Ch. 15 The Power of Gold

[Sparrow]

When Bard first came to parley with Thorin, Bilbo immediately recognized the fairness of his claim, and thought Thorin would as well. However, Bilbo "failed to reckon with the power that gold has upon which a dragon has long brooded, nor with dwarvish hearts." Does the gold itself exert power? Is it like the Ring? Compare and contrast the gold's effect on Thorin, the other dwarves, and on the other parties. What might account for the differences?

[Stormrider]

Like Bilbo, I thought that Bard's words and requests were very reasonable and I was taken aback at Thorin's hardened heart.

I was very disappointed in Thorin for discounting Bard's claim as rightful heir to the items stolen by Smaug from the halls and towns of Dale. I would have thought that Thorin would have felt a kinship with another leader of a town who had been dealt unfairly by Smaug and willing to give back those items taken from Dale.

I would have thought that Thorin would have been glad to compensate Laketown for its destruction when Smaug fell on it because Bard did Thorin a great favor by killing the old worm. The stress the Dwarves were under thinking that at any time Smaug would come back to the Mountain and take it back deserves a big "thank you" to Bard and a reward.

But speaking on Thorin's behalf, his people were brutally killed by Smaug. Thorin was not about to take that lightly and he wanted revenge and justice. Thorin did tell Bard that they would pay for the assistance and goods they had received in Laketown. I can understand his being on the defensive when seeing armed forces coming to his door. Especially the Elves who Thorin felt treated them badly would rankle him.

The men and elves approaching the mountain had a right to come armed because they did not know what other dangers they might find there. Smaug might have had a mate and offspring still residing there. No one should travel without protection anyway.

I think the main reason that Thorin was unbending and unwilling to allow anyone into the Mountain was because he had not found the Arkenstone. He wanted that item above all others and he was not going to take the chance of letting others inside who might find it and pocket it for themselves on the sly.

[Stormrider]

The Men and Elves were more likely under the assumption that the Dwarves and Bilbo had been killed by the Dragon and that any treasures in the mountain should be split up among those who had lived with the dragon for so many years and had suffered from his hunger and rampages. I can't blame them for not wanting the treasure to "go to waste." If Thorin and Company were indeed dead, the other Dwarf clans should have a claim on the treasure and the mountain and should have been taken into consideration that they had a right to it. There was certainly enough hoard in that hall and everyone should have been compensated justly.