In The Hobbit, Dwarves and Men joined the titular Halfling as he railed against the vicious Smaug, but all the movies’ protagonists would have been much better off with one piece of ancient Dwarf technology. Eagle-eyed readers of pioneering writer J.R.R. Tolkien’s work may note the surprisingly effective Dwarves of the Second Age and wonder where their handy equipment was when the Dwarves of Thorin’s Company needed it the most. Bilbo Baggins, the Halfling protagonist of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit movies, faced an uphill battle to defeat the fire-breathing dragon, Smaug.

Smaug was an epic villain in The Hobbit movies, making superb use of Benedict Cumberbatch’s terrifying voice acting. Thorin, leader of the Dwarf Company in the movies, had a grudge against the fiery monster after he had wreaked havoc on his ancestors years ago, far back in The Lord of the Rings timeline. But with Gandalf to guide them, Thorin, Bilbo, and the Dwarves set out to put right past wrongs. The forces of good triumphed over the cruel Smaug in the end, but they could have used some help from some of the Dwarves in The Silmarillion.

Dwarves Of Belegost’s Ancient Fire-Proof Armor Is Described In The Silmarillion

Ancient Dwarf Armor Was Flame-Resistant

J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion described the flame-resistant armor of the Dwarves of Belegost. The Dwarves of Belegost were one of the seven clans of Dwarves, and The Silmarillion described their adventures in the First Age of Middle-earth. These adventures were, therefore, set thousands of years before the Third Age story of The Hobbit. Known as the Naugrim, these Dwarves wore “great masks in battle hideous to look upon; and those stood them in good stead against the dragons.” The Naugrim “withstood fire more hardily than either Elves or Men.”

The First Age was the longest chronicled age in Middle-earth and was known as the Elder Days, speaking to the ancient nature of this armor. The Second Age lasted 3,441 years and The Hobbit began in 2941 of the Third Age and ended in 2942, proving how many eons lay between the Naugrim’s fireproof armor and the days of Thorin and his Company. Although lacking contemporary technology that Thorin’s Dwarves may have had access to in the Third Age, the Dwarves of Belegost were “Last of all the eastern force to stand firm” in an epic battle with a dragon.

The Dwarves Of Belegost Used Their Armor To Fight A Dragon During The First Age

First Age Armor Was Sturdy

The Dwarves of Belegost used flame-resistant armor to deflect Dragon-fire in The Silmarillion. Tolkien’s influential story described the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, otherwise known as the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. In this battle, the Dwarves joined the Union of Maedhros against Morgoth’s forces, and had to face “Glaurung father of dragons.” This “Great Worm” was the forefather of Smaug, and the fight foreshadowed what was to come. However, the Dwarves of Belegost protected the Elves in the Union of Maedhros from Dragon-fire, wearing their strong armor.

It was told how “the Naugrim made a circle” around Glaurung when he attacked the Noldorin Elves, and hacked away at the dragon, despite the “mighty armour” of his scales. Glaurung was one of the most powerful characters in The Lord of the Rings at this point, providing the main villain in the story of the unfortunate Túrin Turambar. For the Dwarves to be able to stand against him made their ancient strength abundantly clear. Dragon-fire could destroy Sauron’s magical Rings of Power, but it couldn’t penetrate the masks of the Naugrim.

This Ancient Lord Of The Rings Creation Would Have Changed The Outcome Of The Hobbit

Belegost Armor Would Have Changed Everything

If the ancient armor of the Naugrim had been passed down through generations of Dwarves to Thorin, the story of The Hobbit would have been very different, or perhaps non-existent. Glaurung’s descendant, Smaug, obliterated Thorin’s ancestral home and many of his ancestors, starting the feud that resulted in the events of The Hobbit. If Thorin’s ancestors had had access to the masks of the Naugrim, they probably could have withstood Smaug’s Dragon-fire with much more force and may have been able to drive him off. Then, Thorin would have had no mission in The Hobbit.

Smaug could fly, while Glaurung could not, so Thorin’s Company had a harder task than the Dwarves of Belegost, in a way.

Even if Smaug had managed to overtake the Kingdom under the Mountain, despite the fearsome flame-retardant armor of the Dwarves, the armor would have allowed Thorin and Company to defeat Smaug far more easily throughout their adventures in The Hobbit. Smaug could fly, while Glaurung could not, so Thorin’s Company had a harder task than the Dwarves of Belegost, in a way. However, Thorin, Bilbo, Balin, Dwalin, Óin, Glóin, Fíli, Kíli, Dori, Nori, Ori, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur could have worn the masks of the Naugrim and attacked Smaug far more directly.

Why The Hobbit Characters Didn’t Have The Same Armor As The Dwarves Of Belegost

Thorin’s Company Lacked Belegost Armor

There are a few reasons why the fireproof armor of the Dwarves of Belegost never reached Thorin and Company. The Dwarves of Belegost were of a different clan to Thorin’s Dwarves. Therefore, the armor, or the secrets of its making, couldn’t simply be passed down to reach Thorin. Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur were descendants of the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm, who had taken in refugees fleeing the ruin of Belegost. Belegost’s influence was felt among the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm. However, this was many years ago, making it a tenuous connection to the masks of the Naugrim.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is coming out on December 13, 2024.

​​​​​Glóin confirmed that the ancient secrets of the Naugrim could well have been lost in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings book. In “The Council of Elrond,” Glóin said “In metal-work, we cannot rival our fathers, many of whose secrets are lost. We make good armor and keen swords, but we cannot again make mail or blade to match those that were made before the dragon came.” While Glóin never mentioned the armor of the Dwarves of Belegost, in particular, it stands to reason that this was one piece of ancient Dwarf technology that Third Age Dwarves couldn’t access in The Hobbit.