Gandalf Kills the Great Goblin
Gandalf Kills the Great Goblin is the decisive turning point in the dwarves' captivity beneath the Misty Mountains. After the company is seized by goblins and dragged before the Great Goblin, Gandalf extinguishes the lights and slays the goblin chieftain with his sword Glamdring, throwing the goblin host into chaos and allowing the prisoners to flee. The act not only saves the dwarves from immediate death but also triggers a chain of events that leads to Bilbo's separation from the group and his discovery of the One Ring.
Background and Capture
The dwarves, Bilbo, and Gandalf had taken shelter from a thunderstorm in a cave that proved to be the goblins' "Front Porch." While they slept, a crack opened at the back of the cave, and goblins poured out, seizing all but Gandalf. The prisoners were dragged down through winding passages to the Great Goblin's cavern, a vast space lit by a red fire and torches, where the Great Goblin sat on a large flat stone surrounded by armed guards. The goblins chained the dwarves' hands and linked them in a line, with Bilbo at the end. The Great Goblin interrogated Thorin, but when a goblin driver produced Thorin's sword Orcrist—known to the goblins as "Biter" and hated for its history of killing their kind—the Great Goblin flew into a rage and ordered the prisoners slain.
The Killing
Just as the Great Goblin leaped from his seat and rushed at Thorin with his mouth open, Gandalf acted. All the lights in the cavern went out, and the great fire exploded into a tower of blue glowing smoke that scattered piercing white sparks among the goblins. In the ensuing pandemonium—a cacophony of yells, yammering, howls, and curses—a sword flashed in its own light. Bilbo saw it go right through the Great Goblin, who stood dumbfounded in the middle of his rage. The Great Goblin fell dead, and his soldiers fled before the sword, shrieking into the darkness. The sword was Glamdring, the Foe-hammer, which Gandalf had taken from the trolls' lair and which Elrond had identified as a blade from Gondolin. The goblins called it "Beater" and hated it even more than Orcrist.
Aftermath and Escape
With the Great Goblin dead, Gandalf sheathed his sword and commanded the dwarves to follow him quickly. He led them through dark passages, using his wand to give a faint light. When they stopped, he cut through their goblin-chains with Glamdring, which burned with a blue flame in delight at the killing. He also returned Orcrist to Thorin, having snatched it from one of the terrified guards. The company then fled deeper into the tunnels, with goblin cries growing fainter behind them. The killing of the Great Goblin not only saved the dwarves but also had wider repercussions: it disrupted a planned goblin raid that night, as the Wargs who had gathered to meet the goblins found their allies late due to the chaos. The goblins' hatred for the dwarves was rekindled to fury, leading ultimately to the Battle of Five Armies. For Bilbo, the escape was the beginning of his greatest trial: separated from the others in the dark, he stumbled upon a ring of cold metal that would change his life forever.
