How the Battle of the Five Armies Changed the Fate of Middle-Earth

The climax of Bilbo Baggins’ long journey concludes not with a quiet return to the Shire, but with the deafening roar of war beneath the shadow of the Lonely Mountain. The Battle of the Five Armies stands as one of the most significant military engagements in the history of the Third Age, acting as a bloody bridge between the era of Smaug the Terrible and the eventual War of the Ring. While many casual viewers of Peter Jackson's film trilogy or readers of J.R.R. Tolkien’s original novel recall the chaos, there remains a persistent question that sparks endless debate in the halls of fandom: who exactly were the five armies?

To understand the weight of this conflict, one must look beyond the gleaming gold of Erebor and examine the shifting alliances, the corruption of greed, and the sudden, terrifying arrival of a common enemy that forced rivals to bleed side-by-side.

Defining the Five Armies in Book and Film

One of the primary sources of confusion surrounding this conflict is the discrepancy between J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1937 text and the 2014 cinematic adaptation. The definition of the "five" changes depending on which medium is being analyzed, and both interpretations offer a unique perspective on the scale of the war.

The Original Tolkien Definition

In the original novel, Tolkien is explicit about the composition of the combatants. He writes: "Upon one side were the Goblins and the wild Wolves, and upon the other were Elves and Men and Dwarves."

According to the author, the breakdown is as follows:

1. The Goblins (Orcs): Under the leadership of Bolg, seeking revenge for the Great Goblin and the riches of the mountain.
2. The Wild Wolves (Wargs): Often acting as mounts for the Goblins, but considered a distinct and terrifying predatory force of their own.
3. The Elves: The host of Thranduil from the Woodland Realm, seeking the restoration of their heirlooms.
4. The Men: The survivors of Lake-town, led by Bard the Bowman, seeking reparations for the destruction of their home.
5. The Dwarves: The company of Thorin Oakenshield and the iron-clad reinforcements from the Iron Hills led by Dáin II Ironfoot.

Notably, in the book, the Great Eagles and Beorn arrive at the eleventh hour. While they are the decisive factors in the victory, Tolkien does not categorize them as one of the "five," likely because they were not part of the initial strategic buildup or because their numbers did not constitute a traditional standing army.

The Peter Jackson Cinematic Interpretation

The film adaptation The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies shifts the focus to better suit the narrative pacing of a modern war epic. In Jackson’s version, the "Wild Wolves" (Wargs) are relegated to the status of beasts of burden rather than a separate army. Instead, the "five" are typically identified by the distinct political factions that meet on the battlefield:

1. The Dwarves of the Iron Hills: Dáin’s disciplined legion.
2. The Elves of Mirkwood: Thranduil’s highly skilled archers and infantry.
3. The Men of Lake-town: Led by Bard, fighting with desperation in the ruins of Dale.
4. The First Orc Host: The army from Dol Guldur led by Azog the Defiler.
5. The Second Orc Host: The reinforcements from Mount Gundabad led by Bolg, supported by war-bats.

This change emphasizes the "Double Front" strategy utilized by the forces of Sauron (The Necromancer) to trap the Free Peoples between the mountain and the city of Dale.

The Prelude to War: Greed and the Dragon-Sickness

The battle did not begin with Orcs; it began with a standoff over gold. After Smaug was slain by Bard’s Black Arrow, the power vacuum at Erebor immediately attracted every interested party in the North. The Men of Lake-town, now homeless and freezing, looked to the treasure they believed they were owed. The Elves of Mirkwood, ever vigilant and protective of their ancestral rights, marched to claim what they believed belonged to their King.

However, the greatest obstacle to peace was Thorin Oakenshield himself. In our observation of Thorin's psychological state, it is clear that he suffered from "Dragon-sickness"—a metaphorical and perhaps semi-magical obsession with wealth that mirrored the dragon he had just supplanted.

Thorin’s refusal to negotiate was not merely a tactical decision; it was a character failure. By barricading the front gate of Erebor and sending a secret summons to Dáin in the Iron Hills, Thorin risked a fratricidal war between Elves, Men, and Dwarves. The Arkenstone, the "Heart of the Mountain," became the ultimate bargaining chip. When Bilbo Baggins stole the stone and delivered it to Bard and Thranduil, it was an act of extreme bravery and common sense, aimed at forcing Thorin to the negotiating table.

The Three Fronts: Geography of the Conflict

The Battle of the Five Armies was fought across three distinct tactical zones: the Gates of Erebor, the ruins of Dale, and the slopes of Ravenhill. Understanding the geography is essential to appreciating how the battle was nearly lost.

The Gates of Erebor

This was the site of the initial standoff. The Dwarves under Dáin Ironfoot arrived to find a wall of Elven spears and Human grit. The tactical layout here was a bottleneck. If the Dwarves and Elves had engaged, the casualties would have been catastrophic. In the film’s portrayal, we see the Dwarven "shield wall" and the Elven "leapfrog" tactics—a fascinating, if controversial, display of cinematic choreography that illustrates the unique combat styles of the two races.

The City of Dale

When the Orcs arrived via subterranean "were-worms" (in the film) or mountain passes (in the book), the focus shifted to the ruined city of Dale. This urban environment became a chaotic slaughterhouse. The Men of Lake-town, lacking the heavy armor of the Dwarves or the magic-forged blades of the Elves, fought a desperate house-to-house defense. This was where the civilian cost of the war was most visible, as women and the elderly were forced to take up arms to defend their remaining children.

Ravenhill

Ravenhill served as the strategic command post for the Orc leader, Azog. It was a high-ground position that overlooked the entire valley. In the cinematic version, this becomes the stage for the final duel between Thorin and Azog. Tactically, whoever held Ravenhill controlled the flow of reinforcements. The Dwarves realized that to break the Orc army, they had to "cut off the head of the snake," leading to the elite strike force mission involving Thorin, Dwalin, Fili, and Kili.

The Turning Point: The Arrival of the Eagles and Beorn

In military terms, the Free Peoples (Elves, Dwarves, and Men) were strategically defeated for the majority of the afternoon. They were outnumbered and surrounded. The victory at the Battle of the Five Armies is what Tolkien famously called a "Eucatastrophe"—a sudden, joyous turn in a situation that seems hopeless.

The Great Eagles

The arrival of the Eagles was the ultimate aerial superiority shift. The Goblins in the book and the war-bats in the film had dominated the skies and the higher ridges of the mountain. The Eagles, led by Gwaihir the Windlord, swept the slopes clean, throwing Goblins into the abyss and providing the allied forces with a much-needed reprieve. From a narrative perspective, the Eagles represent a divine or natural intervention, a theme Tolkien revisited frequently.

The Skin-Changer: Beorn

If the Eagles provided the tactical shift, Beorn provided the raw physical power. In the book, Beorn appears in the form of a massive bear, "giant-sized." He was a one-man army. He broke through the Orc lines with such ferocity that even the elite bodyguards of Bolg could not stand before him. It was Beorn who ultimately crushed Bolg, the Goblin leader, throwing the enemy into a panicked retreat. Without Beorn’s intervention, Thorin would likely have died even sooner, and the Orcs might have rallied despite the Eagles' arrival.

The Cost of Victory: The Death of the King

The aftermath of the battle was bittersweet. While the Orc power in the North was shattered for decades, the royal line of Durin suffered a devastating blow.

Thorin Oakenshield’s redemption came through his death. After emerging from the mountain and breaking the Orc ranks, he fought until he was mortally wounded. In his final moments, his conversation with Bilbo serves as the emotional anchor of the entire story: "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

The deaths of Fili and Kili, Thorin’s nephews and heirs, meant that the direct line of the royal house was severed in that branch. Dáin Ironfoot became the King under the Mountain, ushering in a more cooperative and less "dragon-sick" era of Dwarven rule.

Strategic Impact on the War of the Ring

Why does this battle matter in the larger context of Middle-earth? Many readers overlook the geopolitical implications. If the Battle of the Five Armies had been lost:

1. Sauron’s Northern Flank: The Dark Lord would have had a stronghold in Erebor. From there, he could have easily conquered the Woodland Realm and Lothlórien from the North.
2. The Absence of Dale: Without a rebuilt Dale and a strong Erebor, there would have been no northern resistance during the War of the Ring. Years later, during the events of The Return of the King, the Men of Dale and the Dwarves of Erebor fought a parallel war against Easterlings, preventing them from joining Sauron’s main host at Minas Tirith.
3. The Fate of the Ring: If Bilbo had died at the Lonely Mountain, the One Ring might have been lost in the chaos or claimed by a Goblin, potentially finding its way back to Sauron centuries earlier than expected.

Summary of the Combatants

To provide a quick reference for those confused by the various versions, here is a consolidated list of the forces involved:

FAQ: Common Questions About the Battle

What happened to the treasure after the battle?

The hoard of Smaug was divided. Bard received a fourteenth share (Thorin’s original promise to Bilbo) to rebuild Dale and Lake-town. Bilbo himself took only two small chests of gold and silver, as he felt he could not safely carry more. Dáin used the rest to restore the glory of Erebor.

Was Azog actually at the battle in the book?

No. In Tolkien’s lore, Azog had been killed by Dáin Ironfoot decades earlier at the Battle of Azanulbizar. In the book version of The Hobbit, it is his son, Bolg, who leads the Goblins at the Lonely Mountain. Peter Jackson chose to keep Azog alive for the films to provide a more personal "arch-nemesis" for Thorin.

How many people died in the battle?

While Tolkien does not provide a specific casualty count, he notes that many Men and Elves were lost, and the Orc and Warg forces were almost entirely annihilated. The losses were significant enough that it took generations for the population of the North to recover.

Why didn't the Eagles come sooner?

The Eagles are not "pets" or "taxis." They are sentient, proud beings who generally avoid the affairs of Men and Orcs unless the situation affects them directly or they are repaying a debt to Gandalf. Their arrival is always timed with the "Eucatastrophe" to maximize narrative and symbolic impact.

What happened to the Arkenstone?

The Arkenstone was buried with Thorin Oakenshield in the depths of the Lonely Mountain. Bard placed it on Thorin's breast, so that the mountain would always be guarded by its heart.

Conclusion

The Battle of the Five Armies is more than just a clash of swords; it is a story of how a disparate group of people found unity in the face of total destruction. It marks the end of the quest for Erebor and the beginning of the long peace that would last until the shadows lengthened once more in the south. Whether you prefer the gritty, wolf-heavy skirmish of the book or the sprawling, multi-front cinematic epic, the core message remains: the greatest victories are often won at the highest costs, and the true enemy is often the greed that lives within our own hearts.