History of the Dwarves

The History of the Dwarves began with their creation, and here ends with the dwindling of their race. Most of this history is about the Longbeards (Durin's folk) for Tolkien didn't have a lot of information on the other houses, except for the Firbeards and Broadbeams. Who's history is mainly told during the First Age.

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 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 5 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.