Lake-men

The Lake-men, or Men of Esgaroth, are a community of mortal men who live in a bustling wooden town built on huge piles driven into the Long Lake, a great body of water fed by the Forest River and the Running River. Their town, protected from the river's swirl by a promontory of rock, is a busy center of trade, thriving on commerce that comes up the great river from the South and is carted past the high waterfalls at the lake's southern end. In the great days of old, when the town of Dale in the North was rich and prosperous, they had been wealthy and powerful, with fleets of boats on the waters, some filled with gold and others with warriors in armor. By the time of the story, however, those days are only a legend, and the rotting piles of a greater town can still be seen along the shores when the waters sink in a drought. The people remember little of that past, though some still sing old songs of the dwarf-kings of the Mountain, Thror and Thrain, and of the coming of the Dragon and the fall of the lords of Dale. Some sing too that Thror and Thrain would come back one day and gold would flow in rivers through the mountain-gates, but this pleasant legend does not much affect their daily business, which is governed by the Master, a man who gives his mind to trade and tolls, to cargoes and gold.

Role in the Quest and the Dragon's Attack

The Lake-men become directly involved in the dwarves' quest when Thorin Oakenshield, Fili, Kili, and Bilbo Baggins arrive at the great bridge of their town, having escaped the Elvenking's halls in barrels. Thorin announces himself as the King under the Mountain returned, and the news spreads like fire through the town. The people, stirred by old songs and prophecies, sing of the return of the king, and the Master, seeing the general clamor, gives up his own great chair to Thorin. The Lake-men provide the dwarves with boats, provisions, and ponies, and after a fortnight of feasting and recovery, Thorin and his company depart up the Long Lake and the Running River toward the Lonely Mountain. The Lake-men's aid, however, comes at a terrible cost. When Smaug, enraged by the theft of a cup and by Bilbo's riddling talk, deduces that the Lake-men were involved, he flies south to exact vengeance. The dragon's attack on Lake-town is devastating: he sets the thatched roofs and wooden beams ablaze, smashes the Great House with a sweep of his tail, and reduces the town to ruin. The people, who had moments earlier been singing songs of joy, are plunged into mourning and weeping, and many curse the dwarves' names. The Master himself turns to his great gilded boat, hoping to row away and save himself.

The Slaying of Smaug and Aftermath

In the midst of the destruction, a grim-voiced man named Bard, a descendant of Girion, Lord of Dale, rallies the archers. An old thrush brings him news of the dragon's weak spot, a bare patch in the hollow of his left breast, which Bilbo had discovered. Bard shoots his last black arrow, and it strikes true, killing Smaug. The dragon crashes down onto the town, and the lake roars in, ending the threat. The surviving Lake-men gather on the western shores, shivering and lamenting their lost town. Their first anger is directed at the Master, who had fled early, and they praise Bard's courage, calling him king. The Master, however, argues that the dwarves are to blame for arousing the dragon, and the people's anger turns toward Thorin and his company. Bard takes the lead in ordering the camps and caring for the sick and wounded, and he sends messengers to the Elvenking for aid. The Elvenking, having heard the news of Smaug's death, marches with his host to the Long Lake, bringing great store of goods. The Lake-men and the Elves make common cause, and the Master remains behind with the women, children, and the unfit to begin planning a new town, while the men of arms join the Elvenking's array to march north to the Mountain.

The Siege and the Battle of Five Armies

The combined host of Lake-men and Elves arrives at the Lonely Mountain and lays siege to Thorin and his company, who have fortified the Front Gate. Bard, speaking for the Lake-men, demands a portion of the treasure as recompense for the destruction of their town and as the rightful heir of Girion, whose wealth was stolen by Smaug. Thorin refuses, and the siege begins. The situation is transformed by the sudden arrival of the goblins and Wargs, who attack all sides. In the Battle of Five Armies, the Lake-men fight alongside the Elves and the dwarves of Dain against the common foe. The battle is terrible, and many Lake-men fall. After the victory, Bard is given a fourteenth share of the treasure by Dain, who honors the agreement of the dead Thorin. From this wealth, Bard sends much gold to the Master of Lake-town and rewards his followers and friends. The town of Dale is rebuilt, and the Lake-town is refounded and becomes more prosperous than ever, with much wealth going up and down the Running River. The old Master, however, falls under the dragon-sickness, takes most of the gold given to him, and flees, dying of starvation in the Waste. The new Master is of a wiser kind and becomes very popular, with songs saying that in his day the rivers run with gold. The Lake-men thus survive the dragon's wrath and, through their alliance with Bard and the Elves, emerge from the adventure with a renewed and prosperous future, their place in the North secured.