Thorin Oakenshield

Thorin II "Oakenshield", eventually called King under the Mountain or Mountain King,[1] was the son of Thráin II, the older brother of Frerin and Dís, the grandson of King Thrór and the uncle of Fíli and Kíli. Thorin was best known for his deeds as leader of a company that infiltrated the lost Kingdom under the Mountain to take it back from Smaug and for leading an alliance of Men, Dwarves, and Elves in the Battle of Five Armies. Thorin II was born in TA 2746 to the Dwarf prince Thráin II in the city of the Lonely Mountain. Early in his youth, Thorin and the other Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain were forced to flee by the dragon Smaug, in TA 2770. While in exile, he quickly grew into a capable warrior. This was demonstrated at the Battle of Azanulbizar, near Moria, in TA 2799. He fought with one of the Dwarven armies beneath Moria's East-gate, and at some point in the battle, his shield broke, and, using an oaken tree branch found on the ground as a shield, he gained the epithet "Oakenshield," which remained with him even in death. Thorin became King-in-Exile of Durin's Folk in TA 2850, after his father went missing and died in the dungeons of Dol Guldur. In TA 2941, Gandalf the Grey found Thorin in The Prancing Pony at Bree and set in motion a scheme to retake the mountain. He gave Thorin a map and key that he had received from Thráin in Dol Guldur before he died. Thorin then took a contingent of twelve Dwarves to visit Bilbo Baggins in order to hire him as a burglar for their mission. Thorin intended to infiltrate the Lonely Mountain and retake the treasure from Smaug. The Dwarves, Bilbo, and Gandalf encountered many dangers on their journey to the Lonely Mountain, surviving Trolls, Orcs, Wargs, and Spiders. He found the legendary sword Orcrist in a troll-hoard, along with Glamdring. In Rivendell, the Company rested and Elrond translated the Moon-letters on Thrór's Map.During their journey through Mirkwood, Thorin and his Company encountered spiders and were later imprisoned by the Elvenking Thranduil. They escaped in barrels and traveled down to Lake-town. Thorin and Company were greeted warmly by the people of Lake-town and hailed as the return of the King under the Mountain. They soon reached the Lonely Mountain and the Dwarves sent Bilbo inside, who conversed with a newly awakened Smaug. Realizing that the Lake-men must have helped the intruders, an enraged Smaug flew towards Lake-town to take revenge. There he was killed by Bard the Bowman, who pierced the bare spot on Smaug's left breast with his black arrow. Following the death of Smaug, the people of Lake-town asked Thorin for a share of the treasure, as they wanted recompense for the destruction of their home, a part of Smaug's treasure originating from their former city, and because a man of Lake-town who shot the fatal arrow that killed Smaug. Thorin, overwhelmed by greed after recovering his family's riches, and enraged by the presence of Thranduil, refused to share any part of the treasure. Instead, he sent a Raven to seek aid from his relative, Dáin Ironfoot, who sent a force of Dwarven soldiers on the move to secure the reclaimed mountain city. Meanwhile, Thorin charged his companions with looking for the Arkenstone within the hoard of treasure, and gifted Bilbo a mithril shirt for his bravery. However, Bilbo had already found the Arkenstone, and subsequently, brought it to Bard and Thranduil in secret to use as a bargaining counter. When Thorin learned of this, he became enraged and denounced his former companion as a traitor. The growing conflict over the treasure between Dwarves, Elves, and Men, likely to result in bloodshed, was suddenly averted by the approach of goblin and warg armies, so they instead joined forces to defeat their common enemies in what was later called the Battle of Five Armies. During the battle, Thorin led an assault that proved his strength as a leader, striking out from the mountain and providing vital aid as the goblins threatened to overwhelm his allies. He fought courageously, but was mortally wounded in the battle, requiring Beorn to take him to safety. Before he died, he made his peace with Bilbo by commending the Hobbit's bravery and good character, apologising for his harsh words as he now recognised his comrade's fundamentally benevolent motives. His last words were, "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. But, sad or merry, I must leave it now. Farewell." Thorin was smart, proud, brave, intelligent, vengeful, and a bit stubborn. He was sophisticated and noble, but tended to treat his allies as equals. He was respected by many throughout Middle-earth. While he initially shared the greed of his family and had an extensive love for gold, he valued the welfare of others as well. He was immensely brave and was willing to give himself up for a just cause, until dragon-sickness came over him. After succumbing to Dragon-sickness, he seemed to be cruel, stubborn, and vain, and overvalued the treasure of Erebor. He was obsessed with possession of the Arkenstone, since it was the heirloom of his family and part of the Mountain itself. However, in his last moments after the battle, his true noble self returned, and he asked Bilbo for forgiveness. His death had a profound effect on Bilbo, as he had considered Thorin a great friend and brother. Thorin fought using typical Dwarven axes, a bow, and swords, as well as an Elven blade called Orcrist, which was given to him by Gandalf the Grey (Gandalf had found it in a Troll cave). Under Thranduil's imprisonment, the blade had been confiscated by the Wood-elves. At Thorin's burial, Thranduil decided it was more appropriate to place it on Thorin's tomb, and did so, along with the Arkenstone. In The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Thorin has a long-standing grudge with King Thranduil for not helping his grandfather save Erebor from Smaug and for not offering any aid to the refugees afterward. This makes him extremely bitter toward the Elves, to the point that he almost rejects Orcrist upon discovering it. Thorin is also seen wielding a short sword called 'Deathless' during the first part of the movie, as well as a metal battleaxe. A sub-plot in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) is the Orc warlord Azog's pursuit of Thorin, to wipe out the House of Durin. In contrast to Tolkien's mythos, in which Dáin Ironfoot beheaded Azog long before the events of The Hobbit, in the movie Thorin slices off Azog's arm at the Battleof Azanulbizar and Azog survives to pursue Thorin and Company for revenge during the Quest of Erebor. As seen in the first film, Thorin earns his epithet Oakenshield during his fight against Azog at the Battle of Azanulbizar where he uses an oaken branch as both a weapon and shield. In the second film, Thorin has Orcrist taken from him by Legolas following the battle with the spiders of Mirkwood and the party's capture by the Wood-elves. Thorin would later obtain a human long sword for the raid on Erebor from Lake-town's armory. In the first two films, Thorin is seen with different kinds of weapons aside Orcrist; he wields an axe, swords, bow, and an oaken branch. In the films, he is portrayed rather friendly, but hostile to the Elves and suspicious of Bilbo. However, in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, he becomes more determined to gain the Arkenstone and the treasure. This leads to him becoming increasingly determined to have it, even willing to let Bilbo die rather than risk the quest to fail. When Balin realizes that Thorin was not himself, he believes that the sickness has fallen onto his companion and convinces him to enter the mountain to save Bilbo. When he learns that Bilbo doesn't have the Arkenstone, he menacingly walks towards him and puts his sword out towards him, as if he intends to kill him, only to be stopped when he notices Smaug. During the climax of An Unexpected Journey, Thorin and Company realized Bilbo was never captured with them. Unaware of Bilbo's presence, Thorin begins to doubt of their companion's return until Bilbo takes the One Ring off and appears to his companions. After Bilbo explains the reasons why he came back (to answer the Dwarf Lord's questions) Thorin is at a loss for words to Bilbo. After the skirmish in Goblin-town, Thorin and Gandalf lead the Dwarves and Bilbo to safety of the pine trees. To Thorin's horror, he finds Azog still alive. After much horror happening, Thorin tries to battle Azog. During the confrontation between Thorin and Azog, the former is nearly killed, but Bilbo came to his aid. This is the last thing Thorin sees, and then falls unconscious. After being rescued by the Eagles while defended by Bilbo and being wakened by Gandalf with his healing abilities, Thorin embraced Bilbo and apologized for his treatment and actions of him earlier, and thanks him for saving his life, saying; "I've never been so wrong in all my life." The company looks beyond and see the Lonely Mountain, as Thorin believes that they're almost home and that the thrush is a sign of a good omen, and Bilbo agrees with him. After the Dwarves are discovered for stealing weapons, Thorin reveals himself to the people of Lake-town and promises to give them enough gold to rebuild Esgaroth tenfold. However, Alfrid Lickspittle begins to doubt that Thorin will be held to his word, but Bilbo defends him in front of the crowd, which further makes the crowd support the reclamation of Erebor and Thorin's gratitude is aimed towards Bilbo. However, Bard remarks that if Thorin re-awakens the Smaug, then it will wreak its vengeance upon Lake-town. However, Thorin refused to listen to Bard, and asked for the Master of Lake-town to accept his terms and the Master accepts as Bard and Thorin glared at each other. "Farewell, Master Burglar. Go back to your books... and your armchair. Plant your trees... watch them grow. If more people valued home above gold, this world would be a merrier place." —The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies. In The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, after Dwalin, Balin, and Bilbo confront Thorin regarding the Arkenstone, Thorin orders to double the efforts, and that he will be avenged if anyone withholds the jewel from him. While strolling through the halls, Thorin initially believes that Bilbo is holding the Arkenstone in his hand, only to find that he was just holding an acorn. Taken slightly aback and touched by this gesture, asks Bilbo if he'd really carried it all the way there, which Bilbo replies he took it from Beorn's gardens. Thorin tells his friend that it was a poor prize to take back to the Shire, but Bilbo adds that it will be a reminder of how lucky he was to make it back home. Thorin nearly broke out of dragon-sickness, showing a smile, but was told by Dwalin that the folk of Lake-town were streaming into Dale. In the final film, Balin recognizes that Thorin has utterly succumbed to Dragon-sickness, and confides this tearfully to Bilbo. Thorin even begins to talk like Smaug, slowly, stressing sibilant syllables. He repeatedly berates and shouts at his followers, almost strangling Bilbo to death on the revelation that he gave the Arkenstone to Bard and Thranduil and later banishes and threatens to kill Dwalin. When the battle breaks out, he refuses to help the Elves, Lake-men, or even his cousin Dáin against the Orcs, and he barricades himself in the mountain, along with his company, who by now clearly follow his orders out of loyalty alone rather than love. Dwalin eventually confronts Thorin on his throne, who accuses him of being a lesser man since he crowned himself king. This causes Thorin to lash out, but he slowly begins to break out of the dragon-sickness consuming him. He eventually comes to his senses after experiencing a hallucination of Smaug underneath a solid gold floor created from their attempt to kill him, casting off his grandfather's crown and robes, he leads his relieved company to reinforce Dáin's forces who rally around their rightful King and push back against the Orcs. It becomes clear, however, that they are nonetheless outnumbered, and the departure of King Thranduil renders the defenders even weaker. Thorin decides to take his best warriors, Dwalin, Fíli and Kíli, and go to Ravenhill, intending to kill Azog and plunge the Orcs into disarray, perhaps securing victory. However, upon finding the Orcish command post upon Ravenhill's ruined towers seemingly abandoned, Thorin, wary of the situation, sends Fíli and Kíli to scout the towers, warning them not to engage. Bilbo then arrives, too late, warning Thorin that he is caught in an ambush. Fíli is trapped by Orcs and turned over to Azog, who reveals himself to Thorin, impaling Fíli and throwing him from the top of one of the towers. Thorin enters, intending to rescue Kíli, who is instead impaled by Bolg. Thorin himself only survives due to assistance from Legolas, who kills Bolg. Thorin finally throws down with Azog on the edge of a frozen waterfall. Wielding a brick on a chain as a flail, Azog eventually smashes the ice, only to fall into the water and seemingly drown due to the weight of his own weapon. However, Azog floats back to the surface, and stabs Thorin in the foot from under the ice. While he is incapacitated, Azog re-emerges, fatally wounding him in the chest, only to be stabbed by Thorin in turn, who completely impales Azog, killing him immediately. Thorin survives long enough to be found by Bilbo and has time to make peace with Bilbo and say a final farewell before succumbing to his wounds. The surviving members of the company later kneel by his body as a mark of respect, before he is eventually entombed with Orcrist and the Arkenstone. In Peter Jackson's films, Thorin begins his quest with his sword, axe, and oak-branch shield. He wielded his sword, Deathless, against the trolls, but was forced to surrender, when the trolls threatened to kill Bilbo. Thorin later recovered his sword after Gandalf saved them. Later, Thorin discovered an Elven blade in the troll's hoard. Reluctant at first, Thorin later keeps the blade when Gandalf tells him that it would be the best he could find. It is unknown what happens to his original sword, but it is presumed that he left it in the troll hoard, as it is not seen again after that. Thorin wields the sword during the Orc chase, and slays a warg with it. When the company travels to Rivendell, Elrond tells Thorin that his sword's name is Orcrist. While traveling from Rivendell to the Misty Mountains, Thorin's axe is seen as more of a walking axe, than a battleaxe. After the company is captured by goblins, Orcrist is taken by them. When the Dwarves are brought before the Great Goblin, Grinnah finds Orcrist, alerting the other goblins of its presence, and the Great Goblin orders the Dwarves' execution over it. When Gandalf saves the Dwarves, Nori gives Orcrist to Thorin, which he injures the Great Goblin with. It is presumed that when the Dwarves escape, Thorin loses his axe, as it is not seen again. In his battle against Azog, Thorin uses Orcrist and his oak-branch against him. When the eagles save the group, Thorin drops his oak-branch as an eagle picks him up. Thorin is not seen using Orcrist until Mirkwood, where he uses it to slay many spiders, until Mirkwood Elves capture them. Legolas confiscates Orcrist, and the company is captured. When the Dwarves escape from the Orcs in the barrel chase, Thorin takes swords and axes from the Orcs, dropping them as it goes. After the company gets help from Lake-town, Thorin uses a sword when they get to the Lonely Mountain. In The Battle of the Five Armies, Thorin fires a warning shot at Thranduil, telling him not to approach him. Thorin leads the company into the Battle of Five Armies with a sword and a shield, with which he slays many Orcs. Thorin briefly fights Azog on Ravenhill, where he fends off a pack of Goblin mercenaries with a dagger, and the help of Legolas. In the final battle, Thorin fights Azog with Orcrist, which he recovers from Legolas. Azog attempts to stab Thorin, but is prevented when Thorin uses Orcrist to block his blade. In the end, Thorin gives in, and is stabbed by Azog. However, Thorin impales Azog back, and thrusts Orcrist into him so hard that the blade pierces the ice beneath them. At his funeral, Thorin is buried with Orcrist, along with the Arkenstone.

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