Five armies

The Battle of Five Armies is the decisive military engagement that ends the Quest of Thorin and Company, transforming a three-way standoff over the treasure of the Lonely Mountain into a desperate alliance against a common enemy. It is the most terrible of all Bilbo Baggins’s experiences, and the one he later recalls with the most pride, though he plays an unimportant part in it. The battle resolves the political tensions of the story, brings about the death of Thorin Oakenshield, and establishes a new peace in the North.

Causes and Background

The battle arises from the convergence of three separate conflicts. After the death of Smaug, Thorin Oakenshield claims the treasure of the Mountain for his own, barricading the Front Gate and refusing to share any portion with the Lake-men or the Wood-elves. Bard, the dragon-slayer and heir of Girion, leads an army of Lake-men, joined by the Elvenking’s host, to besiege the Mountain and demand a just share. Thorin, under the spell of the dragon-hoard, refuses all negotiation and sends for his cousin Dain from the Iron Hills, who arrives with more than five hundred heavily armed dwarves. Before battle can erupt between the three factions, a far greater threat appears: a vast army of Goblins, led by Bolg of the North, has marched from the mountains, seeking revenge for the death of the Great Goblin and aiming to conquer the North. The goblin host, accompanied by Wargs and a cloud of bats, descends suddenly from the North, catching all parties by surprise.

The Course of the Battle

Gandalf, who appears suddenly, halts the impending clash between dwarves, men, and elves, and calls for a council. The three former enemies agree to unite against the goblins. The plan is to lure the goblin army into the valley between the arms of the Mountain, while the defenders man the great southern and eastern spurs. The elves are set on the southern spur, the men and dwarves on the eastern. The goblin vanguard, led by wolf-riders, pours into Dale, and the battle begins. The elves charge first, sending a shower of arrows and a thousand spearmen against the goblin host. The dwarves of the Iron Hills, led by Dain, then attack from the other side, wielding heavy two-handed mattocks. The Lake-men join them with long swords. For a time, victory seems near, but goblins who have scaled the Mountain from the other side attack the defenders from above, and the tide turns. Thorin Oakenshield, who had remained inside the Mountain, suddenly leads a sortie from the Gate, leaping down to the falls’ foot and rushing into battle. He wields his axe with mighty strokes and drives against Bolg’s bodyguard, but his numbers are too few, and he and his companions are surrounded. The battle reaches its crisis when the goblins seem about to overwhelm the defenders.

The Turning Point and Aftermath

At the darkest moment, the Great Eagles of the Misty Mountains arrive, swooping down from the North to dislodge the goblins from the mountain-slopes. Even with the eagles, the defenders are still outnumbered until Beorn himself appears in bear’s shape, grown to giant size in his wrath. He tosses wolves and goblins from his path, breaks through the goblin ring, and lifts the fallen Thorin out of the fray. Returning, he pulls down Bolg and crushes him. Dismay falls on the goblins, and they flee in all directions. The allies pursue them, driving many into the Running River and the marshes, where the greater part of the last fugitives perish. Songs say that three parts of the goblin warriors of the North perished that day. The pursuit continues into the night, but the victory is assured before nightfall. The battle ends with the death of Thorin Oakenshield, who is buried deep beneath the Mountain with the Arkenstone on his breast and Orcrist laid upon his tomb. Fili and Kili also fall, defending their uncle. Dain becomes King under the Mountain, and a fourteenth share of the treasure is given to Bard. The Elvenking receives the emeralds of Girion. The battle thus resolves the treasure dispute, establishes a lasting peace among dwarves, men, and elves, and frees the North from goblin dominion for many years.

Narrative Role and Significance

The Battle of Five Armies serves as the climax of The Hobbit, bringing together all the major factions and resolving the central conflicts of the quest. It is the moment when the petty quarrels over gold are set aside in the face of a greater evil, fulfilling the moral that cooperation and courage matter more than hoarded wealth. For Bilbo, the battle is the most dreadful and most proud of his adventures, though he is largely invisible and unimportant in the fighting. The battle also marks the final transformation of Thorin, who dies reconciled with Bilbo and acknowledging the value of "food and cheer and song above hoarded gold." The aftermath establishes a new order in the North, with Dain as king, Bard rebuilding Dale, and the goblins crushed, bringing a peace that lasts for generations.