Fíli and Kíli

Fili and Kili belonged to the thirteen-dwarf company, led by Thorin Oakenshield. They voyaged together, along with the great wizard Gandalf and Bilbo Baggins as their burglar, to conquer and re-possess the Lonely Mountains from the gruesome Dragon Smaug. In the eighth chapter of The Hobbit, Fili is described as the youngest among the two brothers. The birth year for Fili is given as TA 2859, and that for Kili is TA 2864 (Lord of the Rings, Appendix A). Just like Balin and Bombur, Tolkien featured Fili and Kili exclusively in his novel. The rest of the crew in Thorin’s company of dwarves were only mentioned in-group references. They did not get as much limelight compared to the two brothers.

Come About

Thorin was Dis’s older brother. Fili and Kili, Dis’s sons, were his nephews. Frerin, the son of the military leader of the Hobbit army (Thrain II), was their uncle. And the mighty Thror was their great-grandfather. The House of Durin: Dain I’s had sons- Thror, Fror, and Gror. Thrain II, son of Thror and great-grandson of Dain I, had two sons and a daughter, Thorin Oakenshield, Frerin, and Dis. Kili and Fili, as mentioned earlier, are Dis’s son.

Notable Achievements

Fili and Kili were the youngest in the company of dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield but had sharp sight and a keen sense of observation. They were scouts and searchers and were praised for finding the Front Porch in the Misty Mountains. They have encountered and fought with spiders and many other creatures of the dark. Thranduil, the Elven king, imprisoned the entire company of the dwarves at a point in their journey. They hatched a plan to break out of prison. It was to roll down in barrels from the wine cellar. Bilbo Baggins, who was free at the time, assisted in the escape. The barrels rolled down to a riverside, and from there, the two brothers, along with Thorin and Bilbo, went to Lake Town. The rest of the company stayed by the riverside. Accompanied by Balin and Bilbo Baggins, Fili and Kili used their scouting skills once again, when they found the Front Gate in Ravenhill. Bilbo, Fili, and Kili were also responsible for finding the side door that leads the company into the eerie mountain. The two brothers gave their lives trying to defend Thorin Oakenshield when he was fatally injured in the Battle of the Five Armies. Three of them died in a great battle and were buried next to each other.

Choice of Weapon

Fili and Kili both used a spade or a small shovel. The tool was handy and useful for building traps, firepits, and barriers. They wore Blue hoods in their journeys and usually loved to scam others for fun. Kili is presumed to be an archer by some readers. But there is no mention of any sort in the books. In The Hobbit trilogy’s second movie, Kili is seen wielding a sword. His brother Fili, on the other hand, uses dual swords, a war hammer, knives, and axes.

Why did Tolkien Kill the Two Brothers in His Novel?

Fili and Kili died trying to save a gravely wounded Thorin, during the Battle of the Five Armies. They were the only two dwarves to die in that battle. Despite being the writer’s favorites, and two popular characters of the Lord of the Rings Novels, the author had decided to sacrifice their life for a greater good. There are two speculations as to why Tolkien had decided to kill the characters: He wanted to demonstrate the love between the uncle and his nephews. Tolkien has mentioned such relationships multiple times. He truly believes that there is a special bond between maternal uncles and nephews. In 1953’s Battle of Maldon (a play and essay “The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth, Beorhthelm’s son”), Tolkien illustrated this bond twice.

Once, he mentioned it in the essay, and the second time, it was during a conversation between Tidwald and Torthelm. The conversation was regarding the capture of an English knight who was mistakenly identified as the nephew of Beorhthnoth. Theoden and his sister’s son Eomer, from The Lord of the Rings, are another example of Tolkien’s emphasis on the special bond between uncle and nephews. Coming back to Fili and Kili, Thorin Oakenshield was their maternal uncle. The fact that Fili and Kili sacrificed their lives for their uncle is a fitting example of Tolkien’s belief in the old English tradition.

Another, more likely reason for Tolkien to compose Kili and Fili’s death at the end of The Hobbit, would be to allow Thorin to sit at the throne of the Lonely Mountains. At the end of the Battle of the Five Armies, Thorin Oakenshield, leader of the Durin’s Folk, takes the throne as king of the Lonely Mountain. He does so, after defeating the dragon Smaug. He was later succeeded by his cousin and a direct descendant of the Durin, Dain Ironfoot. Dain Ironfoot was eldest in line of the successors of the Durin’s Folk. And so, he took the throne after his cousin's brother.

But, if Kili and Fili had survived the Battle of the Five Armies, it would’ve made them the eldest surviving heir to the throne. Which means, that one of them would’ve assumed the position for the king of the Lonely Mountains. According to The Lord of the Rings Appendix A, genealogically, Fili would be the rightful king if he had survived. However, Thorin’s statement mentioning Fili as the youngest in The Hobbit would make Kili the deserving king of the Lonely Mountains. Perhaps, Tolkien thought it would be unusual for one of the two brothers to take the throne, and that the Dain would be more fitting for the position. Or maybe he didn’t want the two young brothers to play such a vital role and lift one of them compared to the other. Whatever the reason may be, Tolkien decided to rewrite the draft and dissolve the issue with an honorable death for the two warriors.

Is Gimli younger than Fili and Kili?

There is an emerging concern among the readers regarding the age difference between the two brothers and Gimli. This is because Gimli was found to be the youngest among the dwarves in Thorin’s company. In The Quest for Erebor from Unfinished Tales, Gimli mentioned that he was too young to accompany Thorin and his Company on their journey. Gimli was 62 years of age (born in TA 2879) according to Appendix A when the quest to conquer the Lonely Mountains began. Fili being 82 and Kili being 77, were comparatively older at the time. However, since dwarves live for 250 years, all three of them were considered as minors. During the quest to take over the Lonely Mountains, by Thorin and company, Fili and Kili accompanied their uncle even though they were too young. They had a stronger desire to go on the quest since they are Thorin’s nephews and heir. Gimli, being almost as old as his cousins, stayed behind with his mother in the Blue Mountains, also known as, Ered Luin.

Depiction on Screen

Don Messick gave voice to both the roles of Kili and Fili in the animated version of The Hobbit. The characters played a negligible role and had low exposure compared to the book. The Hobbit: Peter Jackson hired Dean O’Gorman to play Fili and Aidan Turner to play Kili for his film and trilogy, The Hobbit. The books have described both of the brothers with yellow hair and beard. However, only Fili is seen with Golden/yellow hair in the films.

Kili has more of a dark brown hair and is referred to as the “black-haired archer” by the Orcs. According to the statement released by the studio regarding the back story of Fili and Kili, this is what we know: Born into the royal line of Durin, Fili was raised by his uncle Thorin Oakenshield. He had undergone a strong and stern guardianship. The two brothers were the youngest among the company of dwarves that accompanied Thorin in the quest to conquer the Lonely Mountains. Fili was destined to face great challenges beyond his comprehension, but he wasn’t much of a traveler to start with.

He has never visited Erebor, the city of Dwarves, which is unlikely for any Dwarf. Being trained by the great warrior Thorin himself, Fili was skilled in the art of fighting as well. Kili, his younger brother, is a loyal and loving nephew to Thorin. He had lived a trouble-free life before the journey began, which had made him a bit carefree and reckless. Young and strong, Kili was a courageous dwarf. He had trained himself from an early age and possessed great skill when it came to archery. Being the youngest of the thirteen dwarves in the company of Thorin, he is determined and persistent in proving himself and making his mark in the world. The movies are more or less an exact rendition of the book, with minor changes here or there.

In the movie, Kili and Fili are seen demonstrating their powers of observation at many crucial moments. They were the first to discover that their ponies were missing when the company stopped at Trollshaws to rest. They, along with Bilbo Baggins, investigated the area and found out the trolls who did it. Unlike the book, which says that more than one dwarf in the company was using a bow, Kili was the only archer in the company as shown in the movies. He is seen using his bow and arrows to kill several wargs when they were attacked in Rivendell. Kili and Fili were rendered as skillful fighters on screen. They fought Azog’s dreadful wargs on the clifftop of the Lonely Mountains when the wargs cornered Bilbo. Dwalin was among them at the time. Kili was also the one who killed Grinnah in a cave near Goblin Town.

Kili has a romantic encounter in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

He falls for a Silvan Elf by the name of Tauriel. Tauriel is the captain of the Elven Guards in Mirkwood, one of Thranduil’s very own forces. Tauriel and Legolas saved Kili’s life when he was attacked and surrounded by spiders. He was left with no weapons to defend himself with and was almost doomed for death. The Elves, led by Tauriel and Legolas, rescued him and brought him back to safety. A romantic scene ensued: Tauriel, upon noticing a talisman in Kili’s holding, asks him about it. He replies saying that the talisman is a token of his promise to his mother.

He promised her of his return. Conversation between the two proceeds. They discuss their interests and passion. Tauriel describes her love for the night stars, and Kili tells her of a great blood-moon he has seen. Legolas, meanwhile, is seen standing in the shadows, observing. [1] The love between Tauriel and Kili is once again visible when the dwarves try to escape Rivendell. They used barrels to escape but were stopped by Elven Guards in the river. The guards blocked their escape route by closing a portcullis. All of a sudden, both parties were attacked by Bolg and a group of his orcs. Kili, demonstrating his bravery, climbed up to the portcullis to, somehow, disturb the mechanism of the portcullis, and open the narrow exit. But one of the arrows from the orcs gets him in the leg. Tauriel comes back again to save his life and buys him time to open the portcullis. The company, later on, escapes through the passage.

Tauriel, on the other hand, captures an orc and interrogates him. She finds out that the arrow that pierced Kilis’s leg is poisoned. Accompanied by Legolas, she immediately leaves Rivendell to follow the dwarves to save Kili. The dwarves reach Lake Town safely. But Kili falls ill from the poison in the arrow. Thorin, in an attempt to pick up the pace, orders that Kili stays behind in Bard’s home, where they were resting. Oin was to stay behind with him to tend to his wounds. Fili, after failing to change his uncle’s mind, decides to stay back as well to help his brother. But the company was already losing men and growing weaker. Bofur, after drinking too much the night before, couldn’t wake up on time. He was also left behind with Kili. In Bard’s home, Oin inquired if Bard had any kingsfoil in his possession. He replied that he used the weed to feed the pigs. Bofur sobers up and goes outside to fetch some.

Events take an unfortunate turn: Bolg and his orcs arrive at Bard’s home and attack the defenseless dwarves. Tauriel and Legolas arrive just in time to fight the orcs and kill them. Bolg flees the scene, and Legolas chases him. But Tauriel stays behind and uses the kingsfoil, which she knows as athelas, to apply to Kili’s wounds. The romance between the two sparks again at this point. Kili, halfway into delirium, stares in awe at the beauty of Tauriel. He cannot stop himself from admiring her grace and wondering if they could ever be together. Tauriel, in silence, holds his hand.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

The two brothers, surviving Smaug’s attack in Lake Town, go to Erebor, along with Oin and Bofur. Thorin takes his cousin brothers and Dalin to chase Azog in the Battle of the Five Armies. Fili and Kili are sent to scout the area. But, Thorin wasn’t aware of a second army consisting of the Orcs of Gundabad, who attacked the company. Fili dies soon afterward when Azog impales him in front of Bilbo, Thorin, and Dwalin. Kili, upon seeing his brother’s dead body fall to the ground, charges towards the orc with rage and anger. But he comes face to face with Bolg himself. Bolg was engaged at the time with Tauriel, who was having a hard time defending herself. He fights off Bolg, saving Tauriel from the attack, but fatally hurts himself in the process. Tauriel was by Kili's side when he died.​

Kili is seen appearing with a group of the dwarves in The Hobbit: Armies of the Third Age. He is the first hero to represent the Halflings. In The Hobbit (2003 video game), [2] the two brothers were almost deleted from the entire game.​