Like the dwarves of Erebor, the Celts were a group of people renowned for their warriors who were forced to flee their mountainous homeland in the east due to unknown strife around 1600 BCE (the Bronze Age). Spilling into Europe, the Celts wandered for generations, making their way west to the British Isles. It is worth noting that the term “Celts” applies to several groups of un-unified peoples who, much like the dwarves, were prone to both fighting against each other and in turn, banding together to unite against a common enemy, such as the Roman legions.

When comparing the Celts to dwarves, it is important to focus on one of the northern tribes (in modern Scotland): the Picts. They were given their name by the Romans, who found the animal shapes and designs they painted on their bodies with blue woad to be curious pictures. The Celts were also in the habit of shaping their hair before battle – using a mixture of lime and urine as a sort of styling clay that caked white onto their tresses and made their hair stand on end. For a cinematic example of these ancient warriors, check out the trailer for Kevin MacDonald’s adaptation of The Eagle (2011).

The Eagle (2011)

If the interviews with Billy Connolly from last summer are still accurate, then we can expect Dáin Ironfoot to “have a Mohawk and tattoos on my head…I arrive riding a wild pig.” Sound familiar?

It should also be noted that as a Scot, Connolly himself is a Celt. In fact, many of the actors portraying dwarves in The Hobbit are of Celtic descent, and several were allowed to keep their respective accents. James Nesbit’s Bofur speaks in his Northern Irish brogue, and Graham McTavish’ Dwalin (who also bears war-paint like tattoos) sounds like the Scot he is. Aidan Turner, Kili, is an Irishman, Dean O’Gorman, playing his brother Fili, is a Kiwi of Irish descent, and Ken Stott (Balin) is another Scotsman.

As an interesting side note, belonging to the Order of Fili (wisemen and poets) was required for a warrior to enter Ireland’s elite Fenian ranks. Kili, similarly, could be argued as an alternate spelling/pronunciation of the common Irish surname Kelly, which means warrior (and is coincidentally why I was given my TORn nickname, since it is my birth name).  Naming the two youngest of Durin’s heirs names that invoke a warrior heritage makes sense, however, it is unknown if Tolkien was aware of these linguistic connections.

Any listener of The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey Special Edition soundtrack will know that the track “Erebor” begins with a proud bagpipe solo: a clear nod to the Scottish. Artist John Howe makes several references to Celtic inspiration in the first Hobbit Chronicles book, citing references to both Kili’s flip knife and Ori’s board game as being based on Celtic artifacts.

Even Celtic dress sounds similar to that of the dwarves: “In terms of clothing, the Celtic women wore a simple long garment with a cloak. The men wore trousers (sometimes knee length), a sleeved tunic reaching the thigh, a cloak, and sandals or boots. A metal piece of jewelry for around the neck called a torc (torques) was quite popular. Clothing dyed in bright colors was common. Men wore droopy mustaches, sometimes beards, and often long hair, all of this in contrast to the contemporary Romans.”

An artist’s rendition of male Celtic dress

However, the Celtic link to the dwarves in Tolkien’s writing isn’t as obvious as the Nordic influences, so why did the filmmakers take this route?

The easy answer is because it hasn’t been done yet. None of the races previously explored in Jackson’s Middle-earth had a Celtic slant, and identifying the dwarves with the proud warriors of the Celts distinguishes them as a race and culture apart from the rest, especially where the Picts are concerned.

The dwarves are from the north, just as Scotland is north of England, the nation that is conceivably Tolkien’s main inspiration for Middle-earth. More than any other race, Tolkien’s dwarves link their existence with the mountains, very much like Highlanders. Also like the Highlanders, Dáin and his people are renowned for their endurance, running for days to come to Thorin’s aid.

Similarly to the Dwarves, the land of the Picts was under constant threat. While such a military force may seem unimpressive by today’s standards, imagine yourself back at the dawn of the Common Era when the world was a much quieter place. The roar of a Roman cavalry charge echoing across the land like earthen thunder would have been much like the advance of Smaug. The armor of the legionnaires glinted in the sunlight like so many serpentine scales. Such a monstrous force was hitherto unknown to the indigenous Britons and was, understandably, often likened to a dragon.

Smaug the Terrible is very much a metaphor for warfare and greed. Just as the Roman invaders laid waste to villages and scattered tribal peoples, so did the dragon. The Romans modified Britain’s landscape and scoured the land for natural resources, just as Smaug scorched the earth and hoarded the treasure of the dwarves.

Scotland in the Roman era

The Picts, like Durin’s folk, stood strong against the Roman dragon and slaughtered entire legions and then some. Unable to subdue the northern tribes, Emperor Hadrian began construction on a massive wall to keep the tribes out of the fertile lands of England in 122 CE. This wall is known as Hadrian’s Wall and its remnants remain near the modern Scottish-English border. Had the dwarves ever turned on the race of Men, such a measure would have probably been taken!

Ruins of Hadrian’s Wall

Tolkien would have been well-aware of this history, and in fact, even his beloved Anglo-Saxons found the Celts to be formidable opponents. The Icelandic sagas written in the 13th century warn their people not to go to Scotland if they wished to live. One Scot in the saga, said to be Grjotgard, a kinsman of Melkolf (the king of Scotland), was quoted as saying to the Saxons: “You have two choices. You can go ashore and we will take all your property, or we’ll attack you and kill every man we lay our hands on.”

Given that the tale survives, it’s not difficult to tell which option the Icelandic warriors chose. It also isn’t difficult to imagine Thorin Oakenshield issuing such an ultimatum to invaders.

We must await the next two films to see what further Celtic traits will be shown through the dwarves. But as a Celt myself, I applaud Jackson and Weta’s decision to explore a facet of British culture that was previously understated in Tolkien.

Staffer Kili is one-half of the TORn Happy Hobbit crew. The views and opinions presented in this article are her own, and do not necessarily represent those of TheOneRing.net or its staff.

On the Main board this week, Ethel Duath invited us all to create an anthem for the fictional country of Tolkenia.

Whilst in the Reading Room, noWizardme wants to know which Tolkien book character would you have lunch with, and why? 

The Hobbit board is buzzing over why we haven’t seen any major images of Bolg, Dain or Beorn (apart from the blurry Sonic Hedgehog image of Beorn and a toy of Bolg).

In Off Topic we’ve been checking up on our friends in the Wellington area after the big earthquake last week.

And in the Pollantir, Maciliel wants to know how many books we have in our personal libraries.

We’ll share more topics next week. We hope you’ll come and join in the conversations!  Don’t forget, TheOneRing.net’s message boards have over 9,950 registered Tolkien fans, just like you.  Let your voice be heard!

• Bombur (Stephen Hunter) - https://twitter.com/StephenJHunter1
• Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) - https://twitter.com/EvangelineLilly
• Gandalf (Ian McKellen) - https://twitter.com/IanMcKellen
• Bard (Luke Evans) - https://twitter.com/TheRealLukevans
• Bard’s son (John Bell) – https://twitter.com/johnbell123 
• Master of Laketown (Stephen Fry) - https://twitter.com/stephenfry
• Azog (Manu Bennett) - https://twitter.com/manubennett
• Ori (Adam Brown) - https://twitter.com/BrownAds
• Nori (Jed Brophy) - https://twitter.com/BrophyJed
• Fili (Dean O’Gorman) - https://twitter.com/Deanogormano
• Dwalin (Graham McTavish) - https://twitter.com/grahammctavish
• Dain Ironfoot (Billy Connolly) - https://twitter.com/Billy_Connolly

Your favorite Lord of the Rings actors are also highly active on twitter and love responding to fans.

• Samwise (Sean Astin) - https://twitter.com/SeanAstin
• Frodo (Elijah Wood) - https://twitter.com/woodelijah
• Merry (Dominic Monaghan) – https://twitter.com/domswildthings
• Pippin (Billy Boyd) – https://twitter.com/officialbeecake

Folks that make middle earth come to life through the magic of cinema, words and music:

• https://twitter.com/wetaworkshop
• https://twitter.com/TheHobbitMovie
• https://twitter.com/WB_Home_Ent
• https://twitter.com/wbpictures
• https://twitter.com/watertowermusic (soundtrack)
• Royd Tolkien – https://twitter.com/RoydTolkien

TheOneRing.net also publishes unique twitter content, moderated by a select group, which is often more fun and reactive to trends than the home page. Our wide volunteer staff work in a wide variety of industries (and countries) which makes for a robust and diverse community, brought together by a mutual love of Tolkien.

TheOneRing.net primary account – https://twitter.com/theoneringnet

You can also follow us on Facebook or Google-plus if you desire!
* TORn Facebook
* TORn G+

If we missed any Hobbit and Lord of the Rings folks who are active on twitter let us know in the comments!

This week on Main, Roheryn is leading us in the latest SAST (Number 11), *spoiler warning for those who HAVEN’T read the book!*

In the Reading Room, noWizardMe is asking about Tolkien’s universe and how he approached it.

On The Hobbit board ElanorFlower is asking about the number of comedians that have been cast in The Hobbit, is this a good thing or bad, share your views with us here.

Over at TORn Moots & other Events, the big thing is HobbitCon. Check out what our happy Message Boarders who were there have to say here.

We’ll share more topics next week and we hope you will come and join in the conversations!  Don’t forget, TheOneRing.net’s message boards have over 9,500 registered Tolkien fans, just like you.  Let your voice be heard!

“No I never read it. And I probably never will. It’s not my cup of tea. Youthful society when I was younger was divided into Tolkien and non-Tolkien and I was a non-Tolkien and I didn’t like the Tolkien people,” he said.

“They were all corduroy and limp wrists and we were all string band people, banjos and bluegrass players and blues players, chasing women about the place, having long hair and they were all talking about the ginks fighting the gonks.”

As a renown comedian, we are pretty sure Billy is having a spot of fun. After you check out the full article at MSN UK, we can get back to talking about ginks and fighting with gonks : /  [Read more]

The IKAN clapperboard wasn’t used on the Hobbit, but has been signed by members of the Hobbit cast, including Martin Freeman and Ian McKellan.

The auction is running now on Trade Me, and closes on Monday September 10 at 3:51pm. (Some of you might also be interested in the twin charity auction of a filmclapper signed by the All Blacks.)

[Charity Auction] | [Rubbermonkey Blog]

[TV3]

“What an experience,” he says of filming The Hobbit. “It’s a huge undertaking. It’s like a war.”

He says as a dwarf, he’s doing a lot of fighting.

[More]

With a time slot that has become something of a tradition, the fansite will open the show on the first hour of the first day. Thursday, July 12, from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m., in room 6DE, TORn will talk Hobbit. The room holds 1,000, and like every year, especially this year, a capacity crowd is expected with many unable to get in. Being the first event of the day also means that if the room is full early, we can start early and stretch our hour into more if possible. Another great feature of being the first event of the day, the convention is more liberal about giveaway items.

TORn will also be present at not one but two table locations on the 500,000 square foot dealers floor where supports can buy shirts, buttons and talk to a large contingent of staffer. (More details later, but one table next to Badali Jewelry and one table with Weta Workshop! Expect new tshirts, details to follow!)
But what to expect from a TORn presentation?
* It will be 100% re-written, not a duplicate of any previous presentation
* An audio and visual extravaganza (not people just talking)
* It is expected to feature video content from Weta Workshop
* It may contain pictures from New Zealand
* It will feature around 6 TORn staffers (the most ever) with several more in the audience if we need them
* Special guests have been invited
* Two panelists have been on “The Hobbit” set
* A significant segment of Q&A, time for fans
More about Comic-Con after the break including info for audience at home:

Staffers have been calling the current period of less-than-six-months before “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” Hobbit-eve and this annual popular-culture convention may serve as something of a kickoff to the mainstream or casual fans that the big event is on its way this December 14th.

Saturday, July 14, Warner Bros. has a three hour block of time reserved in the 6,500 seat Hall H, where everybody fully expects an official Hobbit presentation. Since Hobbit principal filming wraps around the first week of July, and Billy Connolly says the wrap party is scheduled for July 7, rumors are swirling that some principal figures from the cast may attend that presentation including Richard Armitage and Martin Freeman. Part of the job of being in the movie is promoting it and word on the street is that WB will start its massive campaign at Comic-Con with powerful stars. We will be there and report, of course!

Another big part of the show with be Hobbit merchandise that we are guessing will be everywhere and we fully expect to report on that as well. We will bring photos, the written word and video, all to cover Comic-Con to those not able to attend in person. More details. Remember to follow us at Twitter: @TheOneRingNet and on our Facebook Page.

It could be. But what if it isn’t? Let’s summarise what’s trickled out over the last few days, and see what we can conclude. Needless to say, this analysis involves spoilers.

Story:MSN.co.nz

Quotable quote:

Connolly is back in the country to do more work on The Hobbit as dwarf warrior Dáin Ironfoot. “I have a war to fight. Elves to kill. Orcs to maim,” he says.

Elves to kill!

We know that in the book that Thorin summons his kin from the Iron Hills initially to deal with the army of unwanted humans and elves camped in front of the ruined front gate of Erebor after the demise of Smaug.

When Dáin’s dwarves finally arrive, there are some tense moments where it looks as though a bloody and ruinous battle between dwarves and elves will ensue before Gandalf intervenes and warns of the approach of the armies of Bolg, son of Azog.

“But he reckoned without the dwarves. The knowledge that the Arkenstone was in the hands of the besiegers burned in their thoughts; also they guessed the hesitation of Bard and his friends, and resolved to strike while they debated.

Suddenly without a signal they sprang silently forward to attack. Bows twanged and arrows whistled; battle was about to be joined.” The Hobbit, Chapter 17.

It seems fair to conclude from Connolly’s comment that the Battle of the Five Armies will significantly mirror events described by Tolkien. Expect the tension of the historic enmity between elves and dwarves to drive them to the point of battle, before Gandalf intervenes dramatically.

Story: Yahoo Australia

Quotable quote:

“They’re basically broadening me, making me wider,” he explains, adding that the technology being used on the film is making for long, hard working days. “But let me say, this guy will terrify the life out of you. I have a Mohawk and tattoos on my head. You’ve got to see it.”

It seems doubtful that Jackson would make Dáin as wide as, say, Bombur. But we know dwarves are naturally stocky. No cause for alarm.

A mohawk, though? Skull tattoos? Are these “proper” for a dwarven lord?

Well, fact is that the Hobbit doesn’t even contain a description of Dáin — his appearance is left wholly to the imagination of the reader. The best we get is a description of Dáin’s folk that says in part: “Their beards were forked and plaited and thrust into their belts.”

We do, however, know Dáin Ironfoot was one of the fiercest warriors of his age. At the youthful (for dwarves) age of 32, he slew the orc Azog before the west-gate of Moria during the Battle of Azanulbizar — a mighty feat for one then regarded by his folk as a mere “stripling”.

The appendices of Lord of the Rings describe that “up the steps after [Azog] leaped a Dwarf with a red axe. It was Dáin Ironfoot, Náin’s son. Right before the doors he caught Azog, and there he slew him, and hewed off his head.”

And during the War of the Ring, Dáin fought to defend Erebor and his friend King Brand (grandson of Bard the Bowman). He was 252 years of age — old even for a dwarf yet still mighty in battle.

This all speaks of a great warrior. Perhaps even some sort a beserker. Such a warrior might, perhaps, affect a fierce appearance to intimidate his foes.

One thing is certain if this is true: WETA has wholly discarded the concepts it used for the LOTR trading card game that was released several years ago.

Story: News.com.au

Quotable quote:

“But you don’t feel like a little guy because you are doing big things like killing people and stuff. And you are wearing all that armour and make-up and everything. It was great fun. I arrive riding a wild pig.”

The dwarves of the Iron Hills don’t ride into battle. Not on ponies. Not on pigs.

Their endurance is so prodigious that they run all the damn way from their mountain fortress to The Lonely Mountain. In full battle gear. Burdened by great packs on their backs. And they accomplish this feat in a matter of days, and then fight a great battle when they get there. And win.

They’re so hardcore they make special ops guys look wimpy.

So, why do we have a Dáin on a wild pig? Did someone think that they needed to get maximum use out of Leroy, the pig from the Hobbiton set that AICN’s Quint so graphically revealed. Maybe someone’s been reading Game of Thrones and has George RR Martin’s Tyrion Lannister confused with Tolkien’s Dáin Ironfoot?

Maybe it just looks cool.

One possible explanation some of our message board members have pointed out is that Norse mythology speaks of Hildisvíni, the boar “battle swine” that the goddess Freya rides when not using her cat-drawn chariot.

Perhaps only Dáin Ironfoot will ride one of these battle swine. It could be a highly effective way of making him stand out from his fellows on the battlefield.

And consider: Tolkien initially derived the names of his dwarves from the Norse Sagas. In attempting to create fill visual gaps, and making the key players stand out for key scenes, isn’t taking inspiration from a common mythological source better than making stuff up willy-nilly?

There’s a caveat, though.

Dáin also proves a wise leader of his people. And he has a generous heart. I hope that his wisdom shines through in Connolly’s portrayal as much as his warrior side.