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Them Dwarves, Them Dwarves, Part II

© Michael Martinez

Most of what we know about Dwarven culture and customs is derived from Tolkien's writings concerning Durin's Folk, the Longbeard Dwarves of Khazad-dum, Erebor, and the Iron Hills. Durin's Folk were possibly the most outgoing of all the Dwarves, interacting with Elves, Men, and Hobbits to one degree or another. The Dwarves of Ered Luin (the Firebeards and Broadbeams) were also closely associated with Elves and probably interacted with Men in the Second and Third Ages as well as the Shire Hobbits in the Third Age, but they seem to have become relatively few in number after the First Age. People view the Dwarves as secretive and somewhat xenophobic, but this is not completely accurate. Tolkien indeed said "they are a tough, thrawn race for the most part, secretive, laborious, retentive of the memory of injuries (and of benefits), lovers of stone, of gems, of things that take shape under the hands of of the craftsmen rather than things that live by their own life." So, how secretive were they? Tolkien tells us that the Dwarves of Nogrod and Belegost freely shared their knowledge with the Sindar in exchange for Melian's teaching, and they also exchanged knowledge later with the Noldor. On the other hand, the Petty Dwarves were so reclusive and hostile to the Sindar they seemed like vicious animals which should be hunted. The secretive nature of Dwarves is perceived to extend to their language, which they taught to few, but Tolkien doesn't say they taught it to none (even though Gandalf makes such a statement before the West-gate of Moria in "A Journey in the Dark", the author is often at odds with his own characters over matters of "fact", of which he himself is the final arbiter). Some Elves did in fact study the Dwarf-tongue, and learned as much of it as they could, and as the Dwarves would teach (if there were indeed such limits). The most resourceful scholar Tolkien wrote about was Pengolod, a half-Noldo/half-Sinda Elf of Gondolin who joined the Lambengolmor, the Masters of Tongues, a school of loremasters founded by Feanor in Aman and who (apparently) joined in the rebellion of the Noldor even though Feanor had long since ceased to work with languages. We know little of the history of the Lambengolmor. They studied Sindarin and probably some Nandorin and Avarin dialects in Beleriand, but much of their knowledge was lost when the Noldorin kingdoms began to fall. Those of the Lambengolmor who survived the destruction in the north eventually settled in Arvernien, and later moved on to the Isle of Balar with Cirdan and Gil-galad, or else they remained followers of the sons of Feanor. In the Second Age Pengolod settled in Eregion and it was probably there he (and possibly others) studied Khuzdul, the Dwarven language. Pengolod was the only loremaster of the Lambengolmor to survive the catastrophic War of the Elves and Sauron, and when the battles were finished he took ship from Mithlond and left Middle-earth forever, last of his kind to grace Middle-earth. With him departed much ancient knowledge which had not been committed to books.

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