Lonely Mountain. Suddenly realizing he had found Thráin, Thorin's father and the missing King of Durin's folk, the Wizard convinced Thorin that now was the time to defeat Smaug and retake his kingdom. He also convinced him that he would need a burglar for the job.

The Quest for Erebor

Thorin gathered a group of twelve Dwarves, including his sister-sons Fíli and Kíli. Thorin and Company, as they called themselves, hired Bilbo Baggins as their "professional treasure seeker". Thorin was at first extremely reluctant, unsure whether the Hobbit could offer anything to the group, but ultimately relented to Gandalf's advice. While at Bilbo's home, Gandalf gave Thorin his father's map and key.

File:Thorin in esgaroth.jpg
Thorin arrives in Lake-town

Bilbo proved to a key member of the company, saving the Dwarves many times, often despite Thorin's suspicious and overbearing nature. Eventually the company reached Esgaroth where Thorin was hailed as the returning King under the Mountain and welcomed warmly. Days later they reached the Lonely Mountain. Soon after the Dragon Smaug was overcome by the brave townspeople of Lake-town. Here Thorin's greed overcame him and he refused to share his wealth with the Men of Lake-town, and with their ally, Thranduil. He was furious when Bilbo stole the fabled Arkenstone, the Heart of the Mountain, in an attempt to make a truce with the besieging Men and Elves. Thorin sent for his cousin Dáin Ironfoot, and he came with five hundred Dwarves from the Iron Hills.

All disputes were set aside when Goblins and Wargs from the Misty Mountains suddenly attacked. The Dwarves and their allies were victorious in the Battle of Five Armies, but Thorin was mortally wounded.

Death

The Death of Thorin Oakenshield by Darrell Sweet

After being borne to safety by Beorn, Thorin made his peace with Bilbo by commending the hobbit's bravery and good character. Thorin died of his wounds shortly after, and was laid to rest under the Mountain. The sword Orcrist, which he had obtained earlier in the Quest, was buried with him, as was the Arkenstone. It was said that the blade glowed when enemies were near, so the Dwarves of Erebor were never taken by surprise by any enemy.

Thorin was the only known King of the Longbeards who died without having any children; the kingship of Durin's folk went to his cousin Dáin II Ironfoot, who left the Iron Hills to become King under the Mountain.

Genealogy

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dáin I
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Thrór
 
Frór
 
 
 
Grór
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Thráin II
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Náin
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THORIN II OAKENSHIELD
 
Frerin
 
Dís
 
 
 
Dáin II Ironfoot
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fíli
 
Kíli
 
Thorin III Stonehelm


Thorin
Preceded by:
Thráin II		King of Durin's Folk
T.A. 2850 – T.A. 2941		Followed by:
Dáin II Ironfoot
None
Thrór, 170 years earlier		4th King under the Mountain
T.A. 2941


Etymology

Thorin's name is one from the Dvergatal. It means "Bold".[7]

The epithet "Oakenshield" also comes from the Dvergatal. Eikinskjaldi means "Oakenshield", and it has long been considered the name of a Dwarf. However, because the name appears twice, both in Dúrinn's and Dválinn's line, it has also been suggested that it simply means "with an oaken shield".[8]

Other Versions of the Legendarium

In early manuscripts of The Hobbit, the name Gandalf was used by Tolkien for the character who later would be named "Thorin Oakenshield" in the published works.[9]

Portrayal in Adaptations

1968: The Hobbit (1968 radio series):

Thorin's voice is provided by John Justin.

1977: The Hobbit (1977 film):

Thorin's voice is provided by Hans Conried.

1979: The Hobbit (1979 radio series):

Thorin's voice is provided by Tom Luce.

1982: The Hobbit (1982 video game):

Thorin is the only companion of the player, Bilbo Baggins.[10]

2003: The Hobbit (2003 video game):

Thorin's voice is provided by Clive Revill.

2012-3: The Hobbit films:

Thorin will be portrayed by Richard Armitage.[11]

See Also

References

  1. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "Durin's Folk"
  2. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "Durin's Folk"
  3. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "A Warm Welcome"
  4. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "Durin's Folk"
  5. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "An Unexpected Party"
  6. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "Durin's Folk"; J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The Quest of Erebor"; J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "A Warm Welcome"; J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age"
  7. ↑ Chester Nathan Gould, "Dwarf-Names: A Study in Old Icelandic Religion", published in Publications of the Modern Language Association of America, Vol 44 (1929), issue #4, pp. 939-967
  8. ↑ P.H. Salus, Taylor Beekman, "'Eikinskjaldi, Fjalarr', and 'Eggþer': Notes on Dwarves and Giants in the 'Völuspá'", published in Neophilologus Vol 53 (1969), Issue #1, pp. 76-81
  9. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, John D. Rateliff (ed.), The History of The Hobbit, Mr. Baggins
  10. ↑ ZX Computing, 8304 (April/May 1983), p. 76 (accessed 24 March 2011)
  11. ↑ Mike Fleming, Peter Jackson Sets First Names For 'The Hobbit, Deadline.com (21 October 2010) (accessed 24 March 2011)
Members of Thorin and Company
Thorin · Balin · Dwalin · Fíli · Kíli · Dori · Nori · Ori · Óin · Glóin · Bifur · Bofur · Bombur · Gandalf · Bilbo Baggins
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