Q: Did Girion Survive Smaug’s Attack on Erebor and Dale?
ANSWER: There is no definitive statement on the fate Girion, lord of Dale, suffered in the wake of Smaug’s attack. The Hobbit tells us (of Bard):
…Their captain was Bard, grim-voiced and grim-faced, whose friends had accused him of prophesying floods and poisoned fish, though they knew his worth and courage. He was a descendant in long line of Girion, Lord of Dale, whose wife and child had escaped down the Running River from the ruin long ago….
So it would seem that Girion remained behind in Dale to face the dragon and he never escaped to join his wife and child. And yet, not much further on in the story we see a curious thing:
“Arrow!” said the bowman. “Black arrow! I have saved you to the last. You have never failed me and always I have recovered you. I had you from my father and he from of old. If ever you came from the forges of the true king under the Mountain, go now and speed well!”
So one has to ask, how is it that Bard just happens to have inherited a black arrow from the forges of Erebor if Girion remained behind in Dale with all the warriors? Perhaps his young son clutched one black arrow as an heirloom and keepsake in memory of his father. Perhaps Girion himself reached the Long Lake and bequeathed the last of his arrows to his son. Tolkien does not say.
On the other hand, when Bilbo is conversing with Smaug the dragon says:
…Girion Lord of Dale is dead, and I have eaten his people like a wolf among sheep, and where are his sons’ sons that dare approach me?…
So it sounds like Smaug may have slain Girion — but then Smaug would know that no mortal man could have lived so long after Girion’s day. So Girion could simply have died of old age and Smaug would have known he was safe to assume Girion was dead.
I have scanned John Rateliff’s History of the Hobbit and could not find any references to Girion from older texts that might have shed light on his ultimate fate. If you are a fan fiction writer or running a role-playing adventure it might be interesting to develop a storyline in which Girion survives the destruction of Dale, either to wander the wilderness in shame and dismay or perhaps to follow his wife and son to Esgaroth.
See also:
- What Does the Name of Girion Mean?
- Was Vidugavia the Ancestor of Girion and Bard?
- What is the Correct Pronunciation for Smaug’s Name?
- Was Smaug the Last Dragon in Middle-earth?
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