You might find yourself wanting to know more about the Dwarves of Middle Earth. After all, their huge beards, small stature and fighting skill makes them a very interesting race in Tolkien’s Middle Earth Universe. Well, you can look no further, because here are the [Top Ten] Dwarves of Middle Earth (Ranked).

10. Dáin Ironfoot II

Dain II Ironfoot, Lord of the Iron Hills smiting orcs with his mighty hammer

Dáin Ironfoot II, as the name suggests, is the second Dwarf named Dain in his family line. The last Dwarf to have that name, Dáin I, was King of the Grey Mountains. Dáin II, was Lord of the Iron Hills.

Fans of Tolkien will debate who was the greatest warrior in the Middle Earth Universe. I can guarantee you that Dáin II is always in that conversation, and its why he’s at the top of this list. In the Battle of Azanulbizar, Dáin II killed the Orc Chieftain called Azog, and at the age of 32, which is young for a Dwarf. This ended the War of the Dwarves and Orcs, and was one of the first times Dain II Ironfoot showed us all how badass of a warrior he was.

I love Dáin II. Who couldn’t? It’s not just because of his massive ginger beard (don’t think you’re the only one staring at it!). He is a true warrior of Middle Earth. He protects those he loves, and fights for what he believes in. If you want to watch his skills in action, follow this link to YouTube:

Dain Ironfoot II gets dismounted, but fights on.

9. Gimli

Gimle, son of Gloin, fighting for the Fellowship of the Ring.

Gimle is a Dwarf character from The Lord of the Rings movies and books. So, what’s his life story? He is the son of Gloin, one of the Dwarves helps to reclaim Erebor during the events of The Hobbit. At that point in Tolkien’s timeline, however, Gimle is just a young boy.

Gimle really shines years later when The Lord of the Rings takes place though. He joins The Fellowship of the Ring to help the Hobbit Frodo bring Sauron’s One Ring to Mordor. It might come as a surprise to some who did not realise it before, but Gimle is the only Dwarf to fight alongside the humans in the battles of The Lord of the Rings.

After Sauron is defeated, Gimle leads an expedition to the Glittering Caves where he became, you guessed it, Lord of the Glittering Caves. Gimle wasn’t always shown to be a very serious character in The Lord of the Rings movies. Here’s an example of when he was used as comic relief:

Gimle shows his Dwarven pride!

In my opinion, it’s a little bit sad that Gimle, who is an awesome warrior in his own right, is used as comic relief in the films. Let’s continue to see whether any other Dwarves on this list have ginger beards (yes, I’m obsessed with them!). We still have eight more Dwarves on this list to go!

8. Thrór I

Thror I, King Under the Mountain, and the mighty Founder of Erebor.

Thrór I was the son of Dain I, the King of Durin’s Folk. In the Year 2589 of the Third Age, Thrór led some of his people to The Lonely Mountain. He decided to do this after his father was killed by Cold Drakes in the Grey Mountains, so I think it’s fair to say that this was a decision made because of grief.

Thrór proved himself to be a great leaderwhen he recolonised The Lonely Mountain, and his people hoarded immense amounts of gold. This attracted the greatest Dragon of the Third Age, Smaug. Smaug killed hundreds of Dwarves and destroyed Thrór’s kingdom. Thrór led his family away, including his son Thráin II and Thorin II Oakenshield, and settled with them in a land further away called Dunland.

There’s something about Dwarven kings that really fascinates me. You can sympathise with them because they aren’t just people that sit of thrones. They are proud of their home because they have to be. After all, it seems a dragon can attack a Dwarven home at any time. Thrór was a holder of a Dwarven Ring of Power. Want to know what happened to it? Keep reading!

7. Thráin II

Thrain II, withered and fatigued after The Battle of Azanulbizar.

Thrain II was born in The Lonely Mountain  to his father, Thror I. Thrain II was at one time given a Dwarven Ring of Power by his father but happened to be  one of the rings that was under the Dark Lord Sauron’s influence.  But of course this did not affect Thrain II because Dwarves are naturally resistant to Sauron’s domination. Thank goodness for that!

Thrain II found out one day that his father had been killed by orcs, so he was out for revenge! The Dwarves won the battle, called The Battle of Azanulbizar which was fought underneath the East Gate of an abandoned kingdom called Moria. A while after the battle, Thrain II was tortured by Sauron into giving him his ring of power. Shortly after losing the ring, Thrain gave his key to The Lonely Mountain to Gandalf and died.

That’s one hell of a story, isn’t it? Thrain II won an important battle for his people. After reading about him, you’ll surely think he’s one of the coolest Dwarves in fantasy fiction. Let’s continue that coolness, shall we?

6. Thorin II Oakenshield

The short-lived Dwarven King who took back The Lonely Mountain.

Ah, Thorin II Oakenshield. Many will know this Dwarf as one of the main characters in The Hobbit movies. Make no mistake though, he’s also featured in the books. He acompanied his father, Thráin II, away from The Lonely Mountain when it was attacked by Smaug the dragon.

Thorin II received his name ‘Oakenshield’ from the Battle of Azanulbizar when he had to use an oak branch as a shield. After all, when your shield breaks in battle, you’ve got to improvise, right? Years later, Thorin lead a group of twelve Dwarves to help him reclaim The Lonely Mountain from Smaug the dragon, and he succeeded. Sadly, it was only shortly after that Thorin was killed in The Battle of Five Armies.

Did you know that Thorin II Oakenshield was Dain II Ironfoot’s cousin? There’s a pretty cool fact for you. Here’s a video of them meeting on the battlefield: 

Brothers on the battlefield, in life and in death.

Some people only think of Thorin’s handsome looks in The Hobbit movies. But I like to think of the sacrifices he made to reclaim The Lonely Mountain for his people. That’s just my personal take on it though. You can swoon over Thorin II all you like, my friend. On to the next Dwarf!

5. Durin the Deathless (or Durin I)

The original, and Founder of the greatest Dwarven kingdom ever known.

Here he is folks. This is where the line of the Dwarven kings starts. He is the one who founded the great Dwarven kingdom of Khazad-dûm (Moria). Durin I got his name ‘the Deathless’ because he lived for so long. Although, no one knows for sure exactly how long.

This is where things start to get more complicated, and pretty epic in my opinion. Durin the Deathless was one of the first ever Dwarves. There were seven Dwarves at the very beginning, and Durin the Deathless was the eldest of them all. These first seven Dwarves were made by the God-like being called Aule. Aule himself is part of a pantheon of gods called the Valar.

You might be interested to know that characters like Thorin II Oakenshield and Thrain II are direct descendants of Durin the Deathless. He spawned a line of epic Dwarven kings. So, how could he not be on this list?

4. Balin

Its rare for a Dwarf to be kind, gentle, and yet so blood-thirsty when it comes to battle.

Balin was one of the twelve Dwarves that helped Thorin II Oakenshield reclaim The Lonely Mountain from Smaug. He was one of Thorin’s most trusted friends and both were distant relatives.

Said to be known for his wisdom and willingness to listen to others, Balin is the only Dwarf to visit Bilbo Baggins after the events of The Hobbit. Clearly, he knows the importance of maintaining long-term friendships, right guys? Balin is well known among Tolkien fans for his expedition into Moria after The Lonely Mountain was reclaimed. He was able to settle in Moria with a group of Dwarves for five years. Unfortunately though, he and his Dwarves were soon overrun and killed by orcs.

Is it me, or does something ring a bell here? Ah, yes! Finding out about Balin’s death was the reason Gimle broke down in tears in The Fellowship of the Ring movie. After all, Balin was a good friend to Gimle’s father. Here’s the link to that truly emotional scene:

Dwarves have close ties. Related or not, they're all brothers and sisters.

3. Grór

First Lord of the Iron Hills, and Grandfather of Dain II Ironfoot.

Grór was one of the sons of the King of Durin’s Folk, Dain I. He was born in the year 2563 of the Third Age which was a time when the Grey Mountain Dwarves were struggling with invading dragons. When Grór’s father was killed by a Cold Drake, he made an agreement with his brother, Thrór. They would split up, each taking a number of followers with them.

You already know from the Thrór entry that he went to The Lonely Mountain. Grór, however, travelled with his followers to the Iron Hills. It is here that he made a permanent settlement and became the first Lord of the Iron Hills! Do the Iron Hills sound familiar to you? It should, because it is the place where Dain Ironfoot II would later rule. You got that right. Dain II Ironfoot  was a direct descendant of Grór.

Its so amazing how Tolkien managed to come up with these family lineages. It’s a testament to how far he went to deepen the lore of Middle Earth. 

2. Náin

Warrior, father of Dain II Ironfoot, and all round courageous Dwarf.

Náin was the son of the first Lord of the Iron Hills, Grór. He lived for many years in this area of Middle Earth with his father, wife and children. Get this: one of these children was Dain II Ironfoot! Come on, I had to find some way to mention the name of my favourite Dwarf yet again!

You might be asking why Nain did not become Lord of the Iron Hills after his father Grór. Well, it’s because Nain was killed by Azog the Orc Chieftain at the Battle of Azanulbizar! Sad, I know. But Náin was no pushover. He was the one who led an army which turned the tide of battle before he was killed. Náin was one of bravest Dwarves of them all. He called Azog to fight him shortly before being defeated. It was his son, Dáin II Ironfoot, who would lay the killing blow on Azog.

You can feel the emotional weight behind that story. Imagine the rage Dáin II Ironfoot must have felt when he took his revenge!

1. Ori

Some say he'll shove his sword up Smaug's jacksie. Slingshot wielder, and faithful companion to Balin.

His early life was spent in the Blue Mountains with his two cousins Dori and Nori. Ori was one of the twelve Dwarves to help Thorin II Oakenshield reclaim The Lonely Mountain, who would then go on to fight in the Battle of Five Armies. Ori isn’t the most well known Dwarf among fantasy fans, but he is certainly important.

He accompnies Balin on his expedition into Moria, and  survives long enough to place Balin in a stone tomb when they are attacked by orcs. For those who like to dig into the details, Ori records what happens to Balin in Moria, and also writes about his own last moments. These recordings are called ‘The Book of Mazarbul’, which Gandalf reads from in The Fellowship of the Ring.

Tolkien’s Dwarven lore is always filled with war, sadness and exile. But, in his fantasy world, that is the life the Dwarves were granted. It makes for one heck of a story, and some amazing characters.

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