"…the spears that were made for the armies of the great King Bladorthin (long since dead), each had a thrice-forged head and their shafts were inlaid with cunning gold, but they were never delivered or paid for…"
— The Hobbit XII "Inside Information"
Bladorthin the Great was a king, possibly of the realm of Dorwinion. It is unknown who he was related to, or what his army consisted of, but he had ordered thrice-forged spears of superior quality for his soldiers from the Dwarves of Erebor. The smiths forged them, but for some reason Bladorthin never received his weapons, nor were they paid for, and the spears remained in the Dwarven halls, eventually becoming part of Smaug's hoard.
After Bladorthin's death, it is unknown who succeeded him as ruler of Dorwinion. Given that Dorwinion was right next to the Agasha Dag and the Sea of Rhûn, it is quite possible that the Avari and Nando races would have taken up residence in that forest. The people would have grown immensely wealthy from trading. The Blue Wizards may have also enjoyed visiting this area, like Gandalf did for Rivendell or the Shire.
Bladorthin in MERP[]
REF.: MERP
Bladorthin was called "The Great" because of his ominous size and great strength, and the wondrous weapons and armor he commissioned for his soldiers. However, he was an overly cunning king, seldom speaking or acting without ulterior motives. Some denied his lineage, claiming various sorts of nefarious falsification or substitution. His actions and obsessions with the thieving arts did little to allay this perception. His assassination was generally thought to have come from within his own realm, possibly his bodyguards who were probably more noble than he.
Bladorthin was a lover of the spear, having spent overmuch time in training both for combat and throwing, and also designing and commissioning especially well made or magical spears. The last spears that he commissioned were from the Dwarves of Erebor: "…each had a thrice-forged head and their shafts were inlaid with cunning gold, but they were never delivered or paid for."
In this version, Bladorthin was interpreted as a nephew of Oropher who was exiled to Edhellond.
Other Minds Magazine[]
REF.: Other Minds Magazine
In Other Minds magazine #9, Padraig Timmins describes Bladorthin as an ancient Nando, King of the Elves of Agasha Dag and brother to Lenwë, who led a host of xenophobic and isolationist Silvan Elves unwilling to submit to the rule of the Sindarin exiles led by Oropher and his descendants.
Other speculations[]
A really good description of Bladorthin and the speculation around him can be seen at this site: The mysterious king Bladorthin (@ archive.org).
Also the following site shows how Bladorthin could have been incorporated into Dorwinion, and it shows that Dorwinion was composed of Middle Men and Avari until the coming of Hyarmendacil I. In which case the men would become a mixed group.
Incorporating all speculations, MERP's Canon, & Published Canon[]
In truth it is hard to incorporate all speculations, as Tolkien's story directly ties Bladorthin to being known by Thorin Oakenshield and Balin, however, MERP states he was King of Edhellond, an area that was deserted after Amroth was lost at sea. So Bladorthin COULD NOT have been king of Edhellond! So with that stated, MERP canon, Tolkien canon, and the published works included--a summary of King Bladorthin is as follows and makes the most canonical sense:
Bladorthin was born in T.A. 2716, and was a descendant to both Gilmith and Vidugavia. At some point, Gilmith married one of the Northman Princes of Vidugavia's children, and their line eventually produced Bladorthin, whose name came from the Sindarin influence of Edhellond and Dol Amroth. This became an intermediate tradition among the descendants of the Kings of Rhovanion. Bladorthin was kin to both Helm and the Prince of Dol Amroth, Fingalad.
As a child, Bladorthin grew up as a royal prince of both the lineage of Dol Amroth and the Northmen of the Kingdom of Rhovanion. He would often climb around and get into trouble for practicing subterfuge skills such as hiding, stalking, or picking locks. It came to pass that Bladorthin eventually needed a hobby, and so was given training with weapons.
As a teen, Bladorthin trained hard and became a lover of the spear. He would often visit Fingalad, the 16th Prince of Dol Amroth, and converse with him. They had a great friendship and grew to be best friends. Bladorthin had grown big for his line and his mixed lineage seem to grant him indomitable strength.
The Dorwinion vinyards held the special influence of one of the remainders of the Entwives' Gardens, thus Bladorthin drank of a special wine reserved for the royal line and became the most powerful warrior. He was known for his size and strength due to the Entwash-and-wine mix which made him an impressive figure who stood out no matter where he went.
Eventually, Bladorthin sought the creation of the best spears for himself. He held Vidugavia's ancient weapons, but was ever a lover of the spear, and eventually, he commissioned specialized spears to be made by an elf servant of Eöl.
Narthseg, a drunkard and criminal, loved Dorwinion's wine, and he had hid in Taur Romen from the Sinda ever since his betrayal of Doriath. He answered the call of Bladorthin and was paid half for his services. During the completion of the spears, Bladorthin inspected them and tested them out himself. After this, Bladorthin paid Narthseg in full and released him from his services. Unfortunately, Bladorthin had notified King Thranduil of Narthseg's whereabouts, and when Narthseg set out back to Taur Romen (drunk off of Dorwinion wine as usual), he was killed in an ambush by agents of King Thranduil. Thranduil thanked Bladorthin for his aid in gaining justice towards Narthseg and named Bladorthin elf-friend.
Ten years after this event, in T.A. 2758, Bladorthin received word that Helm Hammerhand had taken refuge in Helm's Deep, and that Gondor was besieged by Corsairs of Umbar. Bladorthin acted fast and summoned his army to aid his allies. The plan was simple: aid Gondor, and then they would all march to help Rohan.
The Kingdom of Rhovanion marched with Gondor in the spring of T.A. 2759 against the Dunlendings, Easterlings, and Haradrim, routing the enemy and slaying all. Bladorthin, Fingalad, and Fréaláf Hildeson were all considered heroes, and Bladorthin, for the number he killed in battle, was known as the Great.
Returning to his home in T.A. 2760, Bladorthin knew that his armies would need to be rearmed--having seen first-hand the handiwork of superior craftsmanship, Bladorthin struck a deal with the Dwarves in hopes to rearm his kingdom. Bladorthin commissioned many spears to be made for his armies--and personally saw to their designs. As the spears neared completion in T.A. 2770, Smaug attacked Erebor and the spears were never delivered or paid for. Girion, another relative to Bladorthin, was killed in Smaug's attack and his family fled to Lake-town.
Things were uneventful for many years and Bladorthin did rearm his troops, but they did not have the quality that he intended. During 2799, Bladorthin, now age 83, marched once again to war by his cousin's side. While Bladorthin survived and the armies were victorious, Fingalad did not, thus a new Prince of Dol Amroth took the throne.
By T.A. 2806, Bladorthin was found dead, no one knew if it was poison or natural causes, but most felt betrayal was amidst the kingdom. Thus the descendants of Girion moved to Lake-town to start a new life and continue the bloodline. Bladorthin's only son, took the throne of his father.
Items[]
- Galvorn-tipped Spears: +45 (triple concussion hits, 5x ranges, does additional cold crits, user can also make a second attack each round with the butt of the spear against the same target as a quarter staff).
- Armor: AT 19, is silent and encumbers as AT:Ch/14.
- Cloak of Stealth: +30 DB & S/H
- Boots: +20 moving and adrenal maneuvers, silent, and they add +15 S/H
- +25 lock picks.
- X2 multiplier
Notes[]
In MERP Bladorthin was considered a Sinda, a treacherous Kinsman of Thranduil and Lord of Edhellond.For this wiki he was reconsidered an elf-blooded man.