Let's Get Nerdy

    Is Durin IV Still a Prince? – Let’s Get Nerdy!

    Ashley Victoria RobinsonBy 5 Mins Read

    Amazon Studios The Rings of Power is here. We want all Spoilerites to have the best viewing experience possible and have the widest knowledge base about the Second Age of Middle-Earth. This is a weekly Let’s Get Nerdy article series highlighting a different piece of Tolkien I think you need to know about!

    Every once in a while in this Let’s Get Nerdy! series I get a comment asking to do “more dwarf content!” and one recently came to my attention, so I want to get into what exactly is going on with Durin IV. You may recall toward the end of the first season of The Rings of Power that Prince Durin IV’s father, King Durin III stripped his son of all his titles and status. This move came as a result of Prince Durin IV’s sharing mithril with Elrond. King Durin III viewed this as a betrayal in the ongoing dwarves v. elves relationship.

    Prince Durin IV with Mithril in The Rings of Power Season 1

    I could write something more flip about the perceived rivalry between these two fantasy races, but it remains a cornerstone through The Third Age of Middle-Earth with the rivalry-turned-friendship between Legolas and Gimli you may be more familiar with during the events of The Lord of the Rings.

    Per the Tolkien canon, we know Durin IV will eventually send aid and armies to defend Eregion during The War of the Elves and Sauron and later as a flank of The Last Alliance of Men and Elves. It would seem at some point either father and son Durins make up and come to see eye-to-eye or King Durin III passes away leaving Prince Durin IV as the sole heir to the throne of Khazad-dûm. Simply wiping King Durin III off the map is the easiest way to take care of this. It might, however, be the least satisfying, narratively. Personally, I thought we would see King Durin III pass in the first season of The Rings of Power. He’s portrayed as quite old and frail throughout his brief scenes. Prince Durin IV, by contrast, seems young and spry and has Princess Disa in his corner – the real power in Khazad-dûm I think we can all agree!

    Spending the first half of the second season of The Rings of Power having the Durins reconcile is fertile ground. There’s potential for a lot of business for Prince Durin IV and Princess Disa if they are going to remain in Khazad-dûm while Eregion and Pelargir are undergoing changes and upheaval outside the mountain.

    I’m also going to be we haven’t seen the end of the business with the Balrog just yet! He is just the type of powerful being to reunite father and son – monarch and heir – in order to save their people. When asked by TechRadar if viewers would see the Balrog again, The Rings of Power showrunner Patrick McKay stated:

    “Season 2, sir. Stay tuned.”

    TL;DR Durin IV is not a Prince RIGHT NOW!

    In past articles I have answered the question: 

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    She/her. Canadian actress. Bi Queen. Canadian co-host of Geek History Lesson. Canadian comic book writer: Witchblade, Apollo IX, Jupiter Jet series, Science! The Elements of Dark Energy, Aurora and The Eagle. Award-losing: actor, writer, podcaster. https://linktr.ee/AshleyVRobinson

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