| This article is about the town and kingdom. For the people, see Dale-men. Additionally for the unrelated poem, see The Dale-lands. |
Dale was an independent township of the Northmen, located in northeastern Middle-earth, destroyed by the dragon Smaug in TA 2770. It was rebuilt after Smaug's demise in TA 2941, becoming the capital city of a great realm of Men.
Description[]
Dale was the valley between the southwestern and southeastern arms of the Lonely Mountain, nestled in an acute bend of the River Running.[1]
The valley held a merry town that traded, mainly in food-supplies, for the skills and craft-pieces of the Dwarves of Erebor. Fathers from Dale also paid handsomely to send their sons as apprentices for the Dwarves. Dale sent or received trade along the River Running to and from their kin in Lake-town or beyond. Dale's market of marvelous, magical toys was considered by many the wonder of the North,[2] and the town was renowned also for its bells.[3]
History[]
Foundation[]
In TA 2590, King Thrór re-established the Kingdom under the Mountain.[4] The realm prospered, and Northmen living to the south came up the River Running and built the town in Dale.[2] The town shared in the fame and prosperity of the Dwarves and was governed by the Lord of Dale, of whom the last was named Girion.[5]
Destruction[]
In TA 2770, Smaug descended upon the Dwarf-kingdom.[4] Although the Dale-men and dwarves alike fielded warriors against the monster, their resistance was crushed, the kingdom destroyed, and the survivors scattered. Smaug then occupied the Lonely Mountain and spent the next 171 years guarding his hoard of plundered treasure. After the attack, the dragon would crawl out of the Front Gate of the Mountain by night and carry away people (especially maidens) from Dale to eat. The remaining population soon fled and the deserted town fell into ruin.[2]
Re-establishment[]
The death of Smaug and the Battle of Five Armies occurred in TA 2941. Three years after the battle, Dale was rebuilt as a great city by Bard the Bowman, who had killed the dragon and was the descendant of Girion. Dale soon again enjoyed prosperity: Bard founded a line of Kings, and gathered Northmen from the South and West, who again tilled the whole valley. Lake-town was rebuilt and grew wealthy from traffic with Dale along the River Running.[6] Its people became known as Bardings, after their new ruler.
Jan Pospisil - The Battle of Dale
War of the Ring[]
During the reign of King Brand, the grandson of Bard the Bowman, the city of Dale served as the capital for the large territory he ruled. The kingdom of Dale included Lake-town and extended far south and east of the Long Lake.[7] The river Carnen seemed to be the kingdom's eastern border. However, as Glóin revealed at the Council of Elrond, in TA 3017 a messenger from Mordor came to ask King Dáin II Ironfoot at the gate to the Lonely Mountain for news of Hobbits and to ask for Bilbo's Ring. Messengers had also come to King Brand and there were enemies gathering upon the kingdom of Dale's eastern borders.[8] During the War of the Ring, the Easterlings crossed the Carnen and moved to attack the city. On March 17 TA 3019 the Battle of Dale began. Not able to hold back the Easterlings, the Bardings and their allies, the Dwarves of Erebor, retreated into the Lonely Mountain, but lost Kings Brand and Dáin Ironfoot who were both slain at the Gate of Erebor. For seven days the Men and Dwarves barricaded themselves in Erebor until news came from the south of the defeat of Sauron. The new kings of Dale and Erebor (Bard II and Thorin III), broke the siege and chased the Easterlings out of Dale.[9]
Later history[]
After the Battle of Dale, the Easterlings did not trouble Dale in the future.[9] King Bard II also sent an ambassador to the crowning of King Elessar.[9] Dale remained independent but in friendship with Gondor and under the protection and crown of the King of the West.[9]
Etymology[]
The word dale means "valley" often in otherwise hilly areas[10] - the town was built in the River Running's valley between two arms of the Lonely Mountain.
In other versions[]
J.R.R. Tolkien specifies no founding date for Dale. In The Hobbit, Thorin tells Bilbo that men built “the merry town of Dale” during the time when his grandfather Thrór was King under the Mountain, soon after TA 2590. This is the only definitive statement. However, in Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, a section contains a lengthy description of the wars between Gondor and the Wainriders. In that story, the following comment is found (after the defeat of King Narmacil II of Gondor in TA 1856):
As for the Northmen, a few, it is said, fled over the Celduin (River Running) and were merged with the folk of Dale under Erebor (with whom they were akin), some took refuge in Gondor, and others were gathered by Marhwini son of Marhari (who fell in the rearguard action after the Battle of the Plains).
—Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, "Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan"
It is possible to reconcile the texts if TA 1856 is considered the year of the foundation of the first, primitive Northmen settlements in the area with the years after TA 2590 as the foundation of the city with the coming of the Dwarves; the canonicity of this, however, is unknown.
In adaptations[]
In The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II[]
The City of Dale appears in the Erebor map of EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II (2006), just south-east of the mountain itself. It appears to contain several houses, taverns and bridges, as well as a statue of a man. The city is built around the mountain's river.
In The Hobbit film trilogy[]
In The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey[]
In TA 2770 in the continuity of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit films as shown in An Unexpected Journey (2012), Smaug descended upon the Dwarf-kingdom. Although the Men of Dale fielded warriors against the monster the speed and power of the dragon's assault was overwhelming, whilst Girion, Lord of the city, fired several Black Arrows at Smaug, these were ineffective, save for one that removed a scale of the dragon's armour, creating a weakness.
In The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug[]
In The Desolation of Smaug (2013), the ruined city of Dale appears briefly when Bilbo Baggins and the Dwarves are heading for Erebor.
In The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies[]
In The Battle of the Five Armies (2014), Smaug is killed by Bard the Bowman, after conflagrating Lake-town. The surviving refugees of the town seek shelter in the ruins of Dale, and are bolstered by the arrival of Thranduil, who brings provisions alongside his army. They proceed to Erebor to bargain with Thorin; Bard wants to resolve the conflict without going to war, however, Thorin refuses to negotiate due to being consumed by the gold sickness that once plagued his grandfather. Returning to the city, Bard tells Thranduil what has happened and that going to war is the only option, so the Men scoured the ruins for arms and armor and readied themselves for battle alongside the Elves. During the night, Bilbo Baggins gives them the Arkenstone to ransom to Thorin in exchange for their promised treasure. During the Battle of the Five Armies, the Siege of Dale takes place, where both Elves and Men fight Azog's army.
The fighting spills into the streets of Dale, forcing Bard to retreat to defend the women and the children who remain among its ruins. The great hall on top of the hill serves as a refugee for most of the elderly, the women and the children during the fighting, although many of them choose to stand and fight. With Thorin leading a charge that pushes the Orcs back in the Long Valley, the defenders are able to get the upper hand before Thorin went to Ravenhill to confront Azog. A second army by Bolg arrives, but is thwarted by Beorn. Despite Dol Guldur's greater strength, the army is defeated. Those who survive the battle gather and honor those who have fallen.
In The Lord of the Rings Online[]
Dale in The Lord of the Rings Online
In The Lord of the Rings Online, Dale was originally introduced as a standalone instance taking place during the Battle of Dale. Several years later, a proper explorable version of the city and the surrounding lands were added as part of the "Strongholds of the North" update. Still rebuilding after the recent battle, Dale is now ruled by King Bard II and his mother, Queen Regent Erna. A large statue of Bard the Bowman stands at the northern entrance of the city.
Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Arabic | واد |
| Belarusian Cyrillic | даліна |
| Bengali | উপত্যকা |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Дейл |
| Chinese (Hong Kong) | 河谷鎮 |
| Czech | Dol |
| Dutch | Dal |
| Finnish | Laakso |
| Italian | Valle/Conca |
| French | Dale |
| Georgian | დეილი |
| German | Thal |
| Greek | Κοιλάδα |
| Gujarati | ખીણ |
| Hebrew | דייל |
| Hungarian | Suhatag |
| Japanese | 谷間の国 |
| Kazakh Cyrillic | Дэйл |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | Дејл |
| Marathi | डेल |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Дэйл |
| Norwegian | Dal |
| Persian | دیل |
| Polish | Dal |
| Portuguese | Vale (Portugal) Valle (Brazil) |
| Russian | Дейл |
| Spanish (Spain and Latin America) | Valle |
| Thai | เดล |
| Realms of Men of Middle-earth throughout the Ages | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Age | Amon Ereb • Forest of Brethil • Dor-lómin • Eriador • Estolad • Ladros | |
| Second Age | Arnor • Dunland • Gondor • Haradwaith • Númenor• Rhovanion • Rhûn • Umbar | |
| Third Age | Arnor (later split into Arthedain, Cardolan, and Rhudaur) • Dale • Dunland • Lake-town (later part of the kingdom of Dale) • Gondor • Haradwaith • Khand • Rhovanion • Rohan • Rhûn • Umbar • Vales of Anduin | |
| Fourth Age | Dale • Haradwaith • Núrn • Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor • Rhovanion • Rohan • Rhûn • Khand • Eriador • Vales of Anduin | |
References[]
- ↑ The Hobbit, "Thrór's Map"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Hobbit, "An Unexpected Party"
- ↑ The Hobbit, "On the Doorstep"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age"
- ↑ The Hobbit, "Fire and Water"
- ↑ The Hobbit, "The Last Stage"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book II, "Many Meetings"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book II, "The Council of Elrond"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Great Years"
- ↑ dale