Who Is Durin?
Image Source: IGN
There are seven Durins in Tolkien’s mythology, and they are all intertwined. Durin the Deathless was the first of the fathers of the dwarves. He was not literally deathless, but he lived longer than any other dwarf. It was also said that he would be reincarnated six times. His kin were known as Durin’s Folk, and he founded the kingdom of Khazad-dûm.
Durin III and Durin IV appear in The Rings of Power, respectively as the king and prince of Khazad-dûm. During Durin III’s reign, the dwarves and elves were friendly and formed an alliance. Durin III was the first dwarf to receive a Ring of Power from Celebrimbor. When Sauron discovered that he could not control the elves and dwarves with the rings, he attacked the elves in Eregion. Durin III sent an army of dwarves to help the elves which was the last alliance of elves and dwarves. Eregion fell anyway and the Doors of Durin were closed.
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Image Source: IGN
Durin IV is one of the central characters in The Rings of Power. He is believed to be, like his father, one of the reincarnations of Durin the Deathless. Also like his father, Durin IV gets one of the seven dwarven Rings of Power. He is friends with the elf lord Elrond. It is Elrond who gets Durin IV to convince his father to help build the forge by which the Rings of Power are made. He also discovers mithril, although Durin III decides that mining the mithril is too dangerous and orders that section of the mines closed.
Durin IV is portrayed in Amazon’s show as a loving husband and father and a good friend. However, he is also full of pride. He refused to speak to Elrond at one point because Elrond went too long without visiting. Durin IV also butts heads with his father. His father is more conservative, and they argue about what is best for their people.
The one difference, so far, between the show and the source material, is the matter of reincarnation. Instead of Durin I being reborn in Durin III and Durin IV, it is explained that every new king of the dwarves gets the knowledge and memories of all the prior kings. This is a small change that probably fits better with the compressed timeline the show is working with. The mythology of the dwarves is fuzzy enough that there is a lot of room for the character to move while still remaining true to Tolkien’s intentions. It will be interesting to see where Durin IV goes.
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Sources: Tolkien Gateway, Fandom