Goblins Capture the Dwarves

The capture of Thorin and Company by the goblins in the Misty Mountains marks a decisive turning point in the quest, stripping the expedition of its ponies, supplies, and any remaining illusion of a safe passage east, and forcing the company into the dark heart of the mountains where Bilbo will first encounter the ring that changes his fate.

Background and Setting

The company had been crossing the Misty Mountains by the High Pass, following the advice of Elrond and the guidance of Gandalf. After days of climbing, they were caught in a ferocious thunderstorm, a "thunder-battle" where stone-giants hurled rocks at one another for sport. Seeking shelter, Fili and Kili discovered a dry cave not far around the next corner, and though Gandalf warned that caves in the mountains were seldom unoccupied, the dwarves were too exhausted and desperate to be cautious. They explored the cave only hastily, finding it "not all that big" and not going far back, and decided to take refuge there for the night. Inside, they spread out their wet clothes, lit their pipes, and talked of the treasure, dropping off to sleep one by one. It was the last time they would use the ponies, packages, and baggage they had brought with them.

The Capture

Bilbo, unable to sleep for a long while, had nasty dreams of a crack in the wall opening wider and wider. When he woke with a start, he found part of his dream was true: a crack had opened at the back of the cave, already a wide passage, and he was just in time to see the last of the ponies' tails disappearing into it. He gave a loud yell, which woke Gandalf, but before anyone could react, out jumped goblins—"big goblins, great ugly-looking goblins, lots of goblins"—six to each dwarf and two even for Bilbo. They were all grabbed and carried through the crack before they could resist. Gandalf, however, was not taken: Bilbo's yell had wakened him, and when goblins came to grab him, a terrific flash like lightning filled the cave, killing several of them. The crack closed with a snap, leaving Bilbo and the dwarves on the wrong side, with no idea where Gandalf was.

Journey to Goblin-town

The goblins seized the prisoners and hurried them along through deep, dark passages that only goblins could see through. The passages were crossed and tangled in all directions, but the goblins knew their way as well as anyone knows the way to the nearest post-office. The way went down and down, horribly stuffy, and the goblins were very rough, pinching unmercifully and chuckling in their horrible stony voices. Bilbo was more unhappy than even when the troll had picked him up by his toes. They were forced to run, whipped with swish and smack, until they stumbled into a big cavern lit by a great red fire and torches, full of goblins who laughed and stamped and clapped their hands. The ponies were already there, huddled in a corner, and all the baggage was being rummaged and quarrelled over by goblins. The prisoners were chained hand and foot, linked together in a line, and dragged to the far end of the cavern where the Great Goblin sat on a large flat stone, surrounded by armed guards.

Interrogation and Rescue

The Great Goblin demanded to know who they were and what they were doing in the mountains. Thorin, giving only a polite nothing, claimed they were sheltering from a storm. But a goblin driver produced Thorin's sword, Orcrist, which the goblins called Biter, and which had killed hundreds of goblins in the wars with the elves of Gondolin. The Great Goblin flew into a rage, shouting "Murderers and elf-friends!" and ordered them taken away to dark holes full of snakes. Just as he rushed at Thorin with his mouth open, all the lights in the cavern went out, the great fire went off poof! into a tower of blue glowing smoke, and a sword flashed in its own light, going right through the Great Goblin and killing him. It was Gandalf, who had followed them and worked up his best magic in the shadows. The goblin soldiers fled, and Gandalf led the prisoners out through the dark passages, cutting their chains with Glamdring, the Foe-hammer, which the goblins called Beater.

Consequences

The capture had immediate and lasting consequences. The company lost all their ponies, food, and baggage, forcing them to travel on foot through the mountains with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The goblins, enraged by the death of their king and the escape, pursued them relentlessly, leading to the desperate flight through the tunnels where Bilbo was separated from the others and left alone in the dark. It was in that solitude that he found the ring, met Gollum, and won the riddle-game, acquiring the means of invisibility that would prove crucial in all his later adventures. The event also deepened the dwarves' reliance on Gandalf and, eventually, on Bilbo himself, as the hobbit's resourcefulness began to earn their respect. The goblins' hatred for Thorin's people, already ancient, was rekindled to fury, setting the stage for the later mustering of the goblin armies that would culminate in the Battle of Five Armies.