Battle of Azanulbizar

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

History Edit

The Battle of Azanulbizar was fought in the year TA 2799 at the eastern gate of Moria, and was 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 believed that they did not have the strength to confront Durin's Bane, though none knew what it was.

The aftermath of the battle and the overall war resulted in 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 a shield and a bludgeon.

The Dwarves' losses were so great that it was impossible to bury all their dead, and instead the corpses were burned on funeral pyres. In later years, the relatives and descendants of these casualties would commonly say of their ancestor, "He was a burned Dwarf", a remark instantly understandable as a reference to Azanulbizar and the Dwarves who died there.^[4]

Portrayal in adaptations Edit

The portrayal of the Battle of Azanulbizar in The Hobbit film trilogy was altered in several significant aspects from the account given in Appendix A of The Lord of the Rings, notably in the condensing of the battle's timeline.

As shown in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and the extended edition of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, after Smaug had driven the Dwarves out of the Lonely Mountain, 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 in case he was slain. If this occurred, his son would take his position as King of Durin's Folk. Leading a legion of Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain and the Iron Hills, Thrór fought side-by-side with 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.

While Thráin took 6000 Dwarven soldiers and warriors to lead a charge towards the Dimrill Gate and never returned, the rest of the Dwarf Army was driven back by the Orcs in a retreat that threatened to turn into a rout, with Orcs slaughtering the fleeing dwarves on the run. Thorin, hoping to rally his army, decided to face off against Azog in single combat. The Pale Orc easily overpowered him, relieving Thorin of his sword and shield. Thorin defended himself desperately with an oaken branch as a shield, and eventually managed to slice off Azog's left arm with his retrieved sword. The wounded Azog was then dragged back into Moria by his subordinates, and Thorin rallied the remaining dwarves, including Balin, Dwalin, Dori, Bifur, and Oin, against the remaining orcs and won a pyrrhic victory, defeating the Orcs but losing too many Dwarves to pursue them into Moria and reclaim it. Thousands of Dwarves were slain in the battle, and Moria would not be occupied. While Balin, Dwalin, Dori, Oin, and Bifur walked amidst the heaps of their slain kin, Thorin was told by several Dwarves that Thráin was gone as well. Thorin refused to believe it, and spent hours searching among the slain dwarves, to the last body, and finally realized that his father was not among the fallen. Azog had been presumed dead, dying of his injuries. However, as it was shown in An Unexpected Journey, Azog lived, and vowed revenge on Thorin.

Etymology Edit

Azanulbizar is a Khuzdul word meaning "Dimrill Dale".^[5]

Translations around the world Edit

References Edit

1. ↑ The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, Durin's Folk
2. ↑ Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, p.356
3. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien editor, The History of Middle-earth, Vol. XII, (1996), p. 278,
4. ↑ The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers, III: Durin's Folk
5. ↑ The Complete Guide to Middle-earth