#key to erebor

April Tolkien Challenge; Day 7

Key To Erebor

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The Key to Erebor, or the key to the Side-Door as it is known, was an essential object for the journey to Erebor made by the company of Thorin Oakenshield. The key, as was the map, were made by Thrór and Thráin, ancestors of Thorin Oakenshield himself. As the dragon Smaug attacked the halls of Erebor, the dwarves fled, Thrór taking the key with him.

Later, the key landed in the hands of Thráin, for safekeeping. As the orcs serving the necromancer (or Sauron, yet unknown at the time) captured the dwarven heir, Gandalf took the key from him, in the years 2850 of the Third Age. This was just before Thráin died in the dungeons of the necromancer.

Gandalf presented the key to the company of Thorin Oakenshield on April in the year 2941 of the Third Age in Bag-End, gifting the object back to Thorin, as was his right.

The key was later used to open the said Side-Door of Erebor, after Bilbo pointed out the last light that would reveal the keyhole had been the light of the moon. Thorin opened the door for his company, revealing the riches and beauty of Erebor to the dwarves.

“In Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the key is ornately wrought, with Dwarven runes engraved on both sides of the shaft. When translated, these runes read "Durin’s Heir”, a reference to Thorin’s ancestor, Durin the Deathless.“

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Sources:
-One Wiki To Rule Them All
-The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
-BOTFA, Peter Jackson