The Hobbit: Durin’s Prophecy Was Originally Told By A
Surprising Character
BY
ALICE ROSE DODDS
PUBLISHED JUL 13, 2022
This deleted scene shows another side to the one person
who appears to care the least about Thorin's plight..
In J.R.R. Tolkein's famous writings, Durin was one of
the most mighty kings of dwarves ever to have lived. It
is thought that his ancestors dated back to the very
original dwarves first created by Aule, back before
Middle Earth and the children of Illuvatar (elves and
men) had ever been created. Durin was a mighty warrior,
a fair and just leader, and a noble king in pursuit of
riches and treasures from deep within the world to
share in abundance with his people. This is where the
regality, pride, and heart that Thorin, Filli ,and
Killi share comes from. As the last direct descendants
of Durin’s line, the three are the last hope of
reclaiming Erebor, and feel it is their duty to rid the
once stunning kingdom of their forefathers of the
terrible dragon who now resides within.
But with this great legacy also comes a terrible
prophecy. Whilst it is only briefly touched upon in the
movies, the prophecy of the return of the king under
the mountain features heavily in Tolkien’s original
book of The Hobbit. The prophecy is a warning of
history repeating itself, and of the greed and hubris
that has brought down many empires. But of all the
people who would want to dissuade the dwarves from
their mission, and prevent their tragedy, Thranduil the
elven king of Mirkwood would have been thought to be
one of the least likely. Yet in this deleted scene from
the film, it was he who first alerts the audience to
what the dwarves meddling with dragon fire may reap.
The scene was supposed to take place just after Tauriel
defies Thranduil’s orders and goes after Kili and the
other dwarves. Legolas pleads with his father that
Tauriel has always been loyal and that she must have
good reason for her actions, and begs for a parley to
be allowed to bring Tauriel back to Mirkwood and allow
her to explain herself and seek forgiveness. Tharanduil
gives him two days to bring her back, after which point
she will be banished from the realm forever. Legolas is
both shocked and dismayed by this, and then something
seems to click in his mind as he realizes the
significance of that particular time passing:
“In two days, the last moon of autumn and the first sun
of winter appear in the sky together.”
This is, of course, a reference to the last light of
Durin’s day, which is the only light by which the door
to the Lonely Mountain can be opened. The keyhole will
only appear in this very potent mixture of light, and
if this opportunity is missed, it won’t surface again
for another hundred years or so. But the interesting
things isn’t the fact that Legolas has said this.
Instead, it's the reply that his father Thranduil gives
him:
“And the bells shall ring in gladness, at the mountain
king’s return. But all shall fail in sadness, and the
lake will shine and burn.”
These are the last few lines of Durin’s prophecy,
which, in the final edits of the film, were actually
read out by Bard from an old tapestry that he found in
Lake Town. The prophecy foretells of the misery and
destruction that will come of awakening Smaug, and like
most prophesies, it turns out to be true. It feels like
a fitting line for Bard, who is ever the voice of
reason among the greedy men of his village. Others see
only the profit to be made, rather than the risk
involved or the lives that could be lost.
But having the lines spoken by Thranduil in this
deleted scene gives a very different and interesting
layer to his character. Everything that the audience
has seen of Thranduil up to this point has been
spiteful and cold, as if he is filled with nothing but
hatred for the dwarves, and as if he couldn’t care less
for anyone other than himself, including his own son
Legolas.
But the way he speaks these lines, softly and quietly,
shows that there is a trauma within them, a horror of
history repeating itself. These lines in the trembling
voice of Thranduil give the audience a hint of who he
is beneath the hard and unfeeling mask that he parades.
In these few simple words, a complete character shift
happens for Thranduil. It speaks not only to the awful
things that he has seen and endured in his past, but
also to his care and compassion for the people of Lake
Town, who, according to the prophecy, will be the ones
to pay the ultimate price for Thorin and his band of
Dwarves wanting to reclaim their homeland. At the end
of the scene, Thranduil and Legolas both look out
forlornly towards a green screen, which presumably
would have had a projection of Lake Town or of the
mountain, and the whole scene gives a somber hint of
the devastation just around the corner.
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