Bard’s lineage was from the last Lord of Dale's direct descent. Girion's spouse and child had barely managed to flee Dale when the firedrake dragon was destroying it. The dragon laid siege to Erebor in the Third Age of 2770. He was most commonly known as the Bowman. He was also named as the First but was used in fewer times only. His home is in the western part of Erebor. It was called Esgaroth upon the Long Lake. It is a modest size town with Men as its settlers. It is in the northwestern area of Rhovanion's Long Lake. He became famously known as a firedrake dragon's slayer. He had founded Dale's Kingdom. He became the kingdom's first ruler. The next in line in his succession was Bard's son, named Bain.
In the Third Age of the year 2941, the firedrake dragon from Erebor laid siege in Esgaroth. Bard was the commander of the archers. He was ordering his people to shoot every arrow that they have. The commander himself was firing his arrows. He was about to fire his remaining arrow when a small bird landed on Bard's shoulder. Since he was a direct descendant from Dale's race, he could understand the bird's words whispered in his ear. The little Thrush bird spoke of the firedrake dragon's vulnerable spot. Bilbo was the one who noted the place on the dragon's armor. When he had his chance, Bard used his heirloom, an arrow dark as night, and fired. He hit the vulnerable spot on the dragon's left side. The dragon instantly died, and his body fell on Esgaroth.
The town was in ruin. The hold of the firedrake on Esgaroth, Dale, and Erebor was gone too. Bard managed to flee just in time and paddled to the nearest shore. The people of Esgaroth want Bard to be their next ruler because of what he did for them. But he wanted to continue serving the Esgaroth's Master for now. He spearheaded the organization of putting up shelters to those who lost their homes. He helped the evacuees in whatever he could offer.
He sent word to the King of the Wood of Greenleaves for relief. The King and Bard's troops went straight to Erebor to ask a portion of the dragon's cache. During their arrival at Erebor, they did not expect to see the Mountain King and his allies still breathing and pretty much alive. Bard pleaded his case to Oakenshield. He wanted a portion of the treasure since he was the one who killed the firedrake dragon. The people who survived were still suffering from the ruin of the town. They badly needed help. But, Oakenshield was not convinced.
He was insisting that the town's destruction was not part of his problems. He did not want to negotiate with them. Bard was beyond impatient; he sent word to Oakenshield and asked a twelfth portion of the cache. But, Oakenshielf did not consider his demand and refused immediately. The Hobbit, [1] Bilbo, considered that what the Bard was asking is understandable. He took matters into his hand and went to the campsite of the Elves and Esgaroth's men. Later that day, he found Durin's folk family heirloom; it was a gem sought out by Oakenshield himself. It was called the Arkenstone. Bilbo knows the value of it to the Mountain King. He gave it freely to the Elven King, Thranduil, and Bard. He wanted them to use it as a bargaining chip to Oakenshield.
Bilbo also informed them about the coming of Dain's five hundred Dwarves towards Erebor. The following day, Bard went to negotiate with Oakenshield again. He will give the heirloom to Oakenshield as long as he will have a part of the firedrake's treasure. The Mountain King was angered, but he eventually gave in and gave them Bilbo's portion of the wealth, the fourteenth part. Dain and his Iron Hill's army came the following day. Before the final exchange of the stone had been done, Bard tried to stall their entry to the Erebor. A fight started to stir, but before all parties could act on it, the wizard told them of the imminent arrival of Azog's army of Wargs and goblins. The three commanders, Dain, Thranduil, and Bard, planned and allied with each other.
They were willing to set aside their differences to face their mutual foe. When the battle had started, Oakenshield joined the battlefield and united the forces of Men, Dwarves, and Elves in charging towards the enemy lines. When the battle was concluded, the Mountain King sustained fatal wounds he could not recover from. On Oakenshield's final resting place, Bard returned the heirloom, Arkenstone, to Oakenshield. Dain honored their agreement and gave Bilbo's portion to Bard. In return, the dragon slayer returned the white gems to the Elven King. Bilbo was still rewarded despite his share being voided.
He took two chests full of silver and gold. Bard donated some of the treasure to Esgaroth, but his former Master escaped with a lot of the cache. Despite that incident, Esgaroth was still restored to its former glory. At the end of Erebor, Bard's former home can be found in Dale. In the Third Age of the year 2944, the dragon slayer restored the damage to his town. He became Dale's King. Bard does not cut ties with Erebor's dwarves. Instead, they continued to have a healthy relationship. It resulted in profitable trading in both of their kingdoms. Trade was flowing in Celduin. The once ruined areas in Dale destroyed by the dragon were starting to flourish, and people were already settling their homes. The dragon slayer passed away in the Third Age of the year 2977.
In the Third Age of the year 2941, the firedrake dragon from Erebor laid siege in Esgaroth. Bard was the commander of the archers. He was ordering his people to shoot every arrow that they have. The commander himself was firing his arrows. He was about to fire his remaining arrow when a small bird landed on Bard's shoulder. Since he was a direct descendant from Dale's race, he could understand the bird's words whispered in his ear. The little Thrush bird spoke of the firedrake dragon's vulnerable spot. Bilbo was the one who noted the place on the dragon's armor. When he had his chance, Bard used his heirloom, an arrow dark as night, and fired. He hit the vulnerable spot on the dragon's left side. The dragon instantly died, and his body fell on Esgaroth.
The town was in ruin. The hold of the firedrake on Esgaroth, Dale, and Erebor was gone too. Bard managed to flee just in time and paddled to the nearest shore. The people of Esgaroth want Bard to be their next ruler because of what he did for them. But he wanted to continue serving the Esgaroth's Master for now. He spearheaded the organization of putting up shelters to those who lost their homes. He helped the evacuees in whatever he could offer.
He sent word to the King of the Wood of Greenleaves for relief. The King and Bard's troops went straight to Erebor to ask a portion of the dragon's cache. During their arrival at Erebor, they did not expect to see the Mountain King and his allies still breathing and pretty much alive. Bard pleaded his case to Oakenshield. He wanted a portion of the treasure since he was the one who killed the firedrake dragon. The people who survived were still suffering from the ruin of the town. They badly needed help. But, Oakenshield was not convinced.
He was insisting that the town's destruction was not part of his problems. He did not want to negotiate with them. Bard was beyond impatient; he sent word to Oakenshield and asked a twelfth portion of the cache. But, Oakenshielf did not consider his demand and refused immediately. The Hobbit, [1] Bilbo, considered that what the Bard was asking is understandable. He took matters into his hand and went to the campsite of the Elves and Esgaroth's men. Later that day, he found Durin's folk family heirloom; it was a gem sought out by Oakenshield himself. It was called the Arkenstone. Bilbo knows the value of it to the Mountain King. He gave it freely to the Elven King, Thranduil, and Bard. He wanted them to use it as a bargaining chip to Oakenshield.
Bilbo also informed them about the coming of Dain's five hundred Dwarves towards Erebor. The following day, Bard went to negotiate with Oakenshield again. He will give the heirloom to Oakenshield as long as he will have a part of the firedrake's treasure. The Mountain King was angered, but he eventually gave in and gave them Bilbo's portion of the wealth, the fourteenth part. Dain and his Iron Hill's army came the following day. Before the final exchange of the stone had been done, Bard tried to stall their entry to the Erebor. A fight started to stir, but before all parties could act on it, the wizard told them of the imminent arrival of Azog's army of Wargs and goblins. The three commanders, Dain, Thranduil, and Bard, planned and allied with each other.
They were willing to set aside their differences to face their mutual foe. When the battle had started, Oakenshield joined the battlefield and united the forces of Men, Dwarves, and Elves in charging towards the enemy lines. When the battle was concluded, the Mountain King sustained fatal wounds he could not recover from. On Oakenshield's final resting place, Bard returned the heirloom, Arkenstone, to Oakenshield. Dain honored their agreement and gave Bilbo's portion to Bard. In return, the dragon slayer returned the white gems to the Elven King. Bilbo was still rewarded despite his share being voided.
He took two chests full of silver and gold. Bard donated some of the treasure to Esgaroth, but his former Master escaped with a lot of the cache. Despite that incident, Esgaroth was still restored to its former glory. At the end of Erebor, Bard's former home can be found in Dale. In the Third Age of the year 2944, the dragon slayer restored the damage to his town. He became Dale's King. Bard does not cut ties with Erebor's dwarves. Instead, they continued to have a healthy relationship. It resulted in profitable trading in both of their kingdoms. Trade was flowing in Celduin. The once ruined areas in Dale destroyed by the dragon were starting to flourish, and people were already settling their homes. The dragon slayer passed away in the Third Age of the year 2977.
Depiction in Adaptations
The Hobbit's Movie Trilogy
Bard had three children. They were Sigrid, Bain, and Tilda. In the second installment of the movie, [2] Bard was played by Luke Evans. He coincidentally had similar features to the actor behind Legolas, Orlando Bloom. Bard was also part of the third and final installment of the movie. He was known as the Bargeman instead of his known title as the archers' captain. It's not just Bain who was part of the movies. Bard's two daughters were also included. Tilda was played by a northern Irish named Peggy Nesbitt. Mary Nesbitt portrayed Sigrid. Both actresses were the real-life daughters of James, who also portrayed Bofur in the movie adaptation. In the written publications, Bard's first appearance was the town archers' captain.
He was trying to convince his Master to command their people to fire until they have no arrows left to fire. Bard did not stop firing at the firedrake dragon. However, in the movies, Bard's role has a lot more responsibility and weight. In the second installation of the movie, Bard confronted the Dwarves he saw near the river. The dwarf leader, Balin, convinced him to let them through into Esgaroth, and they will pay the Bard twice his asking price.
Bard was hesitant. He did not want the Elven King to be mad at Esgaroth, so he smuggled the dwarves. He also let the dwarves stay at his home overnight. Bard eventually realized the true identity of Oakenshield. He was of Durin's descent. Bard hurriedly went to the store to look for Durin's line in a tapestry and found the foretold return of Oakenshield. He went back immediately, but the dwarves were gone. The dwarves were on their way to the armory. They had a plan to ransack it. When Bard finally caught up with them, the dwarves were found and were captured. The Mountain King told his parentage to Esgaroth's Master. Bard was honest and did not agree to let the dwarves go through Esgaroth. He was worried that the firedrake dragon would eventually wake up and burn the town in revenge for the betrayal. Oakenshield appealed to the people's hope for their town to return to its former glory. In the end, the Mountain King convinced them to give their support to the Dwarves. A tainted arrow shot Kili. He was fatally wounded because of the poison now in his system. He was in no shape to join the Mountain King.
He was left in the hands of his allies, Fili, Oin, and Bofur. Bofur went out and was set on finding a healing herb called Athelas, and it could help Kili's healing. They stayed behind for his recovery and protection. They remained and recuperated in Bard's house. Oakenshield and the rest of the Dwarves went to Erebor. The Orc leader and his minions searched for the Mountain King, what they found were the Dwarves that stayed behind. They attacked the remaining Dwarves and the family of Bard. Luckily, the Sindarin Elf, Legolas, and the Elven guard's captain, Tauriel, arrived to help them with this predicament. Bard's fear is now happening. The firedrake dragon wakes up from his slumber. Bard took out his family heirloom, Black Arrow. He was preparing for use it.
He was on his way to the Dwarf's giant ranged armament, together with his son, Bain. They were there trying to set up the weapon but some of the soldiers were already scouting for Bard. It was an order from their Master. He let his son take the heirloom and hid it somewhere safe. Bard was trying his hardest to lure the soldiers away, but his luck ran out, and he was seized and put in prison. The firedrake dragon was on his way to Esgaroth. In the third and final installment of the series, [3] Bard was able to escape his prison cell. The cell's door was busted open when the boat jammed through it. Bard equipped himself with a stolen set of arrows. He immediately found a tower high enough that he can scout the dragon and shoot from there. The firedrake dragon was no on a rampage and set to obliterate the town. Bard kept trying to kill the dragon, but with no luck, his bow of arrows is completely depleted.
Fortunately, his son was able to find him and gave the arrow. Bard's bow was destroyed. He improvised by tying the string in his bow to a column and rested the heirloom on his son's shoulder. Bard did not waste the shot, and the arrow went straight into the dragon's unguarded side where a scale was missing. The dragon fell straight to where the Master is, it resulted in his death and the soldiers with him. The townspeople that survived in the dragon's attack went with him to the northeast, Dale. Bard did not know that Erebor was under the Dwarves’ control. They stayed overnight in Dale. The following day, the Elven King and the Mirkwood's Elves arrive at Dale. They gave the refugees food to eat. Bard formed an alliance with the Elven King, Thranduil, to march to the Lonely Mountain and get what was once theirs to take. Thranduil revealed that he was there to retrieve something that was stolen from him, his white jewels. Bard appealed to the King that he wanted to talk to Oakenshield alone first. Bard wished to avoid further conflicts that can be complicated in the end.
When they arrived at the Lonely Mountain, Bard got to speak to Oakenshield. But the Mountain King refused his demands and will not give a dime. The Elven King was insulted and waged war against Oakenshield. The Hobbit wanted to prevent war. He decided to meet with the dragon slayer and the Elven King. The wizard was there too. Bilbo retrieved the Arkenstone, which is priceless in the eyes of Thorin. He gave it to Bard to be used to bargain with the Mountain King and to evade war. The following day, they offered it to Oakenshield, but he outright refused it. Oakenshield found out what Bilbo conspired with the Elven King and the dragon slayer. He was beyond furious. He was on the verge of killing the Hobbit. The wizard arrived just in time to stop the fight. Bard asked the Mountain King if they can negotiate a trade, it seems Oakenshield was stalling. In reality, he was waiting for the raven to return from Dain, his cousin.
When it was clear that Dain's army was marching towards them, Thorin answered Bard with war. The wizard was trying to talk to Dain to avoid such a bloody battle. The wizard informed Dain of the coming of orcs forces towards Lonely Mountain. Dain did not listen to anything he said. There was a conversation between Thranduil and Dain, and it was full of bitterness. At the end of it, Dain waged war against the Elven King. Before the battle could start, Azog and his army of orcs arrived in the scene. This was the most famous battle of the allied forces against the Orcs. The wizard knew about the Orc leader's strategy. He was trying to overwhelm them and attack them on both fronts. Bard did not hesitate to lead his people back to Dale and defend it once more. Many roles and characters were not included in the 1966 adaptation. In a 1977 movie of the series, John Stephenson voiced over Bard.
He was trying to convince his Master to command their people to fire until they have no arrows left to fire. Bard did not stop firing at the firedrake dragon. However, in the movies, Bard's role has a lot more responsibility and weight. In the second installation of the movie, Bard confronted the Dwarves he saw near the river. The dwarf leader, Balin, convinced him to let them through into Esgaroth, and they will pay the Bard twice his asking price.
Bard was hesitant. He did not want the Elven King to be mad at Esgaroth, so he smuggled the dwarves. He also let the dwarves stay at his home overnight. Bard eventually realized the true identity of Oakenshield. He was of Durin's descent. Bard hurriedly went to the store to look for Durin's line in a tapestry and found the foretold return of Oakenshield. He went back immediately, but the dwarves were gone. The dwarves were on their way to the armory. They had a plan to ransack it. When Bard finally caught up with them, the dwarves were found and were captured. The Mountain King told his parentage to Esgaroth's Master. Bard was honest and did not agree to let the dwarves go through Esgaroth. He was worried that the firedrake dragon would eventually wake up and burn the town in revenge for the betrayal. Oakenshield appealed to the people's hope for their town to return to its former glory. In the end, the Mountain King convinced them to give their support to the Dwarves. A tainted arrow shot Kili. He was fatally wounded because of the poison now in his system. He was in no shape to join the Mountain King.
He was left in the hands of his allies, Fili, Oin, and Bofur. Bofur went out and was set on finding a healing herb called Athelas, and it could help Kili's healing. They stayed behind for his recovery and protection. They remained and recuperated in Bard's house. Oakenshield and the rest of the Dwarves went to Erebor. The Orc leader and his minions searched for the Mountain King, what they found were the Dwarves that stayed behind. They attacked the remaining Dwarves and the family of Bard. Luckily, the Sindarin Elf, Legolas, and the Elven guard's captain, Tauriel, arrived to help them with this predicament. Bard's fear is now happening. The firedrake dragon wakes up from his slumber. Bard took out his family heirloom, Black Arrow. He was preparing for use it.
He was on his way to the Dwarf's giant ranged armament, together with his son, Bain. They were there trying to set up the weapon but some of the soldiers were already scouting for Bard. It was an order from their Master. He let his son take the heirloom and hid it somewhere safe. Bard was trying his hardest to lure the soldiers away, but his luck ran out, and he was seized and put in prison. The firedrake dragon was on his way to Esgaroth. In the third and final installment of the series, [3] Bard was able to escape his prison cell. The cell's door was busted open when the boat jammed through it. Bard equipped himself with a stolen set of arrows. He immediately found a tower high enough that he can scout the dragon and shoot from there. The firedrake dragon was no on a rampage and set to obliterate the town. Bard kept trying to kill the dragon, but with no luck, his bow of arrows is completely depleted.
Fortunately, his son was able to find him and gave the arrow. Bard's bow was destroyed. He improvised by tying the string in his bow to a column and rested the heirloom on his son's shoulder. Bard did not waste the shot, and the arrow went straight into the dragon's unguarded side where a scale was missing. The dragon fell straight to where the Master is, it resulted in his death and the soldiers with him. The townspeople that survived in the dragon's attack went with him to the northeast, Dale. Bard did not know that Erebor was under the Dwarves’ control. They stayed overnight in Dale. The following day, the Elven King and the Mirkwood's Elves arrive at Dale. They gave the refugees food to eat. Bard formed an alliance with the Elven King, Thranduil, to march to the Lonely Mountain and get what was once theirs to take. Thranduil revealed that he was there to retrieve something that was stolen from him, his white jewels. Bard appealed to the King that he wanted to talk to Oakenshield alone first. Bard wished to avoid further conflicts that can be complicated in the end.
When they arrived at the Lonely Mountain, Bard got to speak to Oakenshield. But the Mountain King refused his demands and will not give a dime. The Elven King was insulted and waged war against Oakenshield. The Hobbit wanted to prevent war. He decided to meet with the dragon slayer and the Elven King. The wizard was there too. Bilbo retrieved the Arkenstone, which is priceless in the eyes of Thorin. He gave it to Bard to be used to bargain with the Mountain King and to evade war. The following day, they offered it to Oakenshield, but he outright refused it. Oakenshield found out what Bilbo conspired with the Elven King and the dragon slayer. He was beyond furious. He was on the verge of killing the Hobbit. The wizard arrived just in time to stop the fight. Bard asked the Mountain King if they can negotiate a trade, it seems Oakenshield was stalling. In reality, he was waiting for the raven to return from Dain, his cousin.
When it was clear that Dain's army was marching towards them, Thorin answered Bard with war. The wizard was trying to talk to Dain to avoid such a bloody battle. The wizard informed Dain of the coming of orcs forces towards Lonely Mountain. Dain did not listen to anything he said. There was a conversation between Thranduil and Dain, and it was full of bitterness. At the end of it, Dain waged war against the Elven King. Before the battle could start, Azog and his army of orcs arrived in the scene. This was the most famous battle of the allied forces against the Orcs. The wizard knew about the Orc leader's strategy. He was trying to overwhelm them and attack them on both fronts. Bard did not hesitate to lead his people back to Dale and defend it once more. Many roles and characters were not included in the 1966 adaptation. In a 1977 movie of the series, John Stephenson voiced over Bard.
