Who killed Smaug in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit?

Bard the Bowman killed Smaug in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.

Bard is a descendant of Girion, the last lord of Dale before Smaug attacked the region. When Smaug leaves the Lonely Mountain and flies toward Lake-town, Bard takes command of the defence as the settlement faces destruction.

A thrush tells Bard about the unprotected patch in Smaug’s armour, a weakness Bilbo had noticed earlier. Bard fires the Black Arrow and strikes the dragon in that vulnerable spot, killing him. Smaug’s fall destroys Lake-town but ends his long occupation of Erebor.

Readers sometimes credit Bilbo because he discovers the weakness, or Thorin because he leads the quest to reclaim the mountain. Neither kills Smaug. Bard’s act also establishes his claim to leadership among the people of Dale and becomes important in the political aftermath of the dragon’s death.