DWARVISH CROSSCULTURAL RELATIONS BY ASKMIDDLEARTH.TUMBLR.COM
THE SEVEN CLANS OF THE DWARVES Before discussing cross-cultural relations among the dwarves, it’s first important to understand what these cultures are. So, here’s a brief summary of the origin of the dwarves: Aulë, one of the Valar, created the first dwarves essentially because he got impatient waiting for the elves to awake. He originally made seven dwarves, and they became the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves. Aulë later took these seven dwarves, and laid them to sleep in the earth until it was time for them to awake. Two were placed in the Blue Mountains (also known as the Ered Luin) in the west of Middle earth, one was placed in the Misty Mountains, and four were placed far to the east (their exact location is unknown, but it’s generally assumed that they were spread throughout the Orocarni/Red Mountains in the eastern part of Middle Earth.) Except for the one clan in the Misty Mountains, it’s suggested that the clans were placed closer together in pairs, so I’d assume that these pairs had a closer relationship with each other than they did with their more distant kin.
The details change a bit with each re-telling, but the basic idea seems to be that each dwarf father was situated with a wife and a bit of a following (basically, the original members of each clan.) The exception to this was the dwarf placed in the Misty Mountains. This was Durin, the first dwarf that Aulë made. For whatever reason, he was given neither a wife nor a following. So it’s said that Durin travelled in his earliest days, and gathered his clan from dwarves that had originally belonged to other clans. Whether this was done peacefully or now is completely unknown, but there’s no grudge or anything mentioned afterwards. The Seven Clans, then, were: • The Longbeards (also known as Durin’s Folk) in the Misty Mountains • The Firebeards and Broadbeams in the Blue Mountains • The Ironfists and Stiffbeards to the East (probably in the Orocarni Mountains) • The Blacklocks and Stonefoots to the East (probably in the Orocarni Mountains) 1
HISTORY ACCORDING TO DURIN Information on the dwarves is pretty scarce in Tolkien’s writing. With so few sources to corroborate accounts, narrative bias becomes extremely important in studying the dwarves. For example, the majority of the historical accounts we have access to were taken from the Red Book, which was written by Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam. The main dwarvish sources, therefore, would have been Gimli, and perhaps a few other dwarves from Erebor. Which means that the majority of our dwarvish research comes with a substantial Longbeard bias. In the same way that we need to be aware of the Noldorin bias in most works pertaining to the elves, we need to be aware of this Longbeard bias in the dwarvish works.
Once you know to look for it, it can exhibit itself in some pretty interesting ways. For example, in “Of Dwarves and Men”, an essay based on late-Third Age information, says: For the Longbeards, though the proudest of the seven kindreds, were also the wisest and the most farseeing. Men held them in awe and were eager to learn from them; and the Longbeards were very willing to use Men for their own purposes.
It’s also emphasized in The Silmarillion that, while there were some dwarves that fought on both sides during the War of the Last Alliance, the Longbeards fought only on the side of good. Likewise, it’s also said that Durin’s Folk (the Longbeards) claim that the ring of power worn by their kings was given to them directly by Celebrimbor, and not by Sauron like the other dwarvish rings of power. The elves aren’t too sure on this one, implying that it might be a cultural belief held to relieve the Longbeards of any Sauron-related guilt. 2
In fact, the Longbeard bias is so strong and prevalent that you might be tempted to believe that the Longbeards simply were better than the other dwarf clans. However, there is one source that is free of the Longbeard bias, and we see some interesting contradictions there. In “Of the Naugrim and the Edain”, there is a short essay that’s said to have been written by the elf Pengolod. This is very important for us, because Pengolod was an elf who conducted most of his research during the late First Age, while he was living in the Havens of Sirion. This means that the elves and men he spoke with would have been almost completely unfamiliar with the Longbeard dwarves, but rather would have had more experience with the Firebeards and the Broadbeams of the Blue Mountains. The most interesting part of this essay, with regards to dwarvish cultural relations, is this quote: Now these Fathers, they say, were seven in number, and they alone return (in the manner of the Quendi) to live again in their own kin and to bear once more their ancient names.
This quote, which is talking about the legend that the original dwarf fathers are reincarnated occasionally among their descendants, is fascinating because in every other source that mentions this phenomenon it’s only Durin that’s named. So, basically, you get the impression that the Longbeards considered themselves unique in this, while Pengolod’s research shows that the same phenomenon was found among the other clans as well. The point of all this is, when considering the dwarves and the relationships between the clans, it’s important to keep in mind that the information we have is undoubtedly biased in favor of the Longbeards, who might very well not have been as superior as they claimed. 3
CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION (PEACEFUL AND OTHERWISE) In almost every discussion of dwarvish history, Tolkien makes a point to state that the different dwarvish clans were in communication with each other. It’s understandable that he’d emphasize this fact, since the different clans lived so far apart, but just know that his emphasis there spurs my emphasis here. But what I really want to talk about is the type of communication we might see: When discussing the dwarvish language, Khuzdul, Tolkien says a few times that the dwarves highly valued their language, and so took special care to preserve it. Which meant that the language changed very very little throughout the years. Tolkien goes on to say, then, that this preserved language meant that dwarves from different clans could easily understand each other, even “realms and houses that have been long and far sundered.” We already knew about the distance, but the implication that there were instances when clans went long periods of time without communicating is interesting. It’s likely that clans lost contact with each other during particularly tumultuous periods (such as the Dark Days, the second half of the Second Age, when Sauron controlled much of Middle Earth.) Aside from the significance of a “lingua franca” (which Tolkien actually does use to describe Khuzdul, by the way), we get another interesting fact about early dwarvish communication. We know that the dwarves “in the early ages often held assemblies of delegates at Mount Gundabad.” (Gundabad was said to be where Durin I awoke, and so held special significance for the dwarves.) How regular or often these assemblies were is unknown (allowing for travel time, it could at most only have been every few years), but it’s still an impres4
sive feat of communication for a people so widely distributed. All this talk of regular communication paints a picture of friendly, cooperative clans. However, there’s evidence to suggest that this wasn’t actually so. In a general description of dwarves found in The Silmarillion, Tolkien says: They would fight fiercely against whomsoever aggrieved them: servants of Melkor, or Eldar, or Avari, or wild beasts, or not seldom their own kin, Dwarves of other mansions and lordships.
This may seem like a contradiction - the dwarves that hold regular assemblies and the dwarves that often fight amongst themselves, but it’s not really so different from “real world” global politics - countries communicate regularly through organizations like the UN, and yet are still almost constantly in conflict with each other. The important take-away is that, at least during the earlier ages, the dwarvish clans were not as culturally isolated as their geographic locations might suggest.
THE WAR OF THE DWARVES AND ORCS One of the strongest examples we have of dwarvish cross-cultural relations is the story of the War of the Dwarves and Orcs. For those who don’t know, the basic idea is that Thrór, king of the Longbeards, was killed by an orc in a rather disrespectful manner. Furious, Thrór’s son Thrain declared war, and called on the other dwarvish clans to support him. Tolkien describes the reaction thus: It was three years before the Dwarves had mustered their strength. Durin’s Folk gathered all their host, and they were joined by great forces sent from the Houses of other Fathers; for this dishonor to the heir of the Eldest of their race filled them with wrath.
The idea is that the other clans agreed to help because of the dishonor done to their people by Thrór’s murder. Tolkien talks a little bit more about this in a discussion of dwarvish parenting, actually, saying that dwarvish parents defend their children “with all their power, and resent
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injuries to them even more than to themselves. The same is true of the attitude of children to parents. For an injury to a father a Dwarf may spend a life-time achieving revenge. Since the 'kings' or heads of lines are regarded as 'parents' of the whole group, it will be understood how it was that the whole of Durin's Race gathered and marshaled itself to avenge Thrór.” However, honor may not have been the only factor in the other clans’ decision to aid the Longbeards. When the war was finally won (at great cost to the dwarves), Thrain encouraged the dwarves to continue the fight by reclaiming Moria, the ancestral home of the Longbeards. The dwarves all refuse (even the other Longbeards), but the dwarves of the other clans said specifically: 'Khazad-dûm was not our Fathers' house. What is it to us, unless a hope of treasure? But now, if we must go without the rewards and the weregilds that are owed to us, the sooner we return to our own lands the better pleased we shall be.'
or reward, for their efforts. It’s entirely possible that this expectation was a factor in their decision to help the Longbeards in the first place. It might not even have been a physical reward. When trying to convince Thorin to take Bilbo along on his quest, Gandalf said to him “I am fond of this Hobbit, and wish him well. Treat him well, and you shall have my friendship to the end of your days.” It was after this that Thorin finally agreed. Reflecting on this, Gandalf said later: I said that without hope of persuading him; but I could have said nothing better. Dwarves understand devotion to friends and gratitude to those who help them.
It could have been that, while the dwarves were known to come to each other’s aid in times of need, this practice was based on the cultural understanding that such actions would be rewarded later on, whether with treasure, or with favors owed.
The mention of weregilds is very interesting, since it isn’t something mentioned anywhere else in relation to the dwarves. A weregild was an ancient Germanic practice, in which a murder victim’s family was essentially compensated for their relative’s death with some sort of price, generally determined based on rank. So, for an absurd example, if I killed my neighbor, I might compensate the neighbor’s family by giving them a few goats (like a sort of macabre bride price, if you will.) In this context, though, the weregild had to have worked differently. It sounds almost as if the dwarves had hoped to take some of Moria’s treasure as recompense for the dwarves that died in battle. And, even though they’ve refused to continue the fight on to Moria, they still make it clear that they expect some sort of compensation, 6
FIREBEARDS AND BROADBEAMS: DWARVES OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS Since the Longbeards (aka Durin’s Folk) are basically the default dwarvish culture in Tolkien’s writings, the challenge then becomes finding information about one of the other clans. And within that category, the next most well-known cultures would be those of the western-most clans, the Firebeards and Broadbeams of Nogrod and Belegost (we don’t actually know for sure which clan lived in which city.) During the First Age it was the dwarves of the Blue Mountains that were important to the story, while the Longbeards were just a distant rumor. The dwarves of Nogrod and Belegost were the first to meet the Sindarin and Noldorin elves. They were influential in the building of the great elvish kingdoms of Doriath and Nargothrond, and played roles in some of the most important battles. And this early contact with the elves actually added to the prestige of the Firebeards and the Broadbeams, since they learned a great deal of craftsmanship from the Noldorin elves, so that “the smiths and masons of Nogrod and Belegost became renowned among their kin.” 7
This reputation may have come in handy later on. At the end of the First Age, the western region of Beleriand went through great geographic upheaval, which resulted in the destruction of Nogrod and Belegost. The Firebeards and the Broadbeams migrated east and joined the Longbeards in Moria. Tolkien says that it was during this period that “the great power and wealth of Moria began, for it was enriched by many folk and much lore and craft.” Knowing that the skill and knowledge of these refugees would strengthen Moria probably made the Longbeards more welcoming than they might otherwise have been. While Tolkien brags about the craftsmanship of the western clans quite a bit, he says very little about their relationship with each other. The only clue we have is this comment, mentioned after a few dwarves from Nogrod killed the elvenking Thingol, and then spurred their people to attack the dwarves of Doriath openly: It is told that they asked aid from Belegost, but it was denied them, and the Dwarves of Belegost sought to dissuade them from their
purpose; but their counsel was unavailing, and ere long a great host came forth from Nogrod, and crossing over Gelion marched westward through Beleriand.
Not only does this tell us that clans didn’t always come to each others aid, but it also suggests that Nogrod and Belegost were friendly with each other, but not especially close (otherwise Belegost might have been willing to join Nogrod in their quest for misguided vengeance.)
EVIL DWARVES (This section was originally posted on April 5, 2014, in response to a question about dwarves serving Sauron. I’ve included it here, since it’s relevant to the broader topic of dwarvish cross-cultural relations.) Ah, here’s a fascinating topic. The dwarves that served Sauron. Tolkien makes it clear (especially in The Silmarillion) that dwarves were especially resistant to evil - explaining why possession of the dwarvish rings of power didn’t turn the dwarvish kings into wraiths or servants of Sauron like he’d hoped (for more details, see this post.) And, in further defense of the dwarvish character, Tolkien says in the Appendices that “They are not evil by nature, and few ever served the Enemy of free will, whatever the tales of Men may have alleged.” Even though this quote was meant to speak in support of the dwarves, it raises a few pointed questions. First of all, “few ever served" definitely suggests that some did. And what, exactly are these tales that men have alleged? A little light is shed on the situation in The Silmarillion, where part of the description of the War of the Last Alliance mentions that “Of the Dwarves few fought upon either side; but the kindred of Durin of Moria fought against Sauron." And while the Longbeards, During’s Folk, remain untarnished, it’s basically stated that some of the other clans supported Sauron. But, again, pretty vague.
The most detailed discussion of evil dwarves that we get is a note in the essay “Of Dwarves and Men”. When discussing the first meetings between men and the dwarves of the Misty Mountains, Tolkien says that the men (having recently arrived from the east) were a little wary of the dwarves, “fearing that they were under the Shadow.” Tolkien then expanded on this in a note, saying: For they had met some far to the East who were of evil mind… Alas, it seems probable that (as Men did later) the Dwarves of the far eastern mansions (and some of the nearer ones?) came under the Shadow of Morgoth and turned to evil. So it seems that at least some of the eastern dwarvish clans fell under Sauron’s control (much like most of the men of the east.) I think this note is especially interesting when compared to the note from the appendices that suggests this story wasn’t universally believed. Did perhaps the western dwarves deny that any of their kin served Sauron? It’s possible that whatever hold Sauron had over the dwarves in the First and Second ages wasn’t revived in the Third Age. If that’s the case, then by the War of the Ring it’d been thousands of years since a dwarf served Sauron. I wouldn’t be surprised if the dwarves had “erased” that part of their cultural history by then.
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THE PETTY-DWARVES (This section was originally posted on January 14, 2014. I’ve included it here, since it’s relevant to the broader topic of dwarvish cross-cultural relations.) The petty-dwarves were a group of dwarves that existed in the First Age. In The Silmarillion Tolkien tells us that they “came of Dwarves that were banished in ancient days from the great Dwarf-cities of the east.” Which cities isn’t clear. The petty-dwarves arrived in Beleriand before Nogrod and Belegost were built, though,
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so if there were any petty-dwarves that came from these clans, it happened when they were living somewhere else (this entire topic is very murky, though, as I have no idea where the dwarves of Nogrod and Belegost lived before their cities were built, other than just generally in the Blue Mountains.) Anyway, the petty-dwarves were, for some reason, banished from their communities. So they moved west and entered Beleriand - before even the Sindar arrived there. Several locations in Beleriand were settled by petty-dwarves before they were ever settled by elves (the most famous example being Finrod’s cavernous kingdom of Nargothrond.) And when the Sindar did arrive in the region, the petty-dwarves were the first non-elves that they encountered. Thinking the petty-dwarves were animals, the Sindar took to hunting them down for sport. Fortunately, they eventually came into contact with “standard” dwarves, who explained that pettydwarves were not animals, and the hunting stopped.
The petty-dwarves were different from standard dwarves in several ways. They were physically smaller (perhaps as a result of poorer diets, since they presumably lived in smaller, lesser-equipped communities than their mountainous cousins.) They were also said to be more unsociable than standard dwarves, but I suspect this had more to do with the whole being hunted down like animals thing than any sort of cultural tendency. They also (due probably to their long separation from other dwarves) spoke a slightly different dialect of Khuzdul. And finally, pettydwarves were known to give their Khuzdul names to outsiders (whereas other dwarves use a mannish name when dealing with outsiders - see more information here.) In fact, some readers believe that this might be why they were exiled in the first place. Due to a combination of the early Sindarin hunting, growing danger in Beleriand (thanks, Morgoth), and probably the same reproduction issues that standard dwarves faced (only 1/3 of the population being female), the petty-dwarves died out before the First Age ended.
