Thirteen Dwarves travel with Bilbo in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.
The company is led by Thorin Oakenshield, who seeks to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and its treasure from the dragon Smaug. The other Dwarves are Dwalin, Balin, Kíli, Fíli, Dori, Nori, Ori, Óin, Glóin, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur. Gandalf joins the expedition, and Bilbo becomes its burglar.
The company’s number is easy to miscount because Gandalf is a prominent member of the travelling party, while Bilbo is its Hobbit companion rather than a Dwarf. Counting all named adventurers gives fifteen travellers at the outset: thirteen Dwarves, one wizard, and one Hobbit.
The group’s composition also connects The Hobbit with later Tolkien history. Glóin is the father of Gimli, who appears in The Lord of the Rings, while Thorin’s claim to the mountain is tied to the earlier Dwarven kingdom of Erebor. The company’s journey takes it through Rivendell, Mirkwood, and the lands around the Lonely Mountain.