The book "The Hobbit, or Round Trip" gained immense popularity immediately after publication. Well, the movie trilogy that was released several years ago developed and consolidated this success, having managed to attract millions of new fans. One of the most notable characters in the film was Keely, a gnome who traveled with Torin. Many fans would be curious to know more about him.
The appearance of the gnome according to the book
In general, according to the book, Keely merges strongly with his brother Fili - the point here is not only the name, but also the fact that both gnomes are the youngest on the expedition. In addition, they have similar characters.
People who watched the film, and so probably remember the appearance of the hero. But what did he look like in the book? According to J.R. R. Tolkien, Keely is a dwarf wearing a blue cloak and also a yellow beard. Of all the musical instruments (as shown in the scene with the concert in the hole at Bilbo), he prefers the violin.
With age, the creator turned out to be a small problem. On the one hand, it is said that Keely was older than his brother Fili. However, in the appendix to The Lord of the Rings, which shows the dates of birth of the main characters, it is said that Kili is a dwarf born in 2859 of the Third Age, and Fili is only in 2864. Therefore, many fans accept the second version as confirmed by numbers.
How Keely got on an expedition
This is not mentioned in the film, but in the book The Hobbit, the gnomes Kili and Fili joined Thorin on his most dangerous journey, because both were his nephews. Yes, they are sons of Dis, the sister of Thorin. So the youngest gnomes on the expedition are princes of the Podgorny kingdom. Of course, they could not stay away when their fellow tribesmen set off for Lonely Mountain to return what was rightfully theirs.
Character character
Both in the film and in the book, Keely is distinguished by cheerfulness. He and his brother are the only ones who endured the journey in barrels with comparative optimism - only the two of them managed to keep a smile when Bilbo released them from prison.
Perhaps this is the result of their youth - at the time of the trip, Keely was only 82 years old, and Fili was 77 years old. By gnome standards, this age is indeed almost young. For example, Gimli (a companion of Legolas, Aragorn, and other Guardians from The Lord of the Rings), whose father, Gloin, went on a dangerous expedition, stayed home because he was only 62 years old. At the time when he entered the squad of Guardians, he was already 139 years old - quite a respectable age for a gnome.
Fili and Keely were distinguished by sharp vision, so they often shot enemies from bows. In addition, the elder gnomes often sent them to reconnaissance and left them as guards.
Hero's death
By the time the terrible dragon Smaug was defeated by a well-aimed shot of the Bard Archer, thirteen dwarfs, including Keely, were in the dungeons filled with gold. There they armed themselves well, donned the best armor that the masters created and prepared for the fact that they would have to fight the combined armies of people and elves who wanted to share treasures with them.
In addition, Torin's cousin, Dain Zheleznostop, hurried to help them. However, fate decreed otherwise - after all, a huge army consisting of orcs and wargs arrived here. Therefore, instead of fighting against the elves and humans, the dwarves had to act as allies.
The battle was extremely fierce. A turning point occurred when huge intelligent eagles arrived to help people, gnomes and elves, as well as Björn, a werewolf man.
Unfortunately, many brave warriors were killed in this battle, later called the Battle of the Five Armies. Among them was Torin, who had just received the title of King under the mountain. Fili and Keely fought to the last from numerous enemies, trying to protect the mortally wounded uncle. Alas, the superior forces of the enemy dared them - young brave gnomes were killed.
But after Torin’s death, hostility also died down - the surviving gnomes generously shared gold with their associates, laying the foundation for a lasting, reliable alliance.
Where did the elf come from?
In the book, Keely was an unobtrusive character, although a little more elaborate than most gnomes. But Peter Jackson had a very different idea, creating his cult trilogy. He decided that a character like the dwarf Keely should show the film in all its glory. And so it happened.
The character became one of the main characters in the third part of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. For example, he was wounded by a Morgul arrow. True, as critics noted, the orcs could not inflict such a wound by definition, and indeed, Tolkien’s books do not mention such weapons, unlike the Morgul blade, they were owned by only nine Black Riders.
When the dwarf was lying, preparing for death, Tauriel came to the aid of him - an elf whom he met while being held captive by King Licholesie.
Jackson decided that two elaborate elves (Legolas and his father Thranduil) were not enough to represent all the wondrous people. Therefore, it was decided to add at least one more character. Since the two men were already, they added a woman.
Unfortunately, a happy ending for the gnome Keely and the elf Tauriel was not provided. The first died, and the second was left alone, full of heartache.
Who played Keely and Tauriel
So, who embodied the gnome Keely on the screen? Actor Aidan Turner, known to viewers for films such as The Tudors, Desperate Romantics, and Being a Man, did an excellent job of his task.
But the role of the elven Tauriel went to the actress Evangeline Lily, who played in the projects Doomsday, Freddy vs. Jason, Smallville, The Storm Lord and many others. Needless to say, this role of the actress also worked out just fine. Even many Tolkienists, indignant at the distortion of the book, cannot but admit this fact.