Though there is a general consensus that The Hobbit movies fell short of The Lord of the Rings movies, there is still a lot of fun to be had in returning to Middle-earth and following this new band of heroes on an adventure. Given the size of Thorin’s company, it is a little harder to form a connection with all of the Dwarves. However, they are still endearing characters and it is interesting to see what became of them, with some living happy lives after the battle and others only meeting more tragedy.
The Deaths Of Thorin II Oakenshield & His Nephews
Thorin, Fili, and Kili Meet A Tragic End
Thorin was made to be a very complex character in The Hobbit movies and his final death reflected that.
Thorin was made to be a very complex character in The Hobbit movies and his final death reflected that. When Smaug is killed (by Bard the Bowman of Dale), Thorin reneges on his promises to Lake-town and tries to hoard all of the Lonely Mountain’s wealth. Addicted to this newfound treasure, he discards the wise words of Gandalf, and calls his comrades to arms in order to defend their “inheritance.”
He is then drawn into battle against a group of unexpected armies (goblins and wargs), and is seriously injured during the fight, dying shortly after the battle is won. His nephews, Fili and Kili, meet the same fate as they try to protect him from the subsequent onrush. Aside from Sean Bean’s Boromir dying in The Fellowship of the Ring, Peter Jackson avoided killing the main characters in his first trilogy. However, he keeps this tragic end with the death of the three prominent Dwarves, making for a bittersweet finale.
Dain II Ironfoot Becomes King Under The Mountain
Thorin’s Cousin Becomes Head Of The Dwarven Clans
Dain is a cousin of Thorin who responds to the call for his call for help. When Dain arrives at the Lonely Mountain, he brings with him an army of 500 soldiers, each of them armed to the teeth and terrifyingly strong. When Thorin dies, however, Dain celebrates all those who were crucial in destroying the enemy, including presenting Lake-town with Bilbo’s share of the reward.
He is later crowned King under the Mountain, a prestigious honor only given to the rulers of Erebor. By extension, he becomes the head of all Dwarven clans that are descended from the line of Durin the Deathless, the first Dwarf ever born. Dain becomes the fifth dwarf to hold the title of King Under the Mountain and the first to take the title who comes from outside of the main bloodline.
Oin’s Grisly Fate
Oin Is Taken By The Watcher In The Water
Many of the Dwarves do not live to see Frodo cure the world of evil, but Oin’s death is really quite sad. While it is not revealed how he died in the Lord of the Rings movies, The Fellowship of the Ring, does foreshadow the moment. In The Lord of the Rings, a tentacled beast known only as The Watcher in the Water attacks Frodo right before the Fellowship enters Moria, but he is thankfully rescued due to the others’ quick response.
Sadly, Oin is not as lucky when he encounters the beast. He and the other Dwarves attempt to flee from the Moria Orcs who had taken over their original homeland. However, when they come out of the gate, the water is right up against the shore and Oin is taken by the creature and pulled into the water. It is one of the more mysterious Lord of the Rings creatures but proves to be a deadly beast in the end.
Balin, Lord Of Moria
Balin Rules Moria, But Is Killed By Orcs There
Balin was seen as one of the wisest and most patient dwarves who was never as brash or headstrong as some of the others. This made him a key advisor to Thorin throughout their quest. After the Battle of the Five Armies, Balin takes a group of patriotic Dwarves in order to reestablish their authority over Moria. While he is, technically, a contender to the throne, his “colony” was not large enough for him to be referred to as the king.
Nevertheless, his governance comes to an abrupt end a few decades after constant fighting in the darkest reaches of Moria. Balin is finally killed by the Orcs now swarming there. The Fellowship observes his tomb as they take the Moria shortcut, where they also find out exactly what transpired by reading the Book of Mazarbul.
Ori And The Book Of Mazarbul
Ori Also Lives And Dies In Moria
The depths of Moria are no less terrifying than the vast expanse of Mordor, which makes for a rather lonely place to spend the final days of one’s life. Ori is one of those unfortunate characters, and the last of Thorin’s company to die before the War of the Ring. Sadly, he had lived a peaceful life for some time after the Battle of the Five Armies, enjoying the wealth of their success before accompanying Balin to his new colony.
Orin is one of the Dwarves who takes the time to bury Balin in his stone tomb before he and the remaining Dwarves make their last stand.
Orin is one of the Dwarves who takes the time to bury Balin in his stone tomb before he and the remaining Dwarves make their last stand. As a scrollkeeper, he is one of the writers who give the final accounts of their fight as read by the Fellowship of the Ring in the Book of Mazarbul. In fact, Ori’s corpse is shown to be holding on to the book before Gandalf takes it away.
Dwalin Lives A Long Life In Erebor
Balin’s Brother Remains At The Lonely Mountain
Dwalin was one of the toughest and most fierce Dwarves even if his appearance in The Hobbit movies differs from the books. It is perhaps not surprising that he then manages to survive the Battle of Five Armies. However, after their victory, he chooses to remain behind in the Lonely Mountain rather than go to Moria with the others, including his brother, Balin. He continues to live in Erebor for the remainder of his life, which goes on for a shockingly long time, given his peers’ average life expectancy.
Dwarves are said to live for about 250 years, being the children of Aule the Vala, but Dwalin dies when he is 340 years old. This makes him one of the oldest Dwarves to ever live in Middle-earth. Given Dwalin’s warrior persona, it is interesting that he is one of the few who is not killed in battle.
Gloin At The Council Of Elrond
Gimli’s Father Appears In Lord Of The Rings
Gloin is the father of Gimli, one of the crucial members of the Fellowship, and the only one of Thorin’s group to have met with Frodo. This event takes place at the Council of Elrond at Rivendell during which the final selection is made for the eight individuals who are to accompany Frodo on his journey to Mordor. Though his presence is not pointed out in the Lord of the Rings movies, he is a valuable part of the council.
He tells the bearer of the One Ring about everything that had happened in Erebor after the Battle of Five Armies, including of his cousin Balin’s steadfast decision to restore Moria back to the hands of the Dwarves. It would have been interesting to see this character make the connections between The Hobbit movies and Lord of the Rings movies.
Dis Is the Only Known Dwarf-Woman In This Story
Thorin’s Sister Sets The Stage For The Rings Of Power’s Disa
The deaths of Fili and Kili are a painful blow to all Dwarves, especially because of the honorable manner in which they sacrificed their lives to save their dying leader. As a tribute to their courage, their mother, Dis — who also happens to be Thorin’s sister — is the only female Dwarf to receive a mention in the story. Dwarf women have been further explored outside of the books, including with the character of Disa in The Rings of Powers cast, which could be a nod to Dis given their similar names.
Interestingly, however, Dwarf-women are said to be practically indistinguishable from their male counterparts, having a flowing beard and garbed in very similar clothing. Her brief mention helps to establish the larger community of the Dwarves which was subsequently expanded on in other elements of the franchise.
Bombur’s Life Of Leisure
The Comic Relief Lives Out His Life At A Great Size
Bombur is not really interested in the quest, choosing instead to eat, drink, and sleep whenever he gets the chance. He is, indeed, a brave warrior, and becomes a dangerous combatant if really pushed, but his relaxed demeanor often gets him in trouble. For instance, he gets himself enchanted with a sleep charm, forcing his compatriots to drag his unconscious body along.
Nevertheless, it looks like Bombur had a rather sedentary life after everything settled down, as Frodo finds out that he had put on so much weight that it required the assistance of multiple people to carry him from one place to another. It is a comical (although not unproblematic) way of bringing the character to a close in the story, given that he was largely a comedic relief character in the movies and having him die in battle would be hard to take.
Bifur, Bofur, Dori, Nori Live Happily (?) Ever After
Four Dwarves Do Not Have A Clear Future
Even with all the extensive writing of the timeline of the Lord of the Rings and the surrounding history of Middle-earth, there are not conclusive facts about what happened to some of the members of Thorin’s band of Dwarves. Four of the Dwarves are confirmed to still be alive during the War of the One Ring, or at least in its initial stages. Bifur and Bofur are probably cloistered away in the Lonely Mountain, preferring to spend time with their riches than go on another adventure.
On the other hand, Dori and Nori may have gotten involved in the Battle of Dale, a major war between the Ereborean Dwarves and the Easterlings allied with Sauron, but there are no tales regarding when (or if) they died. With the franchise always expanding, there is still hope for these questions to be answered.
