![\"Celtic](\"http:\/\/www-images.theonering.org\/torwp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Celtic-Dwarves.jpg\")
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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 \u201cCelts\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
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 \u2013 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\u2019s adaptation of The Eagle<\/em> (2011)<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Eagle (2011)<\/p>\n If the interviews with Billy Connolly from last summer are still accurate, then we can expect D\u00e1in Ironfoot to \u201chave a Mohawk and tattoos on my head\u2026I arrive riding a wild pig.\u201d Sound familiar?<\/p>\n 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\u2019s Bofur speaks in his Northern Irish brogue, and Graham McTavish\u2019 Dwalin (who also bears war-paint like tattoos) sounds like the Scot he is. Aidan Turner, Kili, is an Irishman, Dean O\u2019Gorman, playing his brother Fili, is a Kiwi of Irish descent, and Ken Stott (Balin) is another Scotsman.<\/p>\n 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).\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n Any listener of The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey Special Edition soundtrack will know that the track \u201cErebor\u201d 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\u2019s flip knife and Ori\u2019s board game as being based on Celtic artifacts.<\/p>\n Even Celtic dress sounds similar to that of the dwarves: \u201cIn 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.\u201d<\/p>\n An artist’s rendition of male Celtic dress<\/p>\n However, the Celtic link to the dwarves in Tolkien\u2019s writing isn\u2019t as obvious as the Nordic influences, so why did the filmmakers take this route?<\/p>\n The easy answer is because it hasn\u2019t been done yet. None of the races previously explored in Jackson\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n The dwarves are from the north, just as Scotland is north of England, the nation that is conceivably Tolkien\u2019s main inspiration for Middle-earth. More than any other race, Tolkien\u2019s dwarves link their existence with the mountains, very much like Highlanders. Also like the Highlanders, D\u00e1in and his people are renowned for their endurance, running for days to come to Thorin\u2019s aid.<\/p>\n Similarly to the Dwarves, the land of the Picts was under constant threat. While such a military force may seem unimpressive by today\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s landscape and scoured the land for natural resources, just as Smaug scorched the earth and hoarded the treasure of the dwarves.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n