Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies Article in “CINEMA” magazine

21 Sunday Sep 2014

Posted by archedcory1 in Discussion, Gandalf, Hobbit movie, Interview, Lee Pace, News, Richard Armitage, Smaug, Thorin, Thranduil

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Tags

bard, bilbo, cinema magazine, dwarves, gandalf, ian mckellen, interview, lee pace, luke evans, martin freeman, news, peter jackson, photos, richard armitage, scans, smaug, spoilers, tauriel, thorin, thranduil

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

[German article in the October 2014 issue of CINEMA magazine translated by ArchedCory]

On December 10^th the last journey to Middle-earth starts. CINEMA was on set and saw destroyed cities and elves covered in blood.

Thick snowflakes silently fall onto Dale’s crumbling city walls. Richly decorated wells and gates were in the meantime grown over by grass and thickets and give evidence of the former wealth of the kingdom in Middle-earth’s North. Houses, muddy paths, a row of decayed trees provide the impression of the disaster that must have taken place here. 171 years ago the dragon Smaug had opened the fire on Dale and laid the city in ruins.

Now the metropolis on Erebor’s mountainside is again becoming the scene for death and destruction. Men from Esgaroth that fled into Dale’s ruins are being chased by gruesome orcs. With drawn axes and swords they fight screaming through the narrow streets of the ruined city. And are finally defeated by the Mirkwood elves.

At the end of the massacre, Thranduil (Lee Pace), king of the wood elves, at the same time angry and sad looks at his fallen companions and the dead bodies of the orcs as he is torn out of thoughts by Gandalf (Ian McKellen). The wizard is clad in grey and pleads to Thranduil for help in the fight against the powers of darkness. He however only replies: “The elves have already shed enough blood in this land.”

“Thanks!”, shouts director Peter Jackson, and makes the orcs jump over elvish blades a few more times this day.

So Middle-earth will become sinister. For the end of his trilogy, covering the fantasy world invented by J.R.R. Tolkien in 1937, Peter Jackson lets hell come down over Middle-earth. Just like in his last “Lord of the Rings” adventure “Return of the King”, he ends his epic with massive battle scenes, tragic losses and emotional chasms. For this the kiwi gathered his actors once more for six weeks in June 2013 in his home, the idyllic Wellington. It was very challenging for the actors. “It was already two and a half years ago when I first played Bilbo”, says Martin Freeman. “Since then I have worked on lots of other projects. So in the beginning I needed some time to empathize with the role of a hobbit again.”

The shiny chain mail (mithril shirt) which he’ll wear in his next scene has probably helped him with this, just like Jackson’s perfectionism. “Peter already knows how to cut a scene before he has even shot it”, explains Ian McKellen who has the number 9 in elvish tattooed on his upper arm as reference to the nine members of the fellowship in the first “Lord of the Rings” film.

When the word “pick up shooting” is uttered in film industry usually alarm bells start to ring. After all, under normal circumstances they are the studio’s reaction to bad test screenings. It’s different here. Due to e.g. bad weather conditions certain scenes couldn’t be finished. Further Peter Jackson is constantly haunted by new ideas on how to end the final chapter in Middle-earth. This means he has written some sequences already two years ago and others as late as last night. “I still don’t believe that we are done”, Ian McKellen jokes. “I have said goodbye to Tolkien’s world already a lot of times.”

Despite Jackson’s passion for the topic, many fans remained skeptical about the director’s intention to expand a book with 300 pages into three films. Many feared an overblown fantasy spectacle. Jackson answered with two emotional 3D-epics for which he used the appendices of “Return of the King” amongst others, invented characters like ninja-elf Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) or let known characters like Legolas (Orlando Bloom) return despite not appearing in the book. This way Jackson designed his own vision of Tolkien’s world – without raising himself above the mastermind.

Even after all these years in Middle-earth the 54-year-old still doesn’t seem to believe what his team lines up for him. To turn the city of Dale into a ruin it first had to be destroyed. Over the span of six weeks approximately 130 craftsmen prepared statues, pillars and houses out of plaster, cement and wood at Mount Crawford to demonstrate the destructive power of dragon Smaug.

And another set has to suffer from the monster: Esgaroth. Over three months the Venice of Middle-earth was erected in the Stone Tree Studios in Wellington’s district Miramar – including 54 houses, boats and canals. In the end the largest set for this production fell victim to Smaug’s flames.

Next to a series of sets built solely for this production, Peter Jackson also counts on CGI effects, especially in the Battle of Five Armies which make up the core of this film.

“After this battle”, he says, “the idea of shooting a small drama sounds really tempting.”

Text in one of the boxes:
The plot of the film: While Smaug destroys Esgaroth the dwarves under the lead of a slowly going mad Thorin entrench inside Erebor. While the wargs and orcs head for the mountain, elves, men and dwarves form an alliance in the “Battle of Five Armies” against enemies that act under the influence of the Necromancer.

Óin – A Healer And His Staff

26 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by kingfisher in Discussion, Hobbit movie, Oin, Weapons

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Bo, dwarves, essay, Gun, oin, quarter staff, Shaolin, staff, The Company of Thorin Oakenshield, weapons, Wing Chun, Yin Shou Gun

Óin – A Healer And His Staff
by Kingfisher

*****

This is the seventh part in a series highlighting the various weapons used by the dwarves in the Company of Thorin, including speculation on their form and function. The essay concentrates on the original weapons as shown in the first movie “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”, and doesn’t cover additional concept weapons that were never actually used – or weapons from the following films. References are drawn from the films, tie-ins and supporting materials.

*****

Along with his brother Glóin, Óin is a distant cousin of Thorin Oakenshield. A brave Northern Dwarf, Óin joins The Company of Thorin Oakenshield out of a sense of loyalty to his kin, and also because he has a substantial sum of money invested in the venture. Well read, with an inquiring mind, Óin is the healer of the group and carries with him a considerable collection of plants and herbal remedies.

Despite his age, he can still lay about him to brutal effect with his iron-shod staff, and he has picked up many cunning fighting tricks in his time, so don’t mess with this dwarf either.

Óin’s staff
Óin carries a long, two-handed staff and – as with Glóin and his battle axe – Óin can use his staff to support his steps in rough terrain, and to lean on when he needs a rest.

A staff in general is a close combat weapon which extends the fighter’s effective range considerably and therefore increases the momentum of his blow when the weapon is swung. Range and force of impact make it an effective weapon against armored enemies on horseback, or very tall enemies like trolls. It gives the fighter the ability to keep the enemy horse and rider at a distance and strike or stab the rider up in the saddle (or the troll in the eye).

Source: P. H. Ditchfield: Old English Sports, Pastimes and Customs. England, 1891.

Staff weapons are known to have existed throughout history in both Western and Asian cultures. They have been called by many names – for example, the quarter-staff in European cultures, the Gun in China, or the Bō in Japan. They all developed and practiced techniques for staff-like weapons that ranged from 4 to 12 feet in length. Offensive and defensive techniques usually consist of striking, levering, thrusting and blocking.

The quarter-staff is – as mentioned – a traditional European pole weapon. Mostly it refers to a shaft of hardwood from 6 to 9 feet (1.8 to 2.7m) long, often with a metal tip, ferrule or spike at one or both ends. The name derives supposedly from the way the staff is held, when you imagine it being divided into four quarters: the right hand grasping it one-quarter of the distance from the lower end.

Source: Dwight C. McLemore: The Fighting Staff. Paladin Press, 2010, p. 3.

The Chinese Gun refers to a long staff used in Chinese martial arts. It is known as one of the four major weapons, along with the Qiang (spear), Dao (sabre), and the Jian (sword), called in this group “The Grandfather of all Weapons”. A bō (Korea: bong, Chinese: kon) is also a very tall and long staff used in Okinawa and feudal Japan. Bō are typically around 1.8 m (5.9 ft) long and used in Japanese martial arts.

Here are some examples on typical fighting moves with above mentioned asian staff types.

Shaolin Yin Shou Gun (Reverse hands bow staff):

Variation of Chinese staff fighting in Wing Chun (mainly from 0:56 onwards):

How to spin a bō staff:

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Óin’s staff seems to be made from a thick piece of hard-wood just like a quarter-staff, reinforced with beefy steel knobs on both ends, somewhat resembling the head of a mace with protruding sharp flanges (see here details on maces). The most common types of wood for quarter-staffs are oak, hazel, ash, hawthorn, and wax wood (a white wood from China that has been used for centuries for staffs and polearms). Hazel and ash saplings make light, flexible staffs, but ash has a tendency to flake and split. Hawthorn and oak are probably the toughest and most durable staff material, but they tend to be a bit rigid. So as Óin’s staff looks considerably sturdy we could assume that it is made of one of the latter woods – hawthorn or oak.

Concept Art by Frank Victoria, Weta Workshop. Click for full size.

The shaft of his staff can be used to deflect hostile attacks, while the thickened ends allow bone-crushing blows. And even though Óin’s staff cannot penetrate any armor (because it has no blade), the power generated while thrusting the long shaft can deliver severe injuries and is capable of overwhelming any opponent with its blunt damage and speed.

The knobs at the ends are even a bit pointy with sharp edges, and if you’re something bigger than a dwarf (such as a troll) that’s the one thing you don’t want to have jabbed in your eye or any other sensitive parts of your anatomy.

In general, staff fighting techniques involve slashing, swinging and stabbing, and include a wide variety of blocks, strikes, sweeps, and entrapments. Óin’s staff also has some leather straps attached, most probably to provide additional aid while swinging it, as we will see later when he fights his way through Goblin Town.

John Callen, Oin’s actor, says himself in the book “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Chronicles: Cloaks & Daggers” on his “fighting stick”:

Putting a leather strap on it meant I could lean on it or rest it on the ground and hang on to the strap. It could be used for lifting, carrying or whacking. It turned out to be a wonderful weapon.

He might, for example, wield it very similarly to a bō, which is gripped in thirds, and held horizontally in front, the right palm facing away from the body while the left hand is facing the body, enabling the staff to rotate. The power is generated by the back hand pulling the staff, while the front hand is used for guidance. When striking, the wrist is twisted, as if turning the hand over when punching.

Staff techniques require as much great skill as swinging an axe or a sword, and the staff may even be used to sweep sand into an attacker’s eyes. And as master of his weapon, Óin handles it almost as an extension of his limbs, as we can see looking at his wicked fighting moves in Goblin town, where he whirls it around on the wrist strap.

*****

References

Chris McNab: Swords, a Visual History. London, 2010.
Rupert Matthews: Weapons of War: From Axes to War Hammers, Weapons from the Age of Hand-to-hand Fighting. London, 2009.
Dorling Kindersley: Arms and Armour. London, 2011.
Harvey J.S. Withers: The Illustrated Directory of Swords & Sabres. London, 2011.
Ken Mondschein/J.Paul Getty Museum: The Knightly Art of Battle. Los Angeles, 2011.
J.R.R. Tolkien: The Peoples of Middle Earth. London, 2002.
Daniel Falconer: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Art & Design, 2012.
Brian Sibley: Official Movie Guide (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), 2012.
Jude Fisher: Visual Companion (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), 2012.
http://hole-intheground.blogspot.com/2012/07/arming-crew-thorin-companys-weaponry.html
http://www.screenslam.com/blog/the-weaponry-and-languages-of-the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey/
http://l-clausewitz.livejournal.com
P. H. Ditchfield: Old English Sports, Pastimes and Customs. England, 1891., http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14315
Dwight C. McLemore: The Fighting Staff. Paladin Press, 2010, p. 3.
Daniel Falconer: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Chronicles: Cloaks & Daggers, 2014.

Glóin – His Axe Stands Ready

08 Thursday May 2014

Posted by kingfisher in Discussion, Gloin, Hobbit movie, Weapons

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Tags

axe, battle axe, essay, gloin, Knives, peter hambleton, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, weapons, weta

Glóin – His Axe Stands Ready
by Kingfisher

*****

This is the sixth part in a series highlighting the various weapons used by the dwarves in the Company of Thorin, including speculation on their form and function. The essay concentrates on the original weapons as shown in the first movie “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”, and doesn’t cover additional concept weapons that were never actually used – or weapons from the following films. References are drawn from the films, tie-ins and supporting materials.

*****

Glóin, son of Gróin, accompanies Thorin Oakenshield on his quest as both participant and investor. Being sturdy retainers and traditionalists, Glóin and his brother Óin are cousins to Thorin, the King in Exile, and hold his quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the Dragon Smaug as one of greatest importance for the future of their people.

Along with Bombur, Glóin is the only other married Dwarf in the Company (there being a shortage of female dwarves in general). His wife is an acclaimed beauty with a particularly fine beard. Glóin is the proud father of a young son, Gimli, who will go on to become part of the famous Fellowship of the Ring.

Both Glóin and Óin are old enough to have known the glorious days before the fall of Erebor and feel keenly its loss – for Erebor is the heritage of the House of Durin. Over time, this lost heritage burdens their dreams and Glóin would see the majesty of the Dwarves restored for his son Gimli’s sake, and all the Dwarves to come, and he rallies to Thorin’s side, packing axe and coin for the journey.

As adroit with weapons as he is astute in business, Glóin is a stout but sturdy warrior and wary of both Elves and the Wizard. The dwarves that Glóin grew up with used to work hard – and play hard. Being an outspoken and hot-tempered dwarf, politics and sweet promises are not to his liking, and he mistrusts and sees through those who try to blind others with their allegedly cunning attitude. Glóin proves that dwarves are as strong as the pillars of the earth.

*****

Glóin’s Battle Axe
Glóin’s Battle Axe is most probably a family heirloom, given from father to son when he comes of age to carry the axe for the family, and is as sturdy as its wielder, though being a fine piece of dwarven craftsmanship. In the first place it’s of course a weapon for chopping wargs, slicing trolls, beheading orcs and – finally – killing dragons. But due to its long handle it can also double as a walking stick in rough country, to ease the strain of long walks through the vast open grasslands of Middle-earth.

Axes in general are very popular weapons because they can also be used as tools and are cheap to make. A battle axe is specifically designed for combat, so to say a “specialized” version of a utility axe. Some are suitable for use in one hand, while others – like Glóin’s Battle Axe – are larger and normally wielded with two hands.

The shaft of Glóin’s Battle Axe is square edged, with tightly wrapped double-cross leather strapping, which keeps the axe from slipping through his grasp. The length of the handle gives Glóin’s axe a much longer reach, which – combined with his great strength – enables him to hack into enemies at a three foot distance.

The blade should be made entirely from steel rather than iron with a steel cutting edge, which has been fire-welded in place separately. It’s carefully crafted and the ornate detailing befits the weapon of a wealthy dwarf of Durin’s Line. The socketed head of the blade also includes short langets – long strips of metal affixed to the faces of the haft to prevent it from being damaged during combat.

Glóin’s axe has a curved blade which increases the cutting edge. That single, sharpened crescent-shaped blade concentrates the whole weight of a blow on a small target area, so that the battle axe should be able to slice deeply into an opponent’s armor. Additionally it has a spiked tip which Glóin can use to directly stab at an opponent, and so provides him with a secondary weapon of penetration.

In battle, Glóin charges forward with a powerful swing of this axe, fighting enemies at a medium range because of the long haft of his axe, which is not good in defense, so combat can get tricky in a crowd and requires great skill. But it’s perfectly fitting for his statue, because it extends the arc and impact of his blow.

I want to quote Heirs-of-Durin-user Grim Helbeard here, explaining about the handling of a Dane Axe which can count as an early type of battle axe. It has primarily been used during the transition between the European Viking Age and early Middle Ages and reminds us (a little) of Glóin’s axe:

“A Dane Axe held at half shaft can use its shorter lower bearded blade to grasp and drop shields – then you can project the longer upper end of the blade forward as a thrusting tip. Depending on the curvature and texture of the shaft – you need to become comfortable with projecting and retracting the axe handle smoothly for transitions from close combat to more aggressive field warfare.” (Grim Helbeard)

So maybe we can assume, that Glóin might use his axe with a similar technique. Holding his axe with two hands at the end for a wide swing at medium range fighting – but slipping to half shaft for close quarters fighting. So Glóin needs to react quickly in battlefield conditions and types of enemies he has to face.

Glóins Throwing Axe
In addition to his melee weapon, Glóin utilizes a smaller throwing axe for ranged attacks (and to be ready for combat in crowded situations), which he carries tucked in his belt on the right side. It’s very similar in shape to his battle axe.

Throwing axes are especially difficult to use, as their rotation must match the distance to a moving target, or the enemy only receives a hard thump with the handle – and a new weapon.
The objective is for the axe blade to stick into the target with a sufficient amount of force. For this to be successful, accuracy, distance, number of rotations and placement of the body must be all taken into account – usually, they are thrown in an overhand motion and before contact with the enemy to create gaps in the battle lines.

As a skilled fighter, Glóin knows how to rotate the axe throughout its flight so that the sharpened edge of its heads will “stick” effectively. But it’s apparent that Glóin prefers engaging in direct combat rather than using his throwing axe.

Glóin’s knives with bone/tusk handles
In addition and almost unseen throughout the films, Gloin carries two beautiful knives in a little sheath attached to his belt at the back. I know of no other scenes where these knives are shown, except as in this picture, so I can’t analyze the blade shape properly, but we can at least see the handles of those knives which seem to be made from bone – or rather tusks, according to their curved shape.

Bones, tusks, and antlers from living animals as grip material for knives can memorialize an important and successful hunt and give the knives a high personal value. The choice to use horn, bone, shell, or ivory as grip material can be one of beauty, adding visual appeal to the smooth and polished blade – but also the texture of many of these materials helps to improve grip strength. Many horns, bones, and ivories become sticky when wet, thus improving grip security while fighting.

And to hide those little knives at his back makes them perfect weapons “of last resort” for Glóin. No matter which weapon, however, Glóin uses them all with equally devastating power!

*****

References

Chris McNab: Swords, a Visual History. London, 2010.
Rupert Matthews: Weapons of War: From Axes to War Hammers, Weapons from the Age of Hand-to-hand Fighting. London, 2009.
Dorling Kindersley: Arms and Armour. London, 2011.
Harvey J.S. Withers: The Illustrated Directory of Swords & Sabres. London, 2011.
Ken Mondschein/J.Paul Getty Museum: The Knightly Art of Battle. Los Angeles, 2011.
J.R.R. Tolkien: The Peoples of Middle Earth. London, 2002.
Daniel Falconer: Chronicles: Art & Design (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), 2012.
Brian Sibley: Official Movie Guide (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), 2012.
Jude Fisher: Visual Companion (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), 2012.
http://hole-intheground.blogspot.com/2012/07/arming-crew-thorin-companys-weaponry.html
http://www.screenslam.com/blog/the-weaponry-and-languages-of-the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey/
http://l-clausewitz.livejournal.com
Axes in the Viking Age – http://www.gav.org.uk/Research/Viking%20Age%20Axes.pdf

Balin – Mace or Sword from Ancient Times?

23 Sunday Feb 2014

Posted by kingfisher in Balin, Discussion, Hobbit movie, Weapons

≈ 27 Comments

Tags

balin, cross-section, essay, fuller, ken stott, mace, sword, taper, weapons, weta

Balin – Mace or Sword from Ancient Times?
by Kingfisher

*****

This is the fifth part in a series highlighting the various weapons used by the dwarves in the Company of Thorin, including speculation on their form and function. The essay concentrates on the original weapons as shown in the first movie “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”, and doesn’t cover additional concept weapons that were never actually used. References are drawn from the films, tie-ins and supporting materials.

*****

Balin, son of Fundin and older brother of Dwalin, is a descendant of Durin’s line – like Thorin himself, and his nephews Fili and Kili, as well as Óin and Glóin. He is Thorin’s cousin by blood and brother in arms, as is Dwalin, and together they escaped the sack of Erebor when Smaug descended in flame and fire. They fought at each other’s sides during the Battle of Azanulbizar, and Balin also accompanied Thráin on his doomed expedition to Erebor, during which his king was captured by Sauron’s henchmen and lost to his folk.

As back in the old glorious days of Erebor, Balin is still known for his eloquence, his quick wit and circumspect actions. As the elder statesman of the group, he often acts as the second in command and drafter of official contracts. But despite his advanced age, his eyes are still sharp, and he is a skilled and powerful warrior.

*****

Introduction
Balin carries “just” one primary weapon – not multiple axes like Gloin, not dozens of knives like Fili, or a gigantic warhammer, double axes and knuckle-dusters like Dwalin. Just this weapon – but it’s a unique and special one. This weapon looks like a sword, but in promotional material it’s called “Balin’s Mace”, and we will try to explore what it could be in fact.

First of all – I’m not calling it “mace”, because a mace – especially a military mace – is something entirely different. A mace intended for battle and combat usually has a massive head made of stone, bronze, iron or steel, which can even be shaped with “flanges” (protruding edges of metal) or knobs to cause severe damage. This heavy, three-dimensional head sits on a solid, wooden or metal shaft, and the whole weapon is primarily used to bludgeon opponents and deliver powerful blows. It’s a mere blunt weapon, one can’t cut with it like with a sword.

Source: http://www.wikispaces.com

And even though the massive head of Balin’s weapon gives it a slightly mace-like profile (though the head is flat and not 3-dimensional), what is it? It’s not a pure sword either. By the broadest of definitions, in my opinion it is a hybrid or combination weapon – a weapon, which combines particular elements from different weapon types into a unique one.

But let’s have a closer look at it.

*****

Blade and grip
First of all we can see a thick and broad blade which widens considerably towards the tip and ends in a triangular, star-shaped point. It is intricately decorated with dwarven-style line work and appears to be double-edged up to where it widens into the tip, sharpened along both sides.
The star-shaped broad tip features nasty edges and points, which seem sharp enough to snag clothing or flesh or inflict terrible wounds. It also has a hexagonal cut-out, which might serve to lighten the tip in order to prevent it being too top-heavy. But more on that later.

The grip, wrapped with leather strips which prevent it from slipping from the hand, is longer than, for example, the grip of one of Fili’s dual swords, Kili’s sword or even Thorin’s Deathless – about one third of the total length, according to promotional pictures and concept art. This also means a change in handling due to the shift of the balance point, because the weight distribution becomes more top-heavy.

The grip ends in a diamond-shaped pommel (knob at the top of the hilt), which aids to secure the grip on the hilt as well as acts as a counterweight to the thick blade, bringing the center of gravity closer to the hilt.

That pommel also gives the whole weapon more the appearance of a “herald’s staff”, a scepter or ceremonial mace. Ceremonial maces for example are highly ornamented staffs of metal or wood, intended to represent authority and usually carried before a king or other high official.

Source: http://www.europeana.eu

The functional parts of these ceremonial maces though, like the blade-like flanges, are degenerated into mere ornaments and show high status and power.

This could lead us to the assumption that this weapon might be intended to serve a double function – first of all, being of course a device to inflict damage or act for defense, but second, serve as a sign of Balin’s high status as Thorin’s advisor. As Balin’s actor, Ken Scott, says himself: “My character has a short sword, that is, in a sense, his badge of office as Thorin’s counselor”.

*****

Groove/Fuller, Cross-section and Taper
A very distinctive feature is the central groove (fuller) which runs along the length of the sword blade and can be broad or narrow, shallow or deep, depending upon the sword’s design and intended mission. It is often referred to as a “blood groove” or “blood channel”, but in fact has nothing to do with that, but is intended to lighten a blade without weakening it. How can this be possible though?

Source: http://albion-swords.com

To understand this, one has to realize that one of the most important requirements for a sword-blade is stiffness:

“There is no possible use of a sword in cutting, thrusting, or guarding, in which too great flexibility would not be a disadvantage. Sometimes this defect – flexibility of a blade – is assumed as the criterion of a good blade. The error arises from confounding flexibility of the blade with elasticity of the steel – the latter is necessary, the former useless and always injurious. But to resume: a blade which has been ground thin to lighten it, will frequently be too flexible and whippy. In this case by putting a groove on each side, we not only make it still lighter, but we also make it stiffer; for if we apply any force to bend a grooved blade side wise we meet with the greatest amount of resistance which any mechanical form can supply.”
(John Latham: The Shape of Sword Blades, 1862, p. 416.)

So to sum up, a fuller can add to lighten a blade, but without making it too flexible and whippy, as when the blade would just have been ground thin. On the contrary, the fuller stiffens the blade and breaks the line of force on a blow – from one edge to the other.
When striking with a sword, the impact when hit adds “stress” to the edges of the sword – rather than to its middle (due to the leverage effect) – and bends the whole sword. Removing material from this middle part (neutral axis) breaks that “power transmission” from blade edge to blade edge and therefore the sword will be stiffer and doesn’t bend that easily.

Concept Art by Frank Victoria, Weta Workshop. Click for full size.

In addition we can see, the blade has a hexagonal cross-section with double-fullers (you can only see the blade’s cross-sectional design if you were to cut a blade in half crosswise and then look at its cut end). A hexagonal cross-section simply consists of a blade with six faces. Two broad faces that make up the flat of the blade and four smaller angled faces that form the edge.

Source: http://www.myarmoury.com

The taper of a blade describes thickness (distal taper) and width (profile taper) of a blade. Usually the thickness lessens from the base towards the tip of a blade.

Source: http://www.myarmoury.com

When the blade is almost the same thickness base to tip (no or little distal taper) like in Balin’s weapon, it results in a weapon being heavier and more unresponsive than a comparable one with lesser thickness towards the tip.

The width of the blade though refers to the narrowing upon the edges of the flat of the blade. Blades with a more gradual profile taper are meant for cutting, slashing and chopping blows – some falchions even get wider towards the point. In contrast, blades designed mostly for thrusting will sometimes taper to a needle point.

Source: http://www.myarmoury.com

*****

The Point of Balance
If Balin’s weapon were a genuine mace, its chief advantage would be that it would not need to cut an opponent’s armor to be effective (unlike many edged weapons like swords). Its mass, concentrated at the end, could injure and simply stun the enemy by blunt force. An unarmored opponent might even be killed right away. But this top-heavy distribution of mass affects also the handling of the weapon, probably a little like swinging a club. Held straight out and motionless its weight is apparent, but disappears mostly when swung. All that is left is momentum, as you can see here when Balin is fighting the goblins of Goblin Town.

And though it isn’t a true mace, we can recognize some of these characteristics – the longer grip and the thick head of Balin’s hybrid weapon. Both affect the Point of Balance (PoB) and change how the weapon is wielded (The PoB can be found by balancing a weapon (or try it with a pen or long stick), lengthwise, upon your finger. It’s the point where the object is “in balance”, where the center of gravity is located. The spot that has equal mass on either side of a blade’s length).

Source: http://www.thearma.org

The Point of Balance is of vital importance for the handling of every weapon. When it shifts more to the tip of the blade, the heavier that weapon feels. That means, a weapon with the PoB closer to the grip feels lighter and more movable, having more control over the point – but it also sacrifices some power from the cutting stroke. On the other hand, the further out the PoB is, the more momentum and mass in the cut, but less point control the weapon will have. So mass distribution plays a very important role as well.

*****

Conclusion
To sum up, Balin’s weapon features the following characteristics:

Elements of a military mace: A long handle and a heavy tip (lightened by the hexagonal cut-out), which have an effect on the mass distribution, the placement of the balance point and the handling, so the weight is top-heavy and aids a hacking motion. The tip though is flat, not three-dimensional and doesn’t feature blade-like flanges like a traditional mace.

Elements of a ceremonial mace: The finishing and the decorative elements are very special for an ordinary weapon – Balin’s weapon isn’t “just” from steel, but shines coppery and is – in this – an impressive sight. It also fits his red clothing he sets out with on the journey. So it’s not just a weapon but also shows high status and quality, representing Balin’s function as Thorin’s councilor and “Vice President”.

Elements of a sword: The blade seems to be double-edged in the middle part, but shows no real cutting edge to speak of towards the business end of the blade, though the star-shaped projections seem sharp enough to add stabbing moves. Adding to this, the blade is almost equally thick from base to tip (little distal taper) which adds even more weight in addition to the heavy tip. The little profile taper (width of the blade) suggests as well that the weapon is intended for more slashing and chopping blows than thrusting.

Concluding now that Balin’s weapon is a hybrid weapon, it can double both as a mace and a sword – weighted towards the far end to act like a bludgeon, but with a bladed edge in the middle like a more traditional sword, to be used in close quarters for hacking at legs, arms or neck. In this, the head of the weapon, having the rectangular cut-out, can be useful for bashing in orc skulls or cracking ribs at a longer, more comfortable range.

Frank Victoria from Weta Workshop, who designed Balin’s weapon, explains the initial concept they had for it:
“Actor Ken Stott told me, ‘I would like to have a weapon that is between an axe and a sword.’ That got me thinking, we’ve never seen anything like that before. Four or five sketches later we had this really unique weapon that is definitely not something human. It’s totally a Dwarf weapon. It has a silhouette, this thing we were all searching for, and it looks like it could be on a flag or a religious symbol. It was originally going to be grey, but to go with his costume they made it coppery and it looks great.” (The Hobbit, an Unexpected Journey – Chronicles, Art and Design)

Balin’s weapon might be an heirloom from ancient times, old dwarven craftsmanship from Erebor, speaking of a past glory the exiles of Erebor have yet to regain. And though age and experience might have tempered the keenness of the old warrior’s reflexes, both mind and weapon are as sharp as the day the dragon first descended upon the Dwarves’ mountain home, and Balin will not shy from drawing his star-pointed blade when foes threaten.

*****

References

Chris McNab: Swords, a Visual History. London, 2010.
Rupert Matthews: Weapons of War: From Axes to War Hammers, Weapons from the Age of Hand-to-hand Fighting. London, 2009.
Dorling Kindersley: Arms and Armour. London, 2011.
Harvey J.S. Withers: The Illustrated Directory of Swords & Sabres. London, 2011.
Ken Mondschein/J.Paul Getty Museum: The Knightly Art of Battle. Los Angeles, 2011.
J.R.R. Tolkien: The Peoples of Middle Earth. London, 2002.
Daniel Falconer: Chronicles: Art & Design (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), 2012.
Brian Sibley: Official Movie Guide (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), 2012.
Jude Fisher: Visual Companion (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), 2012.
http://hole-intheground.blogspot.com/2012/07/arming-crew-thorin-companys-weaponry.html
http://www.screenslam.com/blog/the-weaponry-and-languages-of-the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey/
http://l-clausewitz.livejournal.com
The Shape of Sword Blades, by Mr. John Latham, firm of Messrs Wilkinson and Son. In: Journal of the Royal United Service Institution, Volume 6, By Royal United Service Institution, 1862, p. 410-322, here p. 416.

Dwalin – Weapons of a Veteran

11 Saturday Jan 2014

Posted by kingfisher in Discussion, Dwalin, Hobbit movie, Weapons

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

axe, cirth, dwalin, dwarves, essay, graham mctavish, grasper, headbutt, keeper, knuckle dusters, Ukhlat, Umraz, war hammer, weapons, weta

Dwalin – Weapons of A Veteran
by Kingfisher

*****

This is the fourth part in a series highlighting the various weapons used by the dwarves in the Company of Thorin, including speculation on their form and function. The essay concentrates on the original weapons as shown in the first movie “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”, and doesn’t cover additional concept weapons that were never actually used. References are drawn from the films, tie-ins and supporting materials.

*****

As one of the more senior members of the Company of Thorin Oakenshield – next to his older brother Balin and the brother-pair Oin and Gloin – Dwalin is a professional warrior and veteran fighter, and heavily armed with a bunch of weapons: a mighty war hammer, two nasty axes strapped to his back, a dagger, and of course – his brutal knuckle dusters which translate every handshake into an assault. Some also say, his head would be a weapon too… talk about being prepared.

Dwalin and Thorin are said to have a especially close relationship. Growing up together and sharing the bitter air of exile while fighting their way through numerous hordes of goblins and orcs – for example at the dreadful “Battle of Azanulbizar” (T.A. 2799) where Dwalin and his brother Balin lost their father Fundin – Dwalin remains “Thorin’s staunchest supporter” with a fierce and unbending loyalty. More like a brother than distant kin, Dwalin would willingly lay down his own life if it would save Thorin Oakenshield’s.

Since his life and the lives of others depend on his weapons and his skill in wielding them, Dwalin takes great care of them. It’s told that he “cherishes every nick and scratch, since each marks the death of an enemy. He does not suffer fools gladly nor is he the most loquacious member of The Company, leaving the talking to his brother, Balin. In truth, Dwalin prefers his weapons to do the talking for him, and he is looking forward to letting them chatter loudly” (Jude Fisher: Visual Companion (AUJ), 2012).

Dwalin’s War Hammer
It’s not surprising that a war hammer consists of a handle and a hammer head – much like a normal hammer. It is primarily used as a bludgeoning weapon and designed to deliver the full force from a blow to the opponent, with the fighting method being based on strength and accuracy in hitting the target.
It is a weapon of mass, having the ability to strike with shock and percussion through armor – or to smash thick orc skulls. Such strikes can injure the foe by causing concussions or denting the armor and joints so that the enemy would be unable to move. While – in contrast – swords and battle axes concentrate on slashing and thrusting moves, tending to ricochet off hard surfaces (like armor) and are sometimes likely to give only a glancing blow when not aimed properly, a single blow from a war hammer is sufficient to shatter bones and cave in skulls, even when a helmet is worn.

The head of a war hammer is typically made of metal. It can apply more force than other hammers, due to its larger size and has the ability to distribute force over a wide area. For weaker foes like goblins, just the weight of the head may be used for blows, but for tough Orcs or Uruk-hais, the war hammer is swung like an axe.
The handle can have different lengths – very similar to long-handled axes vs. throwing axes – and according to the length of the handle, the use of the war hammer is different as well. A long haft extends the arc when the hammer is swung and – in this – increases the power of the blow. It’s also very effective against mounted opponents or tall foes like trolls or giants, when directed at their legs and making them stumble and topple to the ground where they can be attacked more easily. Of course the handle end of the hammer can also be used as a weapon when the opponent is within direct reach. Though shorter handled hammers are generally better in close quarter fighting or from horseback.

Dwalin’s war hammer is indeed a fearsome weapon to meet. The enormous, four-sided hammer-head has a pyramid-shaped protrusion on its face which focuses even more impact into a small area. It is counter-balanced by a peen (or pein – the end of a hammer head opposite the face, typically wedge-shaped). To protect the handle from assault by an opponent armed with an edged weapon, the socket extends into steel-langet-like enforcements that run down the sturdy wooden haft and are riveted to it. The war hammer has some notable heft, with the mass centered around the head. Nevertheless, the hammer is quick enough to make fast recoveries should the first blow not find its target.

With these specifics, Dwalin’s war-hammer resembles mostly a blacksmith’s straight-peen (sledge) hammer. These hammers have a wedge-shaped head which is oriented parallel to the hammer’s handle (in contrast to cross-peen/diagonal hammer heads). They are normally used by blacksmiths during the forging process to deliver blows for forging or to strike other forging tools. A main difference though is the pyramid-shaped protrusion on the hammer face. But as this hammer is a weapon of war and not a mere tool any more, this modification is understandable. But Dwalin doesn’t need to hammer the heads of his enemies flat (though he may want to), but only to inflict some serious damage to his foes. Nevertheless it can be seen as a natural extension of the blacksmith’s tool becoming a weapon.

Simple as the hammer might seem, there are different approaches to using it. Holding the handle very close to the hammer head makes the hammer easier to control and quicker to strike, but it reduces the force of the blow (also known as “choking the hammer”). Whereas holding the handle close to its end increases the lever arm and produces a more effective – though slower – blow. Fighting with a war hammer typically requires two hands and a swinging motion involving the entire body, in contrast to smaller hammers used for driving in nails.

*****

Dwalin’s Axes
As if such a gigantic war-hammer wouldn’t be enough, Dwalin – as a professional warrior – also fights with two axes, which he carries crossed upon his back. Unlike Gloin’s long-handled battle-axe with its curved blade, Dwalin’s axes have a straight cutting edge, which gives rigidity, stability and control when cutting. Though a curved blade increases the cutting edge and is ideal to penetrate deeply in a strike or slice, a straight edge aids more a hacking motion – to chop easily through bone, dent plate armor, or inflict blunt trauma through mail armor (compare this to Fili’s swords, cutting one way and concentrating on thrusts and chops while working largely in the manner of an axe).

Those two short-hafted axes are simple in shape, but wide in blade and can be wielded one-handed and simultaneously – unlike Thorin’s and Gloin’s long-handled axes. The Blog “In a Hole-in-the-Ground” speculates in addition: “The fact that Dwalin, a mighty and renowned warrior among the dwarves, carries axes like Thorin (the heir of Durin) and Gloin (a close relative of Thorin) may add further weight to the theory that axes are seen as a symbol of power or prestige in dwarven culture.”

We can also see two inscriptions on Dwalin’s axes – in Angerthas Moria, a variation of the Cirth (runes) used by the Dwarves of Moria.

Michelle Nevins analyzes in her essay “An Introduction to Runes in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”:
“As our heroes Journey on to Rivendell and are greeted by Lindir, a close up of Dwalin’s battle axes reveals cirth cast into the cheeks of the axe heads. Recall that the Angerthas Daeron, Angerthas Moria and Angerthas Erebor have slightly different phonic sounds for certain runes, but the English translation is “Grasper” and “Keeper”. The runes read uk.lat (Ukhlat – “grasper, holder”) and umraz (Umraz – “keeper”). (…) The names “Grasper” and “Keeper” were Graham McTavish’s suggestion based on the names of two hounds Emily Brontë owned. Mr. McTavish’s take is that Dwalin “grasps your soul with one axe and keeps it with the other”. Initially Sir Peter Jackson loved the idea and was quoted as saying “we could get it in Elvish and the fans will love it”. Considering the amount of research and detailed analysis that David Salo did on Khuzdul, Dwarvish outstanding smithing abilities, the crudeness of the weapons, and Dwarvish resentment of Elves, it can be most likely ruled out that the translation is A. Daeron.”

In addition, Dwalin wears a wicked dagger in a scabbard attached to his belt on his left hip (picture see portrait of Dwalin at the beginning of this essay, where he holds the dagger), with the blade being notched or serrated close to the hilt. A serrated blade has a jagged cutting edge, so that the cutting action results in many tiny splits of the cut material – not unlike a saw. It acts as a weapon of last resort, but can also be applied as a utility tool.

*****

Dwalin’s Knuckle Dusters
One could also argue if Dwalin’s knuckle dusters count as armor or weapons, but as he doesn’t wear leather vambraces to protect his hands and forearms and – instead – chose to transform his already deadly fists to weapons of their own, they shall be included here.

Graham McTavish himself describes his approach as follows:
“I have a pair of knuckle-dusters. I mentioned that I saw Dwalin as the kind of guy whose hands are as much of a weapon as his hammers. So if he ever finds himself with no weapons, he still has his hands.That led to a discussion about the possibility of armoured gauntlets and how it would be good to have something that was articulated. Then Richard Taylor (…) came up with spring-loaded knuckle-dusters that will probably be responsible for some serious Orc damage.” (Brian Sibley: Official Movie Guide (AUJ), 2012)

Dwalin’s knuckle dusters carry heavy steel blades, held together with chains which are linked to broad wrist straps, so that when Dwalin pulls his fists, the knuckle pieces would stick out wickedly. They are weapons used in hand-to-hand combat to strengthen the impact of a punch.
Both knuckle dusters are also different from each other – while the right-hand one features two broad blades, Dwalin carries four smaller, but nonetheless equally sharp blades on the left one. And though they are really tough tools, as every dwarven weapon they show distinctive dwarven motifs, like the little ornamental designs etched into the sides of the four blades and the heavy geometric chain elements.
In general, this is canon for all dwarven weapons – they are tough, and made to last, but always crafted with an attention to intricate details and a high degree of finesse.

And – taking into account that Graham McTavish says he sees his hands as “Insult” and “Injury”, the primary purpose of his knuckle dusters becomes quite clear…

Dwalin’s Head
And last but not least, Dwalin’s hands are not his only built-in weapons – so is his head!

It consists of thick, sturdy and stubborn dwarven bone and is decorated with distinctive dwarven tattoos, as angular and hard-edged in design as the Dwarf himself.
The tattoos show a pictorial history of what happened to the dwarf race – “a memorial to their suffering” as Graham McTavish says himself in the Extended DVD-Edition of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”. Dwalin commemorates every important episode in his life with a new tattoo.

And how he uses this deadly weapon of a head? See for yourself…

*****

References

Chris McNab: Swords, a Visual History. London, 2010.
Rupert Matthews: Weapons of War: From Axes to War Hammers, Weapons from the Age of Hand-to-hand Fighting. London, 2009.
Dorling Kindersley: Arms and Armour. London, 2011.
Harvey J.S. Withers: The Illustrated Directory of Swords & Sabres. London, 2011.
Ken Mondschein/J.Paul Getty Museum: The Knightly Art of Battle. Los Angeles, 2011.
J.R.R. Tolkien: The Peoples of Middle Earth. London, 2002.
Daniel Falconer: Chronicles: Art & Design (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), 2012.
Brian Sibley: Official Movie Guide (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), 2012.
Jude Fisher: Visual Companion (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), 2012.
http://hole-intheground.blogspot.com/2012/07/arming-crew-thorin-companys-weaponry.html
http://www.screenslam.com/blog/the-weaponry-and-languages-of-the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey/
http://l-clausewitz.livejournal.com/
Howard Monroe Raymond: Modern Shop Practice V2, American Technical Society, 1916
Gif: http://teamdurango.tumblr.com/post/44497501316/dwalin-is-a-biker

Kili and His Weapons – Deadly At Every Range

02 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by kingfisher in Discussion, Hobbit movie, Kili, Weapons

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

aidan turner, Archery, Bow and arrow, Bow shape, dwarves, essay, kili, Longbow, sword, weapons, weta

Kili and His Weapons – Deadly At Every Range
by Kingfisher

*****

This is the third part in a series highlighting the various weapons used by the dwarves in the Company of Thorin, including speculation on their form and function. The essay concentrates on the original weapons as shown in the first movie “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”, and doesn’t cover additional concept weapons that were never actually used. References are drawn from the films, tie-ins and supporting materials.

*****

Kili, the second in the line of Durin to the throne, may not have as many weapons as his older brother Fili, but he is no less an expert fighter. Together with his brother, the pair have the quickest feet and sharpest eyes in the Company of dwarves, being the lookouts, scouts and hunters of the group, always ready to run ahead to spy out the lie of the land or to chase down an orc.
From an early age they were both given intensive weapons training, making them swift and able fighters. Kili is the only one among the dwarves who relies on a bow as a primary weapon, with which he is a deadly shot, but he also has a sword of exquisite dwarven craftsmanship.

The young dwarf is always ready to smash a few heads and his prowess in archery is in no way less than that of elves. On the contrary, he combines the great strength of a dwarf with the steady hand, and the keen eye of a youthful warrior.

Kili’s Bow
A bow in general consists of two parts – the bow itself and the bowstring. A bow is made of a long, narrow strip of flexible material like wood that snaps back to its original shape after being bent. There are many types of bows, but usually, the most important traditional bow types are called “straight” and “recurve” bows. In archery, the type of a bow can be identified by viewing the shape of its limbs from the side.

The design of a bow’s shape has to take into account:

The material, from which it is built (wood, horn or composite materials). The material has to store the energy effectively when the bow is drawn by withstanding the strain under compression and rapidly giving it back when the arrow is released.
The required performance (Would the bow shoot over a wide distance or is its focus more on a hard impact?)
The intended use (Where do you need the bow? In a battle with many others to shoot a massed volley, or on horseback while riding?)

Longbow
A longbow is a bow with straight, narrow limbs. The total length of a longbow is usually the same length as the span of an archer’s outstretched arms, which can even equal his height. Longbows are mostly made from a single piece of yew or fir wood and are used to great effect by many archers shooting together in massed volleys, though a longer range doesn’t mean much against armored foes.

Recurve
Kili’s bow shows the characteristics of a recurve bow, where the limbs are “recurved” (i.e. the tip of each limb curves away from the archer) and are therefore shorter than those of a longbow. However, as the bow is drawn, the recurve ‘unwinds’; the limbs can store more energy and also deliver this energy more efficiently than a similar straight-limbed bow, giving more speed to the arrow.

And one can imagine that with the great strength dwarves have, even their shorter recurve bows are far more powerful than larger straight limbed bows.
To be able to store more energy and to withstand the greater strain under stress, those bows are not all built from a single piece of wood but from multiple layers of horn, wood and sinew, glued together. And as you can see in the following picture, the limbs of Kili’s bow are likely not made from one single piece of wood, but from multiple layers.

In a bow made like this, a wooden core gives it its shape and stability and a thin layer of horn is glued to the side of the bow facing the archer (the “belly”), as horn is more flexible than wood under compression. Sinews, soaked in animal glue are laid in layers on the back of the bow. After months of drying, the bow is ready for use. When the bow is drawn, the sinew (stretched on the outside) and horn (compressed on the inside) store more energy than wood for the same length of bow.

Some of the bows have horn or ivory nocks fastened to the end, but otherwise the nock is part of the wood of the bow (a nock is the groove at either end of a bow for holding the bowstring). The nocks of Kili’s bow though are likely made from metal, to stiffen the tips when the bow is drawn and the material is put under tension.

Strings and arrows are also essential parts of the weapon system. Bowstrings are generally made of good quality flax or linen, and are impregnated with beeswax to repel rain and dew. When a bow string shows signs of fraying, especially at the loops, it has to be replaced quickly with a new one before it breaks. A broken string can mean a useless and therefore lost bow. Spare strings though are always carefully broken in at practice – a new string never shoots in the same way at first as the old one did.

The Arrows are very often made from birch, fletched with the tail feathers of a bird, which results in higher arrow velocities, greater stability, better guidance, higher accuracy and a more forgiving flight. It’s also remarkable that Kili always carries four arrows with yellow feathers in his quiver, which is combined with his sword sheath attached to his back.

The form of the arrowheads – or points –can be everything from wide metal blades used for big game (or in war) to bone and wooden points, which are used for hunting birds and small animals. The flattened heads of Kili’s arrows resemble a chisel and you can easily imagine them penetrating tough warg hide when shot with force.

Conclusion
A bow made all from wood with the same shape, length and draw-weight could not store the energy and would break before it’s fully drawn.

The main advantage of Kili’s bow is the combination of small size with high power – which is more convenient when the archer has to be mobile, as from the back of a horse or pony or on foot. Kili can crouch near an enemy or nearly lay down while he is still able to shoot – which lowers his profile and makes it more difficult for an enemy to hit him. So it’s perfectly suited for his role as a scout. And it gets handy, if a fighter can slow down attacking wargs and orcs.

Such a powerful dwarven recurve bow needs a strong arm to pull it, as well as strong fingers to hold the string and bear that kind of tension well. It may not shoot as wide as an elven longbow, but with the heavy weight a dwarf is able to draw and the efficient design, the archer has to be strong, quick and accurate. Perfect for a dwarf like Kili.

*****

Kili’s Sword
But in general, dwarves prefer a close quartered fight to distance fighting and like to get into direct contact with the enemy. So Kili is an expert not only with his bow, but also with his dwarven sword, where his strength and balance really excel.

Not unlike Thorin’s sword “Deathless”, Kili’s short sword has a wide and double-edged blade and follows, both in pattern and style, the distinct dwarven motifs with their sharp angles and solid blades. The thick blade gives the sword more mass, and as the fighting style of the dwarves is all about power and damage, this extra weight turns into more momentum on impact. This distinct type of a heavy-bladed sword combines the mass and power of a battle axe with the agility of a sword. Additionally, the blade is narrow-waisted at the middle and heavily weighted at the front part to aid a hacking motion.
His sword was likely made using a technique known as “pattern welding” – in which different pieces of metal are hammered flat, folded and welded to form a pattern, and the core of hard steel, which is exposed at the single cutting edge, is sandwiched between layers of softer steel. This produces stronger and more flexible swords.

As mentioned already in the other essays on Thorin’s and Fili’s weapons, swords can feature either thrusting or slashing characteristics. For example, a thrusting sword has a sharp point for stabbing, while a slashing sword relies more on cutting power and uses its large weight to transfer that energy to the cut.

Kili’s sword is sharpened along both sides right to the tip (a double-edged blade), ideal for slashing attacks. Double-edged swords have two edges running down the blade’s length: the forward (or “true”) edge and the back (or “false”) edge.
The distinguishing characteristic of fighting with a double-edged sword is that the warrior has to use both edges of the sword for defending and striking. And an unskilled or poorly-trained fighter, who does not know how to use both edges of his sword effectively, may flail around clumsily using only one edge and forget to use the other side. This can turn out fatal, when he has to face a swift attack or counter attack delivered with the false edge from a more experienced enemy.
The skill in using a double-edged sword effectively relies heavily on the fighter’s ability to switch quickly between true and false edges, often feinting with one before striking with the other.

Especially remarkable concerning a double-edged sword is that the edges can be “switched”, when one side of the sword is blunted, the other relatively unused edge can be turned into the new favored one. In other words: Kili can cut with his sword on either side – with both a forehand and a backhand slash.

If you have a closer look, you can also recognize the sword’s central and prominent fuller (the beveled groove in the flat side of the blade) which greatly enhances the strength of the blade, very suitable for the powerful blows that dwarves have the great strength to strike. This sword, wielded by a skilled fighter like Kili, can savagely thrust around and is especially well-suited for close-quarters fighting. A short handguard, heavily decorated with a variation of Kili’s personal emblem protects his hand from the enemy’s weapon. The “boat-shaped” sword pommel – the knob at the top of the hilt with the rich inlaid geometric design – serves as a counterweight to the blade, bringing the center of gravity closer to the hilt.

In addition, Kili wears a hunting dagger at his left hip. It acts as a weapon of last resort, but can also be applied as a utility tool, as well as his pocket knife, containing a blade and a little saw, which is perfect for a dwarven scout. But it may also be used as a weapon. In fact, anything can be a weapon (or a shield) for dwarves, as Kili showed us so cleverly by using his famous “laddershield” down in Goblintown!

Kili and his laddershield

*****

References

Chris McNab: Swords, a Visual History. London, 2010.
Rupert Matthews: Weapons of War: From Axes to War Hammers, Weapons from the Age of Hand-to-hand Fighting. London, 2009.
Dorling Kindersley: Arms and Armour. London, 2011.
Harvey J.S. Withers: The Illustrated Directory of Swords & Sabres. London, 2011.
Ken Mondschein/J.Paul Getty Museum: The Knightly Art of Battle. Los Angeles, 2011.
J.R.R. Tolkien: The Peoples of Middle Earth. London, 2002.
Daniel Falconer: Chronicles: Art & Design (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), 2012.
Brian Sibley: Official Movie Guide (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), 2012.
http://hole-intheground.blogspot.com/2012/07/arming-crew-thorin-companys-weaponry.html
http://www.screenslam.com/blog/the-weaponry-and-languages-of-the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey/
http://l-clausewitz.livejournal.com/
http://www.arrowheadology.com/
http://prehistorics-uk.blogspot.de/

Fili, Kili and Thorin Oakenshield in Desolation of Smaug – A Second Appreciation of the Heirs of Durin

02 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by archedcory1 in Discussion, Fili, Hobbit book, Hobbit movie, Kili, Richard Armitage, Thorin

≈ 108 Comments

Tags

aidan turner, dean o'gorman, desolation of smaug, fili, kili, richard armitage, thorin

Last year I wrote a very spontaneous essay on my three favourite dwarves mainly because I was annoyed how much hate they received for reasons I did not understand. Never did I think this essay would become as popular as it did.
Now, after The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug came to the cinemas, a couple of people came up to me and asked me carefully: “Are you going to do it again after this film?”
I wasn’t going to, but after some time I thought: You are right, maybe I should. And if people are actually expecting me to do it, I should even more so. So I thank those people for their trust and hope they will like my second attempt as well.

I will be using the common abbreviations for the three parts of the trilogy: AUJ = An Unexpected Journey, DOS = Desolation of Smaug, TABA = There And Back Again

What might not be obvious after the first or second viewing, and what took me also a while to notice: All three heirs changed distinctively from AUJ to DOS. Thorin is lured by the gold, Fili has to decide where his loyalties lie and Kili, well… we all saw what happened to him (how dare you, Kili?)

Thorin’s change was the biggest. After being the rough but still likeable tragic hero in AUJ he is now tempted more and more by the gold. It might not be as obvious yet (I expect this change to follow an even more drastic course in TABA), but the true dimension can be seen in a couple of short glimpses.

We all know the obvious scenes: “I will not risk this quest for the life of one burglar,” and the confrontation between Thorin and Bilbo inside Erebor, but it is in fact his facial expressions that tell us a lot about what is going on in his head. I had never seen such utter despair on Thorin’s face before than in that scene where he thinks the whole quest is lost because of the last light of Durin’s Day dilemma. He looks as if his world would shut down any minute. In this moment he assumes the big goal in his life is lost and he must realize that he never made any plans should he fail. Because a dwarf simply does not expect to fail, especially not such a proud one as Thorin. He has that same fear a bit later in the film. When the dwarves hear the dragon inside the mountain, he gets the same helpless “Oh no, I won’t be able to fulfill my quest!” face. It is an almost perfect depiction of hopelessness and loss of goals in life.

On the other hand he changes very quickly in his temper. When Bilbo finds the keyhole after they had given up, and Thorin picks up the key from the ground, he has this especially greedy and demanding look in his eyes. It’s a look that makes you back up involuntarily, and no way would you ever consider antagonizing him!

Thorin’s mood towards others also changes. He becomes more restless and impatient the closer he gets to the mountain. In AUJ he was the perfect leader and protective of every member of his company. There are multiple times where he cries out for certain dwarves or Bilbo, saves them, etc. He might be too stubbornly proud at times to admit caring for them, but his actions speak otherwise. The last time we see this kind of Thorin is just before Beorn’s house when he grabs startled Bombur by the beard to drag him along into safety.

Later in DOS, however, Thorin gets more careless about the other dwarves. He doesn’t even hesitate to leave Kili and Bofur behind, not even a mention of Oin, hardly fights for Fili remaining in the company, and he is even willing to risk Bilbo’s life – or even harming him himself! As long as he gets gold and the Arkenstone everything else is secondary to him – even leaving behind his own kin (more on this particular scene later on).

In both films Thorin is confronted with a situation where he is more or less asked “Weren’t we supposed to meet Gandalf here?” When he answers in the cave in the Misty Mountains his face and voice show concern and to me it always sounded as if he is not comfortable at all going on without Gandalf. While in DOS, however, he is almost annoyed to be asked. After all, what is Bilbo thinking? That he needs that stupid wizard to fulfill his quest? Of course he thinks he could do all of this without the help of others. His mind is already that influenced by the gold sickness at that point.

There is one scene in particular where it shows how far this has gone: when running away from Smaug he actually commands Bilbo to go with Balin, and for an instant he faces the dragon completely alone. But he himself realizes just a second later that this was a very bad idea, that he is not invincible after all. It leads to the scene of him standing on Smaug’s snout. Without Dwalin’s and Nori’s help he would have never made it out of there.

Interestingly enough seeing all the gold in Erebor doesn’t seem to give Thorin relief. He looks as if it burdens him when he finally has it in front of his eyes. It’s a typical behaviour of drug addicts: they can live neither with nor without their drug. And in the end dragon sickness is no more than a classic addiction.

Kili is introduced to us in AUJ as a very cheerful dwarf, sometimes reckless and maybe not the brightest, but still likeable. Ever since the Special Extended Edition, and even more so since DOS, we know that his looks are not the only thing about him that is completely atypical for a dwarf. Being open-minded to other cultures is a good thing, and is actually even hinted at for the young dwarves in the Hobbit book, but his attraction to an elf is just too much for a proper dwarf. I like it how the other dwarves in Rivendell make fun of him when he shows interest in the elves – it marks him the odd one out. So it is very surprising that NONE of the dwarves in the company says anything about him getting even more serious about this in DOS.

Kili also has two similar scenes in AUJ and DOS: twice he is the first one who thoughtlessly jumps into danger. While it ends well in the troll scene, it doesn’t when he tries to reach the lever at the elven gate. Kili is a very young dwarf and maybe battle-ready, but not battle-hardened yet. He enjoys fighting and showing his abilities; you can see that in every scene of him using his weapons. But before this quest he obviously never has been in a real fight before. Even more importantly he never had a serious injury before. So the moment that arrow hits him, he must realize for the first time in his life that he is not invincible and he could be dead quicker than he thinks. He got a glimpse of bad things happening when he was separated from his brother in the stone giant scenes, but now it got even more serious (and that trend will continue in TABA…). And each time things don’t go as planned he is startled yet again. He hasn’t yet learned to deal with setbacks.

And starting from the point of his injury, Kili acts atypically again by suffering and whining over his wound. He tries to cover it up, but doesn’t really succeed. Dwarves have learned not to show pain or weaknesses, to be tough and always ready, no matter how miserable they might feel inside. Thorin gives us a beautiful glimpse of this as he slips out of his burning coat and just walks on as if nothing had happened. I am sure he was also afraid of injuries in that moment, but never would he show that, which also means he has no sympathy for those who do. He is very impolite towards whining Kili and gives him absolutely no time to rest, even burdens him with even more weapons to carry. And I am quite sure at least this little part has nothing to do with dragon sickness, but is simply annoyance with un-dwarflike, dishonourable behaviour over a – what he probably considers– tiny little wound.

In DOS Fili seems to have little else to do than worry about his brother and show off his weapon arsenal. Many people have expressed concern over this, because he should be given greater importance being an heir of Durin and because of his fate.

I, too, was annoyed, especially because Fili has three big scenes in the book (the rope scene, the apple line, being haughty with the captain of the Lake-town guard) and none of those made it into the film. However maybe even to Fili there is more than one sees on the surface.

Yes, he is over-protective of his brother, but that is not necessarily a bad thing, as Kili IS his little brother after all. I imagine before going on the quest somebody (Thorin? Dis?) told him to look after his brother for the duration of the journey. And he is a loyal, responsible dwarf, so he holds on to that, even though he is only five years older than Kili, which is absolutely nothing in the long life of a dwarf. And even if nobody told him that, maybe he is just doing it as a habit. After all, to dwarves kinship holds the highest value so it is just natural he is so close to his brother. Why does Kili hardly show any of this? Well, he is the younger one, and he is introduced to us as quite a reckless individual (even his mother thinks so), so it might just be his personality. That is even more a reason for Fili to watch out for him.

Of course when one has to look after the other he has to be alert, and Fili definitely is, considering all the knives, swords and daggers he carries with him. He might have overdone it a bit though. Yes, just like Kili, Fili too is battle-ready but not battle-hardened yet. Maybe he was nervous when packing and took more than he needed. But better too much, than too little, right? Still, even though he might have the same concerns about battle and getting injured as Kili, he seems to be the more stoic one and doesn’t show it too much on the outside. That is one of several hints of him being the more regal one of the two.

Fili copies a lot of characteristics of his uncle; being a tough fighter and not showing concerns too much on the outside are two of them. Also, he is just as sceptical about elves as Thorin. Never at any point in Mirkwood does he show any sympathy for them, not even when they save his brother. And when Tauriel comes to Lake-town to Kili’s aid, he doesn’t quite know which feeling should prevail – concern for his brother or mistrust of the elf? Those mixed thoughts can be seen on his face at any point there.

Interestingly enough, as Thorin stops being protective of his companions in DOS, Fili takes over doing so. No, I am not even talking about Kili here. Once the four dwarves stay behind in Bard’s house Fili takes on a kind of leadership role. And there he starts to act very grown-up when orcs and later the dragon are about to come. He not only tells Bard to get his children out of danger, he even tries to protect them himself when Bard can’t do so anymore. He must be afraid himself (who wouldn’t?), but still he throws himself against the orcs with his bare hands in a desperate attempt to keep them away from the girls. Later on he even pushes one of the girls out of danger and tries to protect her with only his body. People might call me crazy here, but to me that is a turning point for Fili – where he grows up and shows responsibility on his own. It is also an important foreshadowing for those of you who know the book. I just desperately hope this will be followed in TABA!

And then of course there is the major motive of Fili so far. In AUJ he was shown to us as almost blindly loyal to his uncle. He still shows us this in DOS; however, the last time this motive is to be seen is in Beorn’s house, where twice he looks to Thorin for help or answers or whatever he hopes to find there. After this, Thorin started to change. There was hardly any time to interact between Beorn’s house and the flight from Mirkwood, but once the dwarves step out of the barrels, Thorin is suddenly very different towards his nephews. In an almost rude manner he doesn’t care at all about Kili’s wound and even scolds Fili for worrying so much over just a scratch. Possibly the first time Fili doesn’t quite pay attention to his changed uncle, but even then he already stayed at his brother’s side to aid him. And then at the parting scene Fili has to think his loyalties through.

There are two scenes I want to look at in particular: the healing scene and the parting scene. Let us start with the healing and no, I won’t go into any of the hate on this scene, as my personal opinion is of no concern here. It is interesting how the brothers react here though. Fili is not at all fond of elves and in this scene he never takes his eyes off Tauriel, always alert should she hurt his brother. Up until the end he doesn’t trust her. Even when Oin says it was a privilege to watch elven magic he hasn’t lost his scepticism. He probably still can’t believe he let her proceed at all. At the same time though he is definitely relieved to see his brother saved, even if he can’t quite arrange it with his dwarven pride to thank her.

Kili, well, I am still puzzled on how to interpret his reaction in this scene. At one point I thought he is talking about Tauriel, at another that he is talking about “some” woman and even that he might talk about his mother. Right now I mostly follow the theory that he is in a fever daze when he talks about love. But my own mood changes every day, so I’ll let everybody make up their own mind. The fact is, he is 77 years old. Dwarves hardly ever marry before they are 100 years old, so the question is, at this tender age, is Kili mentally mature enough to know what love is yet? Compare with 12 year olds who “love” a new person almost every week. After all, he might not mean it as seriously as it sounds. In the end I don’t think he would really have love, marriage, a relationship, sex (you choose) in mind. I see him more like a 14 year old human boy, interested enough to look at women already, but that’s about it.

Reaching for Tauriel’s hand is reasonable and almost sweet. Of course every person longs for physical contact in moments of great danger, and in those moments you don’t even care whose hand it is you hold.
Too bad Thorin wasn’t there though, it would be too interesting to know what he would have thought of this scene.

The parting scene is the first one that belongs almost only to the three heirs in the first two movies. And that is not the only reason why it is so special, for many things happen in this scene, although it only lasts for one minute!

Thorin’s decision to leave Kili behind comes completely unexpected to the younger nephew. Unlike Fili he hasn’t noticed the change in his uncle until then (some might argue he was busy with something else by that time…). And he even tries to charm his uncle with that little puppy smile that might have worked a million times before, still hoping his uncle is not serious. But he learns it the bitter way. In fact the glare Thorin gives him after this is so creepy, that Kili himself must be scared in this moment. There is nothing of old Thorin in those eyes in that moment; he is totally overtaken by dragon sickness there. And Kili is completely dumbstruck as he has never seen his uncle in this state before.

So that throws Fili into action. In his mind he must have been doubting his uncle before, as there is one glance full of skepticism he has for Thorin while he greedily tells the people of Lake-town of gold and treasures. The moment of the parting scene, however, is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. He starts one final attempt, but of course it’s in vain. Fili must choose his loyalties. And while Thorin tells him that the quest is more important than his kin, Fili must remember his dwarven roots which DO put kin over anything else. And he must admit that if one of his kinsmen cannot accept his help, then he has to turn to another one who does, no matter how hard this decision is for him. This doesn’t mean he is disloyal to Thorin there, but he has to admit though that there is nothing he can do for him at this point and tries to be useful at least somewhere else.

So is this atypical for Fili who has always been portrayed as “Thorin first”? Well, it is definitely not AUJ Fili, but he, too, changed in the course of his quest and this is the moment where he starts to show traits of the future king in him. It probably eased his decision when even Thorin pointed this out to him. Also, it is very true to the book, albeit in a totally different context. In the book both Fili and Kili disagree with Thorin when he goes completely mad over the Arkenstone inside Erebor. When they are trapped inside, it is them (and Bombur) who long for the outside, for sun and peace with all the other peoples outside the door. They don’t fall to the dragon sickness and don’t even understand how their uncle could, so in a way they turn their back on their uncle (or more precisely on the quest) in this moment. When you look at it, Fili is not doing anything else in this scene in Lake-town. Considering that Fili and Kili might not make it to Erebor or may come a lot later than this particular book scene, it is good we see this motive at least at some point in the films.

So what will happen with the three heirs in TABA? With all the alterations made from the book’s storyline in DOS I wouldn’t dare to make any predictions. Except of course the inevitable WILL happen, but when and where and how? We will see about that. I am definitely looking forward to how they will flesh out those three. They could totally mess it up, but they could also make it very interesting. In the end, only time will tell. All we can hope for is an honourable end to the story of the three Heirs of Durin in December 2014.

The Anatomy of Smaug

24 Tuesday Dec 2013

Posted by archedcory1 in Discussion, Hobbit movie, News, Smaug

≈ 51 Comments

Tags

anatomy, biology, desolation of smaug, dragon, essay, feet, smaug, weta, wings

The Anatomy of Smaug
By ArchedCory

I have always loved dragons, so of course I always loved Smaug. And I was so excited when I first heard that I will eventually see him on screen! After my earlier essay The Evolution of Smaug which only covered book-Smaug and the way he changed during the writing process of the book, I simply couldn’t wait to delve into the anatomy of film-Smaug. After seeing “Desolation of Smaug” a couple of times now I finally feel like I am capable of describing his body a bit. As always, if you have anything to add, please do so in the comments!

Skin texture:

As it should be the skin is thinner on the wings and face and thicker on the body. We see a close-up on the scales on the chest. They are extremely thick, even on a reptile that size. Usually the scales in reptiles put together make the illusion of a smooth skin (think of snakes and lizards).

Bobtail Lizard (Tiliqua rugosa)

His scales however remind me of the Bobtail Lizard (Tiliqua rugosa), a skink species endemic to Australia. Their skin looks more like a pine cone than a smooth surface. And in fact “closed pine cone” was the first image I had in my mind when Smaug’s close-up appeared as well. Crocodiles also have scales of the same thickness, but the shape looks quite different.

pine cones – closed and open

The skin on his throat is loose and floppy and this seems to be a common feature of rather large reptiles such as Giant Tortoises or Iguanas. On a reptile the size of Smaug that is a nice little detail.

Iguana

The animation of the skin is perfect. Try to watch when the skin on his “hands” stretches upon grabbing something or putting them down – the colour change and light effects are neatly done.

Eyes:

The nictitating membrane is back. Yes! The movement of its retraction slowed down though and that is exactly how animals react after a long sleep. The second closing of the eye moves the membrane a lot faster. Very lifelike!

Smaug’s nictitating membrane retracts

I have one slight problem with the eyes though. They look terrific, don’t get me wrong. However the pupils are narrowed down quite a bit. Considering we are in a very dark environment AND Smaug just woke up, they should be as large as they get! But no matter if he is inside or outside, fire ahead or darkness, his pupils always are roughly the same size. I wish they would have thought of that! At least the pupils narrow down in the instant he opens the eyes, which they should do when suddenly exposed to a lighter environment.

His pupils do widen when he is aroused though just like ours do when we are under high emotional influence (fear, anger, happiness, doesn’t matter).

Teeth:

When it comes to teeth the animators have obviously studied crocodiles or Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) very closely. Just like Smaug, they are also carnivorous reptiles. As such they have very typical teeth. Unlike mammals with their distinct differentiation in incisors, canines, premolars and molars, teeth in reptile jaws are a lot simpler, and more or less all look the same. They only differ in size, but most of the time they are conically shaped. Back to the crocodiles/Komodo dragons: Their teeth are long and exceptionally sharp, after all they want to score kills with them. And Smaug’s teeth are very close to that concept.

Komodo dragon skull

In the cinema it is pretty much impossible to count the teeth. Maybe with stills of the Bluray/DVD version it could be done. But we have to wait for that.

Head:

At first glance Smaug’s head bears a strong resemblance to Tyrannosaurus rex. Apart from the fact we only know skulls of T.rex and not the detailed shape of muscles and skin covering it up, there are still differences that can be noticed: The ratio between length and height seems to be slightly different, with Smaug’s head being longer and narrower. The nostrils are a bit further back and the teeth are shorter and sharper

Tyrannosaurus rex skull

With his rather long snout, sharp teeth and floppy throat he could also be in a way compared to crocodiles. Considering T.rex and crocodiles have quite a different internal anatomy (dinosaurs and crocodiles systematically speaking are not closely related) it would be interesting to see Smaug’s skull. We do know that Weta likes to build their CGI characters layer by layer from skeleton up, so I hope at one point in the future they will give us Smaug’s skull!

Crocodile head

Smaug is capable of many facial expressions which is particularly interesting for a reptile. They are especially known for their stiff emotionless faces, so giving Smaug credibly human movements which convey emotions such as greed, anger, surprise, or happiness is an interesting approach. It’s not reptile-like at all and something we owe to the simple fact that he is a fantasy creature.

Number of limbs:

Perhaps you are familiar with my essay on The Hobbit’s biology written after watching part 1 of the trilogy. We only knew Smaug’s legs, eye and tail at that point and I claimed to be able to say with complete surety that Smaug walks on four legs and therefore must have extra wings to add up to six limbs.

Well, tough luck, everybody can see in “Desolation of Smaug” that he has four limbs like every proper vertebrate, with his wings being at the same time front legs as well. So does this mean I was wrong?

No, in fact the film team even gave me a proof that I WAS right!

Smaug’s feet in the theatrical version – which are clearly showing the motion of a regular quadrupedal walk – were actually changed into the distinct front claws of his wings in the Special Extended Edition! Which means the Smaug you saw in the cinemas in “An Unexpected Journey” is anatomically not the same Smaug you saw in “Desolation of Smaug” a year later!

The_Hobbit_An_Unexpected_Journey_t01.mkv_000417667

From the Theatrical Edition

From the Extended Edition

However even in the changed version there is still a mistake: The paw that reaches inside Erebor’s front door to break it down is still the old front leg of quadrupedal Smaug.

Smaug breaking down the door from the Extended Edition

Hind limbs:

They seem to be proper reptile feet with five toes and claws. However when you look closely you’ll make out a thumb. While that is almost unknown in reptiles it is especially in hind limbs. (Yes, I wrote “almost”, I am aware of chameleons). Opposable digits are mainly there for grabbing, in hind feet mostly for climbing. So what could possibly be large enough for Smaug to climb? Further, he is perfectly capable of grabbing things with his front claws (as seen multiple times in the film), so why would he use his hind feet? Is he going to grab objects with his hind legs while flying? (Perhaps those juicy maidens he likes to feed on.) We will probably never see it, but it’s an interesting detail to consider nevertheless.

Concept art of Smaug’s hind leg. The thumb is on the left. It is much more visible in motion in the film!

Front limbs:

And now we finally come to Smaug’s wings everybody has been speculating about for such a long time. To explain them I first have to make a digression towards real world wings. In vertebrates wings have evolved three times independently and, interestingly enough, Smaug’s wings bear characteristics of all three. One thing we have to consider: Wings always need to have a large surface and be stable enough to stretch and carry the body’s weight without ripping.
So let’s look at these three versions of real world vertebrate wings:

-) Birds

Birds achieve their flying ability by special flight feathers that enlarge the surface of their wings enormously. Additionally they have similar feathers on their tail and spreading the tail provides even more surface. Notice that the feathers grow on the arm and more or less one remaining (but very short) finger and there is no connection whatsoever to body or hind legs.

-) Bats

Bats basically fly with their palms. They don’t have feathers, so they need to create a large wing surface by vast amounts of skin. However the skin needs to be spread to support the body weight, so it reaches from tail to hind leg and all the way to the hand. To increase the surface area four fingers are elongated to spread skin between them. Only the thumb is short and pretty much useless. Bats are very clumsy when they try to walk or climb which explains why you will hardly ever see them do so. The single remaining claw of the thumb is hardly enough to find a decent grip.

-) Pterodactyls

Pterodactyls were the only reptiles in history ever capable of active flight. Their wings are similar to those of bats with a slight difference: They only have one elongated finger. The wings were spread between that one finger, body and legs. The tail might have been involved. The other three fingers are short and are used as a hand. Pterodactyls were most likely a lot more elegant than bats when walking or climbing on all four limbs.
What about the fifth finger? Well, they only had four, but that was obviously enough for a working wing.

So where are Smaug’s similarities to these three? With birds he shares the fact that his wings are not attached to body, hind legs or tail. With pterodactyls he shares the remaining front claws next to the wing, and with bats the fact that more than one finger is used in the spreading of the wing. Which means he is a collection of characteristics that have all appeared in real world animals but were never combined into one animal. In that matter he reminds me of oliphaunts. They also have little details from different extinct elephant species gathered together to a collection that never existed but could still be possible. (Well, apart from the size…)

Early, abandoned concept art of Smaug’s wings fashioned after bat wings. This concept can actually be seen in one shot in the film: when Smaug briefly flies over Dale. Of this abandoned concept only one detail made it into the final version – the elbow spur!

But let’s look at Smaug’s wings in detail now. Apparently considering “An Unexpected Journey” theatrical version and concept art in the Weta book they have tried different versions of his wings. At one point he had two wings additional to four legs, at another they even tried to design his wings exactly like those of bats.

Smaug flying from the Extended Edition. You can see the abandoned bat wings here, they already look different in Desolation of Smaug!

The final concept however looks like this:

Concept art of Smaug’s front leg

Smaug uses three of his fingers (thumb, index and middle finger) as hands and claws. Those are the short fingers you see when he grabs and climbs. The other three fingers (ring finger, pinky and well, one more) are elongated to spread the wing. Yes, you read right, Smaug has SIX fingers. Is that even possible?

Well, back when fish grew limbs and fingers they tried a lot of different numbers of fingers and toes, while limbs were always restricted to four. Ancient amphibians (Ichthyostega and Acanthostega) could have anything between five and eight fingers. Only when amphibians modernized, and definitely by the time they evolved into reptiles, the number five was locked into the genetic pool. That ancient gene of polydactyly (= “too many fingers”) is still slumbering in every tetrapod. There are very rare exceptions such as some dog breeds and especially moles which have six fingers as a normal condition. In every other vertebrate six fingers are a genetic mistake. Which means strictly genetically speaking Smaug is a mutant!

I only found one scene with closed wings where the three long fingers are clearly visible. In the flight scene at the end however you can see his wings perfectly spread between four spines. Three are his fingers, the fourth one is a spur growing out of his elbow.

Flight:

The largest flying animal in all of history was a pterodactyl. Certain species of the genus Quetzalcoatlus reached a wingspan of 12 meters, which is almost double the size of the largest flying bird in history and four times the size of the largest current flying animal – both the Wandering Albatross and the Andean Condor hold that record with wingspans of over 3 meters. We can assume Quetzalcoatlus pretty much reached the limit of body size that is still able to fly. He had something in common even with large currently living birds: The larger the wingspan, the less acrobatic the flight technique is. Condors and other vultures for example mostly glide in the air with hardly ever flapping their wings. It is most convenient considering the weight these wings have to carry. It is the same reason why you won’t ever see vultures, swans, large eagles or the like fly narrow curves, flap their wings rapidly or start and land abruptly. Those large birds usually even need a really long start and landing lane, similar to those of airplanes!

Flying animals in the real world also apply certain tricks to keep their body weight down. Bats and pterodactyls have really slim and light bodies, birds have air filled chambers inside their body and both the bones of birds and pterodactyls are hollow.

So what about Smaug? He exceeds the largest possible size for flight multiple times. Even though he is a rather slim dragon compared to those in other films he is still way too heavy to lift off the ground. This means his wings would probably rip apart the moment he tried to fly, what helps even less is the fact that there is nothing on the body side to stabilize them. At least the motion is applied correctly: He flaps quite a lot when he starts but then also goes over into gliding quite soon.

Bottom line: an animal the size of Smaug could simply never fly, but then again he wouldn’t exist at all, couldn’t talk or breathe fire, so this problem could be neglected. After all he is a dragon – a fantasy creature – some things about him just have to be impossible and that is good. In exchange his other characteristics are incredibly well thought out!

At least in this shape he definitely can fly!

Interviews with Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage and Luke Evans in CINEMA magazine

23 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by archedcory1 in Discussion, Hobbit movie, News, Richard Armitage, Thrain

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

bard, bilbo, cinema magazine, interview, luke evans, martin freeman, news, richard armitage, thorin

Interviews from January issue of German magazine CINEMA.
[Translated from German by ArchedCory]

Interview with Martin Freeman:

Second parts of film series are often dark, such as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom or The Lord of the Rings – The Two Towers. What about this one?

This film is a bit darker than part 1. For example the giant spiders and Smaug are quite scary. However at the same time the dragon is funny as well. Just like the flight of the dwarves in the river. The film just has a lot of great and exciting moments. And Bilbo himself gets more depth than in the first part. Just as his relationship to Gandalf, who is something like his mentor, his ultimate person of trust.

For The Hobbit you lived over eighteen months in New Zealand…

…right. Being so far away from home was quite hard. After all there is a thirty hour flight between London and Wellington. But my family often visited me. And there are films one just can – and may – not reject. On the other hand New Zealand made it easy for me to feel comfortable. The people are incredibly friendly and the way to work only took about fifteen minutes and not three hours. That means I could have a private life after filming and free evenings. Also the coffee is phenomenal. I recommend Flat White.

Is there something you have learned working on this monster production?

Never give one hundred percent from the start, and don’t use up all your creativity in the first week. You still have one and a half years ahead. Otherwise you just burn out.

After the end of the official shoot there were pick-ups in June 2013. How difficult was it for you to play Bilbo again after a longer break?

I had to be extremely careful: Just because I put on Bilbo’s jacket again doesn’t mean I am him again. When you feel too confident, something is wrong. The same goes for Sherlock. Every time I approach the character again and try to blend out opinions of fans and critics. After all I created Dr. Watson after my own vision in this series.

Your Sherlock colleague Benedict Cumberbatch speaks two roles in The Hobbit: the Necromancer and the dragon Smaug…

…and he did a bad job with that. (laughs) No, quite the opposite. But we only played a few scenes together. After all the dragon is a computer creature. But I know Benedict’s voice well enough and could put myself into the mood for “his” Smaug.

Are you glad the filming is over?

Yes, but not because I didn’t enjoy the time in New Zealand and the work with Peter Jackson an all the others. Quite the opposite: I am very proud of these films. But at one point you just want to bring all of this to an end and present it to the audience. After all later on I will say, I did these films. And not, I am still doing them.

To which character can you relate more? Bilbo or Dr. Watson?

Both characters have traits I can identify with. Watson for example is very direct, just like I am. Bilbo however is polite. On the other hand I would have never gone to war with these weird dwarves. (laughs)

It is remarkable that lately Hollywood hires more British actors for Blockbusters. Henry Cavill in Man of Steel or Benedict Cumberbatch in Star Trek into Darkness to name two of them. Do you have an explanation for that?

The reason might be that a significant part of our acting school consists of classic theatre. Which means we approach the roles in a different way. But maybe we are just cheaper.

Interview with Richard Armitage:

What does The Hobbit mean to you?

The book is one of the reasons why I became an actor. My first theatre play as an actor was a stage version of The Hobbit. I was fourteen then. So it is an honour for me to be part of this.

What were your thoughts on the last day of filming?

That they would have to carry me off the set. That sequence was physically extremely demanding. I had cut myself in the face and Peter Jackson was also sick. But nonetheless it was very moving. After all I have been involved in this project for almost three years. I was already in contract in 2010 although the studio didn’t even give permission for this project yet at that point. However back then I still couldn’t see myself as a dwarf.

Because with your size of 1.90 m you don’t necessarily look like one?

Exactly, but I also enjoyed having to look up to other actors in the role of Thorin. My whole life I had to make myself smaller to listen to dialogues.

What are the key moments of part 2?

We delve deep into the realm of the wood elves and hear more about the hatred between them and the dwarves. And the madness Thorin falls for on the inside of Erebor is another element. However the peak of this process will be seen in part 3. More precisely in the Battle of Five Armies. To film the second part of a trilogy is, by the way, a big challenge for the director. The introduction of the characters is completed and the plot steers towards the end. It is an art to establish the middle part as a story on its own. And Peter managed that perfectly again as he already did with The Two Towers.

How did you approach the arising madness of your character?

To portray madness on screen is very difficult. To write it in a script is nearly impossible. Because this emotion follows no rules. To bring Thorin’s state of mind adequately onto the screen I researched all sorts of different addictions. For Thorin is addicted to gold. Further I read a lot on depravity and the moral fall of humanity. The people responsible for the bank crisis were very helpful in this context. (laughs)

What is acting to you?

Fifty percent imagination and fifty percent concentration.

How did you get yourself into the mood of your character?

I listened to different kinds of music. Classical music from Wagner and Russian chorales, rock from Muse and Radiohead and some rather disturbing compositions such as Krzysztof Penderecki’s Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima. Pure terror!

And how did you relax?

On the weekends I sometimes secretly went skiing. Due to insurance reasons they would have never allowed that to me. When we filmed the scene in which the dwarves find the hidden door into Erebor I begged Peter to let me ski down Mount Ruapehu in full costume. But for some reason he wouldn’t let me do that. (laughs)

Interview with Luke Evans:

What was the first thing you did when you stepped on the gigantic sets of The Hobbit?

Peter Jackson led me through the set and explained everything to me. And then it already continued with the stunt training and the costume fitting.

The book of J.R.R. Tolkien only describes Bard the Bowman vaguely. How did you develop the role for yourself?

There are a few hints of his origin, but they are quite hidden. For example he is an heir of Lord Girion who shot a few arrows towards the dragon in the fight for Dale and who fled to Esgaroth with his family after the destruction of the city. With information like this I developed the character together with Peter Jackson.

How did you get the role?

About four years ago I recorded a casting tape. Back then Guillermo del Toro was still the director. Then I didn’t hear of this for a long time and suddenly Peter Jackson asked me if I could come to Wellington. However due to schedules I couldn’t at that point and I recorded a tape in London and sent it to him. Obviously he liked it.

And now you have an action figure…

… and a LEGO figure, right. Pretty cool, isn’t it?

And you have only been on the big screen for about five years.

That’s right. But I never saw my future in the cinema. I was happy as a theatre actor. When I was 28 years old a film caster saw me during a stage production in London’s Domnar Warehouse in Covent Garden and discovered me. And then everything happened very quickly.

After Apollo in Clash of the Titans and Zeus in Immortals in the last years we will see you in 2014 as Dracula and as The Crow. All of those are big films.

True that. A big responsibility on one hand, but also a great chance.

Can you say anything about the remake of The Crow?

Of course. It is definitely not a remake, we go back to the comics of James O’Barr. Eric Draven for example is not a rock musician anymore. In the beginning James was very sceptical because he had to witness what was lately done to his story. But after a few meetings with me and director F. Javier Gutiérrez he was convinced.

And Dracula – Untold?

That one is not only about vampires but more about Vlad Tepes, the Impaler. Also the historic figure that inspired Bram Stoker to his novel. You could say the film is about the man behind the legend. But don’t worry, there will be fangs.

How do you deal with your popularity?

It’s not that bad yet. On the street I have only been recognized for the last ten months. Fast & Furious 6 is a big part of that. But it is strange and at the same time makes me proud that people are now interested in my home town Aberbargoed. After all in Europe we are now known for more than our carbon landfills. (laughs)

Fili: Twice as Fierce – or – “The One-Dwarf Walking Arsenal”

17 Tuesday Dec 2013

Posted by kingfisher in Discussion, Fili, Hobbit movie, Weapons

≈ 19 Comments

Tags

axe, dean o'gorman, fili, Hunting knife, knife, scabbard, sword, weapons

Fili: Twice as Fierce – or – “The One-Dwarf Walking Arsenal”
by Kingfisher

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This is the second part in a series highlighting the various weapons used by the dwarves in the Company of Thorin, including speculation on their form and function. The essay concentrates on the original weapons as shown in the first movie “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”, and doesn’t cover additional concept weapons that were never actually used. References are drawn from the film, tie-ins and supporting materials.

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Fili, the direct heir to the throne in the line of Durin after his uncle Thorin Oakenshield, is bristling with more weapons than nearly any of the other dwarves. As one of the two hunters and scouts of the Company (the other one being his brother Kili), he is armed with two swords, throwing axes and knives. Though one of the youngest, he is a fighter of exceptional skill and versatility, trained in the art of battle with many weapons, fitting his swift-footed fighting techniques, which are based on speed and power.

Fili’s Dual Swords
Fili’s double wielded swords are likely to have been crafted by the master smiths of the Ered Luin, and are therefore functional and sturdy, yet elegant examples of dwarven craftsmanship. His swords seem to have been made using a technique known as “pattern welding” – in which different pieces of metal are hammered flat, folded and welded to form a pattern, and the core of hard steel, which is exposed at the single cutting edge, is sandwiched between layers of softer steel. This produces stronger and more flexible swords.

In contrast to Thorin Oakenshield’s dwarven sword “Deathless” which doesn’t emphasize either thrusting or slashing features but has both qualities, Fili’s swords bear a remarkable resemblance to hatchet blades or hunting cleavers.

Fili’s sword replicas by United Cutlery

Those heavy cutting weapons with their single-edged blades are an essential component of a dwarven hunter’s kit. The razor-sharp, heavy blades have little trouble in cutting through animal joints, including those of larger beasts. A good chop or two to the jugular vein is an excellent way to dispatch a warg, the main targets being the head, neck and forearms of the beast.

[Edited by kingfisher (June 23, 2014): Nick Keller from Weta Workshop published concept art of Fili’s swords (and his warhammer which hasn’t been shown yet in movie 1 and 2 (AUJ and DOS) on his website:]

Concept Art by Nick Keller, Weta Workshop. Click for full size.

The blades of Fili’s swords are also thicker and therefore stiffer than those of comparable double-edged swords, which in turn greatly improves their thrusting capability. While a double-edged sword would cut both ways and emphasize slashes and cuts, Fili’s massive dual swords cut one way and concentrate on thrusts and chops, working largely in the manner of an axe.
Though being very broad already, the blades widen considerably near the point, ending with a parrying hook on the back of the blade. Such a hook is very useful for capturing blades or snagging or catching an enemy’s clothing or armor.

The sword pommels – the knobs at the top of the hilt – are richly decorated (as well as the hilts), according to Fili’s royal status as a prince. They serve to reinforce and secure his grip on the hilt and also act as a counterweight to the blade, bringing the center of gravity closer to the hilt. Another distinct feature are the double grooves – called fullers – running along the length of the sword blades. They greatly enhance the strength of the blade, very suitable for the powerful blows that dwarves have the strength to strike.

Notable also is the double sword scabbard he carries on his back. A scabbard, also known as sheath, is a protective cover for a sword blade, commonly constructed with a wood core, leather covering and wool lining, so that the sword slides easily but securely all the way in. Additionally, the swords are held with leather straps to keep them from falling out.

With the scabbard sitting across one of his shoulders, he can draw one sword from underneath and the other from over the shoulder, although a back scabbard like his is mainly used for transporting the weapons.

In general, carrying swords on the back is far more comfortable than having a large scabbard dangling beside your leg, especially when it holds a heavy weapon or even two weapons. One actually loses a lot more mobility with swords waggling around by the legs hanging from a belt than from being strapped tightly to your back.

[Edited by kingfisher (May 17, 2014): With the second film “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” some more impressions of Fili’s back scabbard became available. The left back view is in Beorn’s House, the right picture shows Fili right before the Company enters Mirkwood]

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Hunting Knives and Throwing Axes
Knives and daggers are generally working tools as well as axes, used for everyday functions such as scraping the meat off bones after a hunt, but also serve as side-weapons. Used for quick self-defense and close-combat fighting, where a sword would be too cumbersome, knives are the classic cut-and-thrust-weapon.

Fili’s knife replicas by Weta Workshop

Worn upon his arms, Fili’s paired hunting knives are smaller than his swords, but equally keen and deadly. The knives’ shorter blades allow for easy concealment in his leather vambraces, as well as for greater maneuverability when spinning and rotating during close-quarters fighting. Fairly similar in shape to his swords, each dagger has a little royal crest engraved on the pommel, one of the few clues to his royal heritage

[Edited by kingfisher (May 17, 2014): Paul Tobin from Weta Workshop published concept art of Fili’s knives (and Thorin’s bow) on his DeviantArt account:]

Concept Art by Paul Tobin, Weta Workshop. Click for full size.

In addition to the knives, Fili carries small throwing axes attached to his boots. Throwing axes are especially difficult to use, as their rotation must match the distance to a moving target, or the enemy only receives a hard thump with the handle – and a new weapon.

The objective in each case is for the axe blade to stick into the target with a sufficient amount of force. For this to be successful, accuracy, distance, number of rotations and placement of the body must be all taken into account – usually, they are thrown in an overhand motion and before contact with the enemy to create gaps in the battle lines.

The shape of Fili’s throwing axes indicates that they are specially designed and well balanced to give them a good center of gravity and an even rotation so they can be thrown easily. But as a skilled fighter, Fili knows how to rotate the axes throughout their flight so that the sharpened edge of their heads will “stick” effectively.

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References

Chris McNab: Swords, a Visual History. London, 2010.
Rupert Matthews: Weapons of War: From Axes to War Hammers, Weapons from the Age of Hand-to-hand Fighting. London, 2009.
Dorling Kindersley: Arms and Armour. London, 2011.
Harvey J.S. Withers: The Illustrated Directory of Swords & Sabres. London, 2011.
Ken Mondschein/J.Paul Getty Museum: The Knightly Art of Battle. Los Angeles, 2011.
J.R.R. Tolkien: The Peoples of Middle Earth. London, 2002.
Daniel Falconer: Chronicles: Art & Design (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), 2012.
Brian Sibley: Official Movie Guide (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), 2012.
http://hole-intheground.blogspot.com/2012/07/arming-crew-thorin-companys-weaponry.html
http://www.screenslam.com/blog/the-weaponry-and-languages-of-the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey/
http://l-clausewitz.livejournal.com/

Heirs of Durin

~ Thorin Oakenshield and Allies

Category Archives: Discussion

Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies Article in “CINEMA” magazine

Óin – A Healer And His Staff

Shaolin Yin Shou Gun (Reverse hands bow staff):

*****

Glóin – His Axe Stands Ready

Balin – Mace or Sword from Ancient Times?

Dwalin – Weapons of a Veteran

Kili and His Weapons – Deadly At Every Range

Fili, Kili and Thorin Oakenshield in Desolation of Smaug – A Second Appreciation of the Heirs of Durin

The Anatomy of Smaug

Interviews with Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage and Luke Evans in CINEMA magazine

Fili: Twice as Fierce – or – “The One-Dwarf Walking Arsenal”