Now that the whole Company has been revealed, TheOneRing.net’s staff have put their heads together and we offer our thoughts and analysis on Thorin & Co — and what the look, feel and background of each might mean for the movies. Continue reading for our insights, and to view a high resolution picture of each dwarf.
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Thorin
Read: “Behold! Thorin Oakenshield and Orcrist!”
Check out: “Dwarves: What’s ‘Hot’ is Being Cool“
Altaira – Wow! Just wow! I always pictured Thorin as a bit older. Thorin was 195 years old when he went on the journey to Erebor, which suggest he was about 60 in man years. However, a closer examination of Appendix A of The Lord of the Rings suggests that Dwarves were hale and hardy right up until their death, (which was more often than not in battle). Durin VI died in battle at age 249, Thorin’s grandfather Thror died in battle at age 248, and Dain Ironfoot who joins the Battle of the Five Armies was 252. So a younger looking, hale Thorin isn’t that far out of the box. Age aside, Armitage captures the look of a fierce, exiled king, determined to regain his kingdom well. Orcrist is spectacular. All in all; another win for PJ and Weta Workshop! Hats off to the costume and make-up people too. They’ve done a fabulous job with all the dwarves and we’d be remiss not to mention them.
Elessar – Looks like someone who is dead set on getting something done. In other words don’t cross him or he’ll run ya through. Collectibles wise I can’t wait to see a statue that expresses that power with that sword.
Earl – YAY! A million times YAY! I’m so excited about this. And what’s more… I’m excited that I’m IN LOVE with Thorin. Well, with how he looks anyway. He’s perfect. He’s not too old, yet not too young either. He looks fierce yet venerable, a person whom one would both follow into battle were he to lead them, and a person whom one would honour were he to be seated upon a throne.
Garfeimao – Thorin – The Dwarf in Black, or Revenge, a Dish Best Served Cold! This Dwarf means business, to be sure. Orcrist is beautiful and very reminiscent of Sting’s design. Thorin is wearing a black quilted tunic or gambeson, with a scale maille overshirt, at least, the short sleeves of scale maille, and then a black vest over that. The pattern of the scale maille is the same design seen on Gloin’s costume, Kili’s costume, and on Gimli’s costume. He is wearing a pair of vambraces that look very similar to what Fili is wearing, minus the dagger, but having the distinct possibility of adding one to each wrist. His sword sheath is strapped to his back and has a very decorative and beautiful pattern for the sheath and on the belt itself. His hair is free-flowing and unencumbered, except for a pair of braids coming from near his ears, and his beard is trimmed short, very much echoing both Kili and Fili, except that he has a little bit of salt and pepper coloring going on. My guess is the pants are black, the boots are black leather, and as a departure from most of the other dwarves, I am guessing his tunic is much shorter, mid-thigh and the longest.
MrCere – I am looking into the face of the man who drives a group of Dwarves to attempt to take back a mountain from a dragon. Not only must he convince me, he must convince a group of Dwarves that their small band can overcome Smaug the Magnificent. I believe he will be a major source of conflict with Bilbo and obviously with other races and will be the thrust behind much of what happens. While his armor and leathers look great, and so does his ring, I am all about that sword. I want more details of course but I can believe that is one of the most storied weapons in all of Middle-earth.
maegwen – Fierce, intense, fantastic-looking. There is no doubt this is a dwarf with the arrogance and single-mindedness to push through at all costs. And is a bit of a cranky grumpus, too. Let’s not forget, Thorin is a crank. I like it. I’m a bit concerned that he does not look older than most of the other dwarves and I’d really like to see a full-body shot to put him in context, but that will come in time. Great thing about this shot is that we get to see the costume in such detail. Kudos to the production team, yet again. Gorgeous work.
Quickbeam – The first thing I thought: What a superb Dwarf version of Aragorn! Truly Thorin’s eyes already simmer with the pain of past wrongs. And we know how a Dwarf can hold onto past resentments like no other race in Middle-earth. Pretty much the coolest armor design I’ve yet seen from WETA. Really fantastic synergy with the Sting design — and YES the letters along the guard of the hilt spell *O – R – C – R – I – S – T*
Dwalin
(First revealed by TIME – click here)
Quickbeam – Coolest head-tattoos that I’ve just about ever seen. I’m dying to know what the designs really are. I’m dying to know where he got all those battle scars from! Perhaps we will be treated to some good old Battle of Dwarves & Orcs flashbacks…
Arwen – No blue beard – although Tolkien probably meant greyish blue… I can’t figure out the exact color of his hood from the picture, but it might be dark green. Truly impressive figure indeed. Muscular arms!
Altaira – Dwalin has the look of a true dwarf warrior; strong, serious and ready for anything! I can’t wait to see him in battle.
Elessar – This Dwarf looks like he knows how to handle himself in a fight. The gashes on his arms look great and the tattoo on the top of his head is equally as cool. I would love to see him smashing that Dward hammer on an orc head to represent this character in statue form.
Demosthenes – Dwalin is Balin’s younger brother, and almost undoubtedly fought in the dwarf-orc wars that culminated in the Battle of Azanulbizar despite his then extreme youth. At that point he was a very youthful 27 (for a dwarf!), but consider that Dain Ironfoot, the slayer of Azog, was only five years older.
It is likely that the scars we see on Dwalin’s face were acquired in this brutal battle. The shaven-headed Dwalin also possesses two rows of tattoed markings on his skull. These may or may not be Cirth Angerthas, the long row runes of Moria that Durin’s line used for writing. Unfortunately, at this resolution it is impossible to be definitive either way.
Garfeimao – He is all kinds of awesome. First off, he’s bald, he’s much taller than most of the others, he’s got tattoos on his head and some definite scarring on his bare forearms. He looks like he’s the bruiser in the group, or the bodyguard, or bouncer, or the enforcer, he’s the Bull in the China shop. He’s got on big, square toed boots that are fur-lined, and he also has a quilted tunic or surcoat on, but of a duller brown or grey color, like many of the others. He is wielding one heck of a War Hammer, that thing is just going to be awesome in battle. Behind that, it looks like he’s got a very thick belt on and that he is wearing at least one layer of an animal pelt under the cloak. On his shoulders I see the hint of two leather straps, which are either helping to hold the cloak on, or a sign he’s got another weapon strapped on his back. Rather than wearing full bracers, he’s got the fingerless glove and wrist guards on, with definite enhancements. On the right hand there are two butterfly shaped metallic attachments, and on the left hand it appears to be possibly 4 or 5 bones or claws or teeth, acting as armor for the hand. And while he is bald, he does still have a nice beard and mustache, and rather than put a metal bead into the beard, he’s got an ear cuff. The message is clearly “Don’t mess with me or mine”.
Earl – Everything about him says “weathered warrior”. Looks like a giant among Dwarves, and little wonder therefore that he’s on this journey.
MrCere – Brother to Balin, this guy looks like he could ride a Harley to The Lonely Mountain and just might have “bad ass” inscribed on his wallet. Body language and sharp clothing and skull tats are all fierce.
Entmaiden – Love the bald head with the dwarf rune tatoos. As someone said on the message boards “Now that’s bad***”
Balin
(First revealed by TIME – click here)
Quickbeam – I can instantly see the close relationship between Bilbo and Balin already — it’s easy to imagine just from this photo. With this character in particular handled memorably, audiences will forever have a fresh understanding of Gimli’s grief in “FOTR” upon discovering that particular tomb in Moria…
Arwen – White beard, scarlet hood… very old-looking… He seems to truly resemble Tolkien’s description. I like the pointed boots!
Altaira – Hooray that Balin looks so dignified. It’s a great look for such an important dwarf in Tolkien’s legendarium.
Elessar – It’s great to see this Dwarf because of how much Gimli seemed to care about him. I’m excited to get a statue of this character to place alongside one of my Gimli statues.
Demosthenes – Tolkien’s Balin is the eldest of the dwarves after Thorin. He takes charge of the group in Thorin’s absence. After Fili and Kili, and the as yet uncast Dain Ironfoot, he is the next in line to inherit Durin’s crown. As a character he must have gravitas and dignity. Here, Balin’s white beard backs and rich red outfit backs this up.
The biography that the production people have provided is interesting, and, significantly, hints at a diversion from the Hobbit: “An old warrior, Balin has lived through hard times and fought many battles, yet he harbors doubts about the wisdom of the Quest to retake the Lonely Mountain.”
I suspect that, in the name, of the great cinematic god Dramatic Tension (whom all scriptwriters worship), we will see several non-canon moments of conflict between Balin and Thorin.
Garfeimao – He has a Father Christmas vibe about him, which will help endear him to Bilbo, I’m sure. He has very white hair and a long beard, turned up at the edges. His surcoat is burgundy and it’s quilted for warmth. He’s got a very elaborate trim around the collar, down the front, on the sleeve edges and the bottom hem of the coat, where the trim is actually wider. His boots are pointed and up-turned and his pants come down over the boots, rather than tucked in like so many of the others. He’s got a nice, wide belt of burgundy with black trim on it and a squared buckled and what looks like a triangular ring hanging from the belt. He’s wearing what looks to be a fairly long sword with a long pommel tipped with a metallic tip. The blade is wide, and near the bottom it flares out. Not sure how he draws a sword like that, can’t wait to see what the weapon looks like in action. Balin definitely looks like he comes from money and nobility.
Earl – My first reaction was, Father Christmas. But I can actually see why he and Bilbo become close friends. He seems to be a very grandfatherly figure; someone who Bilbo might look up to.
MrCere – Obviously the elder statesman of the group (in look but not quite in fact) I think we can see that he was created to be sympathetic to audiences. He does remind me a bit of Disney’s “Snow White,” characters. He looks like a senior citizen and who doesn’t love a grandpa? His name is so linked to the LOTR films that Jackson is going to try to give us every reason to cry along with Gimli at his tomb in FOTR. And, appropriately, I can’t read the name without thinking of TORn’s own dear friend, the late “Balin.”
Entmaiden – I can easily see him becoming Bilbo’s friend, although he doesn’t seem the type to lead a bunch of dwarves to Moria.
Kili
(first revealed by MSN – click here)
Quickbeam – I predict Aidan Turner is going to receive the most comment (and salacious attention) from our fans, or my name isn’t Quickbeam. Kili’s overall look seems to be the first significant departure from Dwarven commonality, based on the books. His beard certainly hasn’t grown in, so we can expect pointed comments in the film’s dialogue about Kili being “too young and perhaps not ready” — which may indeed be a clue to this character’s story arc. I’m very curious about the *bow and arrow* as well.
maegwen – All joking aside from my dwarf spoof, my original fear was that Hollywood would insist on at least half of the dwarves being attractive in order to market the film to the large demographic that flocked to LOTR. As it turns out, there’s just this one. And that’s fine. He’s fearsome despite being one of the younger dwarves and differing from canon.
Arwen – No yellow beard… but he looks fierce. Some find him hot, I just find him fierce looking. I like the look of those weapons. Pretty cool. Is he supposed to be Orlando Bloom in The Hobbit?
Altaira – I have a theory about the stubble instead of a beard, and the bow and arrow instead of an axe: Kili is young and has a very defiant look on his face. I believe he may have shaved his beard as a sign of rebellion and is also carrying a bow and arrow (much like a *gasp* elf) to further defy his elders. We shall see!
Elessar – Again, I like the look of the young Dwarf. He will add a bit of youth to the group as they make the journey on screen. A double maqutte or statue with Fili would be pretty sweet to have in ones collection.
Demosthenes – Kili is obviously some weird dwarf-elf crossbreed. I call these creatures Dwelves. It certainly explains the very elf-like bow and quiver slung over one shoulder. He probably shield-surfs, too. The sword Kili wields may be inscribed with runes, but as with Dwalin’s tattooed skull, even at the highest resolution currently available it’s impossible to be certain.
Garfeimao – Like his brother, Fili, he looks clean and like he comes from money. He is wearing a gorgeous leather duster that is fur-lined at the bottom hem and at the bottom of the half-sleeve. The hem of the sleeves has the same embossed design as Fili’s outfit and appears to be tooled right into the leather. He has a dark quilted tunic on under the leather surcoat, with blue lacing up the front and what appears to be a bit of a blue hood lying on his shoulders under his hair. The neck line of the leather surcoat has metal studs along the collar, which is echoed in the larger metal studs of his vambrace. The vambrace and fingerless gloves appear to be of one piece, but the glove portion has braided leather woven into it. He is carrying a fairly basic sword, which happens to have a rather unique Dwarven design to it. There is a nicely designed leather strap over his shoulder with metal studs and tooled leather, all holding a sturdy quiver of thick arrows and a heavy looking bow. His boots look more like suede than leather, and buckle on the side. And yes, he has no beard to speak of at the moment, and his hair is wild and free, a little too free. But heck, someone had to be a rebel.
Earl – He doesn’t look like a Dwarf at all. In fact, both he and his brother look like Elves. I wonder if they just come from a family of “ugly Dwarves” (if you get my meaning) 😀 He’s sure to be the Legolas of this group, what with his lithe frame, straight locks, good looks, and a bow with a quiver full of arrows.
MrCere – Women will (have) swoon over this Dwarf while I raise my eyebrows in skepticism. This handsome lad grows up to have the thick features of his relatives and the facial hair of a werewolf? It just seems too obviously designed to look “different”. I don’t think “different story” is what was intended. Collectively I am in awe of the character designs but this feels like Dwarves have gone Hollywood.
Fili
(first revealed by MSN – click here)
Quickbeam – Okay here come the young ones in our cabal of Dwarven comrades — the first trace of Malibu surfer blond hair ever seen on a Dwarf (and I love it!) — and a very sharp sword the belies the smile on his face.
Arwen – At least he has a yellow beard, although still quite short. Mostly yellow hair. I like those swords, they look fantastic. He looks like he may like to party! 🙂
Altaira – Absolutely love his expression. He seems to have that “bullet-proof” attitude and love of life of the young. It will be interesting seeing him and Kili ‘come of age’ alongside our innocent Bilbo.
Elessar – I like the young look of Fili. Its nice to see what a young Dwarf might look like. Him having duel swords should make for great action in the movie and equally great action in any collectible we might see.
Demosthenes – Fili is dwarven royalty. Sister-son and heir of Thorin and all that. The glint in his eye also makes him look like a massive troublemaker. In some ways, Fili and his brother Kili ought to be as naive as Bilbo: born after the dwarf-orc wars, they’ve never been outside their home-in-exile in the Blue Mountains. Until now.
Garfeimao – He’s got that twinkle in his eye like he just can’t wait for his first fight. He has lovely braiding in his hair and short beard, complete with metal beads like many of the others. His grey surcoat is completely fur-lined, with the neck and chest portion turned out, as well as the bottom of the sleeves. The whole coat has a wonderful Dwarfish design embossed all along the bottom hem, down the front and even on his sleeves. In fact, his pants appear to have the same embossed design on them as well. He’s got a lovely wide belt with scale maille, where each scale is cut in a similar design to what is on Gloin’s pauldron. He is wearing a bracer on his left arm that has an outer sheath for a small dagger, and like the others, he’s wearing fingerless gloves. He carries two swords, both with that flat, angular squareness about them. I do not see a sheath on his belt, but since he is wearing a strap down his chest, I think he carries the swords on his back. His books have at least 3 leather straps buckled up the sides. He looks cleaner than the others, both a sign of his youth and possibly that he comes from money.
Earl – The Merry-Pippin of The Hobbit. I anticipate much of the lightness of the story coming from this fellow. And if Balin is someone Bilbo looks up to, Fili will probably be someone Bilbo relates to because of his youthful tolerance.
MrCere – Can you have an Elvish Dwarf? I know he and Kili are the youngest in the group but I am not sure I buy this one. He looks more likely to grow up to be Orlando Bloom than to be the others in the group of Dwarves. A smile is welcome but this design, for me, is going to need to work in context of the film because the still image isn’t. I love the design but more for Richard and Wendy Pini’s “Elfquest”. (Which Weta ought to design BTW!)
Dori
(first revealed on The Hobbit Facebook Page – click here)
Quickbeam – Senior member of this Dwarven set, obviously, Dori exudes a real sense of royalty in this image. The rich layers to his costume, the chain, the sword, all of it suggests a “lordly” presence.
Arwen – Very impressive and lordly indeed. But don’t mess with him!
Altaira – All of the costumes are fabulous, but Dori’s is my favorite of the 13. The rich, dark red of his robes and gauntlets is stunning.
Elessar – Looks like a very wise Dwarf to me. Just someone you could ask for guidance and would give you a solid answer. The short sword looks great and should in an action pose make for a great collectible.
Demosthenes – Has anyone told Mark Hadlow he’s going to have to haul a slightly pudgy, unfit Hobbit around on his back at a few points? It’s a good casting: Hadlow’s shoulders look plenty broad.
Garfeimao – Dori has a bit more color to his clothing that many of the others, and it may well be that is either because he’s the Head of the Household, as it were, being the oldest brother, or that he’s a well off Dwarf. Either way, he has a red velvet over-coat over a red tunic, and matching red leather bracers with some wonderful leather work that appears very Dwarven in fashion. Like some of the others, he’s got that blocky wide sword and a low slung sheath. In addition, he has what appears to be a heavy chained bolo to throwing hanging from his belt, so he’s ready for close in action and for distance fighting. The caplet on his shoulders is adorned with leather and laces up in the front and my guess is that it is actually his hood, in a well tailored outfit. His boots look sturdy and lace up as well. And he’s well coifed, full of braiding and a big metal bead in his beard. I think it’s safe to assume Dori has some money.
Earl – Perhaps the most refined-looking of all the Dwarves. Looks very gentlemanly, and it’s hard to draw anything from his costume.
MrCere – I am in “The Wizard of Oz,” here with the hair but I love the rich color theme and his wicked weapon and scabbard. This is a weapon of strength and damage, a sword that is half an ax; there isn’t finesse here. And advanced in age there is no feeling of softness or anything feeble about him. This is a vet of Dwarven wars and a goblin killer.
Nori
(first revealed on The Hobbit Facebook Page – click here)
Quickbeam – Is it me or is it the EARS? I know Jed Brophy doesn’t have ears like that. Thoroughly alien-looking Nori has cornered the market on avant-garde hairstyles. Love his belt buckle too.
Arwen – Interesting hairstyle. And what is this he’s carrying? A staff? A spear? He seems ready for battle.
Altaira – There’s got to be a good story behind his hair-do: family tradition with maybe a little dwarven vanity thrown into the mix? I can’t wait to learn what it is.
Elessar – His hair rocks! I really dig how they did that and the look of it in the picture we saw. He looks like a bit of a goofball but probably can handle himself with that giant stick. I don’t know how he’ll be represented in any statue made but he’ll stand out with how unique he looks.
Demosthenes – I have no idea what’s going on with Nori’s hair except that I suspect that someone in the costuming department has been watching too much Japanese anime. The mace on the other hand, is brilliantly intimidating.
Garfeimao – Ok, let’s get this out of the way right off. The Starfish look was a bit of a surprise, but I do like how the braiding ties into it, and how there are three spikes above, and three braids in the beard below, so Nori is very symmetrical looking. And two of the braids look to be his eyebrows, awesome. He’s got leather bracers and fingerless gloves with leather braided into the woolen knitting. He’s wearing several layers of wool tunics and coats, with the top layer trimmed with a nice Dwarven design. He’s got a wicked cool belt with a very cool geometric belt buckle. His weapon is like a cross between a quarterstaff and a club, with that large metal block on top and then a fairly sharp metal tip on the bottom. Oh, and he’s got fur-lined boots that lace up, he looks very warm.
Earl – I still don’t know what to make of his hair, although, given his overall look, he seems to be a little crazy… like some sort of “medicine man”. He might actually be the “healer” in the group, the one who knows how to fix wounds and find herbs/leaves that aid the healing process.
MrCere – Carl’s Jr. star logo is actually an homage to an ancient Middle-earth Dwarven war hero. Who knew? Eccentric and elaborate, he still has a menace to him, which is probably the only way you can walk Middle-earth with that hair. He does carry a big stick.
maegwen – I don’t want to join the chorus here but my comment is also about the hair. Someone in the Barliman’s chat room described him as “Tri-corner head.” I’ll also echo the praise for his impressive staff/mace/stick/thing.
Ori
(first revealed on The Hobbit Facebook Page – click here)
Demosthenes – I like Ori’s book. In Lord of the Rings, while the Fellowship is reading of the grim fate of Balin’s ill-fated expedition into Moria, Gimli tells Gandalf that Ori “could write well and speedily, and often used the Elvish characters.”
Quickbeam – I really like Ori right away — the lost child look on his face coupled with the curious volume he carries makes me wonder about his gentler nature. Dwarves are not known for any such gentle nature, but it’s nice to imagine Ori and Bilbo will have some scholarly interests in common.
Arwen – Looks a little bit lost, maybe he’s one of the more gentle dwarves. Seems overwhelmed to be in this adventure.
Altaira – Ori gives the impression that he’s one of the quieter, gentler dwarves, but I bet you don’t want to see him when he’s mad!
Elessar – Looks very shy and translates well in what we see in the pics. As has been said I think when we see a collectible of Ori it will have a lot of power coming from it.
Garfeimao – They have set Ori up as the scholar right from the start, with that book tucked under his arm. He does have a weapon, what looks like a dagger, on his left side along with a small pouch. But the bulk of his clothing does not appear to have any kind of armor or protective devices at all. He’s got sweater like fingerless gloves, laced up boots, a woolen tunic and a bit, knitted cowl-like hood, complete with puffy balls at the end of the drawstrings. Not quite the warrior some of the other dwarves definitely are, but also not quite the miner or working class many some of the others are either.
Earl – With that book in his hand, it’s pretty clear he’s the scribe in the group. The Dwarves have had a history of unsuccessful and tragic journeyings, and it’s probably no wonder they’re bringing along someone to chronicle their attempt to reclaim their ancestral home. Given that fans have also already drawn the parallel to him being the one whose writing Gandalf reads in the Book of Mazarbul, it seems like the design department has hit the ball out the part with this one. Looks-wise, I wonder what his hair looks like – he seems to have a fringe.
MrCere – Scarves and hoods and a book? I think we have a scholar here who looks less intimidating and ready for battle than any of his companions. Can an image really tell us of a mild-mannered Dwarf? Yes, and his reading and writing is true to Tolkien cannon.
Oin
(first revealed by Yahoo! Movies – click here)
Demosthenes – Oin has the look of someone who would pick a fight with a sibling. In the hobbit the brothers Oin and Gloin are famously combative, and bicker and fight repeatedly over the smallest things. Most usually over lighting fires for the company after they’ve stopped to camp. Extrapolating from the bio keyword “doughty”, I expect Oin and Gloin will be quite formidable in battle.
Quickbeam – Better eyebrows than even the first prototype eyebrows that Gandalf struggled with in FOTR! What a grumpy looking Dwarf, I must say. I’m glad he’s on our side.
Arwen – He means business, I’m sure. Beautiful belt (on all of them).
Altaira – I love that he has that “I dare you” look on his face. No one is going to mess with this dwarf!
Elessar – Looks a bit cranky but one that won’t take grief from any Orc out there. He’s got a simple outfit but translated into a collectible should look quite nice.
Garfeimao – There is definitely a family resemblance to both is brother, Gloin, and to his nephew, Gimli. He’s got a nice, full beard with lovely decorative braiding, and his coloring is mostly grey, both in hair and clothing. His overcoat is a heavy knit grey over other layers, and he’s got a nice, wide belt made of braided leather. His boots are leather with a fur lining folded down and then a leather strap over that. His weapon simply looks like a big, long metal rod with a knob on top. It looks square, rather than an edged weapon, so no idea what it truly is.
Earl – His look is a throwback to the great Dwarf-Lords of old. I can see why PJ and co. decided not to follow similar designs for all of the Dwarves, but I wish they did for more than just Oin, as something about this look exudes a sense of mythic history… like a Dwarf out of a bygone age.
MrCere – Wisely, this looks like Gimli’s uncle and his dour expression seems made for the conflict he and his brother Gloin spark in Tolkien’s tale. Again I am impressed with the amount of character packed into each single image.
Gloin
(first revealed by Yahoo! Movies – click here)
Quickbeam – Excellent similarities between father and son shown here. That might indeed be the same battle-axe to be passed down to the Gimli character. I’m really keen on all these beard-braiding designs. Wonderful.
Demosthenes – Gloin’s really going to need to do a lot of greying over the next 78 years. His hair and beard are completely white when we see him with his son Gimli at the Council of Elrond during the events of The Lord of the Rings.
There’s another hint of discontinuity to Gloin: the production team bio describes him and his brother as “doughty Northern Dwarves”. It could be a reference to Dain Ironfoot’s realm in the Iron Hills, except Tolkien reveals in Appendix A that after Azanulbizar “Thrain and Thorin with what remained of their following (among whom were Balin and Gloin) … wandered in Eriador, until at last they made their home in exile in the east of the Ered Luin beyond the Lune.” What gives?
Arwen – I love it that he does look like Gimli, the same burning flame in his eyes. Awesome costume.
Altaira – There’s definitely a family resemblance to Gimli, yet they avoided making him too similar. Well done, PJ & crew!
Elessar – I love that he looks like Gimli and its cool to see his Dad now get some time on screen. Him weilding an axe in a statue would make for a great statue to go with Balin and any Gimli one might have.
Garfeimao – You can definitely see Gimli in daddy dearest. He’s wearing a black and burgundy surcoat over a burgundy tunic, and what looks like a leather and metal pauldron on the shoulders. The pauldron has braided and tooled leather and then the same metallic shapes seen on Gimli’s costume around the upper arm. His bracers are also tooled leather with braiding around the edges. His beard is magnificently braided and beaded in a very decorative manner. He’s carry the same Walking Axe Gimli used, and he has a smaller axe tucked into his belt on the right side. He is wearing a wide belt with a big, squared buckle and at least two small pouches hang from the belt. His boots are straight leather and lace up the calf, but have buckles at the ankles.
Earl – I can already hear Gimli’s voice in my head when I imagine him speaking. He looks as grumpy and grouchy as his son. He’ll probably be the one tie to our idea of Dwarves in the Lord of the Rings.
MrCere – If you put all the usual Dwarven suspects in a police line-up and tried to pick out Gimli’s father, most would mark this guy easily, which is excellent, as is the ax, obviously. But this whole adventure must be pretty hard on him if he is going to be properly aged by the time the counsel of Elrond gets recorded on film where he shows up quite gray.
Bifur
(First revealed by IGN – click here)
Quickbeam – Fascinating contrast in his braided salt & pepper mustache and beard. This is one Dwarf I can see Thorin trusting as an excellent companion for the long hard quest. I wonder about the distribution of weight in his spear (which is superb).
Arwen – I love all of those costumes, and the braids. The salt & pepper beard contrasts nicely with his dark hair. Another impressive figure.
Altaira – What a fabulous head of hair and salt-and-pepper-beard. Very dignified looking.
Elessar – I love the beard on him. Something about the mix of black and grey just looks awesome. That weapon though is quite impressive and should look great with a statue from The Hobbit.
Demosthenes – Bifur is Bombur’s brother, and the cousin of Bofur. Big, but not nearly as big as his brother, he’s obviously the one going to be lumbered with Bombur-carrying duties. Possibly along with the impressively menacing Dwalin. I just can’t work out what’s sticking out of his forehead, though. Leftovers of an orc-ish attempt at brain surgery, perhaps?
Garfeimao – There is all kinds of crazy going on with Bifur, not even sure where to start. First off, he’s a lefty, and I don’t say that just because he’s holding his spear with the left, but because the dagger on his belt is set to be drawn by the left hand. His cloak appears to be oiled leather, which would make it weather-proofed, while his boots have and interesting lacing design with what looks like animal teeth to lace around. He does have sturdy looking leather bracers on his wrists, and like the others, another layer underneath that is like a cut off glove. Everything about Bifur is angles, from the belt hanging at an angle, the dagger appears to be rather squared and sits at an angle, his jerkin has angular seams, and his spear has more than a standard pointed shaft, it also has the extra blade on the left. And then there is the hair and beard. Aside from the obvious skunk look, like some of the other dwarves, he’s got braiding and beads woven into the braids. And in what appears to be a rather large lump on his forehead, he has what looks to be a section of an axe blade. How friggin cool is that?
Earl – If that thing lodged in his skull is supposed to be the remnant of some weapon from an old battle that he’s survived, he’s surely a warrior. For some reason, his image brings to mind Gimli’s line “He’s got my axe embedded in his nervous system”. Dwarves may actually have some advanced knowledge of medicine 🙂
MrCere – At first brush, this was a warrior for me but careful examination (and some cheating with the character description) I think we see a Dwarf hardened by years of labor including a first-class industrial accident that remains stuck in his skull. I imagine this hard labor has motivated this hard fellow into wanting his kingdom back. I see “revenge” written in this character’s features and costume details.
Bofur
(First revealed by IGN – click here)
Quickbeam – My first impression was of a Mongolian horse-herder, but that’s just because of his hat. Then I thought of Sally Field as “The Flying Nun.” The blunt trauma of that weapon would leave the neatest 4-square imprint on a Goblin’s skull…
Demosthenes – For mine, Bofur looks like the coal miner and ironmonger his bio declares him to be, right down to the mattock he carries over his shoulder. This would accord with him coming from the gold-poor Blue Mountains in the far west of Middle-earth, where Thorin had eventually settled after the dwarf-orc wars.
Indeed, the production team’s bio says that he, as well as Bombur and Bifur are “born and bred in the west”. Or as, Tolkien puts it the LoTR appendices: “Bifur, Bofur and Bombur were descended from the dwarves of Moria, but were not of Durin’s line.”
Arwen – Malice in the eyes… Carrying a very scary weapon…
Altaira – Love the ‘cat who ate the canary’ expression on his face! He looks like a ‘beer stein half full’ personality to me. Then again, who would have any worries carrying a weapon like that half-hammer, half-axe on his shoulder.
Elessar – He looks a little like someone you would see from Russia on the Discovery channel. I like the look though. His weapon looks very much like someone who would be doing some mining. I’ll be curious to see how a statue of him might come out with the particular weapon he has.
Garfeimao – Bofur was the first smirking dwarf, which bodes well for personality. As a miner, he’s got a rather mean, hammer/pick axe that looks like it can cleave heads almost as well as it does rocks. He looks like he’s dressed for warmth, with several layers of tunic and coat, combining cottons, wools and leather trim. His pants almost appear to be fur, and it’s clear his boots are fur-lined. Everything is topped off with a fur-lined cap, and there appears to be one braid flying rather loose from the left side of his cap. He looks like he’d be a hoot to be around in a pub.
Earl – Seems like a cheeky character. Look at his smile and his dimples. Another chap who doesn’t look too much like a fighter. He looks more like a miner, and again, I’m wondering if Thorin brings him along keeping in mind they may need an expert in digging/mining before the end of their journey.
MrCere – Save for the smile, his costume could be that of a Mongolian war lord. His potato masher is impressive and he is fur-lined and dressed for cold winters. That couldn’t be a mithril belt could it? He seems a warrior ready to leave an impression – in goblin skulls.
Bombur
(First revealed by IGN – click here)
Quickbeam – We always thought Dwarves were stocky, but as Tolkien thoroughly warned us, Bombur is positively *fat* and there’s no two ways about it. Even his magnificent hair braid is the fattest in the land. No such thing as a low-carb South Beach diet when you’re living in Exile in the Blue Mountains…
Arwen – He’s supposed to be immensely fat and heavy, and so he is! Kind of reminds me of the French comic book character Obelix…
Altaira – It looks like Bombur is carrying a large ladle instead of a weapon! I wonder if he’ll fight goblins with it a la Sam and his frying pan.
Elessar – This is the on Dwarf that looks exactly as I would have thought based on my on mental picture. Collecting wise a statue of Bombur is gonna be large and in charge just for the sheer girth of the character.
Demosthenes – Bombur resembles the essence of his description: “immensely fat and heavy”. The fact he carries a ladle also indicates a dwarf more interested in the source of his next meal than anything else.
Expect to see this ladle used for hilarious effect in battles against the goblins in the Mountains of Moria. Bombur will surely be one of our designated comic relief dwarves: there to eat a lot, take pratfalls (think of the Enchanted River) and to be complained about when the other dwarves have to lug about his heavy frame. However, he can put a good fight: while the rest of the Company goes down meekly to the trolls, he, Bifur and Thorin fight like mad to escape capture.
He actually reminds me very much of Barliman Butterbur, to be honest.
maegwen – In my mind there were two ways to go with his character. One was to keep his rotundness downplayed and let the behavior be overtly corny. The other was to do what was done here, in making him look ridiculous in an extreme way. Hopefully he won’t be over-the-top corny too. Though I love the braid – the braid is all kinds of awesome. The people in the chat room are calling it a “hair-lei.” Going to have to see how it plays out. They’ll need to strike a balance. The ladle – it looks like a ladle – is a great touch.
Garfeimao – Bombur has always been described as fat, and they did not disappoint on that score. I can’t even imagine how they are going to show him climbing a tree, let alone being carried by the other Dwarves once he falls into that enchanted sleep. The beard braid is fascinating, I wonder if it survives the whole film. And is he carrying a weapon, or a soup ladle? I’m quite sure his jacket hasn’t closed over his belly in years, but those loose knit pants look comfy. He also doesn’t appear to be wearing boots, but rather they look like lace up penny loafers to me. They are probably closer to ‘work shoes’ like Red Wings or something, but a Middle-earth version.
Earl – From a character perspective, he looks like a cook… not a fighter at all, and I wonder if part of the reason (in the movies) Thorin brings him along is to have someone resourceful in the food department. As far as his look is concerned, he’s quite adorable once you get used to him – though I’m not too sure about his hair necklace, it wouldn’t be wise to have something like that when going on a perilous journey, he’s liable to hang himself or get his scalp injured, but I guess that’s part of the quirkiness of the chap.
MrCere – That is a formidable hair necklace, likely to drive the Dwarven women, nay even Elven women mad with envy. He looks as though he can out-eat a table of Hobbits and evokes the stereotypical well fed English lord of the late 19th century if only he had a monocle. Woolen trousers? I guess so in the age before elastic waistbands.
