A Lord of Dale who enjoyed the friendship of the Dwarves of nearby Erebor. Girion was a wealthy lord, and Dale in his time was said to contain many fine things. He owned a famous necklace said to be made from five hundred emeralds, which he gave in payment to the Dwarves for a marvellous mail coat2 they created for his eldest son.
Girion's prosperous rule came to a sudden end when the Dragon Smaug descended on Erebor. Dale was also laid waste, and Girion was slain, but his wife and younger son3 were able to escape down the River Running to Esgaroth. There they and their descendants remained, until nearly two hundred years later Girion's descendant Bard succeeded in slaying the Dragon and rebuilding his ancestor's township of Dale.
Notes
1 |
Girion's name appears to be Elvish, though its meaning is not established with certainty. It may derive from girin, 'old, former', or it may contain the element gir- meaning 'shudder' or 'quiver'. Given the Girion was the Lord of Dale in former days, girin seems the more plausible of these alternatives. |
2 |
This mail coat was said to have been made of pure silver, but nevertheless have been much stronger than steel. This hints that it was actually made of mithril, otherwise known as true-silver.
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3 |
The details of Girion's family are unclear, but we know that he had at least two sons (the elder of which wore the fabulous mail coat). Of the escape from Dale we're told only that his 'wife and child' were able to flee (The Hobbit 14, Fire and Water). The implication seems to be that this child was his younger son (presumably the elder brother was lost with his father in the fall of Dale).
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- Updated 27 April 2009
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