Iron Hills
Encyclopedia
The Iron Hills are a fictional range of mountain
s in J. R. R. Tolkien
's Middle-earth
writings. They are remnants of the Iron Mountains of the First Age
and are located east of the Lonely Mountain
in the northeastern part of Rhovanion
and the northwest of Rhûn
. In the Third Age
, they are home to a Dwarf
mining community. In Tolkien's novel, The Hobbit
, an army of dwarves from the Iron Hills under Dáin II Ironfoot
comes to the aid of Thorin Oakenshield
in the Battle of the Five Armies.
dwelt; other remains of this vanished range were the Mountains of Angmar
and Ered Mithrin. The Iron Hills were also the source of the River Redwater, the reddish colour of which came from iron particles in its water. The river joins onto the River Running.
The exiles who settled in the Iron Hills were of the clan of the Longbeards
, most commonly known as Durin's Folk, and consequently were of the most noble kind of Dwarves. They also were in friendly relations with the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain
(Erebor), who were of similar like and mind, being kin to Grór and Thrór.
The youngest son of the mighty and highly renowned dwarf, Dáin I, and the founder and first ruler of the Iron Hills.
Náin
Náin was the son of Grór, the founder of the Iron Hills. He was killed during the Battle of Nanduhirion by the Orc
lord Azog.
Dáin II
He was the lord of the Iron Hills after the death of his father, Náin the son of Grór. He was considered a mighty dwarf because he killed the Orc Azog of Moria
, and therefore avenged his father, when he was at an age considered young to Dwarves. After the death of Thorin Oakenshield in the Battle of the Five Armies, Dáin became King of Erebor until his death during the War of the Ring
.
Thorin III Stonehelm
Son of Dáin II. After the death of his father, he became the Lord of the people of both Erebor and the Iron Hills. He was praised for helping to reconstruct Erebor and Dale. During his rule a new dwarven settlement was founded at Helm's Deep
.
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
s in J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's Middle-earth
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
writings. They are remnants of the Iron Mountains of the First Age
First Age
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the First Age, or First Age of the Children of Ilúvatar is the heroic period in which most of Tolkien's early legends are set...
and are located east of the Lonely Mountain
Lonely Mountain
In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, the Lonely Mountain is a mountain in the northeast of Rhovanion. It is also the source of the Celduin river.- Origins of the Kingdom Under the Mountain :...
in the northeastern part of Rhovanion
Rhovanion
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Rhovanion or Wilderland was a large region of northern Middle-earth. It extended to the east as far as the inland Sea of Rhûn; north to the Grey Mountains and Iron Hills, home of the Dwarves; west to the range of the Hithaeglir, or Misty Mountains; and south to...
and the northwest of Rhûn
Rhûn
In the fictional world of Middle-earth created by J. R. R. Tolkien, Rhûn was a large region of eastern Middle-earth. Rhûn was the name used for all lands lying east of Rhovanion, around and beyond the inland Sea of Rhûn, whence came many attacks on Gondor and its allies during the Third Age of...
. In the Third Age
Third Age
The Third Age is a time period from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. The history of Middle-earth is to be taken fictionally as a history of the real Earth....
, they are home to a Dwarf
Dwarf (Middle-earth)
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Dwarves are a race inhabiting the world of Arda, a fictional prehistoric Earth which includes the continent Middle-earth....
mining community. In Tolkien's novel, The Hobbit
The Hobbit
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, better known by its abbreviated title The Hobbit, is a fantasy novel and children's book by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald...
, an army of dwarves from the Iron Hills under Dáin II Ironfoot
Dáin II Ironfoot
Dáin II Ironfoot was a Dwarf and king of Erebor in J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy legendarium concerning Middle-earth. His story is told primarily in Appendix A of The Lord of the Rings, and he appears briefly in The Hobbit....
comes to the aid of Thorin Oakenshield
Thorin Oakenshield
Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thráin, son of Thrór, King Under the Mountain is a major character in The Hobbit and is mentioned in passing in The Lord of the Rings...
in the Battle of the Five Armies.
Landscape and Area
The Iron Hills were rich in minerals, most notably iron – whence came the name of the Hills. The Hills were originally a part of the massive Iron Mountains where MorgothMorgoth
Morgoth Bauglir is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth legendarium. He is the main antagonist of The Silmarillion, figures in The Children of Húrin, and is mentioned briefly in The Lord of the Rings.Melkor was the most powerful of the Ainur, but turned to darkness and became...
dwelt; other remains of this vanished range were the Mountains of Angmar
Angmar
Angmar is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's continent of Middle-earth.-Synopsis:Angmar was founded in in the far north of the Misty Mountains by the evil Lord of the Ringwraiths, who became known as the "Witch-king of Angmar"...
and Ered Mithrin. The Iron Hills were also the source of the River Redwater, the reddish colour of which came from iron particles in its water. The river joins onto the River Running.
Folk of the Iron Hills
The Iron Hills were one of the seven kingdoms of the race of Dwarves. Grór son of Dáin I founded the kingdom after the Dwarves were exiled from the Grey Mountains to the west because of attacks by Cold-drakes seeking the vast wealth of the mountains, which had resulted in the death of the king Dáin I. The Iron Hills were colonized around the year 2500 of the Third Age.The exiles who settled in the Iron Hills were of the clan of the Longbeards
Durin's folk
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, Durin's folk, also known as the Longbeards, were the most important clan of Dwarves. Their name comes from that of their first king, Durin I "The Deathless". They were the eldest and greatest of the seven Dwarf-clans.They originally...
, most commonly known as Durin's Folk, and consequently were of the most noble kind of Dwarves. They also were in friendly relations with the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain
Lonely Mountain
In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, the Lonely Mountain is a mountain in the northeast of Rhovanion. It is also the source of the Celduin river.- Origins of the Kingdom Under the Mountain :...
(Erebor), who were of similar like and mind, being kin to Grór and Thrór.
Notable Dwarves from the Iron Hills
GrórThe youngest son of the mighty and highly renowned dwarf, Dáin I, and the founder and first ruler of the Iron Hills.
Náin
Náin was the son of Grór, the founder of the Iron Hills. He was killed during the Battle of Nanduhirion by the Orc
Orc (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings, Orcs or Orks are a race of creatures who are used as soldiers and henchmen by both the greater and lesser villains of The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings — Morgoth, Sauron and Saruman...
lord Azog.
Dáin II
He was the lord of the Iron Hills after the death of his father, Náin the son of Grór. He was considered a mighty dwarf because he killed the Orc Azog of Moria
Moria (Middle-earth)
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Moria was the name given by the Eldar to an enormous underground complex in north-western Middle-earth, comprising a vast network of tunnels, chambers, mines and huge halls or 'mansions', that ran under and ultimately through the Misty Mountains...
, and therefore avenged his father, when he was at an age considered young to Dwarves. After the death of Thorin Oakenshield in the Battle of the Five Armies, Dáin became King of Erebor until his death during the War of the Ring
War of the Ring
In the fictional high fantasy-world of J. R. R. Tolkien, the War of the Ring was fought between Sauron and the free peoples of Middle-earth for control of the One Ring and dominion over the continent. The War of the Ring took place at the end of the Third Age. Together with the Quest of Mount Doom,...
.
Thorin III Stonehelm
Son of Dáin II. After the death of his father, he became the Lord of the people of both Erebor and the Iron Hills. He was praised for helping to reconstruct Erebor and Dale. During his rule a new dwarven settlement was founded at Helm's Deep
Helm's Deep
In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth writings, Helm's Deep was a large valley in the north-western Ered Nimrais .The valley was described as being blocked over its entire width by the natural series of hills called Helm's Dike and behind that lay the fortress of Aglarond or the Hornburg, at the...
.