Featured Pipe Smoker (Fictional): Gimli, son of Gloín

Brer once remarked that when he saw this picture, he thought that was how I must feel sometimes. I have many fictional characters in my collection of pipe-smokers, several from LotR. In this still from one of the Peter Jackson movies, John Rhys-Davies portrays the dwarf Gimli, son of Gloín. After a hard day of hewing orcs, he finds a quiet respite to smoke a pipe while seated comfortably on the corpse of a convenient orc, the orc's head having provided a handy place to rest his battle axe.

Gimli was a Dwarf of the race of Durin. His father, Gloín joined Thorin Oakenshield on the journey to Erebor. Gimli was born 2879 Third Age and spent most of his youth in the Ered Luin, till he went to Erebor with his father in 2941. From there Dáin II Ironfoot sent them both to Rivendell to take part in the Council of Elrond in 3018. Like usual for Dwarves, Gimli mistrusted Elves with the Naugrim's proverbial stubbornness, an attitude he changed soon after meeting Gladriel in Lorien. On the council Gimli was chosen to be a member of the Fellowship of the Ring and to join Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Aragorn, Boromir, Gandalf and Legolas on their journey to Mordor.

Gimli turned out to be a great leader and courageous fighter in the mines of Moria. Since the times of Durin, Gimli was the first Dwarf to set his foot on the ground of the realm of the Wood Elves in Lothlórien. He requested and received a strand of Galadriel's hair, as a symbol for the unbreakable friendship between the wood and the mountain. From this moment on everybody had to fear Gimli's axe, who showed even the shadow of a reservation against the Elven-Queen.

After the breaking of the Fellowship at the falls of Rauros, Gimli fought together with Aragorn and Legolas in the war in Rohan and afterwards took part in the ride on the Paths of the Dead. Defending the Hornburg, he beheaded 42 enemies with his broad-bladed battle-axe.

In the years after the end of the War of the Ring Gimli settled together with a group of Dwarves of the Erebor in Aglarond; and was called "Master of the Glittering Caves" since. The smiths and masons of Aglarond did a lot of workmanship for the Kings of Rohan and Gondor.

Gimli was said to be the only Dwarf who traveled with his friend Legolas to the Old West.

Thanks to Khazad-Dum.com for the biography.

He appears to be smoking a clay pipe.