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The '''Dwarves''', or '''''[[Khazâd]]''''', were beings of short stature, often friendly with [[Hobbits]] although long suspicious of [[Elves]]. They were typically blacksmiths and stoneworkers by profession, unrivaled in some of their arts even by the Elves.
The '''Dwarves''', or '''''[[Khazâd]]''''', were beings of short stature, often friendly with [[Hobbits]] although long suspicious of [[Elves]]. They were typically blacksmiths and stoneworkers by profession, unrivaled in some of their arts even by the Elves.


While there were several tribes (Houses) of the Dwarves, the most prominent had been that of the [[Longbeards]].
==History==
===Origin===
Unlike Elves and [[Men]], the Dwarves are not counted among the [[Children of Ilúvatar]].  Their creator was [[Mahal]], known as [[Aulë]] the Smith.  Aulë created the Seven [[Fathers of the Dwarves]] somewhere in [[Middle-earth]], from whom all other Dwarves are descended.  Aulë though, did not have the divine power to grant independent life to any creation; Aulë repented and confessed to [[Ilúvatar]] and promised to destroy them; the voice of Ilúvatar though spoke to Aulë and agreed to grant them true life, and include them in His plan for [[Arda]].  Ilúvatar granted the Dwarves life, and therefore they are known as the Adopted Children of Ilúvatar and they were to awake after the [[Awakening of the Elves]].
[[Image:BFME2 - Dwarf 4.jpg|thumb||Dwarves as portrayed in [[The Battle for Middle-earth II]] game.]]
The Seven Fathers awoke in their places in pairs: the ''[[Firebeards]]'' and ''[[Broadbeams]]'' beneath [[Mount Dolmed]], where they built the cities of [[Nogrod]] and [[Belegost]], ''[[Ironfists]]'' and ''[[Stiffbeards]]'', ''[[Blacklocks]]'' and ''[[Stonefoots]]'' in the [[Red Mountains]], and [[Durin I]] the father of the [[Longbeards]], who awoke alone under [[Gundabad]]. He settled in the caves above [[Kheled-zâram]].  Which later became the greatest of Dwarf realms, [[Khazad-dûm]].
The Dwarves for many years did not know any other folk, until Firebeards and Broadbeams had their first meeting with the [[Elves]] in [[Beleriand]] in the year [[Years of the Trees 1250|1250]] of the [[Years of the Trees]]. From that time on there was friendship, between the [[Sindar]] and the Dwarves, creating ring-mails, and many other works; the [[Dwarves of Nogrod]] were unmatched in Middle-earth in smithing, the best of them being the.  They delved the caves of [[Menegroth]], and adopted the [[cirth|writing]] of [[Daeron]]. It was the Dwarves who told the Sindar about [[Orcs]] attacking their Elven kin on the other side of the mountains and King [[Thingol]], began a build up of arms which the Dwarves made for him. 


Later on a great army of Orcs attacked the Elves, but in the [[First Battle of Beleriand]] were defeated and fled.  Those that got away ran south right into a army of Dwarves who issued from Mount Dolmed and decimated them. 


==History==
After the [[Return of the Noldor]], [[Finrod Felagund]] desired to settle himself in the [[Caves of Narog]] and the Dwarves of the Ered Luin aided him and gave him the dwarven name ''Felak-gundu'' (''[[Felagund]]''). They eventually made for him the [[Nauglamír]].
''Main Article: [[History of the Dwarves]]''
 
Things finally came to a head between the forces of Morgoth and the Elves, Men, and Dwarves in the [[Nirnaeth Arnoediad]]. The Dwarves fought for the [[Union of Maedhros]]
 
==The Second Age==
In early [[Second Age]] the [[Firebeards]] and [[Broadbeams]] clans migrated to [[Khazad-dûm]] from [[Blue Mountains]] which were perhaps destroyed during the sinking of Beleriand.
 
The Dwarves did not participate in any important event of history. However their friendship with the Elves perhaps became more close than ever; the Dwarves of [[Moria]] maintained close connections to the [[Gwaith-i-Mírdain]] of [[Eregion]]; The [[Doors of Durin]] of Moria were built to facilitate the communication between the two people, and was constructed jointly by both races.
 
When Eregion was sacked by [[Sauron]]'s forces, the Dwarves assailed them from behind however it was too late to stop him from conquering all [[Eriador]].
 
In [[Third Age 1980]], a [[Durin's Bane|Balrog]] awoke in the deeps of of the Misty Mountains and killed King [[Durin VI]].  The next year, his son [[Náin I]] was killed, and the Dwarves fled Khazad-dum, which from then on was called ''Moria'', which means "Black pit".
 
Most of Durin's folk left for the [[Grey Mountains]] in the North, while some followed the new king, [[Thráin I]], who went to [[Erebor]] on the eaves of Mirkwood in [[Third Age 1999]] and started his kingdom there.  For a little over two-hundred years the Dwarves that followed the king lived in [[Erebor]], mining for gold and jewels and finding the most precious of jewels, the [[Arkenstone]].  When Thráin died in [[Third Age 2190]], his son [[Thorin I]] became [[King under the Mountain]].  In [[Third Age 2210]], when he heard that his kinsmen were gathering in the mountains to the North, and how rich and unexplored they were, he left Erebor for the [[Ered Mithrin]].
 
For more than 300 years the [[Dwarves of the Grey Mountains]] prospered.  After many years, however, the Dragons in the far North started to gain strength; their population grew, and they made war against the Dwarves, plundering and destroying their works.  At last, in [[Third Age 2589]], King [[Dáin I]], along with his second oldest son [[Frór]], was killed at the gates of his halls by a great [[Cold-drakes|Cold-drake]].


Unlike Elves and [[Men]], the Dwarves are not counted among the Children of [[Ilúvatar]].  They were created by [[Aulë]] the Smith.  They were kept asleep until the creation of the Elves.  Aulë created the Seven [[Fathers of the Dwarves]], from whom all other Dwarves are descended.  Aulë's work was doomed, though, because he did not have the power to grant independent life to his creations - that power belonged to Ilúvatar alone.  Aulë later repented and confessed to Ilúvatar. When the Dwarves were completed, though, the voice of Ilúvatar spoke to Aulë and agreed to grant them true life, and include them in His plan for Arda.  Ilúvatar granted the Dwarves life, and therefore they are known as the Adopted Children of Ilúvatar.
Once again the Dwarves were exiled from their homes.  Most of the Dwarves left the Ered Mithrin.  Some followed Dáin's youngest son [[Grór]] to the [[Iron Hills]], while most one being the king's brother [[Borin]] followed the the new king [[Thrór]] to Erebor again to start a new [[Kingdom under the Mountain]].


[[Image:BFME2 - Dwarf 4.jpg|thumb||Dwarves as portrayed in [[The Battle for Middle-earth II]] game.]]
For over 200 years Durin's folk prospered, having friendship with Men who dwelt near; the [[Men of Dale]] were able to drive away all enemies from the East, until the dragon [[Smaug]] descended upon Erebor in [[Third Age 2770]]; not long after the kingdom was destroyed and Smaug made for himself a bed of gold in the Great Hall. Many of of the Dwarves escaped the sacking, last of all King Thrór with his son [[Thráin II]] from a secret passageThe King decided to wander South along with a small company of family and followers, while most of the survivors went to the Iron Hills.
They mined and worked precious metals throughout the mountains of Middle-earth.  In many ways, they were in between the Elves and [[Men]].  They were not immortal, but lived to two hundred and fifty years or more. They were generally less corruptible than Men, but committed their share of rash and greedy acts.  (Among these are the slaying of Elu [[Thingol]] and the dispute over the [[Nauglamír]], which first brought suspicion and hate between Elves and Dwarves)


Eventually Durin's folk settled in [[Dunland]], and in [[Third Age 2790]] King Thrór gave to his son the Last of the Seven Rings of the Dwarves, and departed with his old friend [[Nár]]; they travelled North over the [[Redhorn Pass]] to the [[East-gate]] of Moria, where he entered proudly into the ancient kingdom.
==Nature==
The Dwarves y mined and worked precious metals throughout the mountains of Middle-earth.  In many ways, they were in between the Elves and [[Men]].  They were not immortal, but lived to two hundred and fifty years or more.  They were generally less corruptible than Men, but committed their share of rash and greedy acts.  (Among these are the slaying of Elu [[Thingol]] and the dispute over the [[Nauglamír]], which first brought suspicion and hate between Elves and Dwarves)
==Language==
The Dwarven language was created by Aulë, and was known as [[Khuzdul]]. It was a strange language to Elves and Men, and few non-Dwarves learned it, also because they kept it secret. However, one Dwarven phrase is well known: the ancient battle cry, going back to at least the First Age: "''Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu!''", which means "Axes of the Dwarves! The Dwarves are upon you!"
The Dwarven language was created by Aulë, and was known as [[Khuzdul]]. It was a strange language to Elves and Men, and few non-Dwarves learned it, also because they kept it secret. However, one Dwarven phrase is well known: the ancient battle cry, going back to at least the First Age: "''Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu!''", which means "Axes of the Dwarves! The Dwarves are upon you!"


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And many others.
And many others.
== The Creation of the Dwarves ==
The Dwarves were created by [[Aulë]] the smith (whom they called [[Mahal]]) somewhere in [[Middle-earth]], and were put to sleep until the creation of the [[Elves]].  He created the Seven [[Fathers of the Dwarves]], from whom all Dwarves are descended.  Aulë, however, did not have the power to give life to his creations; only [[Eru Ilúvatar]] could give life.  Realizing this, Aulë went to Eru to confess his sin and gave Eru his children.  Eru accepted them and made them his adopted children, and they were to awake after the Elves appeared on Arda.
== The Years of the Trees ==
The Seven Fathers awoke throughout Arda in pairs: the Firebeards and Broadbeams, Ironfists and Stiffbeards, Blacklocks and Stonefoots, and [[Durin I]] the father of the Longbeards, who awoke alone.  These Houses built their halls where they awoke: the Firebeards and Broadbeams, in the [[Ered Luin]] beneath [[Mount Dolmed]], where they built the cities of [[Nogrod]] and [[Belegost]]. And Durin who awoke under [[Mount Gundabad]] in the [[Misty Mountains]] settled in the caves above [[Kheled-zâram]].  Which later became the greatest of Dwarf realms, [[Khazad-dûm]].  The Ironfists, Stiffbeards, Blacklocks, and Stonefoots awoke in the far East at the
[[Orocarni]], and possibly beyond.
The Dwarves lived for many years without knowing any other folk but there own, until their first meeting with the [[Elves]] in [[Beleriand]] took place in the year 1250 of the [[Two Trees|Trees]].  The Firebeards and Broadbeams came over the Ered Luin from their halls on the east side of the mountains, and from that time on for many years their was cool friendship, between the [[Sindar]] and the Dwarves. 
So the Dwarf-houses of the West were prosperous, creating linked ring-mail, and many other works for the [[Sindar]] (for a price).  They Delved the caves of [[Menegroth]], made all manner of beautiful things, and later when the Dwarves told the Sindar about Orcs attacking their Elven kin on the other side of the mountains their king [[Thingol]], began a build up of arms which the Dwarves made for him.  For the Dwarves were unmatched in Middle-earth in smithing, the best of them being the [[Dwarves of Nogrod]].
Later on a great army of Orcs attacked the Elves, but in the [[First Battle of Beleriand]] were defeated and fled.  Those that got away ran south right into a army of Dwarves who issued from Mount Dolmed and decimated them. 
== The First Age ==
The [[First Age]] came with the awakening of [[Men]].
After the [[Return of the Noldor]], [[Finrod Felagund]] desired to settle himself in the [[Caves of Narog]]. So he built a great city in those caverns, and the Dwarves of the Ered Luin aided him. They liked him, and gave him the dwarven name of [[Felagund]], which meant “hewer of caves”. They eventually made for him the [[Nauglamír]].
Much prosperity and learning came in the First Age for the Dwarves especiall the most westerly houses.  But also much war.  The Dwarves continued to manufacture weapons for themselves, the Elves, and the newly settled Men.
Things finally came to a head between the forces of Morgoth and the Elves, Men, and Dwarves in the [[Nirnaeth Arnoediad]] (Battle of Unnumbered Tears).  Morgoth unleashed a vast host of Orcs and other evil creatures on two different fronts.  the Dwarves fought for the forces of [[Maedhros]] Lord of Himling, who marshalled all Elves, Men, and Dwarves that would assist him.  For one of the armies of Morgoth was heading straight his lands.
==The Second Age==
In early Second Age the Dwarves of the [[Firebeards]] and [[Broadbeams]] clans migrate to [[Khazad-dûm]] from [[Blue Mountains]] which were destroyed during the sinking of Beleriand.
During the Age the Dwarves did not participate in any important event of history. However during that Age their friendship with the Elves perhaps became more close than ever; the Dwarves of [[Moria]] maintained close connections to the [[Gwaith-i-Mírdain]] in near [[Eregion]].
The [[Doors of Durin]] of Moria were built to facilitate the communication between the two people, and was constructed jointly by both races.
When Eregion was sacked by [[Sauron]]'s forces, the Dwarves assailed them from behind however it was too late to stop him from conquering all [[Eriador]]. Khazad-dûm was closed.
==The Third Age==
Not much is known about the Dwarves during the early Third Age, except that they kept themselves shut off from the outside world, and were busy in Khazad-dum mining for Mithril.  In the year 1980, the Balrog awoke in the deeps of of the Misty Mountains and killed [[Durin VI|King Durin VI]].  The next year, the king's son [[Náin I]] was killed, and the Dwarves fled Khazad-dum, which from then on was called ''Moria'', which means "Black pit" in [[Elvish]].
 
Most of Durin's folk left for the [[Grey Mountains]] in the North, while some followed the new king, [[Thráin I]], who went to [[Erebor]] on the eaves of Mirkwood in 1999 and started his kingdom there.  For a little over two-hundred years the Dwarves that followed the king lived in the Lonely Mountain, mining for gold and jewels and finding the most precious of jewels, the [[Arkenstone]].  When Thráin died in 2190, his son [[Thorin I]] became [[King under the Mountain]].  In 2210, when he heard that his kinsmen were gathering in the mountains to the North, and how rich and unexplored they were, he left Erebor for the [[Ered Mithrin]].
For more than three-hundred years the [[Dwarves of the Grey Mountains]] prospered.  After many years, however, the Dragons in the far North started to gain strength; their population grew, and they made war against the Dwarves, plundering and destroying their works.  At last, in 2589, [[Dáin I|King Dáin I]], along with his second oldest son [[Frór]], was killed at the gates of his halls by a great [[Cold-drakes | Cold-drake]].
Once again the Dwarves were exiled from their homes.  Most of the Dwarves left the Ered Mithrin.  Some followed Dáin's youngest son [[Grór]] to the [[Iron Hills]], while most one being the king's brother [[Borin]] followed the the new king [[Thrór]] to Erebor again to start a new [[Kingdom under the Mountain]].
For over two hundred years Durin's folk prospered and grew rich, having friendship with all Men who dwelt near, and great traffic of ore with their kinsman in the Iron Hills.  So the [[Men of Dale]] were able to drive away all enemies from the East.  But the rumor of the Dwarves'riches reached the ears of the dragons and [[Smaug]] mightiest of dragons in his day.
And so he descended upon Erebor win fire in 2770, and not long after the kingdom was destroyed and Smaug made for himself a bed of gold in the Great Hall.
Many of of the Dwarves escaped the sacking, last of all King Thrór with his son [[Thráin II]] from a secret passage.  The King decided to wander South  along with a small company of family and followers, while most of the survivors went to the Iron Hills.
Eventually Durin's folk settled in [[Dunland]], and in 2790 King Thrór gave to his son the Last of the Seven Rings of the Dwarves, and departed with an old friend called [[Nár]].
the King travelled North over the [[Redhorn Pass]] to the [[East-gate | East-gate of Moria]], where he entered proudly into the ancient kingdom taking no heed from Nár of the dangers. 
Many days past while Nár hid waiting for his king to return.  Until one day he heard horns and saw a body being thrown out from the gate headless. 
== The Fourth Age ==
The [[Fourth Age]], was a time of expansion and renewed growth for the Dwarves, with the colonization of the [[Glittering Caves]], to the retaking of Moria from the Goblins.
Gloin, father of Gimli, died in the year 15 FA at two-hundred fifty-three years of age.
Not much is known about the Dwarves in the Fourth age.  We do know that after the War of the Ring, Gimli brought a part of Durin's Folk from Erebor to the Glittering Caves and started a colony.  Gimli, was later permitted to go across the sea to Valinor with Legolas in the year 120 FA.
It is said that [[Durin VII]] (the Last), retook Moria and brought Khazad-dum back to its original splendor, and that the Dwarves lived there till the world grew old and the days of Durin's race ended.
It seems likely that the Dwarves' population increased during the FA like the Hobbits and Men.
==Houses of the Dwarves==
==Houses of the Dwarves==



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Dwarves
Race
File:Simon Schmidt - A bunch of dwarves.jpg
General Information
MembersDurin I, Gimli, Thorin II Oakenshield
Physical Description
Lifespan250 years is the average
DistinctionsShort in stature, beards
Average height4 to 5 feet
GalleryImages of Dwarves
"Since they were to come in the days of the power of Melkor, Aulë made the dwarves strong to endure. Therefor they are stone-hard, stubborn, fast in friendship and in enmity, and they suffer toil and hunger and hurt of body more hardily than all other speaking peoples; and they live long, far beyond the span of Men, yet not forever. . ."
The Silmarillion, Of Aulë and Yavanna

The Dwarves, or Khazâd, were beings of short stature, often friendly with Hobbits although long suspicious of Elves. They were typically blacksmiths and stoneworkers by profession, unrivaled in some of their arts even by the Elves.

While there were several tribes (Houses) of the Dwarves, the most prominent had been that of the Longbeards.

History

Origin

Unlike Elves and Men, the Dwarves are not counted among the Children of Ilúvatar. Their creator was Mahal, known as Aulë the Smith. Aulë created the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves somewhere in Middle-earth, from whom all other Dwarves are descended. Aulë though, did not have the divine power to grant independent life to any creation; Aulë repented and confessed to Ilúvatar and promised to destroy them; the voice of Ilúvatar though spoke to Aulë and agreed to grant them true life, and include them in His plan for Arda. Ilúvatar granted the Dwarves life, and therefore they are known as the Adopted Children of Ilúvatar and they were to awake after the Awakening of the Elves.

Dwarves as portrayed in The Battle for Middle-earth II game.

The Seven Fathers awoke in their places in pairs: the Firebeards and Broadbeams beneath Mount Dolmed, where they built the cities of Nogrod and Belegost, Ironfists and Stiffbeards, Blacklocks and Stonefoots in the Red Mountains, and Durin I the father of the Longbeards, who awoke alone under Gundabad. He settled in the caves above Kheled-zâram. Which later became the greatest of Dwarf realms, Khazad-dûm.

The Dwarves for many years did not know any other folk, until Firebeards and Broadbeams had their first meeting with the Elves in Beleriand in the year 1250 of the Years of the Trees. From that time on there was friendship, between the Sindar and the Dwarves, creating ring-mails, and many other works; the Dwarves of Nogrod were unmatched in Middle-earth in smithing, the best of them being the. They delved the caves of Menegroth, and adopted the writing of Daeron. It was the Dwarves who told the Sindar about Orcs attacking their Elven kin on the other side of the mountains and King Thingol, began a build up of arms which the Dwarves made for him.

Later on a great army of Orcs attacked the Elves, but in the First Battle of Beleriand were defeated and fled. Those that got away ran south right into a army of Dwarves who issued from Mount Dolmed and decimated them.

After the Return of the Noldor, Finrod Felagund desired to settle himself in the Caves of Narog and the Dwarves of the Ered Luin aided him and gave him the dwarven name Felak-gundu (Felagund). They eventually made for him the Nauglamír.

Things finally came to a head between the forces of Morgoth and the Elves, Men, and Dwarves in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. The Dwarves fought for the Union of Maedhros

The Second Age

In early Second Age the Firebeards and Broadbeams clans migrated to Khazad-dûm from Blue Mountains which were perhaps destroyed during the sinking of Beleriand.

The Dwarves did not participate in any important event of history. However their friendship with the Elves perhaps became more close than ever; the Dwarves of Moria maintained close connections to the Gwaith-i-Mírdain of Eregion; The Doors of Durin of Moria were built to facilitate the communication between the two people, and was constructed jointly by both races.

When Eregion was sacked by Sauron's forces, the Dwarves assailed them from behind however it was too late to stop him from conquering all Eriador.

In Third Age 1980, a Balrog awoke in the deeps of of the Misty Mountains and killed King Durin VI. The next year, his son Náin I was killed, and the Dwarves fled Khazad-dum, which from then on was called Moria, which means "Black pit".

Most of Durin's folk left for the Grey Mountains in the North, while some followed the new king, Thráin I, who went to Erebor on the eaves of Mirkwood in Third Age 1999 and started his kingdom there. For a little over two-hundred years the Dwarves that followed the king lived in Erebor, mining for gold and jewels and finding the most precious of jewels, the Arkenstone. When Thráin died in Third Age 2190, his son Thorin I became King under the Mountain. In Third Age 2210, when he heard that his kinsmen were gathering in the mountains to the North, and how rich and unexplored they were, he left Erebor for the Ered Mithrin.

For more than 300 years the Dwarves of the Grey Mountains prospered. After many years, however, the Dragons in the far North started to gain strength; their population grew, and they made war against the Dwarves, plundering and destroying their works. At last, in Third Age 2589, King Dáin I, along with his second oldest son Frór, was killed at the gates of his halls by a great Cold-drake.

Once again the Dwarves were exiled from their homes. Most of the Dwarves left the Ered Mithrin. Some followed Dáin's youngest son Grór to the Iron Hills, while most one being the king's brother Borin followed the the new king Thrór to Erebor again to start a new Kingdom under the Mountain.

For over 200 years Durin's folk prospered, having friendship with Men who dwelt near; the Men of Dale were able to drive away all enemies from the East, until the dragon Smaug descended upon Erebor in Third Age 2770; not long after the kingdom was destroyed and Smaug made for himself a bed of gold in the Great Hall. Many of of the Dwarves escaped the sacking, last of all King Thrór with his son Thráin II from a secret passage. The King decided to wander South along with a small company of family and followers, while most of the survivors went to the Iron Hills.

Eventually Durin's folk settled in Dunland, and in Third Age 2790 King Thrór gave to his son the Last of the Seven Rings of the Dwarves, and departed with his old friend Nár; they travelled North over the Redhorn Pass to the East-gate of Moria, where he entered proudly into the ancient kingdom.

Nature

The Dwarves y mined and worked precious metals throughout the mountains of Middle-earth. In many ways, they were in between the Elves and Men. They were not immortal, but lived to two hundred and fifty years or more. They were generally less corruptible than Men, but committed their share of rash and greedy acts. (Among these are the slaying of Elu Thingol and the dispute over the Nauglamír, which first brought suspicion and hate between Elves and Dwarves)

Language

The Dwarven language was created by Aulë, and was known as Khuzdul. It was a strange language to Elves and Men, and few non-Dwarves learned it, also because they kept it secret. However, one Dwarven phrase is well known: the ancient battle cry, going back to at least the First Age: "Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu!", which means "Axes of the Dwarves! The Dwarves are upon you!"

The Dwarves were known for their strength and endurance in battle, as well as their fury, particularly when avenging their fallen kin, and for being some of the greatest warriors in all of Middle-earth. They fought valiantly in many wars and battles over the ages of Middle-earth's existence, among which were:

And many others.


The Creation of the Dwarves

The Dwarves were created by Aulë the smith (whom they called Mahal) somewhere in Middle-earth, and were put to sleep until the creation of the Elves. He created the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves, from whom all Dwarves are descended. Aulë, however, did not have the power to give life to his creations; only Eru Ilúvatar could give life. Realizing this, Aulë went to Eru to confess his sin and gave Eru his children. Eru accepted them and made them his adopted children, and they were to awake after the Elves appeared on Arda.

The Years of the Trees

The Seven Fathers awoke throughout Arda in pairs: the Firebeards and Broadbeams, Ironfists and Stiffbeards, Blacklocks and Stonefoots, and Durin I the father of the Longbeards, who awoke alone. These Houses built their halls where they awoke: the Firebeards and Broadbeams, in the Ered Luin beneath Mount Dolmed, where they built the cities of Nogrod and Belegost. And Durin who awoke under Mount Gundabad in the Misty Mountains settled in the caves above Kheled-zâram. Which later became the greatest of Dwarf realms, Khazad-dûm. The Ironfists, Stiffbeards, Blacklocks, and Stonefoots awoke in the far East at the Orocarni, and possibly beyond.

The Dwarves lived for many years without knowing any other folk but there own, until their first meeting with the Elves in Beleriand took place in the year 1250 of the Trees. The Firebeards and Broadbeams came over the Ered Luin from their halls on the east side of the mountains, and from that time on for many years their was cool friendship, between the Sindar and the Dwarves.

So the Dwarf-houses of the West were prosperous, creating linked ring-mail, and many other works for the Sindar (for a price). They Delved the caves of Menegroth, made all manner of beautiful things, and later when the Dwarves told the Sindar about Orcs attacking their Elven kin on the other side of the mountains their king Thingol, began a build up of arms which the Dwarves made for him. For the Dwarves were unmatched in Middle-earth in smithing, the best of them being the Dwarves of Nogrod.

Later on a great army of Orcs attacked the Elves, but in the First Battle of Beleriand were defeated and fled. Those that got away ran south right into a army of Dwarves who issued from Mount Dolmed and decimated them.

The First Age

The First Age came with the awakening of Men.

After the Return of the Noldor, Finrod Felagund desired to settle himself in the Caves of Narog. So he built a great city in those caverns, and the Dwarves of the Ered Luin aided him. They liked him, and gave him the dwarven name of Felagund, which meant “hewer of caves”. They eventually made for him the Nauglamír.

Much prosperity and learning came in the First Age for the Dwarves especiall the most westerly houses. But also much war. The Dwarves continued to manufacture weapons for themselves, the Elves, and the newly settled Men. Things finally came to a head between the forces of Morgoth and the Elves, Men, and Dwarves in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad (Battle of Unnumbered Tears). Morgoth unleashed a vast host of Orcs and other evil creatures on two different fronts. the Dwarves fought for the forces of Maedhros Lord of Himling, who marshalled all Elves, Men, and Dwarves that would assist him. For one of the armies of Morgoth was heading straight his lands.

The Second Age

In early Second Age the Dwarves of the Firebeards and Broadbeams clans migrate to Khazad-dûm from Blue Mountains which were destroyed during the sinking of Beleriand.

During the Age the Dwarves did not participate in any important event of history. However during that Age their friendship with the Elves perhaps became more close than ever; the Dwarves of Moria maintained close connections to the Gwaith-i-Mírdain in near Eregion.

The Doors of Durin of Moria were built to facilitate the communication between the two people, and was constructed jointly by both races.

When Eregion was sacked by Sauron's forces, the Dwarves assailed them from behind however it was too late to stop him from conquering all Eriador. Khazad-dûm was closed.

The Third Age

Not much is known about the Dwarves during the early Third Age, except that they kept themselves shut off from the outside world, and were busy in Khazad-dum mining for Mithril. In the year 1980, the Balrog awoke in the deeps of of the Misty Mountains and killed King Durin VI. The next year, the king's son Náin I was killed, and the Dwarves fled Khazad-dum, which from then on was called Moria, which means "Black pit" in Elvish.

Most of Durin's folk left for the Grey Mountains in the North, while some followed the new king, Thráin I, who went to Erebor on the eaves of Mirkwood in 1999 and started his kingdom there. For a little over two-hundred years the Dwarves that followed the king lived in the Lonely Mountain, mining for gold and jewels and finding the most precious of jewels, the Arkenstone. When Thráin died in 2190, his son Thorin I became King under the Mountain. In 2210, when he heard that his kinsmen were gathering in the mountains to the North, and how rich and unexplored they were, he left Erebor for the Ered Mithrin.

For more than three-hundred years the Dwarves of the Grey Mountains prospered. After many years, however, the Dragons in the far North started to gain strength; their population grew, and they made war against the Dwarves, plundering and destroying their works. At last, in 2589, King Dáin I, along with his second oldest son Frór, was killed at the gates of his halls by a great Cold-drake.

Once again the Dwarves were exiled from their homes. Most of the Dwarves left the Ered Mithrin. Some followed Dáin's youngest son Grór to the Iron Hills, while most one being the king's brother Borin followed the the new king Thrór to Erebor again to start a new Kingdom under the Mountain. For over two hundred years Durin's folk prospered and grew rich, having friendship with all Men who dwelt near, and great traffic of ore with their kinsman in the Iron Hills. So the Men of Dale were able to drive away all enemies from the East. But the rumor of the Dwarves'riches reached the ears of the dragons and Smaug mightiest of dragons in his day. And so he descended upon Erebor win fire in 2770, and not long after the kingdom was destroyed and Smaug made for himself a bed of gold in the Great Hall. Many of of the Dwarves escaped the sacking, last of all King Thrór with his son Thráin II from a secret passage. The King decided to wander South along with a small company of family and followers, while most of the survivors went to the Iron Hills.

Eventually Durin's folk settled in Dunland, and in 2790 King Thrór gave to his son the Last of the Seven Rings of the Dwarves, and departed with an old friend called Nár. the King travelled North over the Redhorn Pass to the East-gate of Moria, where he entered proudly into the ancient kingdom taking no heed from Nár of the dangers. Many days past while Nár hid waiting for his king to return. Until one day he heard horns and saw a body being thrown out from the gate headless.

The Fourth Age

The Fourth Age, was a time of expansion and renewed growth for the Dwarves, with the colonization of the Glittering Caves, to the retaking of Moria from the Goblins.

Gloin, father of Gimli, died in the year 15 FA at two-hundred fifty-three years of age.

Not much is known about the Dwarves in the Fourth age. We do know that after the War of the Ring, Gimli brought a part of Durin's Folk from Erebor to the Glittering Caves and started a colony. Gimli, was later permitted to go across the sea to Valinor with Legolas in the year 120 FA.

It is said that Durin VII (the Last), retook Moria and brought Khazad-dum back to its original splendor, and that the Dwarves lived there till the world grew old and the days of Durin's race ended.

It seems likely that the Dwarves' population increased during the FA like the Hobbits and Men.


Houses of the Dwarves

Most Dwarves mentioned in Tolkien's works are of Durin's folk, the clan founded by Durin I of Khazad-dûm, called the Longbeards. (A notable exception are the inhabitants of the dwarf-cities of Nogrod and Belegost in the Blue Mountains, spoken of in The Silmarillion). The seven different groups of Dwarf-folk originated in the locations where the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves first awoke before the First Age. There were three pairs of Dwarf Fathers that awoke together, and their Folk would build their halls near each other, though Durin himself had awoken alone. (In his letters, Tolkien adds that all the Dwarf Fathers except for Durin also had wives who awoke with them). Therefore the halls of the Longbeards at Khazad-dûm were not located near the halls of another Dwarf-kingdom. The seven clans of the Dwarves were:

There was also an eighth group of Dwarves that was not a separate member from these seven kindreds, but composed of exiles from each: the Petty-dwarves, who were hunted like animals to the point of extinction by the Elves in the First Age.

Dwarf-women

Main article: Dwarf-women

Dwarf-women made up only about a third of the total population. They seldom walked abroad, and that only in great need. Dwarf-women are also so alike in voice and appearance, and garb when they must travel, that it is hard to tell them apart from Dwarf-men. It is because of the fewness of women that the Dwarf population increases slowly. Dwarves only take one husband or wife in their lifetime, and are jealous, as in all matters of their rights. The number of Dwarf-men that marry is actually less than a third, and not all the Dwarf-women take husbands either; some desire none, some want one they cannot have, and will have no other one. There are also many Dwarf-men that don't want a wife, because they are obsessed with their crafts.

They are also seldom named in genealogies. They join their husbands' families. But if a son is seen to be 110 years than his father, this usually indicates an elder daughter. Thorin Oakenshield's sister Dís was named simply because of the gallant death of her sons Fíli and Kíli. The sentiment of effection for sister's children was strong all peoples of the Third Age, but less so among Dwarves than Men or Elves among whom it was strongest.

The Longbeards

Main article: Longbeards

Thorin Oakenshield brought twelve Dwarves to Bag End to recruit Bilbo for their treasure hunt in The Hobbit. The Twelve Dwarves were:

Dain II Ironfoot, lead more than five-hundred heavily armed Dwarves, to the Lonely Mountain to aid Thorin Oakenshield, and ended up participating in the Battle of Five Armies. He would later become King Under the Mountain.

Gimli son of Glóin joined the Fellowship of the Ring and befriended Legolas of Mirkwood in The Lord of the Rings.

Names

The Dwarves called themselves the Khazâd, the name Aulë gave them; this is adapted as Hadhodrim in Sindarin, and Casari in Quenya. Casari was the common word for Dwarves among the Noldor, but the Sindar usually called them Naugrim or Nogothrim, the Stunted People.

In Westron, the Dwarves were called *Naragin.

Inspiration

Almost all the names of the dwarves of Middle-earth are taken from the Icelandic saga of Völuspá.

According to Tolkien, the "real 'historical'" plural of dwarf is dwarrows or dwerrows. He once referred to dwarves as "a piece of private bad grammar" (Letters, 17), but in Appendix F to The Lord of the Rings he explains that if we still spoke of dwarves regularly, English might have retained a special plural for the word dwarf as with man. The form dwarrow only appears in the word Dwarrowdelf, a name for Moria. Tolkien used Dwarves, instead, which corresponds with Elf and Elves, making its meaning more apparent. The use of a different term also serves to set Tolkien's Dwarves apart from the similarly-named creatures in mythology and fairy-tales.

The enduring popularity of Tolkien's books, especially The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, has led to the popular use of the term dwarves to describe this race in fantasy literature. Before Tolkien, the term dwarfs (with a different spelling) was used, as seen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In fact, the latter spelling was so common that the original editor of The Lord of the Rings "corrected" Tolkien's dwarves to dwarfs (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, 138).

Other versions

In the earliest versions of Tolkien's Middle-earth mythology (see: The History of Middle-earth) the dwarves were evil beings created by Melkor.

See also


Sources

Dwarven Clans
Longbeards · Firebeards · Broadbeams · Ironfists · Stiffbeards · Blacklocks · Stonefoots · (Petty-dwarves)