Bard is the hero who managed to defeat the terrible dragon Smaug in The Hobbit by Tolkien. However, despite this incredible feat, he remains a discreet and relatively unknown character. From his place in Tolkien’s writings to his role in Peter Jackson’s films, here we return to 8 facts that you may not have known about Bard the Archer.
#9 Tolkien thought about killing Bard
While he wrote the first drafts of the Hobbit, Tolkien ponders at length how the terrible dragon Smaug should die and above all who can or should kill him. Indeed, in most of the ancient legends that the author is fond of, it is always a solitary hero who triumphs over the dragon (Sigfreid, Beowulf or even Saint George). It is therefore impossible for him that it is the company of dwarves which triumphs as a group against the monster. Fact, he envisages, for a time, that it will be Bilbo who kills the dragon in his sleep, piercing his weak point with a spear, thus paying homage to the tale Jack the Giant Slayer.
This idea of a giant-killing Bilbo seems to appeal to the author, but soon after, Tolkien crosses out the passage in question of his notes and writes in the margin: “Dragon killed in the battle of the Lake”. The character of Bard finally appears. Very quickly, he becomes the descendant of an ancient hero (Girion) and kills the dragon using his favorite black arrow, but does not survive his feat. Tolkien quickly decides to save Bard, which clearly complicates the outcome of his novel which now seems to have two climaxes: the fight against Smaug and the battle of the 5 armies.
#8 Bard has unique armor
Bard is therefore the descendant of an ancient hero and lord of the Valley of Dale, Girion. When Girion became Lord of Dale, he ruled the city peacefully and got along particularly well with the dwarves of the neighboring underground city of Dale: Erebor. Girion was, among other things, known for holding in his possession a sublime jewel made by the best craftsmen of Dale: the Girion necklace.
This necklace had the particularity of being encrusted with five hundred emeralds as green as grass. As he was a keen admirer of dwarf craftsmanship, Girion wanted the Dwarves of Erebor to provide him with dwarven chain mail made of pure silver, which had to be as strong and powerful as if it were made of the best steel. The Dwarves did as he asked, and Girion then gave this chainmail to his son, Bard. In exchange for this one-of-a-kind chain mail, Girion gave the Dwarves his famous necklace.
#7 Smaug stole Bard’s family jewels
When the gigantic Dragon Smaug came to settle in the underground city of Erebor, he took the opportunity to destroy the city of Dale in the process. Bard’s father bravely tried to fight Smaug but failed to defeat the monster and perished during the destruction of the city along with many of its people. On their side, his wife and son Bard were able to survive and escape. They then settled in the city of Lacville.
Smaug set out to bring together all the treasures he found in Erebor in one place. to make it his main place of life. Girion’s necklace and its 500 emeralds, which had just been acquired by the dwarves in exchange for a chain of mail designed for Bard, were spotted by the dragon who hastened to attach them to what was now HIS treasure.
#6 Bard has something in common with Gandalf and Radagast
In Tolkien’s universe, a number of animal species are actually populations in their own right, just like humans, elves or even goblins. Thus, horses or eagles have their own codes and language and are for some important characters in the saga of Lord of the Rings. However, not all characters and populations have the ability or knowledge to be able to interact with representatives of the animal world.. Only certain magicians like Gandalf or Radagast the Brown can do this. However, this is also the case for some learned humans who grew up in the city of Dale. Bard learned from his father to interact with the thrush population. (or wrens depending on the translations) and to speak what we call: The Language of Thrushes.
Thrush Language is the language used by these birds living in Dale and around Lonely Mountain. It is also an evolved language that allowed the population of magical Thrushes/Wrens to speak among themselves, but also with the Men of Dale. These birds, endowed with great longevity and capable of understanding men, thus served as messengers during the time of the dwarven king Thrór who ruled Erebor, the neighboring dwarven city of Dale. The Language of Thrushes is made up of songs and trills; and the ravens (who are positive characters in Tolkien) understand it too.
#5 It’s a bird that saves Bard
When Smaug escapes from the underground city of Erebor, determined to destroy Lacville, it is Bard who, like his father before him, opposes Smaug. Although he is helped in this duel by many Lacville archers, none are really of much help to him. Smaug seems indestructible. It was then that he obtained unexpected help. It was a thrush who observed Bilbo and the dwarves during their first face-to-face encounter with the dragon who came to reveal crucial information to Bard.
The bird, who heard Bilbo’s story about the dragon, knows that the latter has a weak point in its armor of scales. After courageously joining Bard during the Battle of Lacville, the thrush perches on the archer’s shoulder. To his great surprise, Bard, being a direct descendant of the Lords of Dale, realizes that he still understands the language of this bird which he has not heard since his exile far from Dale. The bird describes the precise location of the weak point and Bard now just has to aim correctly.
#4 Bard used a lucky charm to kill Smaug
In Peter Jackson’s films, emphasis is placed on Bard’s black arrows who would be the only ones who could slay a dragon. It’s a nice narrative trick that adds a certain suspense to the scene, but it’s not really what Tolkien originally said. In reality, Bard only has one black arrow. Any arrows could kill Smaug if they hit his weak point, but Bard thinks that this arrow, precisely, is the lucky charm of his quiver.
He has used it many times in the past, and he always managed to get it back after using it. In the text, it is the last arrow that remains for him to shoot during his confrontation with Smaug. He got it from his father, who himself seemed to get it from his father, and it is not impossible that the arrow is even much older still. He thinks, but is not sure, that it was forged by the dwarves. When a thrush suddenly shows Bard the location of Smaug’s weak point, he finally decides to use this arrow. He aims, shoots and indeed hits his target. Smaug dies then, but also destroys everything that remains of Lacville in its fall.
#3 Bard used his wealth to help the people of Lacville
After his victory over Smaug, the dwarves offer a fourteenth of their treasure in Bard. Among the riches recovered by the hero is the legendary necklace with 500 emeralds which belonged to his father before him: the necklace of Girion. Since the Elves of Thranduil (Legolas’s father) fed the people of Lacville and helped them resettle in the ancient ruined city of Dale, Bard gives King Thranduil the Necklace of Girion. As for the rest of his treasure, Bard used it to rebuild and bring life back to the town of Dale.
#2 Bard probably died before the War of the Ring
Although Bard’s place in The Hobbit ends when he recovers his father’s necklace, Tolkien later recounted what happened to the archer in the Appendices of the Lord of the Rings. So, after Bilbo left, Bard was named King of Dale, governing the city in good harmony with the neighboring dwarven kingdom, as his father had done before him. These good relations with the Dwarves allowed a steady flow of gold and jewels that the Dwarves extracted from their mountain. It is said that people from miles around came to settle in Dale and the city remained prosperous for years.
It is unknown whether Bard survived until the events of Lord of the Ringsbecause they take place 70 years later. But after his death, we know that it was his son, Bain, who succeeded him as King of Dale. It is also known that regiments of eastern reinforcements to aid Sauron were intercepted in the surrounding area by dwarf armies, but it is not known whether the inhabitants of Dale took part in the combat. The fact is that even with an influx of new residents, Dale no longer really had a large population at this time after the misadventures described in The Hobbit.
#1 Another actor played Bard in the saga
In The Hobbit, actor Luke Evans plays not only Bard, but also his father Girion in the flashbacks which show this hero trying to oppose Smaug. But long before Luke Evans, another actor had the opportunity to play Bard in the universe of the saga as reimagined by Peter Jackson. Indeed, certain characters from the saga such as the legendary Tom Bombadil or Arwen’s brothers, although they are absent from the films, were still cast and photographed in order to serve as illustrations in the collectible card game taken from the film. This is obviously also the case for Bard, who was therefore played by an actor for the duration of a photo shoot. Bard is here armed with his legendary arrows and more surprisingly he is accompanied by the bird which helped him defeat Smaug, but who will be absent from the film a few years later.
And if you liked this article, don’t hesitate to discover 9 facts you didn’t know about The Goblin King, Sauron, The Balrog, Gollum, Shelob, Éowyn, Éomer, Boromir, Gandalf, Gimli, Théoden, Bilbo, Arwen, Merry , Gollum, The Uruk-hai, The Elves, Radagast, Treebeard, The Mouth of Sauron, Grima Serpenttongue and The Witch King of Angmar.
