Gimli
| House / Order | The Fellowship; Durin's Folk (House of Durin) |
|---|---|
| Race / Culture | Dwarf |
| Status | Departed |
| Origin | The Lonely Mountain (Erebor) |
| Born | T.A. 2879 |
| Died | Sailed over Sea (after F.A. 120, by tradition) |
| Weapon | Walking-axe (and others) |
| Fate | Founded a Dwarf-colony in the Glittering Caves; sailed West with Legolas after Aragorn's death |
| Portrayed by | John Rhys-Davies |
Gimli son of Glóin was a Dwarf of Durin's Folk from the Lonely Mountain, and the Dwarvish member of the Fellowship of the Ring. A stout warrior of axe and shield, he fought through the great battles of the War of the Ring and became one of the Three Hunters alongside Aragorn and Legolas.
He is remembered most for two things: his deep and unprecedented friendship with Legolas the Elf, and his devotion to Galadriel of Lothlórien, whose gift of three of her own hairs he bore as a treasure beyond price. For his deeds he was named Elf-friend and, in the Fourth Age, Lord of the Glittering Caves.
Origins
Gimli was born in T.A. 2879, son of Glóin — one of the twelve companions of Thorin Oakenshield in the Quest of Erebor told in The Hobbit. He was of the royal House of Durin, kin to the kings under the Mountain. Too young to join the Quest of Erebor himself, he came to Rivendell decades later with his father, who brought to the Council of Elrond tidings of a messenger of Sauron seeking word of Bilbo's ring.
Biography
The Fellowship
At the Council of Elrond, Gimli was chosen to represent the Dwarves among the Nine Walkers. His knowledge of stone and the deep places proved valuable as the Fellowship of the Ring passed through Moria, the ancient Dwarf-realm of Khazad-dûm, where he sorrowed at the tomb of his kinsman Balin and the ruin of the colony there. He stood with his companions at the Bridge of Khazad-dûm when Gandalf fell.
In Lothlórien Gimli's mistrust of Elves was overturned by his meeting with Galadriel. Asked what gift he desired, he begged only a single strand of her golden hair; she gave him three, and from that hour his heart was wholly hers. So was the old enmity between his folk and the Elves of the Golden Wood set aside.
The Three Hunters and the wars
When the Fellowship broke at Amon Hen, Gimli ran with Aragorn and Legolas as one of the Three Hunters across the leagues of Rohan in pursuit of the orcs. At the Battle of Helm's Deep he fought fiercely in the caves and on the wall, keeping his running tally of slain enemies in friendly rivalry with Legolas — and there first beheld the Glittering Caves of Aglarond, whose beauty moved him to rapture. He dared the Paths of the Dead, sailed up the Anduin, and fought at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields and before the Black Gate.
The Glittering Caves and the West
After the war Gimli led a portion of Durin's Folk south and founded a Dwarf-realm in the Glittering Caves behind Helm's Deep, becoming their lord and adorning the Reunited Kingdom with Dwarvish craft — the new gates of Minas Tirith were wrought in mithril and steel by his people. He travelled long with Legolas, visiting both Fangorn and the caves so each could share what he loved. By the tradition in the Appendices, after the death of King Elessar in F.A. 120, Gimli sailed over Sea with Legolas — the only Dwarf ever granted passage to the Undying Lands, for the love he bore Galadriel.
Character
Gimli is gruff, proud, and fierce in battle, with the Dwarvish reverence for craft, stone, and the memory of his ancestors. Beneath the hard exterior runs a vein of deep feeling — courtesy, loyalty, and an almost poetic capacity for wonder, shown in his love of the Glittering Caves and his near-worship of Galadriel. His friendship with Legolas is the emblem of reconciliation in the tale, the closing of a breach older than the Third Age itself.
Relationships
- Legolas — his closest friend, the Elf with whom he overcame the feud of their peoples.
- Galadriel — Lady of Lothlórien, whom he revered above all; her gift of hair he treasured.
- Aragorn — his captain among the Three Hunters and his king.
- Glóin — his father, a companion of Thorin Oakenshield.
- Balin — his kinsman, lost in the failed recolonisation of Moria.
Appearances
In Peter Jackson's film trilogy (2001–2003), Gimli was portrayed by John Rhys-Davies. The films lean on Gimli for comic relief and play down the gravity of his devotion to Galadriel and the depth of his friendship with Legolas, both of which are treated with great seriousness in the books.
Quotes
Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.
Maybe the paths that you each shall tread are already laid before your feet, though you do not see them.