Creation/Description:
The first Dwarves were created by the
Vala
Aulë
“in the darkness of Middle-earth”1 after the destruction of
the Two
Lamps, when Valinor had been founded upon the
westernmost continent of Arda,
Aman,
but before the Awakening of the Elves.
Aulë was impatient to see Arda populated with beings that he
could teach, and so attempted to create his own. As he
finished, Eru
confronted him, reminding him that “thou hast as a gift from
me thy own being only, and no more.”2 The Dwarves were doomed to
only have life when Aulë gave thought to them. Realizing his
error, Aulë offered his creations up to Eru, and was about
to destroy them when Eru had compassion upon Aulë and
granted them being of their own. However, Eru changed
nothing else about the Dwarves, and would not suffer them to
walk abroad in Arda before his own Firstborn
had awakened. Therefore, Aulë placed the Seven Fathers in
locations distant from each other and left them to slumber.
Dwarves, as created by Aulë, were made strong and
unyielding, stone-hard and stubborn. They are “fast in
friendship and in enmity”3 (meaning they are loyal to
friends and do not easily forget when they’ve been wronged),
secretive and quick to resentment. They have lives far
longer than those of Men
(but they are not immortal as are Elves) and suffer physical
conditions such as toil, hunger, and injury (apparently
including dragon fire such as in Nirnaeth
Arnoediad) more hardily than the other speaking
peoples of Arda. Dwarves are described as being “a warlike
race of old,”4
fighting fiercely against any foe, including other Dwarves.
They always require payment for services whether the work
was done with delight or toil.
Based on comments in the Prologue to
Fellowship of the Ring stating that Hobbits are not
much shorter than Dwarves (and that Hobbits average between
two and four feet), Dwarves are probably between four and
four and a half feet tall on average.
Death and Fate:
Of Dwarvish death, the Elves believe
they “return to the earth and stone from which they’re
made.”5
The Dwarves themselves say Mahal (Aulë) gathers them to
halls set aside for them in Mandos. The Dwarves also believe
the Seven Fathers return to live again in their own kin.
They believe this has happened six times already in the case
of Durin
the Deathless, the eldest of the Seven Fathers and
ancestor of the kings of the Longbeards (who dwelt in
Khazad-dűm and their later kingdoms in exile such as Erebor
and the Iron Hills).
Of their fate after the Last
Battle, the Dwarves believe that Eru will hallow them
and give them a place among the Children in the End. They
will then aid Aulë in remaking Arda.
Noegyth Nibin (The Petty Dwarves):
The first Dwarves to enter Beleriand
were the Noegyth Nibin. The only ones known by name
are Mîm
and his sons Khîm
and Ibun,
who were the last of this group of Dwarves living by the
time Túrin
Turambar met them. In origin they were Dwarves who
were banished “in ancient days” from great Dwarf-cities in
the east (possibly including Khazad-dűm,
though no actual city is named). They’d found their way into
Beleriand long before Morgoth’s return to Middle-earth.
However, they had become “diminished in stature and in
smith-craft, walking with bowed shoulders and furtive
steps.”6
The caves of Nargothrond (which “Of the Ruin of Doriath”
tells us was called Nulukkizdîn by them) were
discovered first by the Petty-Dwarves, and they’d begun its
delving. Amon Rűdh, where Mîm made his home, was also once a
city of the Petty-Dwarves. By Mîm’s time, the Petty-Dwarves
were “remembered only in Ancient tales of Doriath and
Nargothrond.”7
They are described as loving none but
themselves, and thinking little more of the Elves than they
do of Orcs.
This is somewhat justified, as before the Dwarves of Nogrod
and Belegost made their way into Beleriand, the Sindar
didn’t know what they were and hunted them. They accused the
Noldor of stealing their lands and homes.
Dwarf Mansions
There are three Dwarf mansions mentioned. These are, in
Sindarin, Belegost (meaning Mickleburg), Nogrod (meaning
Hollowbold), and Hadhodrond, which was later named Moria.
Belegost, called Gabilgathol in Dwarvish, was
located in the Ered
Luin north of Mount Dolmed.
Nogrod, called Tumunzahar in Dwarvish,
was located in the Ered Luin south of Mount Dolmed.
Hadhodrond, called Khazad-dűm in
Dwarvish, is located in the Misty Mountains on the eastern
border of Eriador, and became known as Moria
(meaning the Black Pit) after the release of the Balrog.
Dwarf Women and Marriage
Dwarf-women
are less than one-third of the entire Dwarvish population.
“They are in voice and appearance, and in garb if they must
go on a journey, so like to the dwarf-men that the eyes and
ears of other peoples cannot tell them apart..”8 This implies
that Dwarves (or at least dwarf-women) do not dress the same
way at home as they do abroad. Thus, it would probably be
easier to distinguish between the sexes in Dwarf kingdoms.
Dwarf-women, however, do not go abroad except at great need.
The Dwarf population increases
slowly, and can be threatened when they have no secure
dwellings. This is partly because the number of dwarf-men
who marry is actually less than one-third. Some dwarf-men
are more interested in their crafts than in marrying, and
likewise some dwarf-women have no interest in marriage. Of
the dwarf-women who are interested in marriage, some want a
dwarf-man they cannot have, and so will have no other. When
married, Dwarves – both men and women- take only one spouse
in their life, and are jealous, as in all matters of their
rights.
Dealings with Elves
As already mentioned, the first
dealings between Dwarves and Elves came in the form of the
Sindar hunting and killing the Noegyth Nibin. It was during
the second age of Melkor’s captivity that the Dwarves came
over the Blue Mountains. Both the Sindar and the Dwarves
benefited from the trade and, together with the Sindar, the
Dwarves of Belegost delved and created Menegroth for Thingol.
The Dwarves preferred to learn Sindarin than teach Khuzdul
to the Elves, and from the Sindar learned Cirthas Daeron.
Through the Dwarves, Cirth was taken east to peoples beyond
the Blue Mountains.
They were more willing to give
friendship to the Noldor due to their mutual reverence for
Aulë. Their first dealings with the Noldor were with Caranthir,
whose realm was furthest east of the Noldor. The Dwarves had
ceased traffic into Beleriand after Morgoth’s return, and so
it was when Caranthir’s people traveled into the Ered Luin
that they first met. Both the Dwarves and Caranthir profited
from their alliance, but there was no love between them due
to the haughtiness and scorn directed by Caranthir’s people
toward the Dwarves. The Dwarves of the Ered Luin also
assisted in the building of Nargothrond (the delving of
which had been begun long ago by the Petty-Dwarves).
During the Second Age, the greatest
friendship between Dwarves and Elves was that between the
Dwarves of Khazad-dűm and the Gwaith-i-Mirdain led
by Celebrimbor,
grandson of Fëanor.
The Dwarves say that of the seven rings given to the
Dwarves, the Ring given to Durin III was the first to be
forged, and was given to him by the Elvensmiths, not by Sauron.
Dealings with Sauron and his Minions
After giving the rings to the
Dwarf-kings, Sauron found they were hard to tame, and that
the rings only inflamed their greed of gold, such that
without it all else seemed worthless. Some Dwarves fought
for him in the War of the Last Alliance at the end of the
second age of the Sun, albeit few fought upon either side.
The Dwarves of Khazad-dűm (Durin’s folk) fought against him.
The greatest mustering of
Dwarvish forces was likely during the War of the Dwarves and
Orcs
(2793-2799 of the Third Age), sparked when Thror, descendant
of Durin,
the eldest of the Seven Fathers, was hewn down by Azog, who
had taken
up lordship of Moria after it was abandoned by Durin’s Folk
upon the
awakening of the Balrog and its slaying Kings Durin VI and his
son Nain
I. It took three years to muster their full might, and when
completed
they cleared every orc stronghold they could find from Gundabad
to the
Gladden. The fight was hard and cruel on both sides, and
culminated at
the Battle of Azanulbizar, where the Dwarves won the day but
lost half
their army in the process. Of those who died there, it is
proudly said
“he was a burned Dwarf,” which is contrary to Dwarves’
preferred method
of dealing with their dead. There were too many in this case
to build
stone tombs for, as they do not lay their dead in earth, so
they chose
to burn the bodies and carry home the weapons and armor rather
than
leave them for scavengers.
Information beyond
the Silmarillion and Lord of the Rings
Due to the (sometimes drastic)
changes that can occur from book to book in the History of
Middle-Earth series,
this section will be grouped by book, and only include
information either
changed or previously unmentioned from earlier volumes. As a
result, not all
volumes will have information included, as not all have
information pertinent
to a general article.
Book of Lost
Tales
1
Notes for
Gilfannon’s Tale
mentions Dwarves were always considered evil and
were associated with a servant of Melko(r) named Fankil(earlier
Fukil/Fangli),
who is in an early version called a “child of Melko.” It also
gives the name
“Nauglath” as an early name for the Dwarves.
The Names List in the appendix gives for
Nauglath:
naug and naugli “dwarf”,
naugla “of
the dwarves” nauglafel “dwarf-natured, i.e. mean, avaricious.”
The qenya
(Quenya) equivalent of naug = nauko
Book of Lost
Tales
2
The
Tale of Tinuviel Gives
the Nauglath/Dwarves a special name:
Indravangs/Indrafangs, translating to “Longbeards.”
The
Nauglafring suggests the Indrafangs and the Nauglath were
two different
types of Dwarves, with the Indrafangs being the Dwarves of
Belegost. It gives
the name of Naugladur to the king of Nogrod, and Bodruith to the
king of
Belegost. This chapter also says Dwarves couldn’t stand
sunlight.
Of the Indrafangs and Nauglath it
says, “they serve not Melko nor Manwë and reck not for Elf or
Man, and some say
that they have not heard of Iluvatar, or hearing disbelieve.
Howbeit in crafts
and sciences and in the knowledge of the virtues of all things
that are in the
earth or under water none excel…Old are they, and never comes a
child among
them, nor do they laugh. They are squat in stature, and yet are
strong, and
their beards reach even to their toes, but the beards of the
Indrafangs are
longest of all, and are forked, and they bind them about their
middles when
they walk abroad…their crafts and cunning surpass that of the
Gnomes in
marvelous contrivance, but of a truth there is little beauty in
their works of
themselves...”
9
It also says these Dwarves sold arms and armor to
both the Elves and to Morgoth.
The
History of Eriol or AElfwine mentions the Dwarves hired
orcs for the sack
of Artanor/Doriath, and gives the new name of Nautar for
Nauglath.
Lays of Beleriand
The
Lay of the Children of Hurin blames Dwarves for the evil
nature of one of
Turin’s
outlaw companions.
This Blodrin was said to have been kidnapped as a child and
raised by Dwarves.
It is also mentioned in this
chapter that Dorwinion wine passes into Beleriand through the
Dwarves of
Nogrod.
Shaping of
Middle-Earth
Quenta
9 says the Fëanorians made war with Nogrod and Belegost,
but did not
discover the Dwarves’ origins. It does say that mail and weapons
were their
chief craft, and “Trade and barter was their delight and the
winning of wealth
of which they made little use.”
10 It also gives a new form of
Nauglir, and changes the identity of the Indrafangs to the
Dwarves of Nogrod.
Quenta
11 says Nogrod and Belegost made weapons and armor for the
Union of Maidros
(Maedhros), but didn’t march with him.
Quenta
14 indicates Dwarves first came into Beleriand after the
Battle of
Unnumbered Tears, and being a pragmatic race, chose to stay out
of the war with
Morgoth.
The
Earliest Annals of Beleriand says Elves first learned of
Dwarves from the
Swarthy Men who came into Beleriand, as these men preferred the
Dwarves. The
Elves didn’t know the Dwarves’ origins, only they were “not of
Elf, nor of
mortal (Man), or of Morgoth.”
11
The
Lost Road and
Other Writings
The
Later Annals of Beleriand gives the first mention of Aulë
creating the
Dwarves, but it says of them “they have no spirit indwelling,
and they have
skill but not art.”
12
The
Lhammas 9 discusses briefly Dwarven speech, that it was
“Aulian” in origin.
Aulë created a fresh language for them, and the language of Men
was in part
derived from Dwarvish.
The
Quenta Silmarillion Chapter 10: “Of Men and Dwarfs”
paragraph 122 says “Naug-rim”
was a name for Dwarves given by the Dark Elves, and compares
Dwarves to Orcs,
“in that they come of the willfulness of one of the Valar, but
were not made
out of malice of mockery, and were not begotten of evil
purpose.”
13
However, they derive their thought and being after their measure
from only one
of the Powers, “whereas Elves and Men, to whomsoever among the
Valar they
chiefly turn, have kinship with all in some degree.”
14
It also says Dwarves have
“great
skill, but small beauty, save where they imitate the arts of the
Eldar.”
15
A description for them is also
given: short and squat of stature, strong arms, sturdy legs, and
long
beards.
Khuzud is the name Dwarves give
themselves at this time. The Gnomes (Noldor) call the Dwarves
“Neweg” meaning
“the stunted”, and specifically of Nogrod “Enfeng,” meaning
“Longbeards.”
At this time, Nogrod is the
identity of Khazaddum (one word), meaning Dwarfmine, and
Belegost is
Gabilgathol, meaning “Great Fortress.”
Return of the
Shadow
“At Rivendell”, which is an early
draft of the Rivendell chapter of LotR, commentary by Tolkien
suggests he was
considering that a Ring was necessary to found a Dwarf colony’s
wealth.
Note 39 in “The Mines of Moria”
gives Nargun as the Dwarf name of Mordor.
Morgoth’s Ring
Section 4, Year 1250, paragraph 84
on the
Annals of Aman suggests
Nornwaith as a name for Dwarves.
War of the Jewels
The
Grey Annals Year
1250, paragraph 19
gives us Norn-folk for Dwarves. Year 1300, paragraph 22 says the
Enfeng were
Longbeards of Belegost. Year 1300-50, paragraph 25 indicates the
Naugrim feared
and hated the sea.
The
Later Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter 13, “Concerning the
Dwarves,“ in the section
entitled “Of the Naugrim and the Edain” tells that only the
Seven Fathers
“return to live again in their own kin and bear once more their
ancient names.”
16
Paragraph 5 gives a slightly fuller description of Dwarves:
“short and squat in
stature, deep-breasted, strong in the arm, and stout in the leg,
and their
beards were long.” These beards were attributed from birth to
both men and
women among the Dwarves. Other races can’t discern female
dwarves “be it in
feature or in gait or in voice.”
17 Dwarf women do not go to war,
and
seldom left their halls save in direst need. Furthermore, few
but the
Dwarf-king and chieftains wed.
Several inserted passages pose different
creation stories for the “Mothers” of the Dwarf race. The first
suggests Eru
created them, but made them to resemble the men (save being
female of course)
since Aulë had only made the male form at that point. Another
suggests that
Aulë first made Durin, then the other six, then gave the six
mates and began to
instruct the Fathers (leaving Durin without a mate). The others
are along
similar veins. In the end, it seemed Tolkien abandoned the
origin of female
Dwarves, not being satisfied with the solutions.
Chapter III of Part 3, titled
“Maeglin” gives the form “Anfangrim” from “Enfeng” in paragraph
9.
“Qendi and Eldar,” Appendix B says
(relating to their discovery by the Sindar in Beleriand) the
Petty-Dwarves
attacked the Eldar first, by stealth or night, and seldom the
Elves got a good
look at them. Thus, the Eldar, having no clear visuals to base
their assessment
on, thought the Petty-Dwarves were a kind of cunning, two-legged
animal. The
name Dornhoth “the Thrawn Folk” is also given for Dwarves,
because of their
stubborn mood and bodily toughness. The following paragraph
mentions the Noldor
learned of the Dwarves from the Sindar, and later developed
independent
relations with them. The Dwarvish name “Khazad” was adapted to
“Kasar,” plural
“Kasari”, partitive plural “Kasalli”, race name “Kasallie.” The
Sindarin
adapted to Qenya was “Nauko” or “Norno”, the whole people being
“Naukalie” or
“Nornalie”, with “Norno” being the more friendly term.
Appendix D of the same chapter
tells us Dwarves had “greatly elaborate and organized gesture
systems which
varied greatly from community to community.” They called their
gesture-language
Iglishmek. While Elven gesture systems were used to
communicate at a distance
(Elves have excellent sight), Dwarves (who were described as
short-sighted)
used theirs for secrecy and the exclusion of others. As with
their language,
they were not eager to teach this to outsiders. However, they
understood and
respected a disinterested desire for knowledge, and eventually
Noldorin loremasters
were allowed learn enough of both the language and the gestures
to understand
the systems.
Peoples of
Middle-earth
In
The Making of Appendix A,
there is a sentence indicating how the
Dwarvish race ends: “And the line of Dáin prospered, and the
wealth and renown
of the kingship was renewed, until there arose again for the
last time an heir
of that House that bore the name of Durin, and he returned to
Moria; and there
was light again in deep places, and the ringing of hammers and
the harping of
harps, until the world grew old and the Dwarves failed and the
days of Durin’s
race were ended.” (pg 278)
“The Making of Appendix A” Part IV:
Durin’s Folk suggests different Dwarf
“breeds” vary in longevity, giving an average life expectancy of
250 years in
the Third Age, though some made it to 300. Dwarves are said to
“harden” and
gain the appearance of age (by human standards) quickly. Between
the ages of 40
and 240 was their prime, and they looked much alike in age.
During this time
their capacity for toil and fighting was equally great amongst
most
Dwarves.
After 240 they began to
age,
wrinkle, and go white quickly (though they don’t go bald). While
immune to the
diseases that affected Men and Halflings, they could suffer from
corpulence (a
danger when they had stable lodgings), and if they grew very fat
at 200 or
before, they couldn’t do much except eat afterwards.
Dwarf women were never forced to
marry against their will (which, as it says, “would of course be
impossible”),
and seldom married before the age of 90. They were seldom named
in genealogies,
as they joined their husband’s families (an exception to this is
Dis, because
of the gallant death of Fili and Kili. The sentiment of
affection for one’s
sisters’ children was strong among all peoples of the Third Age,
but less so
among Dwarves). If a son is 110 or more years younger than the
father, it
usually indicated an elder daughter.
Dwarves had few children, with even
as many as four being rare. Parents were fiercely devoted, even
if they seemed
harsh (to ensure the children grow up “tough, hardy, and
unyielding”), and
would defend their children with all their power. Children were
equally devoted
to their parents.
Chapter 10: “Of Dwarves and Men”
subchapter “Relations of Longbeard Dwarves and Men” gives the
names (quite
likely descriptive) of the seven Houses of the Dwarves. Besides
the Longbeards
(which were now the Dwarves of Khazad-Dum), the Fathers were set
in pairs in
mountain ranges. The Firebeards and the Broadbeams are the
Dwarves of Nogrod and
Belegost in the
Blue Mountains.
Durin was the
father of the Longbeards of Moria in the
Misty
Mountains, though he
awoke in
Mount Gundabad
(same mountain range, north of Moria. His awakening there is why
it was revered
by the Dwarves). The other two pairs, the Ironfists and
Stiffbeards, and the
Blacklocks and Stonefoots, were placed further eastward, at
distances as great
or greater than that between the
Blue
Mountains
and Gundabad. Despite the distance, the Dwarf houses had
communication, and in
early ages delegates met at
Mount Gundabad.
In the Third
Age,
Mount
Gundabad
was occupied by the orcs, and
this was the chief source of Dwarf hatred towards them. In time
of need, even
the most distant Dwarf houses sent help (like in the War of the
Dwarves and
Orcs). Dwarves didn’t like to migrate or make permanent
dwellings or mansions
too far from their original homes, but did so when pressured by
enemies (such
as Smaug’s attack on Erebor or the Balrog in Moria) or after a
catastrophe
(such as the destruction of Beleriand at the end of the First
Age or the world
being made round at the end of the Second). Despite this, they
were also
skilled roadmakers.
The earliest dealings between Men
and the Longbeards were during the Second Age in the northern
parts of Eriador
and Rhovanion. The union began in war with the orcs. The
Longbeards (described
as the proudest but also the wisest and most farseeing) held the
Iron Hills,
the Ered Mithrin, and the east dales of the Misty Mountains as
their own land,
and had spread down the Vales of Anduin. They were glad to ally
with the Men in
the area, who were mostly akin to the House of Hador. The Men
became the
chief providers of food, herdsmen, shepherds, and land-tillers,
and the Dwarves
were the builders, roadmakers, miners, crafters, armorers and
weaponsmiths.
This arrangement became typical of dealings between Men and
Dwarves, and left
the Dwarves free to refine their arts, especially in metallurgy.
The Longbeards
at this time also adopted the speech of Men.
This
alliance of Dwarves and Men commanded great strength, swift
attack, and
well-protected defense. There was great respect and esteem
between the two
races, and sometimes even warm friendship. Men acted as scouts
to watch for
attacks or roving bands, and Dwarves supplied the arms, since
Men had tamed
horses, and as Note 29 says, “No Dwarf would ever mount a horse
willingly, nor did any
ever harbour animals, not even dogs.”
18
In a note in Chapter 13: “Last Writings,” it
is
mentioned that the flesh of Dwarf bodies is far slower to decay
or
become corrupted than that of Men.
19
References/Citations
(Citations do not represent the extent of knowledge gleaned,
only that which was directly quoted)
The Silmarillion
1, 2, 3,
5 “Of Aulë and
Yavanna”
4 “Of the Sindar”
“Of the Return of the Noldor”
“Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth
Arnoediad”
6, 7 “Of Túrin Turambar”
“Of the Ruin of Doriath”
“Of the Rings of Power and the Third
Age”
The Fellowship of the Ring
Prologue
8 The
Return of the King Appendix A, Section III “Durin’s
Folk”
The History of Middle-earth series:
HoME volume 1:
Book of Lost
Tales 1
HoME volume 2:
Book of Lost
Tales 2
9The
Nauglafring
HoME volume 3:
Lays of Beleriand
HoME volume 4:
Shaping of
Middle-earth
10The Quenta, Section 9.
11The Earliest Annals of Beleriand, Year
163
HoME volume 5:
The Lost Road and
Other Writings
12The Later Annals of Beleriand,
Year 104
13,14,15The Quenta Silmarillion
Chapter 10: “Of
Dwarves and Men”, paragraph 123
HoME volume 6:
Return of the
Shadow
HoME volume 10:
Morgoth’s Ring
HoME volume 11:
War of the
Jewels
16The Later Quenta Silmarillion,
Chapter
13: “Concerning the Dwarves“,
“Of
the Naugrim and the Edain” paragraph 3
17The Later Quenta Silmarillion,
Chapter
13: “Concerning the Dwarves“,
“Of
the Naugrim and the Edain” paragraph 5
HoME volume 12:
Peoples of Middle-earth
18Chapter
10: “Of Dwarves and Men”, Note 29
19Chapter 13:
"Last Writings", Note 24
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