The War of the Dwarves and Orcs was a significant series of battles between the conflicting parties. It lasted from TA 2793-2799 in the Misty Mountains of Middle-earth.
Pre-history
In TA 2790, the ancient Dwarf King Thror, a descendent of Durin, traveled with his comrade Nár to the lost kingdom of Moria. Upon their arrival in the East Gate, Nár convinced King Thror not to go inside for the dangers looming in its darkness. But King Thror persisted, claiming his inheritance to the ancient Dwarf kingdom. Nár remained outside Moria's gate for days, but Thror never came back. Three days passed, then Nár witnessed Azog the Orc toss King Thror's dead body out of the gates of Moria and onto the stairs of the entrance, with the name of Azog incised upon the face of the Dwarf King.
The Orc shouts for Thror's companion, to tell everyone of his deed. Azog threatened that whoever attempts to trespass Moria will have the same death. He declared that because he murdered Thror, then he was indeed the new king of Moria. The forces of Azog hindered Nár to recover the head of the King, and even threw him a bag of coins with no value, as a sign of mockery. He grasped the coins and escaped. As he turned to look one last time at Thror.
He saw goblins out of the entrance and ripping the body, throwing the flesh for the ravens to eat. Afterward, Nár arrived in Dunland and reported the tragic end of Thror to his son Thráin II. Thráin cried in anguish and later refused to speak in his mourning. A week later, he suddenly got up and shouted that he could not bear it, and called to set forth scouts to all Dwarves, spreading news of the tragedy that transpired. From TA 2790 to TA 2793, the kin of Durin, also called Longbeards, retaliated through gathering their armies, calling forth other Dwarf clans as the degradation of the most ancient house of the Dwarves greatly enrage them.
The Orc shouts for Thror's companion, to tell everyone of his deed. Azog threatened that whoever attempts to trespass Moria will have the same death. He declared that because he murdered Thror, then he was indeed the new king of Moria. The forces of Azog hindered Nár to recover the head of the King, and even threw him a bag of coins with no value, as a sign of mockery. He grasped the coins and escaped. As he turned to look one last time at Thror.
He saw goblins out of the entrance and ripping the body, throwing the flesh for the ravens to eat. Afterward, Nár arrived in Dunland and reported the tragic end of Thror to his son Thráin II. Thráin cried in anguish and later refused to speak in his mourning. A week later, he suddenly got up and shouted that he could not bear it, and called to set forth scouts to all Dwarves, spreading news of the tragedy that transpired. From TA 2790 to TA 2793, the kin of Durin, also called Longbeards, retaliated through gathering their armies, calling forth other Dwarf clans as the degradation of the most ancient house of the Dwarves greatly enrage them.
Dispute
In TA 2793, all the Dwarves united and moved, destroying all the goblin realms of the Misty Mountains. They began in the north's Mount Gundabad through the summit of Methedras. Almost all the battle was deep below the ground as the Dwarves fiercely sought Azog. It was forbidding and relentless at this point of the war that some seasoned Dwarf warriors never spoke of the events that occurred. In TA 2799, the culmination of the war was on the Battle of Azanulbizar, a blood bath between the Dwarves and Orcs on Moria's entrance. The army of the Iron Hills arrived at the end of the battle, thus giving victory to the Dwarves. Afterward, Thráin II, son of Thrór, wished to proceed inside Moria and take back the old kingdom. But their comrades, who were of other clans and not Longbeards, declined. They have fought to avenge the house of Durin, and they consider the war's triumph sufficient. They also dread that Durin's Bane (the Balrog) still lives, and were hesitant to proceed as it remains in Moria. As the war concluded, the Dwarves followed Azog to the eastern entrance of Moria. Dáin Ironfoot kills Azog, avenging his father Náin, whom the Orc just killed. They put the head of Azog on a stake, and on his mouth, they shoved the same bag of coins he threw to Nár from nine years ago when he killed King Thror.
Outcome
The Dwarves took a devastating loss in the battle, as almost half of the Dwarf army fell. Those who died were Fundin, son of Farin (Balin's father), Frerin, second son of Thráin II, and Náin, son of Grór (Dáin's father). Thráin II injured his leg and permanently damaged one eye while Thorin sustained wounds as he seized an oak bough as protection. Because of this, they called him Oakenshield. In the war, most of the goblins escaped by crossing Rohan in the south. They retreated to the White Mountains and the surrounding region, thus harassing the people of Rohan for ages. The war also brought the exit of the goblins from the Misty Mountains, who then fled to trouble the regions of Wilderland and Eriador. Some of the goblins also moved to the High Pass close to Rivendell. The Northern Goblins never revived their former force even after a hundred and fifty years. And they even decreased in number in TA 2941 in the Battle of Five Armies where Bolg, Azog's son, attempted to get vengeance for his father, but Beorn slew him.
Film
In the 2012 movie The Hobbit Unexpected Journey, [1] director Peter Jackson drastically changed the plot of the book. In the film, Azog beheads Thror in the Battle of Azanulbizar. Jackson omitted the original role of Dáin Ironfoot in the battle as well as Nain. Thorin becomes Azog's mortal enemy and seeking vengeance. He also dismembers Azog, who endures the War of the Dwarves with a lost arm. Hence, he hunts down Thorin and his party, eager to eradicate the descendants of Durin. Thorin kills Azog in the Battle of the Five Armies, instead of Dain killing him, from the Battle of Azanulbizar as in the books. The film did not show if Dain ever faced Azog in battle.
References
Categories:
Conflicts of the Third Age
