It can be hard to tell the ages of many of the characters inThe Lord of the Rings, andthe Dwarves in particular present a challenge. InThe Lord of the Rings,Gandalf said that he had walked the earth for “300 lives of Men,” so evidently, Wizards possessed a superhuman lifespan. Gandalf was one ofthe magical Istari, who were, in fact, immortal. High fantasy luminary J.R.R. Tolkien also confirmed that Elves were immortal. There were hints throughout Tolkien’s work that Dwarves had inhumanly long lives, but it can take some digging to confirm exactly how long.
Peter Jackson’sThe Lord of the RingsandHobbitmoviesadapted the eponymous Tolkien novels, portraying a range of Dwarves, from Thorin to Gimli. With beards covering the faces of most of these Dwarves, it was hard to estimate their ages, although they were clearly senior enough to handle serious danger. While Hobbits lived until about 100 inThe Lord of the Rings, with Bilbo reaching a ripe old age of 131,Dwarves actually had longevity to rival Men, Hobbits, and even Númenórean Menwho lived hundreds of years.
The Dwarves Are Not Immortal Like Elves In The Lord Of The Rings
Dwarves Have Limited Life Spans
Dwarves spoke of events of hundreds of years past throughout Tolkien’s work, which could make them seem immortal. However, they were not. For example, inThe Hobbit,Gandalf flagged to Thorin that “[his] father went away on the 21st of April, a hundred years ago last Thursday, and [had] never been seen by [him] since.” Tolkien said in a letter that Elves had “limitless serial longevity,” and conversations surrounding Dwarves throughout Tolkien’s books could be seen to build a case for this applying to them. However, Dwarves were not discussed in the same terms as Elves in the legendarium.
Where The Dwarves' Seven Rings Are During The Lord Of The Rings
The Dwarves had Rings of Power in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, but their whereabouts were mysterious throughout the trilogy.
There were limits to the immortality of Elves inThe Lord of the Rings;they could be killed by others or die of grief or fatigue. Likewise,Dwarves were subject to the vulnerabilities of battle, which Thorin outlined in no uncertain terms inThe Hobbit. Thorin describes the deaths of many Dwarves at the hands of Smaug, one ofthe most powerfulLord of the Ringscharacters. Nonetheless,The Lord of the Ringsdid make it clear that Dwarves could live to impressive ages, despite not possessing Elvish immortality.
Dwarves Have Very Long Life Spans In J.R.R. Tolkien’s Books
Dwarves Could Live For Hundreds Of Years
Dwarves inThe Lord of the Ringslived for longer than the average Man or Hobbit, with Gimli, son of Glóin, living until age 262. As one ofthe bestLord of the Ringscharacters, Gimli proved his worth as a member of the Fellowship of the Ring.Gimli was already 139 when he joined the Fellowship, which was far from elderly by Dwarvish standards. This proved the hardiness of a Dwarf in his prime. Gimli was just getting started, going on to found a new Dwarvish kingdom after the events ofThe Lord of the Rings.
The Dwarves' Ancient Lord Of The Rings Creation Would Have Completely Changed The Hobbit’s Outcome
One ancient Dwarf creation from a Tolkien story could have turned the events of the Hobbit around, making for a totally different story.
“Appendix A” ofThe Lord of the Ringscontains the family tree of the Dwarves of Erebor, which lists the birth and death dates of many Dwarves. Thorin I ofThe Hobbitfame was born in the year 2035 of the Third Age and died in the year 2289 of the same age. This made him 254 when he finally passed away. A fair few Dwarves lived roughly this long. However,Thorin’s ancestor “lived so long that he was known far and wide as Durin the Deathless,” living for an unspecified number of years in the First Age.
What Happens To The Dwarves After The Lord Of The Rings
Dwarves Help Rebuild Middle-Earth
Tolkien’s lore on Dwarves went as far back as the First Age inThe Lord of the Rings’timeline, and it also described the future of the race. With Gimli establishing his own realm in the Glittering Caves of Aglarond, the Dwarves were poised to assist in the rebuilding of the lands destroyed by the War of the Ring. As Lord of the Glittering Caves,Gimli helped fix the gates of Minas Tirith, which had been damaged by the conflict with Sauron. Gimli reinforced these doors with mithril and steel, leaving Dwarvish influence permanently etched into Gondor’s structure.
Located on a westward continent called Aman, Valinor did not usually permit Dwarves entry, but Gimli secured it through his friends in high places - Legolas and Galadriel.
Gimli met a unique fate among the Dwarves, leavingthe land of Middle-earthfor Valinor. Valinor was the city of the Valar, Tolkien’s demigods. Located on a westward continent called Aman, Valinor did not usually permit Dwarves entry, but Gimli secured it through his friends in high places: Legolas and Galadriel.Gimli’s journey to Valinor was exemplary of a key theme in Tolkien’s works:love and friendship transcending the boundaries of race and nation. Gimli’s friendship with Legolas, in particular, represented the Dwarves finally finding peace with the Elves after centuries of distrust.
The Warner Bros. anime movieThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimwill be released on June 27, 2025.
Tolkien went even further than this in his history of the Dwarves, elaborating on them further inUnfinished Tales. This collection of essays and stories was edited and published by Tolkien’s son posthumously. In this book, Tolkien confirms thatKing Durin VII recolonized Khazad-dûm, victoriously. However, this king was referred to as “the Last.” Indeed, the text states, “The world grew old and the days of Durin’s race ended.“The Lord of the Ringsended with the age of the Elves concluding and the age of Men beginning, and so the Dwarves eventually faded too.
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
