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In Tolkien's The Hobbit, what army makes the first attack in the Battle of the Five Armies in Chapter 17?

Tension is high in Chapter 17 (The Clouds Burst). In many ways the apex of The Hobbit, the siege of the Lonely Mountain ends when war breaks out between the Five Armies. Bilbo is revealed to have taken the Arkenstone from within the mountain and given it to Bard and the Elvenking to bargain with Thorin. King Thorin is deep in the throes of his gold-lust, changed by his greed to keep all the gold and treasures from the mountain for himself and his fellow dwarves. To get the Arkenstone back, Thorin promises to give a fourteenth share of the gold to Bard and his people, all the while hoping to be able to withhold the gold if his kinsmen arrive in time, led by Dain. When Dain arrives, his army is about to begin an assault on the elves and men to try and get through the siege and into the Lonely Mountain to join Thorin.



But he reckoned without the dwarves... they guessed the hesitation of Bard and his friends, and resolved to strike while they debated. Suddenly without a signal they sprang forward to attack. Bows twanged and arrows whistled; battle was about the be joined.



While Dain's army made the first attack in the chapter, they are not the instigator in the Battle of Five Armies, since the last two armies (the goblins and the wolves) have yet to arrive. Gandalf immediately calls for a ceasefire right after the dwarves release the first volley of arrows, and announces that the goblins, led by Bolg, are almost upon them riding on the wild wolves. This unifies the men, elves, and dwarves against a common enemy.


The first attack of the Battle of the Five armies (but not the first attack of the chapter, which was instigated by Dain's dwarves) was instigated by both the goblins and wolves, at the same time (since the goblins were riding on the wolves) and countered by men.

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