Mîm
Encyclopedia
Mîm is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien
's fictional universe
of Middle-earth
. He is introduced in The Silmarillion
as the last of the Petty-dwarves.
Mîm lives with his two sons at Amon Rûdh in middle Beleriand
, where he keeps a secret treasury. During Túrin
's time with the Outlaws, Mîm and his sons are seen as they sneak past the outlaws carrying heavy sacks. Mîm is captured, and arrows are shot at his sons Ibûn and Khîm.
In exchange for his life, Mîm is forced to lead the outlaws to his secret halls in Amon Rûdh. There, it turns out Khîm has been killed by an arrow, and Túrin repenting offers a ransom to Mîm. The caves of Mîm upon Amon Rûdh are named Bar-en-Danwedh, the House of Ransom for that reason. For this reason Mîm tolerates the outlaws, and although he never loves Túrin, the dwarf at least comes to respect him, though not his companions.
When Beleg
Cúthalion arrives at Amon Rûdh, Mîm is angry: he hates Elves
, especially the Sindar
. Nevertheless he has to tolerate the Elf in his halls. After Amon Rûdh is betrayed to Morgoth
, Mîm somehow escapes, but it seems Ibûn is killed by Orc
s. Beleg Cúthalion prophesies that Hador
's family will be the death of him yet. Eventually Mîm makes his way to ruined Nargothrond
after Túrin
has killed Glaurung
, and takes the treasure for his own.
Húrin
Thalion, who has seen all that had happened to Túrin with Morgoth's eyes, comes across Mîm in Nargothrond, and kills him, deeming him partially responsible for Túrin's fate. With his dying words Mîm curses the treasure. Húrin's band brings the treasure of Nargothrond to Doriath
, where eventually the gold is a reason for the Sack of Doriath and the death of Thingol
.
" as published in Unfinished Tales
and (in a fuller form) in The Children of Húrin
.
In earlier versions of The Silmarillion as detailed in The History of Middle-earth
series, Mîm was a much more evil character. But as Dwarves
gradually changed in Tolkien's writings from evil Orc-like beings to the Dwarves they later became, Mîm's character was changed, and in the final texts he is no longer a true villain, but a tragic character in his own right, he and his family having been taken into the fate of Túrin by no fault of his own.
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's fictional universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
of Middle-earth
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
. He is introduced in The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion is a collection of J. R. R. Tolkien's mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay, who later became a noted fantasy writer. The Silmarillion, along with J. R. R...
as the last of the Petty-dwarves.
Mîm lives with his two sons at Amon Rûdh in middle Beleriand
Beleriand
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional legendarium, Beleriand was a region in northwestern Middle-earth during the First Age. Events in Beleriand are described chiefly in his work The Silmarillion, which tells the story of the early ages of Middle-earth in a style similar to the epic hero tales of Nordic...
, where he keeps a secret treasury. During Túrin
Turín
Turín is a municipality in the Ahuachapán department of El Salvador....
's time with the Outlaws, Mîm and his sons are seen as they sneak past the outlaws carrying heavy sacks. Mîm is captured, and arrows are shot at his sons Ibûn and Khîm.
In exchange for his life, Mîm is forced to lead the outlaws to his secret halls in Amon Rûdh. There, it turns out Khîm has been killed by an arrow, and Túrin repenting offers a ransom to Mîm. The caves of Mîm upon Amon Rûdh are named Bar-en-Danwedh, the House of Ransom for that reason. For this reason Mîm tolerates the outlaws, and although he never loves Túrin, the dwarf at least comes to respect him, though not his companions.
When Beleg
Beleg
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Beleg is a major character who appears in numerous books, tales and poems about the First Age of Middle-earth such as The Silmarillion, The Lays of Beleriand and the Children of Húrin.-Name:...
Cúthalion arrives at Amon Rûdh, Mîm is angry: he hates Elves
Elf (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Elves are one of the races that inhabit a fictional Earth, often called Middle-earth, and set in the remote past. They appear in The Hobbit and in The Lord of the Rings, but their complex history is described more fully in The Silmarillion...
, especially the Sindar
Sindar
In the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the fictional Sindar are Elves of Telerin descent. They are also known as the Grey Elves. Their language is Sindarin...
. Nevertheless he has to tolerate the Elf in his halls. After Amon Rûdh is betrayed to Morgoth
Morgoth
Morgoth Bauglir is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth legendarium. He is the main antagonist of The Silmarillion, figures in The Children of Húrin, and is mentioned briefly in The Lord of the Rings.Melkor was the most powerful of the Ainur, but turned to darkness and became...
, Mîm somehow escapes, but it seems Ibûn is killed by Orc
Orc (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings, Orcs or Orks are a race of creatures who are used as soldiers and henchmen by both the greater and lesser villains of The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings — Morgoth, Sauron and Saruman...
s. Beleg Cúthalion prophesies that Hador
Hador
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Hador was a Lord of Men during the First Age.- Biography :Hador, also called in Sindarin Lórindol because he had fair blond hair, was the great-great-grandson of Marach, one of the leaders of the Atanatári, and ruled over the Folk of Marach which later became...
's family will be the death of him yet. Eventually Mîm makes his way to ruined Nargothrond
Nargothrond
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Nargothrond , called Nulukkhizdīn by the Dwarves, was the stronghold built by Finrod Felagund...
after Túrin
Turín
Turín is a municipality in the Ahuachapán department of El Salvador....
has killed Glaurung
Glaurung
Glaurung is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Silmarillion as the first of the Dragons. He is also a major antagonist in The Children of Húrin. He was known as The Deceiver, The Golden, The Great Worm and the Worm of...
, and takes the treasure for his own.
Húrin
Húrin
Húrin is a fictional character in the Middle-earth legendarium of J. R. R. Tolkien. He is introduced in The Silmarillion as a hero of Men during the First Age, said to be the greatest warrior of both the Edain and all the other Men in Middle-earth...
Thalion, who has seen all that had happened to Túrin with Morgoth's eyes, comes across Mîm in Nargothrond, and kills him, deeming him partially responsible for Túrin's fate. With his dying words Mîm curses the treasure. Húrin's band brings the treasure of Nargothrond to Doriath
Doriath
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Doriath is the realm of the Sindar, the Grey Elves of King Thingol in Beleriand. Along with the other great forests of Tolkien's legendarium such as Mirkwood, Fangorn and Lothlórien it serves as the central stage in the theatre of its time, the First Age...
, where eventually the gold is a reason for the Sack of Doriath and the death of Thingol
Thingol
Elu Thingol is a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in The Silmarillion, The Lays of Beleriand and Children of Húrin as well as in numerous stories in the many volumes of The History of Middle-earth...
.
Other versions of the legendarium
Note that in the published Silmarillion Mîm hardly appears. His role is much expanded in the "Narn i Chîn HúrinNarn i Chîn Húrin
A portion of the Narn i Chîn Húrin or The Tale of the Children of Húrin is a part of the book Unfinished Tales by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It is a prose version of an earlier narrative poem called The Lay of the Children of Húrin...
" as published in Unfinished Tales
Unfinished Tales
Unfinished Tales is a collection of stories and essays by J. R. R. Tolkien that were never completed during his lifetime, but were edited by his son Christopher Tolkien and published in 1980.Unlike The Silmarillion, for which the narrative fragments were modified to connect into a consistent and...
and (in a fuller form) in The Children of Húrin
The Children of Húrin
The Children of Húrin is an epic fantasy novel which forms the completion of a tale by J. R. R. Tolkien. He wrote the original version of the story in the late 1910s, revised it several times later, but did not complete it before his death in 1973...
.
In earlier versions of The Silmarillion as detailed in The History of Middle-earth
The History of Middle-earth
The History of Middle-earth is a 12-volume series of books published from 1983 through to 1996 that collect and analyse material relating to the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, compiled and edited by his son, Christopher Tolkien. Some of the content consists of earlier versions of already published...
series, Mîm was a much more evil character. But as Dwarves
Dwarf (Middle-earth)
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Dwarves are a race inhabiting the world of Arda, a fictional prehistoric Earth which includes the continent Middle-earth....
gradually changed in Tolkien's writings from evil Orc-like beings to the Dwarves they later became, Mîm's character was changed, and in the final texts he is no longer a true villain, but a tragic character in his own right, he and his family having been taken into the fate of Túrin by no fault of his own.