Bombur

In The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, Bombur was a fat dwarf who accompanies Thorin Oakenshield and Bilbo Baggins on their journey to Lonely Mountain (Erebor). His brother Bofur and cousin Bifur also were part of the company.

The Quest or Erebor


"Poor, fat" Bombur is frequently described as foolish and being the last for everything. Because he counts for two, he is the last to enter Beorn's house and the last to cross the enchanted river in Mirkwood. And he makes mistakes when he is last: He tumbles with Bifur and Bofur onto Thorin when they enter Bag End last, he enters Beorn's house earlier than intended, and he also slips into the Enchanted river (and falls asleep). He chooses to stay and guard the supplies camp while the others move up Lonely Mountain because he trusts neither mountain paths nor ropes. Later though, he is forced to use the ropes to escape the rampaging dragon Smaug.



Bombur sleeps at several key moments in the book. When he trips into the Mirkwood River, he falls under a spell that makes him sleep for days, burdening the others with his weight as they walked on. And while he is on a midnight lookout in the fortified Lonely Mountain, Bilbo promises to keep watch so that he can sleep in the warmth (Bilbo used this opportunity to sneak the Arkenstone out of the mountain). Incidentally, he was asleep when they opened his barrel after escaping the Elves of Mirkwood and also when Bilbo discovered the secret entrance to Lonely Mountain. Bombur is always last and doesn't enjoy it. When the dwarves, Gandalf, and Bilbo meet Beorn, Bombur comes last. He comes along straight after Bifur and Bofur so he won't be last. He fought at and survived the Battle of the Five Armies. Following the defeat of Smaug, Dain II Ironfoot gave him his share of the treasure and he remained to live at the Lonely Mountain.

Later Years
In The Lord of the Rings, many years later, Frodo Baggins inquires after Bombur and learns that he has grown so fat it takes six dwarves to lift him to the dinner table.

The Hobbit animated film
In the animated version of The Hobbit, he plays the most major role in Thorin's company besides Balin and Dori. Unlike in the book, he was killed during the Battle of the Five Armies. He was voiced by Paul Frees.

Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy
In Peter Jackson's live-action The Hobbit films, he was portrayed by Stephen Hunter. In 2012 the studio released the following statement about Bombur in the upcoming trilogy:

''Brother to Bofur and cousin to Bifur, Bombur is the chief cook amongst The Company of Dwarves. His immense size and voracious appetite causes frequent problems – and laughter – for himself and The Traveling Party. Despite his size he can be surprisingly effective as a fighter – and woe betide anyone who makes him late for dinner!''

Unlike in the book, Bombur appears less frequently and has less dialogue in the Peter Jackson films. He was mainly used as a source of comic relief. In the first Hobbit film Bombur's dialogue is mostly limited to shouts and pants.

Bombur also appeared as an ally card in the Lord Of The Rings card game, by Fantasy Flight games. He belonged to the Spirit sphere and his effect allowed the player to use him straight from their hand to do nothing but commit to a quest, ignoring the recource typically used to pay for ally cards, for one turn. Assuming the player did not let Bombur be killed during that turn, the effect could be used over and over again.

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