Balin, son of Fundin and elder brother of Dwalin, was a Dwarf lord of the House of Durin, renowned for his wise counsel and his willingness to listen. One of Thorin Oakenshield's closest friends and advisers, he served as a deputy leader and the "look-out man" of the Company of thirteen Dwarves who set out with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf on the Quest of Erebor.
Balin survived the Battle of Five Armies and dwelt for many years in the restored kingdom under the Mountain. Of all the Company he alone returned to visit Bilbo in the Shire, where he also met the young Frodo. Years later he led an expedition to reclaim the ancient realm of Moria, taking the title Lord of Moria and recovering Durin's Axe and a mithril helm.
His colony endured only about five years before it was overwhelmed by Orcs; Balin was slain at the Mirrormere, and the Fellowship of the Ring later found his tomb in the Chamber of Mazarbul. On screen he is portrayed by Ken Stott across Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy. This overview is offered under CC BY-SA; chronology appears in the Timeline.
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