Dáin Ironfoot
Dáin Ironfoot, known to history as Dáin II and King under the Mountain, is a central figure in the later history of Durin's Folk, a Dwarf lord whose life was defined by a series of momentous battles that shaped the fate of the North. His story, as recounted in the annals of the Third Age, moves from a youth of startling martial prowess to an old age of steadfast kingship, culminating in a final, heroic sacrifice that stands as a testament to the Dwarves' unyielding resistance against the shadow of Sauron. He is a figure who bridges the age of the Quest of Erebor and the great conflicts of the War of the Ring, embodying both the martial ferocity and the deep wisdom required of a leader in desperate times.
Youth and the Slaying of Azog
Dáin's earliest recorded deed, and the one that first brought him renown, occurred at the Battle of Azanulbizar, the final and most terrible engagement of the War of the Dwarves and Orcs. In the year 2799 of the Third Age, the Dwarves, seeking vengeance for the murder of Thrór, fought a great host of Orcs in the valley before the gates of Moria. The battle was a slaughter, and among the fallen was Náin, Dáin's father, who was slain by the Orc chieftain Azog. Náin, half blind with rage and weary from the fighting, had rushed at Azog, but the Orc was fresh and full of guile; he darted aside, kicked Náin's leg, and with a swift swing hewed his neck, breaking it with the force of the blow. As Azog laughed and lifted his head to yell in triumph, he saw that his own host was in full rout, and he fled back towards the Gate. Up the steps after him leaped a Dwarf with a red axe: it was Dáin Ironfoot, Náin's son. Right before the doors of Moria, Dáin caught Azog and slew him, hewing off his head. This was held a great feat, for Dáin was then only a stripling in the reckoning of the Dwarves. Yet despite his hardiness and wrath, it is said that when he came down from the Gate he looked grey in the face, as one who has felt great fear, a glimpse of the profound cost of such a victory.
The aftermath of the battle was grim. The Dwarves took the head of Azog and thrust into its mouth the purse of small money, setting it on a stake as a sign of their contempt. But there was no feast or song that night, for their dead were beyond the count of grief; barely half of their number could still stand or had hope of healing. Though Thráin, the heir of Thrór, declared that they had the victory and that Khazad-dûm was theirs, the Dwarves did not enter Moria, and the deep halls remained empty. Dáin's great deed, however, had secured his place in the history of his people.
King under the Mountain
Following the death of Thorin Oakenshield in the Battle of Five Armies, Dáin Ironfoot, as Thorin's cousin and rightful heir, became King Dáin II, and the Kingdom under the Mountain was restored. He had come from the Iron Hills to Thorin's aid, and his succession marked the beginning of a new era of prosperity for the Dwarves of Erebor. Dáin proved a great and wise king, and under his rule the Dwarves prospered and grew strong again. By the time of the Council of Elrond, he was old, having passed his two hundred and fiftieth year, and was described as venerable and fabulously rich. Of the ten companions who had survived the Battle of Five Armies, seven were still with him: Dwalin, Glóin, Dori, Nori, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur, the last of whom had grown so fat that it took six young dwarves to lift him.
Yet even in this age of prosperity, a shadow of disquiet fell upon his people. Whispers began that they were hemmed in a narrow place and that greater wealth would be found in a wider world, with some speaking of Moria, the mighty works of their fathers. Balin listened to these whispers and resolved to go, and though Dáin did not give leave willingly, Balin took with him Ori and Óin and many of their folk and went away south. For a while there was good news, but then came silence, and no word ever came from Moria again. This loss was a heavy burden on Dáin, and it was largely on account of Balin that Glóin was sent to Rivendell to seek the advice of Elrond.
The Shadow of Mordor and the Defense of the North
Dáin's reign was also marked by the growing threat of Sauron. About a year before the Council of Elrond, a messenger came to Dáin from Mordor, a horseman in the night who called him to his gate. The messenger said that Sauron wished for the Dwarves' friendship and would give Rings for it, as he had given of old. He asked urgently concerning hobbits, of what kind they were and where they dwelt, for Sauron knew that one of them had been known to the Dwarves on a time. Dáin and his chieftains needed not the fell voice of the messenger to warn them that his words held both menace and deceit, for they knew that the power that had re-entered Mordor had not changed and ever it betrayed them of old. The messenger returned twice and was unanswered, and he said the third and last time was soon to come before the ending of the year. It was for this reason that Glóin was sent to warn Bilbo that he was sought by the Enemy and to learn why Sauron desired this ring, this least of rings. Dáin also learned that messengers had come to King Brand in Dale, and that he was afraid, and that war was already gathering on his eastern borders. If they made no answer, the Enemy might move Men of his rule to assail King Brand and Dáin also.
When the War of the Ring came at last, the main assault was turned southwards, yet even so, with his far-stretched right hand, Sauron might have done great evil in the North if King Dáin and King Brand had not stood in his path. The Orcs came down upon Erebor as soon as they heard of the return of the Dwarves, and they were led by Bolg, son of that Azog whom Dáin slew in his youth. In the Battle of Dale, Dáin fought with great might. Gandalf, speaking afterwards to Frodo and Gimli in Minas Tirith, grieved at the fall of Thorin and then reported that Dáin had fallen, fighting in Dale again, even while they fought at the Black Gate. Gandalf called it a heavy loss, if it was not a wonder rather that in his great age Dáin could still wield his axe as mightily as they say that he did, standing over the body of King Brand before the Gate of Erebor until the darkness fell. This final image of Dáin, an old but unbowed king, standing guard over his fallen ally until the end, is a powerful testament to his courage and his unwavering commitment to the defense of the Free Peoples.
