Durin of the Dwarves is arguably the most important dwarf in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings series and its addendums, prequels, and spinoffs. The Dwarves are one of the three major “good” races in The Lord of the Rings and the rest of Tolkien’s legendarium, along with the Elves and Men (of which the Hobbits are a part). Short in stature and curmudgeonly, the Dwarves are only underestimated by those who have never encountered them. Behind their height and seeming inertness, the Dwarves are an incredibly fearsome, warlike, and wise race.

Gimli’s (John Rhys-Davies) quote about Dwarves being natural sprinters, not long-distance runners, is no joke. They are surprisingly agile, quick-witted, and dangerous. At the same time, they are loyal, wildly brave, and beneath their bluster and arrogance, they cherish friendship, merriment, and righteousness above all. Like the other races in The Lord of the Rings, the story of the Dwarves starts long before any adaptation has dared to show on screen. Most of what fans know comes from the Silmarillion and Tolkien’s other works, and the Dwarves’ story starts with Durin the Deathless.

Durin The Deathless Is The Greatest Of The Dwarf Fathers

Durin Is The Father Of The Longbeards

Durin the Deathless is the greatest and oldest of the Seven Dwarf Fathers. When there was nothing, the God of Tolkien’s legendarium, Eru Ilúvatar, created the world alongside his fourteen great servants, the Valar. One of these Valar was Aulë, who specialized in craft-making and smithing. Though only Ilúvatar was capable of creating life, Aulë secretly tried to make his own creations, the Dwarves. When Ilúvatar found this out, Aulë humbly, but loyally, made to destroy his creations. However, Ilúvatar stayed his hand. As a reward for his honesty and obedience, he breathed life into the seven Dwarfs.

Aulë buried the Seven Fathers in various locations on the continent of Middle-Earth, but they would need to wait until Ilúvatar’s first creations, the Elves, awoke. The first of the Dwarves to awake was Durin, buried underneath Mount Gundabad. He traveled south along the Misty Mountains until he came to a place where he founded a great city that would come to be known as Khazad-dûm, and later, Moria. That location would become a holy place for Dwarves just as Durin became a holy figure.

In Khazad-dûm, Durin began the line of Durin’s Folk, also known as Longbeards. Durin became known as “The Deathless” because he lived far longer than any other Dwarf, dying at nearly 2,400 years of age. His name would end up being a byname for all Dwarves, but it is the Longbeards, who he is the true father of, and most of the Dwarves who appear in Tolkien’s stories and their adaptations are of Durin’s long line.

The Line Of Durin Has Lasted For Four Ages Of Middle Earth

Some Kings Of Durin’s Line Are Not Considered Reincarnations Of Durin

The line of Durin is a long one that extends from the creation of Arda until at least the Fourth Age, when Tolkien’s tales end. Another reason that Durin is referred to as “The Deathless” is that the Dwarves believe Durin will be reincarnated among his descendants a total of six times. The next five Dwarven Kings of Durin’s Folk were all considered reincarnations of Durin, and so named after the first dwarf.

It was not until Durin VI was killed by the Balrog in Khazad-dûm that the Longbeards stopped calling their kings “Durin”, believing that Durin had stopped reincarnating. Though these Dwarves were of the noble line of Durin, none were considered Durin himself. However, their hope was renewed after the end of the Battle of Five Armies, when it was prophesied that Durin VII would eventually come from the line of Dáin II, cousin to Thorin II Oakenshield.

Durin’s Folk Includes Key Characters In The Hobbit And The Lord Of The Rings

Nearly Every Named Character In The Lord Of The Rings And The Hobbit Is From The Line Of Durin

Just about every notable Dwarf in Tolkien’s legendarium is of the line of Durin, starting with Durin III (Peter Mullan) and Durin IV (Owain Arthur) in The Rings of Power. Their stories are different from the ones in Tolkien’s legendarium, but the Balrog does indeed kill one of the kings in both the Amazon Prime adaptation and in Tolkien’s books, earning itself the name, “Durin’s Bane”. Durin’s Bane is again seen in The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. In the books, Gimli sings a song about Durin while the Fellowship walks through Moria.

In The Hobbit and its adaptations, King Thrór, King Thráin II, King Thorin II, Fíli, Kíli, Dáin II, Balin, Dwalin, Óin, and Glóin are all of the line of Durin and are key characters. One of the most famous Dwarves in Tolkien’s stories is the son of Glóin and adjacent to the line of kings of Durin, and that’s Gimli. While it is only mentioned in the Appendices, Dáin II and his son Thorin fought in the Battle of Dale alongside the Men of Dale against the Easterlings, a battle that happened simultaneously as Minas Tirith was being besieged.

The Dwarves Of Middle Earth After The Lord Of The Rings

Durin VII Will Be Born And Lead The Dwarves To Khazad-dûm

After The Lord of the Rings and the end of the Third Age of Middle Earth, the Dwarves reforge their friendships with Men and Elves and help rebuild Gondor and the Hornburg. The prophesied Durin VII called “Durin the Last” would, fittingly, be the last of his line. Durin VII was eventually born sometime after 171 of the Fourth Age, which is over 171 years after Frodo sailed away from Middle Earth on the White Ship at the end of The Lord of the Rings.

It’s said that each Durin remembers the lives of all previous Durins and Durin VII will finally lead his people back to Khazad-dûm, where they will reclaim their ancient home once and for all. The Dwarves will live there, under the rule of Durin VII, until the world eventually grows old and the line of Dwarves fades away into only memory.