#raquotes

Sharaktah

Thorin inherited a quest of vengeance from his father, to reclaim what’s theirs and take his people back to Erebor. And that burden is quite a lonely thing to carry. Thrain disappeared trying to do the same thing a 100 years ago. So Thorin feels like it’s now or never. I think he’s like a dying ember. He has the potential to reignite into a huge furnace, but if he doesn’t do it now, that ember will die. He will die and fade away. That is quite a serious endeavour to assume. So I think in that respect, the seriousness he approaches it….you could say he’s his own worst enemy.

[Thorin] is cantankerous and often cross. I found this characteristic interesting and, at the beginning, it was a bit hard for me to determine where it sprang from. I’d say this surly and aggressive side is something all the warrior dwarves share, but Thorin, on top of that, cant stand the thought that he's been stripped of his kingdom in such a violent way. In addition, he’s suffered the loss of his rank in the dwarf society, going from the privileged status of a royal family member to that of a wandering warrior. He's ashamed of such a decline..

Tolkien says that Thorin, who was 52 then – a young age for a Dwarf - had led his powerful warrior army during the Battle of Azanulbizar. When Thorin’s shield was destroyed, he used an oak branch to protect himself. That’s how his nickname Oakenshield was born. Thereafter, Thorin kept that piece of wood as a shield and carved it; and this piece of branch became a symbol of pride and honour.

Thorin’s an accomplished swordsman so, since he’s destined to become a king, he’s undergone training in sword handling since he was very young. He fights so well that he could clear a path through a mob of Orcs and decimate them to cross a battlefield!

Zach Blair

Joe Principe

Joe Principe