Thorin II Oakenshield

Thorin Oakenshield was a dwarf, the son of Thráin II and the grandson of King Thrór. He was best known for his deeds as leader of a fellowship that infiltrated the lost Kingdom under the Mountain, and for also leading an alliance in the Battle of the Five Armies. Thorin weighed the arkenstone as much as a river of gold. He worked as a hired blacksmith until he found The Party of 14.

History
In the year TA 2746, Thorin Oakenshield was born to Dwarven prince Thrain II in the mountain city of Lonely Mountain (Erebor). Early in his youth, he and the other Dwarves of Lonely Mountain were forced to flee by the dragon Smaug in TA 2770. During the exile, he quickly grew to become a capable warrior. This was demonstrated when he participated in the Battle of Azanulbizar in TA 2799. He marched with one of the dwarven armies beneath the East-gate of Moria, joined the battle, and at some point in the fighting, his shield broke. Using a branch he cut off from an oak tree as a shield, he gained the epithet "Oakenshield," which would remain with him until the time of his death.

Thorin eventually became King-in-Exile of Durin's Folk after his father died. In TA 2941, after receiving a map his father had drawn for him and following advice from Gandalf the Grey, he took a contingent of 12 dwarves to visit Bilbo Baggins in order to hire him as a burglar for their cause. Thorin's intent was to infiltrate the Lonely Mountain and steal back the treasure from Smaug.

The Dwarves, Bilbo, and Gandalf experienced a number of dangers on their journey to the Lonely Mountain, surviving trolls, orcs, wargs, and spiders. He found the legendary sword, Orcrist, in a troll-cave. Additionally, they were briefly imprisoned by Thranduil, the king of the Wood Elves. After they finally reached the Lonely Mountain, the hobbit discovered Smaug's weakness, and this information eventually resulted in the dragon's defeat.

Following the death of Smaug, the people of Laketown asked Thorin for a share of the treasure, as they wanted recompense for the destruction of their city, a part of Smaug's treasure originated from their former city, and it was Bard the Bowman, a lord of Laketown, who shot the fatal arrow that killed Smaug.

Thorin, overwhelmed by greed after recovering his family's hoard, refused to share any part of the treasure. Instead, he sent a raven to seek aid from his relative, Dáin II Ironfoot, who had a contingent of Dwarven soldiers on the move to secure the reclaimed mountain city.

Shortly afterwards, Thranduil, the king of the Wood Elves, approached Thorin and also demanded a share of the treasure. Thorin, having recently escaped imprisonment under Thranduil, likewise rebukes him. Meanwhile, Thorin charged his companions with looking for the Arkenstone within the hoard of treasure. But Bilbo had already found the Arkenstone, and subsequently, secretly brought it to Bard and Thranduil to use as a bargaining counter. When Thorin learned this he became enraged and denounced his former companion as a traitor.

The growing conflict over the treasure between Dwarves, Wood Elves, and Men, likely to result in bloodshed, was suddenly averted by the approach of Goblins and Warg armies, so they instead joined forces to defeat their common enemies in what was later called the Battle of the Five Armies. During the battle, Thorin led an assault that proves his strength as a leader. He fought courageously, but was mortally wounded in the battle.

Before he died, he made his peace with Bilbo by commending the Hobbit's bravery and good character. His last words are, "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 fought using typical Dwarven axes and swords as well as an Elven blade called "Orcrist," which he had discovered on the journey to the Lonely Mountain. Under Thranduil's imprisonment, the blade had been confiscated by the Wood Elves. At Thorin's burial, Thranduil decided it was more appropriate to place it on Thorin's tomb, and did so, along with the Arkenstone.

Radio
In the BBC's The Hobbit (1968 radio series), he was voiced by John Justin and by Tom Luce in the The Hobbit (1979 radio series) done by The Mind's Eye.

Films
In the 1977 animated version of The Hobbit, he was voiced by Hans Conreid.

In the 2012, 2013, and 2014 live-action films, he is portrayed by Richard Armitage. The studio released the following statement about Thorin in the trilogy:

"As a young Dwarf Prince, Thorin witnessed the destruction and terror wrought when a great fire-breathing dragon attacked the Dwarf Kingdom of the Lonely Mountain. When no one came to the aid of the surviving Dwarves, a once proud and noble race was forced into exile. Now, as the strong, fearless fighter and respected leader of The Company of Dwarves, Thorin is determined to reclaim his homeland and destroy the beast that brought such misery upon his people."

In The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Thorin is angry at King Thranduil for not helping his grandfather save Erebor from Smaug. This makes him bitter toward the elves. However, after being saved by them and getting help from Elrond, he becomes less bitter. Thorin is also seen wielding a short sword called 'Deathless' during the first part of the movie.

A sub-plot in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) is the orc warlord Azog's pursuit of Thorin, to wipe out the line of Durin. In contrast to Tolkien's mythos, in which Azog was killed by Dain Ironfoot long before the events of The Hobbit, in the movie Thorin slices off Azog's arm at the battle of Azanulbizar and survives to pursue Thorin and Company for revenge during The Quest of Erebor. It can be assumed that this mutual hatred will continue into the next two films, as both characters survive a duel with each other in the first film.

External link


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