The finale of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy, The Battle of the Five Armies, wraps up Bilbo Baggins' epic journey across Middle-earth and sets the stage for The Lord of the Rings. But who exactly are the five armies? Between author J.R.R. Tolkien's novel and Jackson's films, the answer isn't so simple.
Tolkien specifies the five forces in his writing: "So began a battle that none had expected; and it was called the Battle of Five Armies, and it was very terrible. Upon one side were the Goblins and the Wild Wolves, and upon the other were Elves and Men and Dwarves." The Elves were the Silvan Elves of Mirkwood, and the Men were from the nearby Lake-town. The Dwarves were a combination of Thorin and his company and the Dwarves of the Iron Hills. Note, however, that when Tolkien writes "Goblins" in The Hobbit, he's actually referring to Orcs.
Tolkien Used Goblin and Orc Interchangeably
This causes a bit of confusion because Goblins and Orcs in Jackson's Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films are separate races. Tolkien uses the terms Goblin and Orc interchangeably, as they are relatively similar in his lore. That's why Thorin's Elvish sword is referred to as "Orcrist, Goblin-cleaver, but the Goblins called it simply Biter." Even in the names of weapons, the term for Orcs isn't consistent, which may cause misunderstandings when it comes to figuring out who was involved in the Battle of the Five Armies.
Another detail that confuses the answer is that Tolkien leaves out the Eagles in his description of the battle, even though their arrival ultimately turns the tide. When they saw the Goblins (Orcs), they came flying right away out of hatred for the beasts. Even though they were saving the Elves, Men and Dwarves, the Eagles simply cared about decreasing the population of Goblins.
Who Were the Five Armies in The Hobbit?
Jackson doesn't include the Eagles in the list of forces in the Battle of Five Armies, either. In the documentary "Beneath the Thunder: Forging a Battle of Five Armies," part of the extended edition of Jackson's Hobbit trilogy, the forces are listed as follows: Men, Elves, Dwarves, the Orcs of Dol Guldur, and the Orcs of Mount Gundabad. So not only does he not include the Eagles, he replaces Tolkien's Wild Wolves (Wargs) with separate groups of Orcs.
Keep in mind there were other figures involved in the conflict, including Gandalf, Beorn the skin-changer, and Frodo Baggins, although none of them counts as an army. That's why the answer to the simple question "What are the five armies?" is not so straightforward. The most honest answer is that the five armies are the Men, Elves, Orcs, Dwarves and the Eagles. However, the real answer depends on which source you consult, Tolkien or Jackson, and even they can't seem to get the combatants straight.