Them Dwarves, Them Dwarves, Part II: A bit of this, a bit of that and getting nowhere

» isengar - A bit of this, a bit of that and getting nowhere

Where the hell are the Lambengolmor mentioned? The story of Pengolod is enticing. It’s the first time I hear mention of actual Elvish scholars—a great find. I always figured there had to be, but that Fëanor was the founder was intriguing. Being a Master of Tongues himself, Tolkien had to represent his kind somewhere. It’s interesting because language is the root from which all knowledge grows. It’s the study of language that reveals to us a culture and its artwork. All human societies evolve from language. Words are like the single cell organisms that form us. It is therefore natural though still revealing that Tolkien chose his Elvish scholars to be linguists.

Another fact I came across was that the Marachians are the Third House of the Edain. Ok, it’s from this house that we get Turin and Tuor. Fine. Beor I’m guessing is the First House of the Edain from which we get Beren. Cool. So where’s the Second House (if I’m right that it’s the second) and what is its role in the development of Men in the First Age and beyond? Are they another one of Tolkien's loose ends?

The Folk of Bor are a paradox. Nowhere else have the Easterlings ever been on the side of good. What is the deal with them? Is their relocation to Eriador and confrontations with nicer people what changed them? Did they assimilate into the more peaceful society of the West? I would love to know if there’s more information on them. Until then I would like to think that they were conquered by the Love of the Elves. I guess Love does save and is the way to go. Maybe instead of fighting they should have handed out marijuana and thrown a concert a la Woodstock ’69 (not the recent ones, they were a disgrace).

The Longbeards held the torch for Dwarves but they’re still despicable. Using men to fight their war with Orcs. They deserve their demise in the Third Age. All those years of prosperity and no praise to Iluvatar. If they had fabricated a religious doctrine to justify their pursuit of wealth, they would be no different from us in the real world. They would be “chosen” for fortune and Khazad-dûm would be their Holy Land.

Tolkien does not appear all too consistent with the Dwarves, but that’s not a problem. Their relations with others always seem to be fluctuating. I guess it’s because they're talkers and for the most part full of it. “I am eternally indebted to you for helping me regain my wealth. What? You want a cut of the profits? Screw you! I hate you. You are now my sworn enemy.” I mean how fickle can these guys be?

On a side note, who’s Amroth and how did he get to rule Lorien? I thought Celeborn and Galadriel were top dogs there. Sometimes the nonsequiturs in these articles really throw me for a spin. Pit stops are sweet as long as we get back on the same road again.

Finally, Sauron did not recover the other two rings in the War of the Dwarves and Orcs. The Dwarves of the other houses state clearly they fought with hopes of recovering a “lost treasure”—the last ring of power taken from Thrain thought to still reside in Moria somewhere. Why would they do that if they had their own? I would rather go with the previous suggestion. The Long Winter is a good contrivance by Sauron to get Orcs into Eriador and recover the two rings. A century is ample enough time to accomplish that goal. Unfortunately though, Tolkien wasn’t able to give these matters enough thought so we can’t conclusively clear this mess up. Or maybe the Dwarves didn’t tell him because they didn’t want us to know where their hoards are stashed, the selfish bastards. I know I would have loved to hear about the four other Smaugs that swallowed the remaining rings. Dragons are nasty but they sure make for some epic storytelling. Just read _Beowulf_.

P.S. By the way, the fact that any Tolkien fan who isn’t an established and respected artist feels s/he has the jurisdiction to write or re-write any aspect of his mythology is frightening and not just a little revolting. Unless it’s for his/her own private enjoyment, of course. But if s/he’s getting money or any sort of favorable attention for it, that’s as despicable as a gold-hungry dwarf.

-- posted by isengar