It can be hard to tell the ages of many of the characters in The Lord of the Rings, and the Dwarves in particular present a challenge. In The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf said that he had walked the earth for “300 lives of Men,” so evidently, Wizards possessed a superhuman lifespan. Gandalf was one of the magical Istari, who were, in fact, immortal. High fantasy luminary J.R.R. Tolkien also confirmed that Elves were immortal. There were hints throughout Tolkien’s work that Dwarves had inhumanly long lives, but it can take some digging to confirm exactly how long.

Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies adapted the eponymous Tolkien novels, portraying a range of Dwarves, from Thorin to Gimli. With beards covering the faces of most of these Dwarves, it was hard to estimate their ages, although they were clearly senior enough to handle serious danger. While Hobbits lived until about 100 in The Lord of the Rings, with Bilbo reaching a ripe old age of 131, Dwarves actually had longevity to rival Men, Hobbits, and even Númenórean Men who lived hundreds of years.

The Dwarves Are Not Immortal Like Elves In The Lord Of The Rings

Dwarves Have Limited Life Spans

Dwarves spoke of events of hundreds of years past throughout Tolkien’s work, which could make them seem immortal. However, they were not. For example, in The Hobbit, Gandalf flagged to Thorin that “[his] father went away on the 21st of April, a hundred years ago last Thursday, and [had] never been seen by [him] since.” Tolkien said in a letter that Elves had “limitless serial longevity,” and conversations surrounding Dwarves throughout Tolkien’s books could be seen to build a case for this applying to them. However, Dwarves were not discussed in the same terms as Elves in the legendarium. ​​​​

There were limits to the immortality of Elves in The Lord of the Rings; they could be killed by others or die of grief or fatigue. Likewise, Dwarves were subject to the vulnerabilities of battle, which Thorin outlined in no uncertain terms in The Hobbit. Thorin describes the deaths of many Dwarves at the hands of Smaug, one of the most powerful Lord of the Rings characters. Nonetheless, The Lord of the Rings did make it clear that Dwarves could live to impressive ages, despite not possessing Elvish immortality.

Dwarves Have Very Long Life Spans In J.R.R. Tolkien’s Books

Dwarves Could Live For Hundreds Of Years

Dwarves in The Lord of the Rings lived for longer than the average Man or Hobbit, with Gimli, son of Glóin, living until age 262. As one of the best Lord of the Rings characters, Gimli proved his worth as a member of the Fellowship of the Ring. Gimli was already 139 when he joined the Fellowship, which was far from elderly by Dwarvish standards. This proved the hardiness of a Dwarf in his prime. Gimli was just getting started, going on to found a new Dwarvish kingdom after the events of The Lord of the Rings.

“Appendix A” of The Lord of the Rings contains the family tree of the Dwarves of Erebor, which lists the birth and death dates of many Dwarves. Thorin I of The Hobbit fame was born in the year 2035 of the Third Age and died in the year 2289 of the same age. This made him 254 when he finally passed away. A fair few Dwarves lived roughly this long. However, Thorin’s ancestor “lived so long that he was known far and wide as Durin the Deathless,” living for an unspecified number of years in the First Age.

What Happens To The Dwarves After The Lord Of The Rings

Dwarves Help Rebuild Middle-Earth

Tolkien’s lore on Dwarves went as far back as the First Age in The Lord of the Rings’ timeline, and it also described the future of the race. With Gimli establishing his own realm in the Glittering Caves of Aglarond, the Dwarves were poised to assist in the rebuilding of the lands destroyed by the War of the Ring. As Lord of the Glittering Caves, Gimli helped fix the gates of Minas Tirith, which had been damaged by the conflict with Sauron. Gimli reinforced these doors with mithril and steel, leaving Dwarvish influence permanently etched into Gondor’s structure.

Located on a westward continent called Aman, Valinor did not usually permit Dwarves entry, but Gimli secured it through his friends in high places – Legolas and Galadriel.

Gimli met a unique fate among the Dwarves, leaving the land of Middle-earth for Valinor. Valinor was the city of the Valar, Tolkien’s demigods. Located on a westward continent called Aman, Valinor did not usually permit Dwarves entry, but Gimli secured it through his friends in high places: Legolas and Galadriel. Gimli’s journey to Valinor was exemplary of a key theme in Tolkien’s works: love and friendship transcending the boundaries of race and nation. Gimli’s friendship with Legolas, in particular, represented the Dwarves finally finding peace with the Elves after centuries of distrust.

The Warner Bros. anime movie The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim will be released on December 13, 2024.

Tolkien went even further than this in his history of the Dwarves, elaborating on them further in Unfinished Tales. This collection of essays and stories was edited and published by Tolkien’s son posthumously. In this book, Tolkien confirms that King Durin VII recolonized Khazad-dûm, victoriously. However, this king was referred to as “the Last.” Indeed, the text states, “The world grew old and the days of Durin’s race ended.” The Lord of the Rings ended with the age of the Elves concluding and the age of Men beginning, and so the Dwarves eventually faded too.