Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Carcharoth (talk | contribs) at 22:34, 26 October 2007 (add a citation to a third party source and remove tags - I think this satisfies the notability criteria). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Template:Middle-earth portal In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, the Lonely Mountain (Sindarin Erebor) is a mountain in the northeast of Rhovanion. It is also the source of the Celduin river.

Origins of the Kingdom Under the Mountain

Erebor became the home of the Folk of Durin, the Longbeards (see Dwarf (Middle-earth)), after they were driven from their ancestral home of Khazad-dûm. In the latter days of the Third Age, this Kingdom Under the Mountain held one of the largest dwarven treasure hoards in Middle-earth.

The mountain was aptly named, as it stood hundreds of miles from the nearest mountain range. Tolkien's map shown in The Hobbit depicts the mountain as having six ridges stretching out from a central peak that was snowcapped well into Spring. The Front Gate, from which Celduin flowed, faced southward. The whole mountain was perhaps ten miles in diameter, with Dale, a town of Men, built between the two southern spurs.

Erebor was founded by Thrain I the Old, who discovered the Arkenstone there. His son, Thorin I, left the mountain with much of the Folk of Durin to live in the Ered Mithrin (Grey Mountains) for the great riches to be found in that range. After dragons plundered their hoards, the Longbeards, led now by Thrór, a decendant of Thorin, returned to Erebor to take up the title King under the Mountain. Under Thór's reign Erebor became a great Dwarven stronghold, where the Dwarves became a numerous and prosperous people. The Dwarves of Erebor were at that time well known to be skilled in the making of matchless weapons and armor, and there was great demand for their work by the surrounding peoples. Although this might account for the Dwarves of Erebor amassing a large amount of gold and treasure, it must be remembered that Thrór possessed one of the Seven Rings of the Dwarves, which founded many dwarf-hoards. Too, although the lure of treasure may have been enough, the malice instilled by Sauron in all the Rings of Power save the Three may well have played a part in drawing the winged dragon Smaug to Erebor, as well as the special hatred Sauron had for Durin's Folk because of their role in defeating his invasion of Eriador in 1695 S.A.

Erebor in The Hobbit

In 2770 T.A., one day whilst a young Thorin II Oakenshield was out hunting, Smaug (being quite young then, and small enough to fit into the smaller passages of Erebor) flew south from the Grey Mountains and destroyed (ate) all the dwarves he could find, also destroying the town of Dale. Smaug then took over the mountain, gathering all the dwarven horde together with the treasures of Dale into a large mound, which he used as a bed. King Thrór, his son Thráin II, and several companions escaped death (as was later discovered) by a secret door. Although Thror and Thrain later perished, for many years Thorin, now the Heir of Durin, lived in exile in the Ered Luin until, by a chance meeting, he met Gandalf the Grey. Together they formed a plan to reclaim the mountain. In this plan Gandalf insisted burglary was the best approach and recommended the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, whom Gandalf represented to be a professional thief.

Thus Bilbo, Thorin, and Thorin's company of twelve other Dwarves traveled to the Lonely Mountain to regain the treasure Smaug had stolen. They planned to use the secret door, for which Gandalf had managed to obtain the door's key (from Thrain II, whom he had found in the pits of Dol Guldur). The door would only open on Durin's Day when the setting sun and the last moon of autumn were in the sky together. By a fortunate coincidence, this happened soon after Bilbo and the dwarves arrived, and the hobbit was able to enter the mountain and steal a golden cup. Smaug, enraged by the theft, emerged from the mountain first to slay the dwarves (which he failed to do), and then flew south to destroy Lake Town, the common name for Esgaroth, which he thought to be the source of the 'thieves.'

Smaug was eventually slain — shot out of the sky with a well-aimed arrow by Bard the Bowman, — and Thorin claimed the mountain. However, the Men of Esgaroth, supported by Thranduil and the Elves of Mirkwood, claimed a part of the dragon's hoard as recompense for the destruction of their town. Bard, heir to the throne of Dale, also claimed the part of the treasure stolen from that town. Thorin, mad with greed , refuted all claims and managed to contact his kinsman Dáin II Ironfoot, chief of the Dwarves of the Iron Hills, who came to aid their cousins in the mountain. Before the battle began, an army of Orcs (goblins in The Hobbit) and an army of wargs decended on Erebor. Dwarves, Elves, and Men joined ranks against them, which led to the Battle of Five Armies. During the battle, Thorin's nephews Fili and Kili were slain, and Thorin himself was mortally injured and died shortly afterwards. Thus the titles King under the Mountain and King of Durin's Folk passed to Dáin.

Erebor in The Lord of the Rings

With the restoration of the Kingdom under the Mountain the area became prosperous again. Dale was rebuilt, and the Men there reforged their friendship with the Dwarves of Erebor.

Gimli, a dwarf of Erebor, was one of the Nine Walkers and was helped King Elessar regain the throne of Gondor.

Dáin II fell in battle during the War of the Ring, and was succeeded in both his titles by his son Thorin III Stonehelm.

References/Notes

1. Tolkien, J.R.R. The Return of the King. 'Of Durin's Folk'

2. Tolkien, J.R.R. Unfinished Tales. 'The History of Galadrial and Celeborn'

3. Tolkien, J.R.R. Unfinished Tales. 'The Quest of Erebor'

4. It is possible that. since a Dwarven Ring of Power was the foundation of that Hoard. the curse the use of such Rings left on the works created with them was at least a partial source of Thorin's foolish and malevolent behavior. However, since Thorin himself never possessed the Ring (It was taken from Thrain II by the Necromancer), possibly this was all due to his pride, of which he seemed to have an over-abundance.

5. Tolkien, J.R.R. The Return of the King. 'Of Durin's Folk'

Works cited

• Harper, Amelia (2006). "Lonely Mountain (Erebor)". In Drout, Michael D. C. (ed.). J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment. Routledge. pp. 384–385. ISBN 0-415-96942-5.

Template:Dwarves Template:Arda Mountains

• Middle-earth mountains
• Middle-earth realms