Eventually the wealth of the kingdom attracted the attention of the dragon known as Smaug. He flew south and destroyed the kingdom, killing many Dwarves and driving away Thrór and the royal family, and other surviving dwarves. The majority of the survivors migrated to the Iron Hills; however, King Thrór, his son Thráin II, and grandson Thorin Oakenshield along with a minority of their kith and kin and faithful followers who survived Smaug’s devastating conquest of Erebor, went into a long and homeless wandering. For reasons not clear, they eventually settled in the hills of Dunland where they tried to make a living.

Twenty years later in 2790, Thrór was now old, poor, and desperate. He gave to his son Thráin II the last of the Seven Rings and a map of Erebor. He then left his people and journeyed away north with a single companion only called Nár. They crossed over the Misty Mountains through the Redhorn Pass and then came south again, crossing the Silverlode into the valley of Azanulbizar beneath the East Gate of Moria. When they arrived, the gate was open. Nár begged Thrór to beware but Thrór disregarded his pleas and he went and proudly entered Moria as a heir who had a returned. But he would not come back.

Nár stayed and hid nearby for many days. Finally one day, he heard a great shout, followed by the blast of a horn, and a body was flung out onto the steps. It was indeed found to be the body of Thrór as Nár had feared. Then the voice that would be revealed to be that of Azog the Goblin, called out to him from just inside the gate. Rather than being killed as well, Nár was instead made use of as a messenger. He was to deliver a warning that ‘beggars’ who would not wait at the doors but instead entered to attempt thieving, they would meet a smiliar fate. Nár was told to bring this message back to his people. But that was not all: Azog proclaimed that he now ruled Moria, and that he had killed Thrór. Thrór’s head lay severed next to his body. Nár turned over the head and found branded across the forehead written in Dwarven runes was the name AZOG.

The name would be branded in the hearts of all Dwarves. He was barred from retrieving the head of Thrór because he was struck with a pouch containing a few coins of little worth, in which Azog referred to as a ‘fee’, but it was meant as a final insulting gesture. Nár took the pouch and fled down the Silverlode. When he looked back, Orcs had emerged from the gate and were hacking apart Thrór’s body and flinging the pieces to the crows. Thrór’s death came in 2790.

This was the tale that Nár brought back to Thráin II when he returned to Dunland weeks later. After seven days of siitting in silent grief, Thráin at last stood up and declared that this atrocity would be answered to. This was the beginning of the War of the Dwarves and Orcs.

Related posts:

1. Dwarves of the Iron Hills
2. Ring of Thrór
3. Azog

Thráin fled with his father, his three children, and the surviving Dwarves when the dragon Smaug descended on Erebor the Lonely Mountain, destroyed the kingdom and claimed it as his own along with all the treasures and gold inside. Together with the other survivors, among them his father and his children, Thráin began a long homeless exile. They wandered farther south and they eventually settled in the hills of Dunland. There they remained for twenty more years where they were forced to make a mangy living.

Years after the destruction of the kingdom of Erebor, a life of poverty took a toll on the mind of King Thrór and he became restless and desperate. He sought to journey away in search of a scrap of wealth but he did not specify Moria. At their parting, he gave to his son Thráin his Ring of Power as well as the map of Erebor. He departed from his people with a single companion, his only and old friend named Nar.

Nar would return to their dwelling in Dunland many weeks later, but he would rmysteriously return alone. He told the tale to Thráin of what had become of his father Thrór. Thrór had brashingly ventured into Moria, despite the pleas of Nar to not go forth, but he did not return. Days later, it was revealed that the king had been branded and murdered by Azog the Goblin who claimed to now rule the ancient mansions of Durin’s Folk. Thráin was aghast at Nar’s recount of what had become of his father and he was livid to learn that an Orc ruled their ancestral home. He then wept and cursed and fell silent. For seven days he sat without eating or sleeping until finally on the seventh day, he stood up and declared, “This cannot be borne!” These words were the beginning of the War of the Dwarves and Orcs.

Thráin sent messengers to deliver the tale to all the corners of the world. Word was sent to all the Houses of the other Fathers, without the exception of the Ironfists due to an ancient grudge they were said to still hold against Durin’s Folk. The kings of the other Houses answered to Thráin’s call to vengeance, as they all saw this heinous deed committed by Azog to be a profound dishonor to the heir of the eldest of their race, and it raised their fury. While most of the war was fought in the mines and tunnels beneath the Misty Mountains, the bloody climatic battle took place beneath the East-Gate of Moria in the valley of Azanulbizar. Heavy losses were inflicted on both sides. Frerin, the the younger of Thráin was among those that fell. Thráin himself had been wounded in the battle and suffered a grievous eye-wound.

The tide of battle at last turned when fresh reinforcements from the Iron Hills arrived late. Realizing that his hoards were being annihilated and routed by the Dwarves, Azog turned and attempted to flee back into the gate but was slain by Dain Ironfoot, bringing about an end to the war. Afterwards, Thráin led the remainder of his people, among them his eldest son Thorin Oakenshield, back to Dunland where they dwelt for a while. Eventually they reclocated westward to the northern Ered Luin where they made their dwelling among the ruins of Belegost. Thráin had also taken with him a map which showed a secret entrance into Erebor. After sometime, they showed signs of prosperity and their numbers slowly began to increase.

Many years afterwards, Thráin grew older and he became restless. HIs desire to to reclaim his kingdom of Erebor grew. He and a group of followers left their dwelling in Ered Luin and journeyed into Wilderland. One morning, his companions awakened to find that Thráin was missing. They searched in vain for him for days but he could not be found at all. It was later learned that he had been captured by agents of Sauron and was imprisoned in the dungeons of Sauron’s stronghold of Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood. There Sauron took from him the last of the dwarven Rings of Power, and left him in the dungeon to die.

While on a mission to Dol Guldur, Gandalf the Grey came upon Thráin, and was given the old map. Thráin appeared so diminished that he had forgotten almost everything as well as his own name. Gandalf promised to deliver it to Thráin’s son, but Thráin at the time had forgotten his name so Gandalf did not expect to be able to fulfill this promise. There Thráin died.

Years later Gandalf would meet with Thorin near Bree, and realized who the Dwarf he had met in Dol Guldur had been. He promised to help Thorin in his quest to the Lonely Mountain in many ways, the most notable of which was by inviting a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins along to fulfill the role of burglar.

Related posts:

1. Azog
2. Thrór
3. King under the Mountain

Dáin set out with an army of Dwarves to the aid of his royal cousin. It is uncertain whether Dáin’s son Thorin accompanied that army (he was certainly old enough to do so by that time, but he may have remained behind to ensure the survival of the line of lords; at the very least, no mention is made of him in the annals of those events). At Erebor, Dáin fought in the Battle of Five Armies against an unforeseen incursion of Orcs, and though the Orcs were defeated, Thorin II was slain in that battle, as were both the remaining heirs of his line, Fíli and Kíli.

This unexpected turn of events left Dáin II the natural Heir of Durin, and Thorin Dáin’s heir in turn. Dáin thus became King under the Mountain, and ruled until he was slain defending Erebor in the War of the Ring. At that time the Lonely Mountain was besieged by Sauron’s forces, and most likely Thorin was among the defenders, though once again we have no specific records of his part in the Battle.

With the loss of his father Dáin, Thorin became King of Durin’s Folk, the third to bear that name. He would have ruled through most of the first century of the Fourth Age, though we know little of his reign. Soon after the defeat of Sauron, Gimli took many of the Dwarves of Erebor south to settle at Aglarond, and to rebuild the Great Gate of Minas Tirith in mithril. It seems certain that Thorin III must at least have given permission for these events to take place (and presumably actively assisted them, especially given the need of precious mithril for the new Great Gate).

Thorin’s epithet of Stonehelm is as mysterious as almost everything else about his life, and we have no account to explain how he received it. It was most likely acquired in battle, perhaps at the Battle of Five Armies or the Battle of Dale, though the detailed circumstances of the title’s origin are not known.

Related posts:

1. Thorin II Oakenshield
2. Stonehelm
3. Dwarves of the Iron Hills

Born in the year TA 2746, Thorin was driven into exile by the Dragon Smaug in TA 2770, along with the rest of the surviving Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain (Erebor). At the Battle of Azanulbizar in TA 2799, when he was just fifty-three (a young age for a Dwarf) he marched with a mighty Dwarf-army into Azanulbizar beneath the East-gate of Moria. Thorin’s shield was broken and he used a tree branch to defend himself, thus gaining the epithet “Oakenshield”. Thorin became King in Exile of Durin’s Folk as Thorin II Oakenshield after his father, Thráin II, died.

In TA 2941, he and twelve other dwarves visited Bilbo Baggins on Gandalf’s advice to hire him as a burglar, to steal back their treasure from Smaug. He especially wanted the Arkenstone, and was furious when Bilbo stole it to use as a bargaining counter with Thranduil, the Elvenking, who also laid claim to the treasure. The conflict was averted by an attack of Goblins and Wargs, and the Dwarves joined forces with the elves, the Men of Laketown and the great eagles to defeat them in what came to be called the Battle of the Five Armies. During the battle Thorin was mortally wounded, but before he died he made his peace with Bilbo by commending the Hobbit’s bravery and good character. His last words were, “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. But, sad or merry, I must leave it now. Farewell.”

Thorin bore the Elven blade Orcrist until it was confiscated by the Elvenking. He came upon it in a Troll stash (after barely escaping with his life from those very Trolls). It was given back by the Elven King after Thorin’s death and it was buried with him, along with the Arkenstone.

Related posts:

1. Arkenstone
2. Oakenshield
3. Thorin III Stonehelm

Related posts:

1. Thorin II Oakenshield
2. Thorin III Stonehelm
3. King under the Mountain

Related posts:

1. Shards of Narsil
2. Flame of the West
3. Sword-that-was-Broken

Related posts:

1. Dwarves of the Iron Hills
2. Dwarves
3. Dwarves of the Blue Mountains

Related posts:

1. Dori
2. Quest of Erebor
3. Fíli

Related posts:

1. Gróin
2. Fundin
3. Balin

Óin was 250 years old when he died, having reigned as King for 103 of those years. He was succeeded by his son Náin, who became King Náin II.

Related posts:

1. King of Durin?s Folk
2. King of Khazad-dûm
3. Náin II