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Durin III was a King of Durin's Folk, and the first bearer of the mightiest of the seven Dwarf Rings, though this was not known to outsiders until the end of the Third Age.

Biography[]

As a descendant of Durin I who bore the same name, Durin III was considered by many Dwarves to be the reincarnation of the original Durin due to the great similarity in appearance and manner.

Sometime shortly after SA 1500, Durin received one of the Seven rings; the Dwarves of Durin's Folk claimed the ring was given by Celebrimbor himself, and not by Sauron, though Sauron was involved in the making. This was the ring that Thráin II later carried and had taken from him when he was captured by the agents of Sauron.[1] During the War of the Elves and Sauron the Dark Lord's forces were on the point of overtaking and destroying the refugees and army of Elrond, when the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm sortied from the Doors of Durin and attacked Sauron's forces in the rear, giving the Elves time to escape and earning the Dark Lord's enmity. After this time the gates of Khazad-dûm were shut.[2]

Portrayal in adaptations[]

Duriniii

As portrayed in The Fellowship of the Ring

The Lord of the Rings film trilogy[]

Durin III appears momentarily in the prologue of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring as he receives one of the Seven Dwarf-rings.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power[]

Durin appears in a much greater capacity in Amazon Studios' The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power during his days ruling Khazad-dûm.

He here is portrayed as the father of Durin IV; a more traditionally-minded Dwarf in contrast to his son, who is willing to seek alliances with other peoples. After Durin IV hosts his friend Elrond for dinner and hears of the Elf's proposal, he brings the news to his father, who is skeptical and expresses a desire to remain isolated. He relents after much persuasion by Elrond and allows his people to begin building the great forge requested by Celebrimbor in Ost-in-Edhil. Concurrently, Durin IV has discovered veins of a new ore in an old mine underneath Kheled-zâram to which Elrond gives the name mithril. After a shaft collapse which nearly kills several dwarves, though, Durin III shuts down the operation, angering the younger Durin.

Elrond gives proposal to Durin - TRoP

Durin hears Elrond's request

After Durin IV learns of the Elves' plight, and of their perceived need for mithril, he convinces his father to listen to Elrond's proposal of a trade for the precious metal. The king refuses, however, believing the endeavor would endanger his people. He is angrily confronted by his son, who pushes too far in his pleas and causes Durin III to strip him of his title as prince. When Durin IV is discovered secretly helping Elrond mine for mithril, his father throws Elrond out of the kingdom at the West-gate, despite the two discovering an enormous vein of the metal.

Appearances[]

The Lord of the Rings Online - Durin III

Durin III in The Lord of the Rings Online

Video games[]

In The Lord of the Rings Online, Durin III appears briefly in a flashback, ordering the West-gate of Moria sealed after the Sack of Eregion.

References[]

  1. The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers, III: Durin's Folk
  2. Unfinished Tales, Part Two: The Second Age, Chapter IV: "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn"
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