Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy featured Dwarves far more prominently than his earlier The Lord of the Rings films, so it had a chance to explore Dwarven culture in greater depth. The Dwarves of Middle-earth were tough, proud, and usually rowdy. Though each member of Thorin Oakenshield’s Company had a distinct personality, all 13 of them embodied those Dwarven virtues to a certain extent, and this influenced how they interacted with one another. In The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Dwalin was the first Dwarf to arrive at Bag End, and he greeted Bilbo with a polite bow, announcing, «Dwalin, at your service.»
However, when Dwalin’s brother Balin arrived, the two exchanged a greeting more unique to the Dwarves. Dwalin grabbed Balin by the shoulders, and then the brothers smashed their foreheads together with an audible clunk. Bilbo was visibly alarmed by this, but to the Dwarves, it was a simple display of affection. The Hobbit‘s creators have not commented on the inspiration behind this moment, but it is strikingly similar to some behind-the-scenes shenanigans that occurred during the filming of Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy a decade prior.
Viggo Mortensen Liked to Headbutt His Fellow The Lord of the Rings Actors
As discussed in behind-the-scenes footage of The Lord of the Rings, Viggo Mortensen, who portrayed Aragorn, developed the strange and painful habit of headbutting his castmates when he saw them. Legolas actor Orlando Bloom explained, «It was a sort of really ridiculous, fantastically foolish idea to walk up to one another, clasp the face of the other person, say something sweet and endearing, and then smash your head against theirs.» There was no malice intended; Frodo actor Elijah Wood described it as «spontaneous, violent love.» This tradition of headbutting began with Mortensen and members of the stunt team, but it soon spread to the rest of the cast. Even though it was all in good fun, it caused some problems.
One night, while the cast enjoyed some time off at a bar, Mortensen convinced Sala Baker — who played the Dark Lord Sauron as well as some of the Orcs throughout the trilogy — to headbutt Bloom. Bloom recalled seeing a flash of «white light,» and he was left with a welt on his forehead. This earned Baker and Mortensen the ire of The Lord of the Rings‘ makeup artists, who needed to cover the mark before Bloom could show his face on camera. On Mortensen’s last day of filming, the stunt crew surprised him by performing a traditional Māori dance known as a haka in his honor, and afterward, he said goodbye by giving everyone a headbutt. This tradition carried on among The Lord of the Rings‘s stars long after filming wrapped.
Reportedly, Bloom injured himself at a dance party in 2016 by headbutting his friends.
The Hobbit's Dwarves Took a Brute Force Approach to Everything
The behind-the-scenes footage did not explain when or why Mortensen decided to start headbutting his fellow actors. It may have stemmed from the hongi, a Māori greeting in which individuals press their noses and foreheads together. However, a hongi is meant to be gentle, so if this was indeed the origin of Mortensen’s headbutting habit, it quickly spiraled out of control. Mortensen declined to return for The Hobbit films since he wanted to remain faithful to J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit novel, which did not include Aragorn. Despite this, the tradition that he and the stunt team began lived on in Dwalin and Balin.
As shown in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Dwarven headbutts were not always friendly. During the titular battle, Daín II Ironfoot killed several Orcs using just his head, which was all the more impressive considering his enemies were wearing helmets and he was not. Dwarven headbutting had no basis in Tolkien’s writing, but it does make sense given the lore. Dwarves were stronger and more durable than most of Middle-earth’s other inhabitants, so they likely could have used their heads as blunt instruments without fear of pain or serious harm. It could also be seen as a thematic representation of Dwarves’ stubborn bullheadedness; nothing suited the Dwarves’ personalities more than rushing head-first into battle.
Summary
The Lord of the Rings is a long-running fantasy franchise created by J.R.R. Tolkien. The core series consists of four primary books: The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, the Two Towers, and The Return of the King, all of which have been adapted into films. The Lord of the Rings core franchise centers around Frodo Baggins, a living being known as a hobbit, and a group of heroes from the various kingdoms such as the kingdom of man, the kingdom of dwarves, and the kingdom of elves. Together with the great wizard Gandalf, the group will embark on a perilous quest across Middle Earth to take The One Ring to Mount Doom to destroy it, before it can corrupt anyone and return to the hands of the evil entity known as Sauron, hellbent on conquering all of Middle Earth. The original novel/prequel films, The Hobbit, stars Frodo’s uncle Bilbo Baggins as he embarks on a quest from the comfort of his home and seeks the treasure of a dragon known as Smaug. Bilbo stumbles upon The One Ring on his quest, and finds himself amidst a great war. The most recent media for the franchise is the currently airing The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, airing exclusively on Prime Video.
