"Enough of the nature lesson, Master Elf. As you can imagine, trees aren't that fascinating to me."
- Bolin after Mageth started talking about Ents.
Bolin was a Dwarf of Thorin's Halls in the Blue Mountains and an ally to the Eastern Alliance during the War of the Gem.
Bolin after the Battle of the Dust.
Early Life[]
Bolin was born in Ered Luin to his father, Belin and a mother who remains anonymous. Bolin was a miner for an incredibly long time, but became a hunter after the One Ring was destroyed. He often travelled to Evendim and the Trollshaws to search for rare animals to hunt, but one of these journeys would lead to much more.
Starting the Quest[]
During a trip to the Trollshaws, Bolin noticed about ten Easterlings travelling on the Great East Road, being led by a strange looking woman. This woman was Kashaka , a sorceress from the East, and she hypnotized Bolin. Finding that he was of no use, she put him in a three-day long sleep before carrying on.
Bolin was found by Mageth , an Elf warrior who was travelling to Imladris to find some information about four Easterlings who had led hundreds of brigands to attack the town of Bree. He learnt about Bolin's story, before realizing that one of the Easterlings was Kashaka. Mageth abandoned his quest, instead deciding to return to Bree to save his friend, a ranger called Chellon and the rest of the town. Bolin wished to come as well, and although Mageth was at first reluctant, he eventually let him follow, as Bolin wanted revenge against Kashaka.
The duo stopped at the Forsaken Inn in the Lone-lands to collect some food and water, finding the inhabitants of the inn to be under Kashaka's control. One of them started to hypnotize Bolin, but Mageth killed him and the rest, impressing Bolin. Bolin later elected himself to gather as much beer as possible before the pair set off for Bree once more.
When they arrived at the gate, they found Chellon there, also under Kashaka's control. Using Elvish magic, Mageth was able to reverse the effects of Kashaka's spell, freeing Chellon and causing him to fall unconscious. Mageth forced Bolin to look after Chellon while he went inside to find and kill Kashak, much to the annoyance of Bolin. However, Chellon soon awoke and the Man and Dwarf quickly befriended each other. After Kashaka teleported along with the citizens of Bree, Bolin carried Chellon inside, and soon was forced to carry him once more to the Prancing Pony.
Inside, Bolin and Mageth started to argue about what should be done about Kashaka. Mageth doubted Kashaka's full power, while Bolin found himself no longer wanting to try and kill her after she had shown just how strong she was. As the two bickered with each other, an Elf girl appeared at the door, curious as to what had happened to the town and it's people. This girl was later revealed to be Giniriel , the sister of Mageth. After a lengthy conversation, the four wanderers decided to travel south to Khand (where they thought Kashaka was) and defeat her.
Heading Southwards[]
The group travelled first through Minhiriath, with the new rain angering Bolin, who had no hood like the others. His anger at the rain caused a conversation that later developed into Bolin telling Giniriel about the Dwarves, and the fact that the race was beginning to wane. Bolin then asked Mageth if he would sail to the Undying Lands like the rest of his kin, a question that Mageth was reluctant to answer. The group then met a very lost Hobbit named Brillin , who they supplied with a map and a knife for protection before carrying on their journey. Bolin noted that the Hobbit was very peculiar, to which Chellon replied "You've never met a Took!".
The group then arrived at Tharbad, which was under attack by brigands under Kashaka's control. Bolin rushed in without thinking, wanting to find some action, forcing Mageth and Chellon to follow. After a battle where Bolin's spear broke and he was forced to use it's tip as a dagger, the brigands retreated. The people of the town made a battleaxe for Bolin, before the group set off once more towards Dunland.
On the border between Enedwaith and Dunland, the group was ambushed in a forest by dozens of Dunlendings who wanted them to leave. They were led by a chieftain called Anroch, who demanded that the group turn back or pay the consequence of entering their land. Mageth was forced to duel and kill Anroch, forcing the Dunlendings to scatter.
The group rode on to Galtrev, the largest settlement in Dunland, finding that the inhabitants were defending themselves from Kashaka's brigands. However, the entire thing was a hoax, and the inhabitants almost managed to kidnap Giniriel, although they were stopped by Mageth. The group were forced to ride to Isengard during the night, thinking it too dangerous to rest in Galtrev. They arrived at Isengard early in the morning, only to find that Treebeard would not allow Bolin and Chellon to enter, due to the history Men and Dwarves had for cutting down and harming trees. The pair instead got quite drunk, telling funny stories including how Chellon stealthily killed a man with a butter knife.
The next morning, Chellon and Bolin told Treebeard how their anger about not being allowed within the walls of Isengard. The argument was very heated, with Bolin comparing how Treebeard treated them to how a shepard treats animals. Mageth eventually brokw up the argument and the company set off, although Bolin and Chellon were still angry.
The group finally came to Aglarond, the name for the Dwarven colony which now covered Helms Deep. Meeting with Lord Gimli, the group told Gimli about Kashaka and their quest to try and kill her. Giniriel went to rest from her trauma at Galtrev while an Avari Elf arrived, wishing to speak with Mageth. The Elf told them that he was a friend of the Blue Wizards and that Kashaka went further than an Easterling with dark magic. However, Kashaka herself was inside Helms Deep, and took control of Fanri just from being ,nearby. Fanri was wrongfully killed by Mageth, but Kashaka teleported away as Helms Deep came under attack from the armies of Gondor, now under Kashaka's dark influence.
At this time, the group realized that the gem in Giniriel's staff was a Silmaril of old, and so Mageth and Chellon elected Bolin to take the Silmaril through Ered Nimrais and towards the south coast, where he could sail to the Grey Havens and get the Silmaril to Valinor. Bolin accepted, but was later taken to the east by the Blue Wizards, who had just saved the lives of Mageth and Chellon at Aglarond. The trio was taken by the Blue Wizards, Alatar and Pallando, to Khazikal, a Dwarf kingdom in the east that was three times the size of Moria.
Khazikal and War[]
Bolin instantly fell in love with Khazikal, as it gave him a glimpse of what Khazad-Dum was like in it's glory days (Khazikal was actually much grander than Khazad-Dum and much richer). He often travelled with Chellon through the many halls of the kingdom and the duo not only bought a new longsword for Chellon, but also befriended the supervisor of the forges, Kanvi .
Eventually, the Council of the Alliance (consisting of Alatar, Pallando, Mageth, Chellon, Bolin and Radagast the Brown) decided to go to war against Kashaka, hoping to stop her from destroying Mithlond and removing any hope of escape from Middle-Earth. If Mithlond came under her control, she could use her magic to reach Valinor or stop the Silmaril from being taken to the Undying Lands, bringing it into her posession.
During the march west, Bolin remained at Kanvi's side, who was marching with the army as a soldier and to help repair any armour or weapons. Bolin was present when Giniriel returned to the group (now free of Kashaka's control) and revealed who her and Mageth's father was, a Maia by the name of Mallien, the brother of Melian. The force continued to move west, but was ambushed by Lorien Elves under Kashaka's control while Mageth was in Erebor, requesting aid from King Thorin III Stonehelm and King Thranduil. Mageth returned in time to defend the force against the auxilary forces of Kashaka, allowing the Alliance to move towards Gondor.
Gondor and Rohan[]
When the Alliance first arrived in Gondor, they met an Elvish messenger from Ithilien, where a colony led by Legolas Greenleaf was located. Bolin did not participate in the battle, as he instead went to the crossroads of Gondor to stop any of Kashaka's scouts from using the roads. When the Alliance came back to the crossroads, they carried on towards Osgiliath, now with the Elf twins Elladan and Elrohir in tow, who had journeyed from the North to find Mageth and get aid for the Dunedain who were fighting Kashaka's army.
When they reached Osgiliath, they found that the city's people had broken from Kashaka's control, and the Steward of Gondor, Faramir, was now in charge. He told Mageth and the Elf twins that Kashaka's most ruthless captain, a man of Harad called Malku, was serving as a conduit for Kashaka's sorcery, letting her continue controlling the minds of the citizens of Minas Tirith. While Mageth, Chellon, Giniriel, Elladan and Elrohir led a raid on the city to kill Malku and more of Kashaka's captains, Bolin gathered the army forth to march once they heard an Elf horn, which was eventually blown by Elladan after Malku's death.
During his time in Minas Tirith, Bolin took council with Mageth and Chellon, and also started to work with the Eagles when their scouts visited Erebor and reported that there seemed to be a build up in soldiers. The reason was revealed shortly after, when one of the Eagles noted that King Thorin was marching west with an army of Dwarf warriors. Bolin brought the news to Mageth and Chellon, who decided it was time to march on Rohan and liberate Edoras and Aglarond.
During their journey westward, the Alliance camped in a cluster of abandoned farmland, which was highly populated before Kashaka's invasion of the West. Elrohir, Mageth and a Rohirrim rider named Domund went to investigate one of the farmhouses, and discovered Eowyn inside, which was thought to be either dead or in captivity somewhere in South Gondor. Mageth and Domund soon found an underground chamber, where they found the near-dead bodyguard of Eowyn. Kashaka herself appeared, killing Domund. Mageth was able to ward her away. When he got out, he found Bolin waiting for him with Bolin correctly guessing that Kashaka had been the cause of Domund's death and Eowyn's trauma.
Personality and characteristics[]
Bolin had a broad face and a long, ginger beard, along with short hair. He was quite muscular and wasn't as fat as other Dwarves, mainly due to his travelling nature. He normally wore a cloak and a tunic with some leather armour, and the only weapon he had was a steel spear, although he later recieved an incredibly strong battleaxe from the people of Tharbad.
Bolin was a very brash person, often wanting to fight instead of talk and barely ever thinking through what he did. In some cases, such as when he defended Tharbad, this proved to be helpful, as his fighting against the brigands saved countless lives. He was also known to get very grumpy or angry very quickly, with even the rain putting him in a bad mood. However, there was also a lighter side to him which liked to get drunk and have a laugh, although this barely came out. His grumpy attitude normally brought ridicule from Chellon, but the two were very good friends, even still.
Bolin standing proudly in his armour of galvorn.
Bolin's name is pronounced as Bow-lin, not Bo-lin.
Quotes[]
"Were there children among these townsfolk? The greatest harm one can give is to a child."
- Bolin showing his compassionate and moral side.
"These people need the weapons and armour, not you!"
"I haven't got any armour, and a Dwarf might as well be wearing a fig-leaf if he has no armour during war."
- Bolin to Mageth after asking the Tharbad town guard for armour.
"There's only one Dwarf in Dunland, but he's a fighting Dwarf at that!"
- Bolin before fighting a group of Dunlending warriors.
"I am Bolin, son of Belin, kinsman to Gimli and his father. Now get the old fool to come and say hello!"
- Bolin telling a guard at Aglarond to send for Gimli.
"If you weren't a friend, I would've stabbed you."
"Aren't I lucky? Now get up: you're late for breakfast!"
- Bolin's response to Chellon after waking the ranger up early.
"So will you be happy when he is hacked apart by Kashaka's minions?"
"I won't be happy, but I won't weep either."
- Bolin responding to Mageth coldly on Treebeard's fate.
"So, this is it. After all that we've been through, everywhere we've been: this is where it ends."
"Aye, lad, this is where it ends. With blood on our faces, with our weapons blunted and with a thousand corpses strewn around us!"
- Bolin responding to Chellon after the declaration of war against Kashaka.
Bolin in full armour.