Summary

  • Dwarves were absent from The Lord of the Rings because they were busy fighting one of the largest battles of the War of the Ring.
  • The Dwarves were dragged into a large-scale battle against Sauron and his allies, including the Easterlings.
  • Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Dwarves successfully defended Erebor and prevented the Easterlings from breaking through their defenses.

Dwarves in Middle-earth have a reputation for being greedy, self-centered, and caring only for wealth. These attributes have been ascribed to them since the middle of the First Age, occasionally with good reason. As such, readers/viewers assume that the Dwarves are absent from The Lord of the Rings because they have no interest in defeating the Dark Lord of Mordor. However, that couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, the Dwarven kingdoms were busy fighting one of the largest battles of the entire War of the Ring, leaving only Gimli to aid the race of Men. So, where were the Dwarves in The Lord of the Rings?

In The Fellowship of the Ring, Elrond tells Gandalf that the One Ring can't stay in Rivendell. Because the Elves are leaving Middle-earth for their final journey into the West, Elrond asks, "Who will you look to when we've gone? The Dwarves? They hide in their mountains seeking riches, they care nothing for the troubles of others." The Elf-Lord of Rivendell isn't entirely incorrect to make such a harsh comment, and there's some merit to his opinions. That said, Elrond's words do a disservice to the Dwarves, who were simultaneously facing a battle of equal importance.

Updated on January 10, 2024, by Ajay Aravind and Robert Vaux: Tolkien's vast mythos comprises several sentient races beyond Elves, Men, and Hobbits. Each of his stories includes the cross-interactions between races, as seen in The Lord of the Rings. That said, despite their storied history and countless accomplishments, the Dwarves play a very small role in Tolkien's epic saga. Between The Hobbit, which introduced 13 Dwarven main characters, and Gimli's participation as a member of the Fellowship of the Ring, fans have often wondered why his kinsfolk withheld their participation in the war against Sauron. As such, we've updated this feature with some more information regarding the history of the Dwarves in Middle-earth. It's also been reformatted to fit current CBR guidelines.

The History Of Dwarven Warfare In Middle-earth

Name

Traits

Notable Individuals

Domains

Prominent Battles

Dwarves

Stocky, Tough, Stubborn, Loyal, Miners and Builders

Thorin II Oakenshield, Gimli son of Gloin, Durin III, Durin IV.

The Lonely Mountain (Erebor), Khazad-dum (Moria), Nogrod, Belegost

The Battle of Five Armies, The Battle of Helm's Deep, The Battle of Azanulbizar, The Battle of the Pelennor Fields

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Interestingly enough, the Dwarves were the first sentient beings to arise in Middle-earth. Long before the Elves awoke at Cuiviénen, the Vala Aulë crafted the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves. The creator was displeased, but thankfully prevented Aulë from killing his own "children." Ilúvatar then put the Dwarves in stasis until the Firstborn Elves. For this and many other reasons, Dwarves and Elves have always been at loggerheads with each other. Despite both of them being the Children of Ilúvatar, they have been involved in numerous skirmishes, conflicts, and battles — although not necessarily on opposing sides.

All the most prominent examples of Dwarven warfare in Middle-earth took place during the First Age, where they fought in the Nírnaeth Aronoediad and the First Battle of Beleriand. Unfortunately, the Dwarven greed for shiny things came to the forefront with Dwarves of Nogrod, who created a magnificent necklace known as the Nauglamír for Elu Thingol, the King of Doriath. With Silmaril glittering as the centerpiece, the Dwarves had the gall to demand the Nauglamír itself as payment for their work. Thingol refused, and the resulting series of battles essentially destroyed Doriath. It has been said that the Elvish-Dwarven rivalry will continue until the world is remade again.

On the other hand, some of the Dwarves participated in the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, hoping to eradicate Sauron's toxic influence from Middle-earth. The Dwarves of Khazad-dûm, led by King Durin IV, were known to have fought alongside their Elvish brethren during this massive war. That said, the vast majority of Dwarves were happy to sit atop their mounds of treasure, deep inside their mountain homes. It wasn't until the end of the Third Age that the Dwarves were dragged into a large-scale battle once more.

Why Didn't The Dwarves Fight In The Lord Of The Rings?

The image shows an aerial view of the Battle of Erebor in The Hobbit
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Many fans have wondered why the Dwarves did not fight in LOTR. Before the War of the Ring, the Dwarves took part in the Battle of Five Armies, an event that was covered in the third and final installment of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy. While this war ended in victory for the Dwarves, far too many lives were lost in the process, including that of Thorin Oakenshield. There was no conflict for the next few decades, at least until Sauron began amassing his forces for an all-out war. As such, the Dwarves did end up fighting in The Lord of the Rings, but their achievements weren't detailed in the main story.

After they refused to cooperate with Sauron, he sent legions to attack the Dwarven kingdoms, including the great city of Erebor. The allies Sauron sent were the Easterlings, also known as the Swarthy Men, whose ancestors had served the first Dark Lord Morgoth. They were more than happy to support Sauron's plans of conquest, having the largest army in the entire war. With more than 200,000 troops, the Easterlings completely overshadowed any army that stood against it. However, that didn't mean the Dwarves wouldn't put up a fight.

For the first three days, the battle was bloody and saw heavy casualties. The area that Bilbo had traveled during The Hobbit all those years before was left ruined. Lake-town and the neighboring city of Dale were overrun by Easterlings, and the kings of Dale and Erebor were slain, causing panic throughout the region. That led both Men and Dwarves to flee into the Lonely Mountain and seal up the city. And while the situation seemed grim, the Dwarven stronghold proved almost impossible for the enemy to penetrate.

The Dwarves Claimed Victory — But The Enemy Remained

Gimli holding two axes against a backdrop of Middle-earth
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With Sauron sending his largest army to take on the Dwarves, he likely thought the battle would be over swiftly. But the Dwarves kept the Easterlings distracted for the duration of the war, which meant they couldn't return to defend Mordor. That gave Aragorn enough confidence to distract Sauron at the Black Gate and allowed Frodo to enter Mount Doom undetected.

Dwarven stubbornness proved too much even for an army of 200,000. The Easterlings failed to break through Erebor's defenses for the entirety of the War of the Ring — the conflict that served as the primary focus of The Lord of the Rings. Eventually, news spread about the fall of Sauron, and the army was forced to retreat to the East. However, it's said the Easterlings continued to be a problem well after Sauron passed from Middle-earth. King Elessar spent much of his time suppressing attacks from Easterling armies, but not much is known about them after that.

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Fodo, Sam, Gollum, Aragorn, Gandalf, Eowyn, and Arwen on The Lord of the Rings Franchise Poster
The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings is a series of epic fantasy adventure films and television series based on J. R. R. Tolkien's novels. The films follow the adventures of humans, elves, dwarves, hobbits and more in Middle-earth.

Created by
J.R.R. Tolkien
First Film
The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
Latest Film
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
First Episode Air Date
September 1, 2022
Cast
Elijah Wood , Viggo Mortensen , Orlando Bloom , Sean Astin , Billy Boyd , Dominic Monaghan , Sean Bean , Ian McKellen , Andy Serkis , Hugo Weaving , Liv Tyler , Miranda Otto , Cate Blanchett , John Rhys-Davies , Martin Freeman , Morfydd Clark , Ismael Cruz Cordova , Charlie Vickers , Richard Armitage
Character(s)
Gollum , Sauron