The Hobbit In
The Hobbit, Thorin, a Dwarf-King in exile and
twelve other Dwarves visited
Bilbo Baggins at his home in
the Shire. The wizard
Gandalf had advised Thorin and the other dwarves to hire Bilbo as a
burglar to help them steal their treasure back from the
dragon Smaug. Smaug had attacked the Dwarves's mountain,
Erebor (also known as the Lonely Mountain), about 150 years before, and had taken both the mountain and the dwarves' treasure. Thorin was determined to get the treasure back. He especially wanted the Arkenstone, the Heart of the Mountain, which was an heirloom of the dwarves' Kingdom. On their journey, the dwarves and Bilbo were taken captive by a band of
trolls; Thorin was the only dwarf not to be taken unawares. After Gandalf rescued the company (letting dawn turn the trolls to stone), they opened the trolls' lair. Thorin found the Elven blade
Orcrist in the trolls' cache. Later, Thorin used Orcrist to fight
goblins in the tunnels beneath the
Misty Mountains. While the rest of the company battled the goblins, Bilbo found a
magic ring in a tunnel under the Misty Mountains and used it to escape from the creature Gollum and from the goblins. When the Dwarves were captured by the
Wood-elves of
Mirkwood, Thorin insisted that the others not disclose their quest to their captors. Bilbo, invisible with his magic ring, evaded capture and organised the company's escape, which they accomplished by floating in barrels out of the Wood-elves' fastness. When Thorin emerged from his barrel at
Lake-town, he marched up to the town's leaders and identified himself as King Under the Mountain. With provisions from Lake-town, Thorin led the company to Erebor. Seeing that Smaug was not there, the Dwarves reclaimed some of the treasure; Thorin gave Bilbo "a small coat of mail" made of
mithril as the first installment of the payment due for his services. The Dwarves then learnt from the ancient
raven Roäc that Smaug had been killed:
Bard the Bowman had managed to shoot Smaug as the dragon was in the process of destroying Lake-town. Faced with demands from
Thranduil the Elvenking and Bard for a fair share of the treasure to be distributed to the Wood-elves and the men of Lake-town, Thorin refused to acknowledge their right to any of the hoard. He fortified the Mountain against his new rivals and sent to his cousin
Dáin Ironfoot for reinforcements. During the battle, Thorin was mortally wounded, but he made his peace with Bilbo before he died. When Thorin died, he was buried with the Arkenstone. Orcrist was laid upon his tomb. The blade would glow blue if Orcs should approach; thus, they could not take the Mountain by surprise. Thorin was succeeded as leader of Durin's Folk by his cousin Dáin.
The Lord of the Rings Part III of Appendix A in
The Return of the King gives an overview of the history of Durin's Folk and more of Thorin's background. When Thorin was 53 (young for a Dwarf), he marched with a mighty dwarf-army against the orcs of
Moria. After the battle he led his people to establish a foothold in the
Blue Mountains west of the Shire.
Unfinished Tales Unfinished Tales elaborates on Thorin's reasons for accepting Bilbo into his company. As depicted in the story "
The Quest of Erebor", Thorin met with Gandalf in
Bree shortly before the quest began. Gandalf persuaded him that stealth, rather than force, was needed to infiltrate Erebor; they would therefore need a burglar. Gandalf feared that
Sauron could use Smaug as a weapon, and was concerned that Thorin's pride and quick temper would ruin the mission to destroy the
dragon. He thought that Bilbo would be a calming influence on Thorin, as well as a genuinely valuable addition to the company. Thorin, who did not think much of Hobbits, reluctantly agreed, calculating that Bilbo's presence would be a small price to pay for Gandalf's help. ==Origins==