Bard

Bard is a descendant of King Girion of Dale and appears in “The Hobbit”, when Smaug attacks Lake-town. Known as Bard the Bowman, he earned fame as a skilled archer, and was the honorable captain of the guard of Esgaroth. He grew up, being very pessimistic and grim, and humans believed he attracted bad luck.

He came from a line of girion, lord of the city of dale. When the dragon Smaug attacked, Girion tried to kill him with black arrows, but failed. Bard was the last surviving descendant of Girion. As captain of the archers in Laketown, Bard inherited Girion’s skill with a bow.

Bard killed the evil dragon Smaug with the Black Arrow after we had received a prompting message about the dragon’s weak point from Bilbo. He received a fourteenth of the treasure reclaimed which he later shared with the Master of Esgaroth to restore the town, but the Master took the money and ran away into the wild where the Master found his death.

Seeking to reclaim his ancestral heritage, Bard traveled to the ruined city of Dale at the foot of the Lonely Mountain. With determination and resilience, he led efforts to rebuild Dale into a thriving town once more. In TA 2944, the people of Dale chose Bard to formally take the title of King of Dale, restoring the line of Girion.

As King, he cultivated strong ties with the Dwarves of Erebor, ensuring brisk trade up and down the River Running. Settlers flocked to Dale from all around, transforming the desolate landscape that had languished under Smaug’s shadow into bountiful fields and orchards again.

Bard’s reign came to an end when he passed away in TA 2977. His son Bain took up the mantle after him as the new King of Dale.