Girion

Girion, Lord of Dale, was the mortal king of the prosperous town that once lay in the valley beneath the Lonely Mountain. His reign ended in catastrophe when the dragon Smaug descended from the North, laying waste to Dale and its people. This destruction, a foundational trauma in the story, created the long-held desire for revenge that drives Thorin Oakenshield's quest and ultimately leads to Smaug's death at the hands of Girion's own descendant, Bard.

Identity and Historical Role

Girion was the lord of Dale, a thriving human settlement built in the shadow of the Lonely Mountain during the time of the dwarf-kings Thror and Thrain. In those days, Dale was a merry town of bells and trade, and its people enjoyed a prosperous relationship with the dwarves of the Mountain. Girion himself was a figure of considerable wealth and power, as evidenced by the magnificent necklace he commissioned for his eldest son: a piece made of five hundred emeralds green as grass, intended to be worn over a coat of dwarf-linked rings of pure silver, which was renowned for its strength. This necklace, along with much of Dale's treasure, was stolen by Smaug and became part of the dragon's hoard within the Mountain.

The Fall of Dale

The prosperity of Girion's kingdom was shattered when Smaug, a particularly greedy, strong, and wicked dragon, flew south from the North. The dragon first settled on the Mountain in a spout of flame, then descended the slopes, setting the woods ablaze. The bells of Dale rang out, and its warriors armed themselves, but Smaug proved unstoppable. In the fog that followed the river's steam, the dragon fell upon the warriors and destroyed most of them. Girion himself was killed in this assault. Smaug then entered the Mountain through the Front Gate, routed out all its halls, and took all the dwarves' wealth for himself. Later, he would crawl out of the great gate by night to carry away people from Dale, especially maidens, to eat, until the town was completely ruined and its people were either dead or gone.

Legacy and the Line of Girion

Though Girion perished, his wife and child managed to escape down the Running River from the ruin. This surviving line continued through the generations, culminating in Bard, a grim-voiced and grim-faced man of Lake-town who was a descendant in a long line of Girion. Bard was a bowman of great courage, and it was he who ultimately slew Smaug. During the dragon's attack on Lake-town, an old thrush, a bird of the ancient breed that had once lived in Dale and was tame to the hands of Girion's people, brought Bard the crucial news of the dragon's weak spot. The thrush told Bard to look for the hollow of the left breast as Smaug flew and turned above him. Bard, understanding the bird's tongue because he was of the race of Dale, shot his last black arrow into that very spot, killing the dragon. After the victory, the Elvenking gave to Bard the emeralds of Girion, the very jewels the old lord had most loved, which Dain had restored to him. Bard himself was hailed as the heir of Girion, and he later rebuilt the town of Dale, fulfilling the old songs of the return of the Mountain-king's wealth.