The 10 strongest dwarves in The Lord of the Rings are some of the best fantasy heroes. Dwarves are one of many species invented by high fantasy master JRR Tolkien in The Lord of the Ringsthe masterpiece published in three parts between 1954 and 1955. They were adapted by Peter Jackson in his famous Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogies, with each film adapting a part of the novel. From the first part of the novel and Jackson's first film, The Fellowship of the RingGimli, son of Glóin, gave the Dwarves a strong presence in history.
But Gimli is just the best-known dwarf of heroic stature in the world. The Lord of the Ringswith many others spread throughout the legend. Tolkien's first LOTR release was actually based on Dwarves, being The Hobbitpublished in 1937. The resilient Dwarves only grew in knowledge and legend from then on, coming to lead many tales in The Silmarillion and The History of Middle Earthand even star in Amazon Prime Video's The Rings of Power season 1 in 2022. Rings of Power Durin has remained a main character ever since, proving the breadth and diversity of dwarven heroes in LOTR.
10
Thrór I
People of the King of Durin
Thrór I was the beleaguered dwarven hero who was driven from his home by Smaug the Golden in the year 2770 of the Third Age. Not only did he survive an attack by one of the Lord of the Rings' four named dragons, but he led his people to safety. However, Thrór I was a hero even before that. Orphan of a cold dragon, Thrór and his brothers guided their civilization from the dangerous Gray Mountains to Erebor, only for Erebor to also be destroyed by a dragon.
Tolkienian era |
Event marking the beginning |
Years |
Total length in solar years |
---|---|---|---|
Ahead of time |
Undetermined |
Undetermined |
Undetermined |
Days before days |
Ainur entered Eä |
1 - 3,500 Valian years |
33,537 |
Pre-First Tree Years (YT) |
Yavanna created the Two Trees |
YT 1 - 1050 |
10,061 |
Early Age (FA) |
Elves woke up in Cuiviénen |
YT 1050 - YT 1500, FA 1 - 590 |
4,902 |
Second Age (SA) |
The War of Wrath is over |
SA 1 - 3441 |
3,441 |
Third Age (TA) |
Last Alliance defeated Sauron |
AT 1 - 3021 |
3,021 |
Fourth Era (Fo.A) |
The elven rings have left Middle-earth |
Fo.A 1 - unknown |
Unknown |
Thrór held one of the Lord of the Rings' Dwarf Rings of Power, fighting its corrupting effect to maintain his sanity. He also created the famous map of the Lonely Mountain that Bilbo and Thorin followed. After the exodus from Erebor, Thrór continued exploring, seeking to improve the lives of his impoverished people. He traveled to the entrance of Moria, which would be his undoing. Unfortunately for Thrór, Moria was busy and left Moria headless, courtesy of Azog the Orc.
9
Thráin II
Son of Thrór
One of The Lord of the Rings' Rings of Power with the most intriguing journeys, Thrór's dwarf ring passed to Thráin II, his son. Upon learning of his father's death, Thráin, the new king, was furious. He waged the War of the Dwarves and Orcs to try to neutralize the threat of the Orcs. Uniting many Dwarven clans under his banner, Thráin succeeded and Azog was killed.
Moria was still occupied by Durin's Bane the Balrog, and Thráin was still not satisfied with making a living in Dunland. So he took his followers to the Blue Mountains. The entire time, his mind was being consumed by the Ring. He disappeared one day and was never seen again until Gandalf found him in Dol Guldur. Sauron captured and tortured Thráinrecovering the ring and ending the life of one of the great kings of the Dwarves.
8
Durín III
King of Khazad-Dûm
Durin III was another victim of Sauron's Rings of Power scheme, and like Thrór and Thráin, he put up a good fight against the consuming power of his ring while ruling a kingdom. Durin III was masterfully portrayed on Amazon Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power by Scottish actor Peter Mullan. Durin guided his race into a period of prosperityincluding being the first Dwarf to receive a Ring of Power.
Durin created a positive relationship with the Elves of Eregion, which precipitated the offer of a Ring of Power. Despite the poisonous ring, Durin's friendship with the Elves had a strong and lasting effect in the success of both species for a long time. Once Sauron's righteous form was revealed as a disguise in Eregion and the Elves stopped working with him, in shock and horror Sauron invaded Eregion. Durin sent troops to aid Eregion, allowing Elrond to escape to Rivendell.
7
Azaghal
Lord of Belegost
Azaghâl was a dwarven hero of the First Age who fought against Morgoth with Elves and Men in the War of the Jewels. Morgoth was The Lord of the Rings' first villain, and he was Belegost's enemy in the First Age. Azaghâl joined the Union of Maedhrosa unique and courageous alliance of Men, Elves, and Dwarves led by the Noldor prince Maedhros. As part of the Union of Maedhros, Azaghâl and his Dwarves played an important role in Nirnaeth Arneodiad.
The story of Nirnaeth Arneodiad is told in The Silmarillion.
The Nirnaeth Arneodiad was also known as the Battle of Countless Tears – it did not go well for the Maedhros Union. But it would have been much worse if it weren't for the Dwarves' ancient armor creation. Azaghâl and his Dwarves wore fire-retardant helmets which helped them resist the dragon fire. The evil dragon Glaurung was present at the battle, and Azaghâl gave his life to overthrow him. Attacking Glaurung, Azaghâl was overthrown, but Glaurung fled the field with many of his followers.
6
Thorin II Oakenshield
King under the mountain
Peter Jackson's main dwarf hero The Hobbit films and their source material, Thorin Oakenshield overcame a lot to become a good man and a good king. As his father and grandfather were poisoned by the Ring of Power, Thorin was poisoned by desire for the Arkenstone. This temporarily diverted his noble goals during his quest with Bilbo and company to reclaim Erebor.
Thorin retook Erebor, but lost his life in the process.
But through it all, Thorin remained strong and led his small team on an incredibly difficult mission, courageously facing Smaug. After Smaug was killed, Thorin and his company faced the Battle of the Five Armies. Never one to be left out of the action, Thorin leapt from the front gate and fought a victorious battle. However, like Fili and Kili, he martyred himself for this cause. Thorin retook Erebor, but lost his life in the process. In his final words, he seemed to let go of the greed that had taken hold of him, finding peace.
5
During VII
Durin The Last
Durin VII was known as Durin the Last and was the last great Durin in a long line of legendary kings. Durin VII was not a main character in The Lord of the Rings but it was referenced in the appendices. Here it was told how Durin VII eventually led Durin's people back from Erebor to Khazad-Dûmfinally reestablishing their glorious kingdom of old. That had been a long time ago.
Durin VII was the final reincarnation of Durin the Immortal, and he was the last great figure in Dwarven lore. Just as the Elves disappeared from Middle-earth, giving way to the Age of Men, so did the Dwarves. Despite centuries of conflict with Morgoth and Sauron, as well as hostility to the Elves, Durin VII ended the Dwarves' time in Arda with peacewealth and positive relationships with other species.
4
Gimli
Lord of the Shining Caves
The Lord of the Rings' the most famous dwarf, Gimli, performed only a fraction of his heroism in the main body of The Lord of the Rings' text. As told in Tolkien's novel and shown in Jackson's films, Gimli joined the prestigious Fellowship of the Ring in accompanying Frodo on his mission to save the world, freeing it from Sauron's One Ring and, therefore, from Sauron himself. Gimli fought valiantly in the War of the Ring, defending the good people of Middle-earth from the imminent threat of Sauron.
But Gimli is true Lord of the Rings the fate was revealed in the novel's appendices. After proving to the Dwarves and Elves that the species could once again overcome their differences, in the form of his friendship with Legolas, Gimli went traveling with the Elf. This friendship was the Third Age equivalent of Celebrimbor's relationship with Narvi, establishing support where there had previously been enmity. After visiting the Shining Caverns of Aglarond with Legolas, Gimli colonized the areabecoming Lord and helping to rebuild Gondor after the War of the Ring.
Lord of the Iron Hills
Dáin II Ironfoot was a renowned warrior. Dáin joined the War of the Dwarves and Orcs with his father, Náin, at the young age of 32. This one was very young for a Dwarf. Heroically, he defeated Azog at the gates of Moriamotivated by anger at seeing Azog kill his father. Wise and strong, Dáin dissuaded Thráin II from entering Moria, knowing that the Balrog awaited him.
Dáin became Lord of the Iron Hills in his father's place, and eventually joined the Battle of the Five Armies, helping Thorin, Elves and Men, defeat an attack by Orcs and Wargs. After Thorin's death, Dáin succeeded him as King under the Mountain and King of Durin's People. Even more commendable, Dáin sent a package of the Ringwraith when he knocked on the door many years later, asking about Bilbo's whereabouts.
2
Telchar
Dwarf of Nogrod
Telchar may be the most famous dwarven blacksmithand the Dwarves were very famous for their forging. Telchar forged Narsil, the sword Elendil used to defeat Sauron in the War of the Last Alliance. This victory was so cataclysmic that it ended the Second Era and began the Third. Narsil was defeated by Elendil in the fight. These were the fragments that Aragorn agonized over in The Fellowship of the Ring film, and which were reforged in Andúril, the Flame of the West.
In essence, neither the War of the Last Alliance nor the War of the Ring could have been won without Telchar.
Telchar made the Dragonhelm of Dor-lómin, which was famously worn by Túrin in The Silmarillion. Furthermore, Angrist, the knife that Lúthien and Beren used to pry a Silmaril from Morgoth's crown, was forged by Telchar. The dwarf equivalent of the Elves' greatest blacksmith, Celebrimbor, Telchar saved Middle Earthindirectly, more than once. In essence, neither the War of the Last Alliance nor the War of the Ring could have been won without Telchar.
1
Durin the Immortal
The eldest of the dwarves' parents
While it may seem harsh to claim that Dwarves peaked as the first member of their race, and everything went downhill from there, there are good reasons to Durin the Immortal may be the greatest dwarf to ever live. The first Dwarf and the oldest of the Fathers of Dwarves to awaken, Durin the Immortal, was raised by one of the Lord of the Rings' 15 Valar - by Aulë himself. And despite his nickname, he eventually died, but he lived longer than any other dwarf in recorded history.
Durin the Immortal made good use of this time, carving out a place for the Dwarves in Khazad-Dûm. The reign of Durin I was considered a golden age in the tradition of the Dwarves, with centuries of peaceful mining, culture and growth generated in their time. The dwarves of future generations would have multiple threats to face. There are several myths in The Lord of the Rings Legendarium of Durin's immortality. Not only very long-lived, Durin is said to have been reincarnated into subsequent generations and, in some legends, back into his own body.