The King beneath the mountains

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The King beneath the mountains is a poem about the King under the Mountain.[1] This song was sung by the people of Lake-town upon the arrival of Thorin Oakenshield and the Company. It was a prophecy made after the fall of Erebor and Dale about Thrór and Thráin.

Text[edit | edit source]

The King beneath the mountains,
    The King of carven stone,
The lord of silver fountains
    Shall come into his own!

His crown shall be upholden,
    His harp shall be restrung,
His halls shall echo golden
    To songs of yore re-sung.

The woods shall wave on mountains
    And grass beneath the sun;
His wealth shall flow in fountains
    And the rivers golden run.

The streams shall run in gladness,
    The lakes shall shine and burn,
All sorrow fail and sadness
    At the Mountain-king's return!

Other[edit | edit source]

Then suddenly a great light appeared in the low place in the hills and the northern end of the lake turned golden.

"The King beneath the mountain!"

They shouted.

    "His wealth is like the Sun,
His silver like a fountain,
    His rivers golden run!"

They cried, and everywhere windows were opening and feet were hurrying.

See also[edit | edit source]

Portrayal in adaptations[edit | edit source]

2013: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Bard notices that one of the Dwarves he is hosting is named Thorin, and realizes their identity after consulting an old tapestry showing the King's Line. Upon hearing someone mention the 'Lord of Silver Fountains', he remembers the "prophecy". The words of the prophecy in the film mirror the first and fourth stanza of the poem but re-arranged and with the focus of the second part altered to make it a prophecy of dread rather than a celebration of joy:

The lord of silver fountains
    The King of carven stone,
The King beneath the mountains,
    Shall come into his own!

And the bells shall ring in gladness,
    At the Mountain-king's return!
But all shall fail in sadness
    And the lake will shine and burn,

As the final line is delivered, the camera lingers on the Sunset over the Long Lake.

External links[edit | edit source]

References