Girion, Lord of Dale Theme

Bard in addition to being a bargeman is also the heir of the line Girion, lord of Dale, and carries a haunted past for his ancestor failed to slay the dragon with the legendary Black Arrows that were the only weapon strong enough to pierce the armoured scaly hide of the fire drake.

The theme for Bard’s ancestry is a hybrid of his own thematic material that is combined with clearly dwarven music colours, linking the music with the House of Durin to mark the shared history and fate of the races. As with his own theme the Girion theme begins grim and dark as Bard feels the failure of his ancestor as a burden and a shame but when Lake-town and especially his family are threatened by the dragon, the character finds his burgeoning heroism which transforms Girion theme into a noble guise that embodies the character’s newfound courage and spirit.

In addition to speaking of Bard’s heritage the theme seems to connect with the actual artefact of the legendary Black Arrow, a weapon capable of slaying a dragon. It will ultimately be Bard who kills Smaug with such a bolt and in the process redeems Girion for his failure and the heroic readings of it on The Battle of the Five Armies connect with the dragon-slaying arrow and Bard’s and his son Bain’s efforts to slay the marauding drake.