<P> Unfinished Tales, a book of Tolkien's essays and stories about Middle - earth published posthumously in 1980, elaborates on Thorin's reasons for accepting Bilbo into his company . As depicted in the story "The Quest of Erebor", Thorin met with Gandalf in Bree shortly before the quest began . Gandalf persuaded him that stealth, rather than force, was needed to infiltrate Erebor; they would therefore need a burglar . Gandalf feared that Sauron could use Smaug as a weapon, and was concerned that Thorin's pride and quick temper would ruin the mission to destroy the dragon . He thought that Bilbo would be a calming influence on Thorin, as well as a genuinely valuable addition to the company . Thorin, who did not think much of Hobbits, reluctantly agreed, realizing that Bilbo's presence would be a small price to pay for Gandalf's help . </P> <P> Tolkien adopted Thorin's name from the Old Norse poem "Völuspá", part of the Poetic Edda . The name "Thorin" (Þorinn) appears in stanza 12, where it is used for a dwarf, and the name "Oakenshield" (Eikinskjaldi) in stanza 13 . The names also appear in Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda . The Norse Þorinn means darer or bold one, which is apt for the dwarf who initiated the quest of Erebor . </P> <P> As he was by right of birth the king of Erebor following the death of his father Thráin, he was King under the Mountain in exile until Smaug was destroyed . Upon Thorin's death, the title passed to Dáin, his cousin and nearest heir . </P> <P> In the 1977 animated version of The Hobbit, Thorin is voiced by Hans Conried . In the 1982 game The Hobbit Thorin appears as an AI controlled character and one of his seemingly random actions ("Thorin sits down and starts singing about gold", which occurs when the player does nothing for a while) became quite famous . </P>

Who becomes king of erebor when thorin dies