EveryLord of the Ringsfan knows about Gimli, Son of Glóin, and his exploits with the Fellowship of the Ring. But when it comes to theLord of the Ringsmovies, there are plenty of Dwarves that didn’t quite make the cut — even in Peter Jackson’sridiculously long extended editions.
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J.R.R. Tolkien crafted a massive world, with dozens of minor characters who fans of the films might not know about (yet). Among them are Dwarves who changed the course of Middle-Earth history, whose heroic deeds are known only by those dedicated enough to pore over Tolkien’s books — or at least, this article. Read on to learn about some of Tolkien’s most obscure but important Dwarves.
9Dís, The Only Named Dwarf-Woman
While the newRings of PowerTV series will bring a new female Dwarfto light, Tolkien only ever wrote about one in the books. Dís was the mother of Fíli and Kíli — two of the Dwarves fromThe Hobbitwho traveled alongside Thorin and Bilbo. Unfortunately not much is known about her, but Tolkien uses his writings about Dís to inform readers about Dwarf-women in general.
Fans might recall a certain conversation Gimli had with Éowyn inThe Two Towers. Gimli mentions that many believe Dwarf-women don’t actually exist — that Dwarves just “spring out of holes in the ground.” Jackson actually paraphrased that line from one of the Appendices inThe Return of the King, which goes on to clarify that Dwarf-women do in fact look much like Dwarf-men.
Interestingly, the Dwarf-women of Middle-Earth seem to have been ahead of the times: the majority of them gave little thought to marriage, with as few as one-third ever going on to have children.
8Nár
When Thorin Oakenshield’s grandfather Thrór lost his mind and began wandering Middle-Earth, no one went with him — except Nár, his faithful, loving companion. Together they adventured from the Blue Mountains, through Dunland, and into Rhovanion. It was at the Dimrill Dale that Thrór revealed his true plans: he wanted to reclaim Khazad-dûm, or Moria, for his people.
Nár, knowing that Moria was still crawling with Orcs (and even worse, the Balrog of Morgoth), begged Thrór not to go inside, but it was pointless. Nár waited outside the gates for Thrór to return, but fate had other plans. Azog, ruler of the Moria Orcs, killed Thrór and tossed his severed head to Nár. His king slain, Nár brought the message back to his people, triggering the largest conflict between Orcs and Dwarves ever seen during the Third Age.
7Grór
BeforeSmaug the dragon torched the Lonely Mountainand drove away its Dwarf population, several groups of Dwarves went their own ways. One of those was a group led by Grór (brother of Thrór, Thorin’s grandfather), who founded a Dwarf kingdom in the Iron Hills.
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While not much is known about Grór himself, his role in founding the Iron Hills was a pivotal moment in Dwarf history. Having lost the mithril-laden caves of Moria to the Orcs and the Lonely Mountain to the dragon, Durin’s Folk were in dire need of some good luck. And the Iron Hills provided just that: Grór’s kingdom quickly became wealthy as they mined the ore-rich hills, trading with their Dwarf-kin as far away as the Blue Mountains near the Shire.
6Durin VI & Náin I
Moria, or Khazad-dûm as the Dwarves call it, had been around since the First Age of Middle-Earth. Its rulers had grown ever richer as the kingdom continued to profit off its vast underground caverns, especially after the discovery of mithril. But as Saruman said, “the Dwarves delved too greedily, and too deep”.
They awoke a Balrog of Morgoth, who slew Durin VI, ruler of Moria. With their king dead, the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm quickly fell, but not before Náin I — the king’s son — tried to put an end to Durin’s Bane, as the Balrog soon became known. Náin also perished, leaving the Dwarves’ shining kingdom under the Misty Mountains in ruins.
5Thrór
Grandfather to Thorin Oakenshield, Thrór was King Under the Mountain when the dragon Smaug attacked. While the kingdom was lost, Thrór and his family — along with many of their companions — were able to escape the siege. Heroically staying until everyone else had evacuated, Thrór lost everything when the Lonely Mountain fell — not least of all the precious Arkenstone (a priceless jewel uncovered by Thrór’s forefathers).
Now destitute and wandering Middle-Earth, Thrór eventually went his own way and left his Ring of Power to his son, Thráin II. Deluded, he and his companion Nár made their way to the Gates of Khazad-dûm at Azanulbizar. Seeking to reclaim Moria for the Dwarves, he foolishly entered alone, never to return.His death at the hands of Azogsparked the bloodiest war the Dwarves ever fought, making Thrór one of the most important minor characters inThe Hobbit.
4Thráin II
With Thrór killed by Azog, Thráin II — Thorin’s father — became the heir to the throne of Erebor, the Lonely Mountain. Having previously set up shop in Dunland and still in exile from his ancestral home, Thráin eventually led his people to the Blue Mountains in Eriador, close to the Shire. There the exiled Dwarves began to prosper once again, even trading with their distant cousins in the Iron Hills.
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After a number of years, Thráin attempted to recapture Erebor but was quickly captured by servants of Sauron, who was thenoperating under the guise of the Necromancer. Imprisoned in the Necromancer’s fortress of Dol Guldur, Thráin yet had an important role to play inThe Hobbit. Before dying in his cell, Thráin managed to give Gandalf the key to the Lonely Mountain. If Thráin hadn’t kept it safe all those years, Bilbo and co. would never have vanquished Smaug.
3Náin
Not to be confused with Náin I or Náin II (Tolkien did love his Roman numerals), Náin was the son of Grór and lived during the Third Age as Lord of the Iron Hills —which is only ever portrayed in the video games. He answered the call of war when his uncle Thrór was slain by Azog of Moria. Leading an army of Dwarves to the Battle of Azanulbizar, Náin saved the day.
Before the day was won, he challenged Azog to a duel, one king against the other. While Náin fought bravely, he received a killing blow from Azog, breaking the Dwarf’s neck. Despite his death, Náin’s son Dáin avenged his father and secured a Pyrrhic victory for Durin’s Folk.
2Dáin Ironfoot
After his father Náin was killed by Azog, Dáin Ironfoot stepped up and slew the goblin king of Moria, earning his place as Lord of the Iron Hills. Now a legend in his own right, Dáin went on to fight in the Battle of Five Armies duringThe Hobbit, leading his own army of Dwarves to save Thorin, Bilbo, and the others. When Thorin died in battle, it was Dáin who went on to become King Under the Mountain, ruling Erebor and reestablishing the friendship between the Dwarves and the humans of Laketown.
While it never made it into the movies, Tolkien writes inReturn of the Kingthat a massive battle was fought at the Lonely Mountain around the same time as Sauron’s forces attacked Minas Tirith. Dáin died defending his homeland, but his actions saved northern Middle-Earth from destruction.
1Durin The Deathless
The Dwarves inThe Lord of the Ringsare called Durin’s Folk for a reason. One of the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves, Durin awoke during the First Age under Mount Gundabad (near the northern Misty Mountains). He wandered until he finally came across the caverns that would one day be known as the Mines of Moria, or Khazad-dûm in the Dwarven tongue.
As his name suggests, Durin lived for so long that he earned the nickname “the Deathless.” As the founder of the Longbeard kingdoms, Durin became the most important figure in Dwarven history, with six great Dwarf lords named in his honor.
