Them Dwarves, Them Dwarves, Part II - Page 2


© Michael Martinez
Page 2
Among the secrets Dwarves were not disposed to give out were their true, inner names, given in Khuzdul and used only among themselves. All the Dwarves of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings use Mannish names, according to their custom. At least, this was the custom among the Longbeard Dwarves from the Second Age onward, if not earlier. Other Dwarves, however, used Khuzdul names. The Dwarves of Nogrod and Belegost went by names given in Khuzdul: Azaghal, lord of Belegost, Telchar of Nogrod, Gamil Zirak the Old, the master who taught Telchar. The Dwarves of Ered Luin may have developed the most sophisticated civilization among their kind during the First Age because of their friendship with the Elves of Beleriand, whose civilization was the highest, most advanced culture in Middle-earth. Great wealth flowed through the Ered Luin, and these Dwarves did not look only to the west. They traded with many of the Men who settled in Eriador, as well as the Nandor and Avari who lived there. It is, however, perhaps a curious fact that the Edain (at least, the Marachians, the Third House of the Edain) retained some traditions of discord or strife with Dwarves from their westward migration. Tolkien doesn't say what happened, but when Turin and his outlaws captured Mim the Petty-Dwarf, one of Turin's men (himself a Marachian) said of himself, "Androg does not like Dwarves. His people brought few good tales of that race out of the East." Well, Androg's folktales may or may not reflect actual relations between his people and the Dwarves. Such events lay many generations behind him (this conversation occurred around the year 484 of the Fourth Age, and his people had entered Beleriand in 314 -- they had begun settling in Dor-lomin more than 100 years before Androg lived). We don't know which Dwarves Androg's people had trouble with, but they were probably Longbeards, Firebeards, or Broadbeams. No other Dwarven peoples appear to have lived near the Edain's line of migration, which passed straight through Wilderland (Rhovanion) and the Vales of Anduin, where the Longbeards held sway, and over the Ered Luin. After the Edain reached Beleriand relations between Dwarves and Men improved outside Beleriand, even if they remained icy in the west. The Folk of Bor, the only Easterlings to remain faithful to the Eldar in the Fifth Great Battle, the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, were a sedentary (farming) people who were only one of several tribes or clans to migrate to Eriador late in the 5th century. These peoples settled in the northern lands around the Hills of Evendim and they were friendly with the Dwarves. Bor's folk actually passed northward around Ered Luin to enter the Eldarin lands, and they settled in the lands north of the hills where Maedhros' people dwelt.

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Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: View all related messages

12.   Feb 13, 2003 10:26 AM
Some thoughts on dwarves and their history.

Note, most of this is my thoughts based on ideas presented in "them Dwarves..."


1) Regarding when dwarves were awakened, and the origin of the petty ...


-- posted by The_Limper


11.   Dec 12, 2002 10:44 PM
In response to message posted by erunyauve:

Thank you, erunyauve, for being receptive and considerate in your response to my commentary ...


-- posted by isengar


10.   Oct 27, 2002 5:22 AM
In response to message posted by isengar:

The Lambengolmor appear in The War of the Jewels, Quendi and Eldar (p 396-7 pub. Houghton-Mif ...


-- posted by erunyauve


9.   Oct 24, 2002 9:59 PM
In response to message posted by Michael_Martinez:

NOTE: Some portions of this reply were edited by me. Michael

However, I do admit ...


-- posted by isengar


8.   Oct 18, 2002 10:31 AM
In response to message posted by isengar:

Isengar, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but some of your comments are a little toxic. ...


-- posted by Michael_Martinez





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