Battle of Azanulbizar

The Battle of Azanulbizar, known also as the Battle of Nanduhirion or the Battle of Dimrill Dale, was the last battle in the War of the Dwarves and Orcs.

History
The battle at Azanulbizar was fought in the year TA 2799 at the eastern gate of Moria between the Dwarves of all houses, and the Orcs of the Misty Mountains.

It was the greatest battle of the War of Dwarves and Orcs, and was a decisive victory for the Dwarves. However, the battle claimed the lives of many; including Frerin - the second son of Thráin II, and the younger brother of Thorin Oakenshield. Fundin, father of Balin and Dwalin, also fell. Náin, son of Grór was slain in a fight with Azog, right outside the East Gate. Azog was then slain in turn by Náin's son Dáin Ironfoot.



After the Orcs were routed, Thráin II, heir of Durin, wished to enter and reclaim Moria after the War. However, the Dwarves of Durin's folk were too few, and the Dwarves of the other six houses refused to get involved with Durin's Bane. The aftermath of the battle and the overall war resulted in Extremely Devastating losses for all the dwarves involved, but virtually all of the Orcs infesting the Misty Mountains were destroyed, leaving only a handful left. This resulted in the Misty Mountains being relatively safer for the next two centuries. The Battle of Azanulbizar was also where Thorin earned the name "Oakenshield"; after his shield was broken during the battle, he cleaved a great branch from a nearby oak tree to use as both defense and bludgeon.

Opposing Forces
The exact number for the Dwarves was not specified, but it can be estimated at being somewhere between six to ten thousand Longbeards, Firebeards, Broadbeams, Ironfists, Stonefoots, Blacklocks, and Stiffbeards.

The Orcs, as stated above, came from Moria, and from as far north as Mount Gundabad. Their numbers can be estimated at twenty-five to thirty thousand Orcs.

Portrayal in Adaptations
The Battle of Azanulbizar was portrayed to be much different in The Hobbit film trilogy. The narrative of the battle has been heavily condensed.

After Smaug drove the Dwarves out of Erebor, Thrór attempted to lead all of his people back to their ancestral realm in Moria, only to find that the Gundabad Orcs, led by Azog, had gotten there first. Before going into battle, Thrór gave his son Thráin one of the Seven Rings of the Dwarves incase if he was slain. Thrór fought by his son and grandson during the battle, and attempted to fight against Azog, but the giant Pale Orc darted aside and decapitated the King Thrór. Thorin witnessed his grandfather's death and attempted to avenge him, but Thráin stopped him and warned him that Azog the Defiler was meant to destroy the line of Durin. Refusing to allow his son suffer the same fate as Thrór, Thráin attempted to take down Azog himself, but the deadly Orc managed to take him down and steal the ring by slicing off his finger.

When Thráin took 679 Dwarven Forces and led a charge towards the Dimrill Gate and never returned, Thorin rallies the remaining dwarven forces and fought against Azog in single combat and managed to slice off Orc's left arm at the elbow. The wounded Azog is dragged back into Moria by his subordinates, and the Dwarves assume he has died of his injuries, but he survives to appear in a present-time sub-plot in which he is hunting Thorin and Company for revenge. At the end of the battle only about 50 dwarves survived, Thorin was told by several dwarves that Thráin was gone, and was one of the fallen, but Thorin refused to believe that. He spent hours searching amongst the slain to the last body, and finally realized that his father was not among the fallen.

Etymology
The name 'Azanulbizar' is a Khuzdul word.

External link


Schlacht von Azanulbizar Битва при Азанулбизаре