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David Day

2018-12-27T20:40:29Z

Troelsfo: Added four recent books. Added references and quotation from review in Amon Hen 267

{{author infobox
| image=
| name=David Day
| born=[[14 October]] [[1947]]<ref name="Goodreads">{{webcite|website=[http://www.goodreads.com goodreads]|articleurl=http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4945.David_Day|articlename=David Day (Author of A Tolkien Bestiary)|accessed=21 January 2015}}</ref>
| died=
| education=[[wikipedia:University of Victoria|University of Victoria]]<ref name="Goodreads"/>
| occupation=Author
| location=Canada
| website=[http://www.daviddaybooks.com DavidDayBooks.com]
}}
'''David Day''' (born [[14 October]] [[1947]], [[wikipedia:Victoria, British Columbia|Victoria, British Columbia]]) is a prolific Canadian author who has written several [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]]-related books. Primarily known for his reference books, starting with ''[[A Tolkien Bestiary]]'' in [[1978]], Day's books have been published in over 120 different editions in over 20 languages.<ref>{{webcite|articleurl=http://www.abcbookworld.com/view_author.php?id=489|articlename=DAY, David|website=[http://www.abcbookworld.com/ ABC Bookworld]|accessed=21 January 2015}}</ref>

Day's books have been repeatedly criticised by the Tolkien community for their inaccuracy. Day rejects the charge of inaccuracy, though he accepts that his reference books have been repackaged and reprinted by publishers under different titles when the contents are "identical."<ref name="DayReply2">{{webcite|website=AMUK|articleurl=http://www.amazon.com/review/R2SBK9KKU1R5WN/ref=cm_cr_rev_detmd_pl?ie=UTF8&asin=0684839792&cdForum=Fx3UW3NBJ0HQKYH&cdMsgID=Mx3LVUA73BHCLK5&cdMsgNo=5&cdPage=1&cdSort=oldest&cdThread=Tx11RAW40EDUFA6&store=books#Mx3LVUA73BHCLK5|articlename=David Day's reply to Nelson Goering's review of ''Tolkien : The Illustrated Encyclopaedia''|dated=21 January 2015|accessed=21 January 2015}}</ref>

==Accuracy==
Despite reportedly selling over 4 million books,<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.daviddaybooks.com/ David Day's site]|articleurl=http://www.daviddaybooks.com/index.htm|articlename=Welcome to David Day's site|accessed=21 January 2015}}</ref> Day is regarded as having a "bad reputation" amongst the Tolkien community.<ref name="Reddit">{{webcite|website=[http://www.reddit.com/ Reddit]|articleurl=http://www.reddit.com/r/tolkienfans/comments/2n9u5o/tolkien_dictionary_by_david_day_worth_buying/|articlename=Tolkien dictionary by David Day - Worth buying?|accessed=21 January 2015}}</ref> [[The Tolkien Society]] does not recommend any of Day's books in their suggested readings (preferring [[Robert Foster]]'s ''[[The Complete Guide to Middle-earth]]'' instead)<ref>{{webcite|website=TS|articleurl=http://www.tolkiensociety.org/author/books-about-tolkien/|articlename=Books about Tolkien|accessed=21 January 2015}}</ref> whilst [[David Bratman]], editor of the ''[[Tolkien Studies]]'' journal, makes the same suggestion that David Day's books are "Not Recommended".<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://home.earthlink.net/~dbratman/ David Bratman's Home Page]|articleurl=http://home.earthlink.net/~dbratman/tolkien_bib.html|articlename=Recommended books on Tolkien|accessed=21 January 2015}}</ref> Troels Forchammer politely noted in his blog that "''Day is infamous in Tolkien circles for his creative re-interpretation of Tolkien's work''"<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://parmarkenta.blogspot.co.uk Parma-kenta]|articleurl=http://parmarkenta.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/tolkien-transactions-xxxiii.html|articlename=Tolkien Transactions XXXIII|dated=1 February 2013|accessed=21 January 2015}}</ref> whilst [[Michael Martinez]] made the sterner observation that "''In Tolkien scholarship the worst insult one could deliver at any point for many years was equivalent to 'That sounds like something David Day wrote'.''"<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://blog.tolkien-studies.com/ Tolkien Studies Blog]|articleurl=http://blog.tolkien-studies.com/2007/03/07/why-wikipedia-content-cannot-be-trusted/|articlename=Why Wikipedia Content Cannot Be Trusted|dated=7 March 2007|accessed=21 January 2015}}</ref>

Tolkien Meta-FAQ author Steuard Jensen said about ''[[A Tolkien Bestiary]]'' that "''it is not wise to rely on this book for information on Tolkien's vision of Middle-earth''" and that "''it is important to be aware that a considerable number of other details in those vivid descriptions were invented by Day himself with little or no justification in the texts, and that these extrapolations are not distinguished from the justified facts in any way''".<ref name="FAQ">{{webcite|website=FAQ|articleurl=http://tolkien.slimy.com/essays/DayBooks.html|articlename=Notes on David Day's Tolkien Books|accessed=21 January 2015}}</ref> In particular, ''[[A Tolkien Bestiary]]'' (and its derivative ''[[Tolkien: The Illustrated Encyclopedia]]'') has been specifically criticised for its entries on [[Beren]], [[Giants]], [[long-worms]], [[Sauron]], [[Telcontar|Telcontari]],<ref name="FAQ"/><ref>{{webcite|website=Plaza|articleurl=http://www.lotrplaza.com/archives/index.php?Archive=First%20Age&TID=83477|articlename=List of Errors in David Day’s books|accessed=21 January 2015}}</ref> whilst the map of [[Middle-earth]] is especially criticised for differing so obviously from Tolkien's own maps.<ref name="Reddit"/><ref>{{webcite|website=AM|articleurl=http://www.amazon.com/review/R1TMH3457U9QFV/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0684839792|articlename=A Customer's review of Tolkien : The Illustrated Encyclopaedia|dated=23 August 1999|accessed=21 January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{webcite|website=Plaza|articleurl=http://www.lotrplaza.com/archives/index.php?Archive=Second%20Age&TID=215574|articlename=A guide to Tolkien by David Day|accessed=21 January 2015}}</ref>

Day accepts that the Tolkien community do not approve of his books: he confirms that Tolkien reviewers have described his books as "''a piece of garbage''", "''worthless''", "''junk don't bother''" and "''avoid this or any of David Day's books like the plague.''"<ref name="Amazon review">{{webcite|website=AM|articleurl=http://www.amazon.com/review/R2SBK9KKU1R5WN/ref=cm_cr_rev_detmd_pl?ie=UTF8&asin=0684839792&cdForum=Fx3UW3NBJ0HQKYH&cdMsgID=Mx3RFGEGRWW2IQ3&cdMsgNo=1&cdPage=1&cdSort=oldest&cdThread=Tx11RAW40EDUFA6&store=books#Mx3RFGEGRWW2IQ3|articlename=David Day's reply to Nelson Goering's review of ''Tolkien : The Illustrated Encyclopaedia''|dated=20 January 2015|accessed=21 January 2015}}</ref> Day has also cited the views of posters at [http://www.lotrplaza.com/forum/default.asp The Lord of the Rings Fanatics Plaza]:

{{blockquote|"Don't read it. Nothing David Day has ever written is worth buying."<br/>"I know that people despise David Day's Bestiary."<br/>"David Day is a liar, a fabricator and a down right greedy ass."<br/>"To this day I have not read any book by Day, but I agree ..."<br/>"Day is a fabricating idiot."<br/>"Luckily I never looked. No piece of David Day "facts" roaming in my head."<br/>"I read somewhere that he included stuff from the role-playing and card games."<br/>"Day never read any of Tolkien's books in their entirety. Moron that he is."<br/>"Can anyone tell me what is going on with this David Day moron?"<br/>"What he does I find absolutely disgusting."<br/>"Many other people tell me David Day is a moron, I was just quoting."<br/>"He is a filthy little thief and one mustn't buy his books."<br/>"It would be truly great to get David Day's books removed from bookshelves."<br/>"David Day is a waste of space"|David Day quoting reviews of his own books}}

In defending himself Day went on to claim that members of the "''Tolkien Taliban are not conducting informed literary exchanges of information, but have for years indulged in ill-informed malicious gossip, and a sustained thuggish campaign of abusive cyber-bullying.''"<ref name="Amazon review"/> It was noted by another commenter that Day had failed to provide a single reference from [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] to defend claims of inaccuracy.<ref name="Amazon reply">{{webcite|website=AMUK|articleurl=http://www.amazon.com/review/R2SBK9KKU1R5WN/ref=cm_cr_rev_detmd_pl?ie=UTF8&asin=0684839792&cdForum=Fx3UW3NBJ0HQKYH&cdMsgID=Mx2VOI0THLKU15J&cdMsgNo=3&cdPage=1&cdSort=oldest&cdThread=Tx11RAW40EDUFA6&store=books#Mx2VOI0THLKU15J|articlename=C. Rosenthal's reply to Nelson Goering's review of ''Tolkien : The Illustrated Encyclopaedia''|dated=21 January 2015|accessed=21 January 2015}}</ref> Day asserts that his books are "''extremely popular''" and are better for "''giving the general reader an overview of Tolkien's world''".<ref name="DayReply2"/>

More recently ''The Battles of Tolkien'' has been described saying {{blockquote|"''One of the surprises to me is that this book contains genuinely new content; this isn’t just a rehashing of previous books. And the factual pieces of information on the battles and the characters are accurate: it was a pleasant surprise to me to find none of the painfully obvious errors that were common throughout the previous two books. Similarly, the chronologies – save for one inconsistency on the War of Wrath – were also accurate.''"|[[Shaun Gunner|Gunner, Shaun]]. "Review: ''The Battles of Tolkien''" in ''[[Amon Hen]]'' [[Amon Hen 267|267]]}}
Having acknowledged that the book contains fewer factual errors than earlier books by Day, the reviewer describes it as "not a work of reference, but an attempt at analysis" and describing the analysis as "a bunch of clichéd theories that failed to stretch beyond a child pointing at things and exclaiming “This is like that!”."

==Oxonmoot Controversy==
David Day attended [[Oxonmoot 2004]] yet failed to pay for his attendance. In the minutes of [[The Tolkien Society]] committee meeting held on 30th October 2004 it states that:

{{blockquote|Chris ''<nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Chris Crawshaw]], Chairman]'' has also written to David Day to ask him to pay his registration for Oxonmoot. She was instructed by the meeting to keep badgering him about this, since he seems to feel his 'celebrity' status exempts him from such mundane details|[[Amon Hen 191]], page 19}}

Four months later in the minutes of a committee meeting held on the 26th February 2005 it is recorded:

{{blockquote|Since David Day has still not paid his registration for Oxonmoot, it was agreed that he should be blacklisted for future events.|[[Amon Hen 193]], page 17}}

There are no other recorded incidents of [[The Tolkien Society]] blacklisting individuals from attending their events.

==Bibliography==
* [[1978]]: ''[[A Tolkien Bestiary]]''
** [[1992]]: ''[[Tolkien: The Illustrated Encyclopedia]]'' (derived from ''A Tolkien Bestiary'')
** [[1993]]: ''The Tolkien Companion'' (derived from ''A Tolkien Bestiary'')
** [[1996]]: ''A to Z of Tolkien'' (derived from ''A Tolkien Bestiary'')
** [[2001]]: ''A Guide to Tolkien'' (identical to ''The Tolkien Companion'')
** [[2001]]: ''Characters from Tolkien'' (derived from ''A Tolkien Bestiary'')
** [[2010]]: ''Guide to Tolkien's World: A Bestiary'' (identical to ''The Tolkien Companion'')
** [[2014]]: ''Tolkien: A Dictionary'' (derived from ''A Tolkien Bestiary'')
* [[1994]]: ''[[Tolkien's Ring]]''
** [[2002]]: ''[[The World of Tolkien]]'' (derived from ''Tolkien's Ring'')
** [[2003]]: ''Tolkien's World'' (identical to ''The World of Tolkien'')
* [[1997]]: ''[[The Hobbit Companion]]''
* [[2004]]: ''[[The Hobbit Calendar]]''
* [[2015]]: ''[[An Atlas of Tolkien ]]''
* [[2016]]: ''[[The Battles of Tolkien]]''
* [[2017]]: ''[[The Heroes of Tolkien]]''
* [[2018]]: ''[[The Dark Powers of Tolkien]]''

==External links==
* [http://www.daviddaybooks.com '''Official website''']
* {{WP|David Day (Canadian writer)}}
{{references}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Day, David}}
[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:Canadian people]]
[[Category:People by name]]
[[de:David Day]]
[[fi:David Day]]

Dwarves

2015-01-06T21:47:56Z

Troelsfo: /* Nature */

{{sources}}
{{race
|image=[[File:Alarie - A bunch of dwarves.jpg|250px]]
|name= Dwarves
|dominions= [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]], [[Moria|Khazad-dûm]], [[Belegost]], [[Nogrod]], [[Iron Hills]], [[Orocarni]], [[Glittering Caves]], [[Grey Mountains]], Northern [[Misty Mountains]], [[Blue Mountains]]
|languages= [[Khuzdul]] ([[Dwarvish]]), [[Iglishmêk]] (sign language)
|height= 4 to 5 feet
|length=
|skincolor= Probably white
|haircolor= Blond, brown, black, blue, white and grey (in later years),
|distinctions= Short in stature, beards, never bald,
|lifespan= c. 195 <ref name="LOTRProjectStats">{{webcite|author=Emil Johansson|articleurl=http://lotrproject.com/statistics.php|articlename=Lord of the Rings in Statistics|website=[http://lotrproject.com/ Lord of the Rings Project]|accessed=09-September-2012}}</ref>
|members= [[Durin|Durin I]], [[Gimli]], [[Thorin|Thorin II Oakenshield]]
}}
{{quote|Since they were to come in the days of the power of [[Morgoth|Melkor]], [[Aulë]] made the dwarves strong to endure. Therefore 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 '''''[[Khuzd|Khazâd]]''''' in their own tongue, 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 was that of the [[Durin's Folk|Longbeards]].

==History==
===Origin===
Unlike Elves and [[Men]], the Dwarves are not counted among the [[Children of Ilúvatar]]. Their creator was [[Aulë#Names and etymology|Mahal]], known as [[Aulë]] the Smith. Aulë created the Seven [[Fathers of the Dwarves]] deep beneath an unknown mountain somewhere in [[Middle-earth]], from whom all other Dwarves are descended. However, Aulë did not have the divine power to grant independent life to any creation, and the dwarves were bound to his will. [[Ilúvatar]] came and reprimanded Aulë, who confessed his desire to create more living things, but in repentance lifted his hammer to destroy the dwarves. Even as the blow was about to land, the dwarves cowered and begged for mercy, as Ilúvatar had taken pity and given true life to the creations of his child, including them in His plan for [[Arda]]. However, Ilúvatar did not wish them to wake before the [[Elves]], whom he intended to be the first-born. Ilúvatar granted the Dwarves life, and therefore they are known as the Adopted Children of Ilúvatar, but he bade Aulë lay them to sleep in their chamber deep beneath the mountain, and they were to awake after the [[Awakening of the Elves]].<ref>{{S|2}}</ref>

[[File: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 with their wives, though [[Durin|Durin I]] had awoken alone. The seven different groups of Dwarf-folk originated in the locations where the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves first awoke.<ref>{{PM|XNotes}}</ref><ref>{{PM|X}}</ref>

The seven clans of the Dwarves were:

* [[Longbeards]], Durin's Folk, originally from [[Gundabad]].
* [[Firebeards]] and [[Broadbeams]], originally from [[Nogrod]] and [[Belegost]].
* [[Ironfists]] and [[Stiffbeards]], originated in the [[Orocarni]] in the far East.
* [[Blacklocks]] and [[Stonefoots]], originated in the Orocarni.

Durin settled in the caves above [[Kheled-zâram]] which later became the greatest of Dwarf realms, [[Moria|Khazad-dûm]]. Therefore the halls of the Longbeards were not located near the halls of another Dwarf-kingdom.

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.

Dwarves generally lived far from the sea and avoided getting on boats, as they disliked the sound of the ocean and were afraid of it.<ref name=S10>{{S|10}}</ref>

===First Age===
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, and they began exchanging knowledge and creating ring-mails and many other works; the [[Dwarves of Nogrod]] were unmatched in Middle-earth in smithing. 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, which prompted King [[Thingol]] to begin 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 an army of Dwarves who issued from Mount Dolmed and destroyed them.

After the [[Return of the Noldor]], [[Finrod|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]]. This necklace without equal contained one of the [[Silmarils]], and sparked jealousy and conflicts over its true ownernship rights. These initial conflicts receded by the beginning of the Second Age, but were rekindled to a new intensity by the discord sown by [[Sauron]]. They eventually created a rivalry and mistrust between Elves and Dwarves that endured to the end of the Third Age, when [[Gimli]] the Dwarf bridged the distance between the two races by developing a deep admiration for lady [[Galadriel]] and forming a strong friendship with [[Legolas]] the Elf.

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]]

In early [[Second Age]] most of the [[Firebeards]] and [[Broadbeams]] houses migrated to [[Moria|Khazad-dûm]] from their cities in the [[Blue Mountains]] which were ruined during the sinking of Beleriand.

===Second Age===
The Dwarves had little participation in most of the important events involving the other races. 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]].<ref name="UTGalad">{{UT|Galadriel}}</ref>
[[File:Liz Danforth - Annatar and the Seven Rings.png|thumb|[[Liz Danforth]] - ''Annatar and the seven rings'']]
When "[[Annatar]]" distributed the Rings of Power, he gave [[seven Rings|seven]] to Dwarf Lords in order to subdue and control them. However, they did not have the same effect as they did over Men. Dwarves did not shift into the [[wraith-world]] and in fact resisted domination. The Rings only augmented their greed and ability to create riches.

At the end of the Age, some of the [[Dwarves of Moria]] joined the great host of the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men]] and went to the [[War of the Last Alliance|great War]].

===Third Age===

[[File:Angus McBride - Dwarves.jpg|thumb|left|[[Angus McBride]] - ''The Dwarves are upon You!'']]
In [[Third Age 1980]], after centuries of greedy digging for ''[[mithril]]'' and other minerals, the Dwarves woke a [[Durin's Bane|Balrog]] that was sleeping in the deeps of the Misty Mountains since the First Age. 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 briefly went to [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]] in {{TA|1999}}. For more than 300 years the [[Dwarves of the Grey Mountains]] prospered until the Dragons in the far North started to gain strength. Some fled to the [[Iron Hills]], while most followed the the new king [[Thrór]] to Erebor to start a new [[Kingdom under the Mountain]]. There, they prospered for over 200 years until the dragon [[Smaug]] descended in {{TA|2770}}. The King and his company went in exile South, while most of the survivors went to the Iron Hills.

Durin's folk settled in [[Dunland]], and in {{TA|2790}} King Thrór traveled North to Moria where he was killed by the [[Orcs|Goblin]] king [[Azog]]. Thrór's son [[Thráin II]] (who had received the Last of the Seven Rings from his father before his departure) summoned all the Houses of Dwarves to war. Thus began the [[War of Dwarves and Orcs]], in which the Dwarves destroyed all the Goblin strongholds in the [[Misty Mountains]] culminating to the great [[Battle of Azanulbizar]] where all the dwarven clans united. The Goblin hosts issuing from Moria were strong and relentless until the arrival of fresh [[Dwarves of the Iron Hills]]. The Battle ended with the victory of Dwarves, but at great cost. The Dwarven clans however were unwilling to repopulate Moria. Thráin therefore came to the [[Blue Mountains]] and established his realm there.

[[File:Angelo Montanini - Dori.jpg|thumb|[[Angelo Montanini]] - ''Dori'']]
The Wizard [[Gandalf]] was instrumental into helping Thráin's son Thorin in reclaiming the Kingdom of Erebor. Thorin gathered around him [[Thorin and Company|twelve dwarves]], mostly from his own line, and was joined by [[Gandalf]] and [[Bilbo Baggins]]. The [[Quest of Erebor]] ended with the death of [[Smaug]]. After a quarrel with the Men and Elves over the unguarded hoard, the Dwarves - assisted by those from the [[Iron Hills]] - united with the Men and Elves to fight the attacking Goblins and Wargs, in what was called the [[Battle of Five Armies]], where Thorin was killed.

[[Gimli]] son of Glóin joined the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] as a representative of the Dwarves and befriended [[Legolas]] during the [[War of the Ring]].

===Fourth Age===
Not much is known about the Dwarves in the [[Fourth Age]]. After the [[War of the Ring]], [[Gimli]] brought a part of Durin's Folk from Erebor to the Glittering Caves behind Helm's Deep and founded a colony there. Subsequently, Gimli went on many travels with his friend Legolas, and History lost track of their fate. Through their friendship and influence, the feud between the two races that had lasted for millennia finally ended, shortly before the departure of the last Elves from Middle-earth. It is rumored that Gimli and Legolas eventually boarded a ship that sailed down the river Anduin, out to sea and across to Valinor in the year {{FoA|120}}. Gimli would thus have become the only Dwarf to ever be permitted to cross to the Undying Lands.

[[Durin VII]] (the Last), retook Moria and brought Khazad-dûm back to its original splendor, and the Longbeards lived there till the "world grew old and the days of Durin's race ended".

==Nature==
The Dwarves were created by Aulë to be strong, resistant to fire and the evils of Morgoth. They were hardier than any other race, secretive, stubborn, and steadfast in enmity or loyalty. They were generally less corruptible than Men. When Sauron attempted to enslave the Free Folk of Middle-earth using the [[Rings of Power]], the Elves completely resisted his power (indeed, his hand had never sullied the Three Rings), while the Nine Rings utterly corrupted the Men who bore them into the [[Ringwraiths]]. In contrast, the Dwarves were sturdy and resistant enough that Sauron was not able to dominate them using the Seven Rings. At most, the Seven Rings sowed strife among the Dwarves and filled their wearers with an insatiable greed for gold, but they did not turn them into wraiths subservient to the Dark Lord, and he considered his plan to have failed. Sauron was furious at the Dwarves' resistance, spurring his drive to recapture the Seven Rings from them.

The lifespan of Dwarves was varied depending on their ancestry. The Longbeards were particularly long-lived, but by the Third Age their lifespan was diminished and they lived, on average, 250 years. Occasionally they would live up to 300 years of age, and [[Dwalin]] lived for 340 years, but such a phenomenon was rare, comparable to a Man living to 100. Dwarves were considered too young for heavy labor or war until they were around 30 years of age (hence the slaying of Azog by [[Dain Ironfoot]] at age 32 was a great feat). By the age of 40, Dwarves were hardened into the appearance that they would keep for most of their lives. Between the approximate ages of 40 and 240, most Dwarves were equally hale and able to work and fight with vigor. They took on the appearance of age only about ten years before their death, wrinkling and greying rapidly, but never going bald.<ref name=PMAiv>{{PM|Aiv}}</ref>

Sickness was almost unknown to the Dwarves, as they were immune to human diseases. Corpulence, however, could effect them. In prosperous circumstances, many grew fat by the age of 200 and became physically inept.<ref name=PMAiv>{{PM|Aiv}}</ref>

Despite being 4.5 - 5 feet (1.35 - 1.52 m) tall, they 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 holding axes. In appearance their more distinctive characteristic was their beard which they have from the beginning of their lives, male and females alike; and which they shave only in shame.<ref>{{WJ|13}}</ref>

As creations of Aulë, they were attracted to the substances of Arda and crafts. They mined and worked precious metals throughout the mountains of Middle-earth, but had a tendency toward gold lust, and committed their share of rash and greedy acts. Among these was the dispute over the [[Nauglamír]], which led to the slaying of Elu [[Thingol]] and stirred up the initial suspicion between Elves and Dwarves to open hatred.<ref>{{S|Rings}}</ref>

Dwarves are fiercely devoted to their children. In their desire for their children to grow up hardy and enduring, they may treat them harshly, but they will protect them at all costs. Dwarves resent injuries to their children and to their parents more than injuries to themselves.<ref name=PMAiv/>

The Dwarves' numbers, although they sometimes flourished, often faced periods of decline, especially in periods of war. The slow increase of their population was due to the rarity of [[Dwarf-women]], who made up only about a third of the total population. Dwarves seldom wedded before the age of ninety or more, and rarely had so many as four children. They took only one husband or wife in their lifetime, and were jealous, as in all matters of their rights. The number of Dwarf-men that married was actually less than a third, for not all the Dwarf-women took husbands; some desired none, some wanted one they could not have and would have no other. Many Dwarf-men did not desire marriage because they were absorbed in their work.<ref name=AppA3>{{App|A3}}</ref><ref name=PMAiv/>

Dwarf-women seldom walked abroad, and that only in great need. When they did travel, they were so alike Dwarf-men in voice, appearance, and garb that it was hard for other races to tell them apart. They were likewise seldom named in genealogies, joining their husbands' families. The only Dwarf-woman named in Tolkien's legendarium is [[Dís]], sister of Thorin Oakenshield, who was given a place in the records because of the gallant deaths of her sons, Fíli and Kíli. The scarcity of women, their rare mention, and their identical looks with the males, coupled with the Dwarves' secretive culture, led many to mistakenly believe that Dwarves were born out of stone, and upon death they returned to that stone.<ref name=AppA3/><ref name=PMAiv/>

==Religion==
The Dwarves loved and revered the Vala Aulë. In an earlier version of the legendarium it is hinted that the Dwarves do not know about Ilúvatar, or that they disbelieve his existence, but later writings contradict that suggestion.<ref name=S10/><ref name="#">{{LT2|IV}}</ref><ref name=S2>{{S|2}}</ref>

Of old the Elves believed that the Dwarves would have no future in [[Arda Unmarred]], but the Dwarves themselves held to a promise that Ilúvatar would hallow them and adopt them as his Children. They maintained that after death Aulë (Mahal) cared for them, gathering them to the [[Halls of Mandos]] with the other Children of Ilúvatar, though in halls set apart. It is said that after the Last Battle they will work alongside Aulë in the remaking of Arda.<ref name=S2/>

==Language==
The Dwarven language was created by Aulë, and was called [[Khuzdul]]. It was a strange language to Elves and Men, and few non-Dwarves learned it, because it was difficult, and the Dwarves kept it secret, preferring to communicate in the languages of their neighbors. Only one Khuzdul phrase was well known to outsiders: 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 taught Khuzdul carefully to their children, as a learned language, not a cradle-tongue, and thus the language changed very little over the ages, unlike those of other races.
The Dwarves also devised a secret language of gestures to communicate between themselves in silence, the ''[[iglishmêk]]''.<ref>{{WJ|Quendi}}, p. 395</ref>

==Names==
The Dwarves called themselves the ''[[Khazâd]]'', the name Aulë gave them; this is adapted as ''[[Hadhod]]rim'' in [[Sindarin]], and ''[[Casar]]i'' in [[Quenya]]. Casari was the common word for Dwarves among the [[Noldor]], but the [[Sindar]] usually called them ''Naugrim'' or ''Nogothrim'', the Stunted People.<ref>{{App|F2}}</ref>
In their dealings with people of other races, the Dwarves did not reveal their true names, rather adopting new names in other languages (the [[petty-dwarves]] were an exception). During the Third Age, the Longbeards used [[northern Mannish]] names in public.

==Inspiration==
Almost all the names of the Dwarves of Middle-earth are taken from the Old Norse [[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" (''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien|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 of the Legendarium==
In the earliest versions of Tolkien's Middle-earth mythology (see: ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'') the dwarves were evil beings created by [[Morgoth|Melkor]].

==See also==
* [[:Category:Images of Dwarves|Images of Dwarves]]

==External links==

*"[http://lingwe.blogspot.se/2013/02/did-tolkien-coin-plural-dwarves.html Did Tolkien coin the plural “dwarves”?]" by [[Jason Fisher]]

{{references}}

{{Dwarvenclans}}

[[Category:Dwarves| ]]
[[Category:Races]]
[[Category:Characters in The Hobbit]]

[[de:Zwerge]]
[[fa:دورف]]
[[fr:encyclo/peuples/nains/nains]]
[[fi:Kääpiöt]]

Dwarves

2015-01-06T21:46:55Z

Troelsfo: /* Nature */ Added reference to paragraph on life span. Added the life span of Dwalin

{{sources}}
{{race
|image=[[File:Alarie - A bunch of dwarves.jpg|250px]]
|name= Dwarves
|dominions= [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]], [[Moria|Khazad-dûm]], [[Belegost]], [[Nogrod]], [[Iron Hills]], [[Orocarni]], [[Glittering Caves]], [[Grey Mountains]], Northern [[Misty Mountains]], [[Blue Mountains]]
|languages= [[Khuzdul]] ([[Dwarvish]]), [[Iglishmêk]] (sign language)
|height= 4 to 5 feet
|length=
|skincolor= Probably white
|haircolor= Blond, brown, black, blue, white and grey (in later years),
|distinctions= Short in stature, beards, never bald,
|lifespan= c. 195 <ref name="LOTRProjectStats">{{webcite|author=Emil Johansson|articleurl=http://lotrproject.com/statistics.php|articlename=Lord of the Rings in Statistics|website=[http://lotrproject.com/ Lord of the Rings Project]|accessed=09-September-2012}}</ref>
|members= [[Durin|Durin I]], [[Gimli]], [[Thorin|Thorin II Oakenshield]]
}}
{{quote|Since they were to come in the days of the power of [[Morgoth|Melkor]], [[Aulë]] made the dwarves strong to endure. Therefore 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 '''''[[Khuzd|Khazâd]]''''' in their own tongue, 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 was that of the [[Durin's Folk|Longbeards]].

==History==
===Origin===
Unlike Elves and [[Men]], the Dwarves are not counted among the [[Children of Ilúvatar]]. Their creator was [[Aulë#Names and etymology|Mahal]], known as [[Aulë]] the Smith. Aulë created the Seven [[Fathers of the Dwarves]] deep beneath an unknown mountain somewhere in [[Middle-earth]], from whom all other Dwarves are descended. However, Aulë did not have the divine power to grant independent life to any creation, and the dwarves were bound to his will. [[Ilúvatar]] came and reprimanded Aulë, who confessed his desire to create more living things, but in repentance lifted his hammer to destroy the dwarves. Even as the blow was about to land, the dwarves cowered and begged for mercy, as Ilúvatar had taken pity and given true life to the creations of his child, including them in His plan for [[Arda]]. However, Ilúvatar did not wish them to wake before the [[Elves]], whom he intended to be the first-born. Ilúvatar granted the Dwarves life, and therefore they are known as the Adopted Children of Ilúvatar, but he bade Aulë lay them to sleep in their chamber deep beneath the mountain, and they were to awake after the [[Awakening of the Elves]].<ref>{{S|2}}</ref>

[[File: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 with their wives, though [[Durin|Durin I]] had awoken alone. The seven different groups of Dwarf-folk originated in the locations where the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves first awoke.<ref>{{PM|XNotes}}</ref><ref>{{PM|X}}</ref>

The seven clans of the Dwarves were:

* [[Longbeards]], Durin's Folk, originally from [[Gundabad]].
* [[Firebeards]] and [[Broadbeams]], originally from [[Nogrod]] and [[Belegost]].
* [[Ironfists]] and [[Stiffbeards]], originated in the [[Orocarni]] in the far East.
* [[Blacklocks]] and [[Stonefoots]], originated in the Orocarni.

Durin settled in the caves above [[Kheled-zâram]] which later became the greatest of Dwarf realms, [[Moria|Khazad-dûm]]. Therefore the halls of the Longbeards were not located near the halls of another Dwarf-kingdom.

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.

Dwarves generally lived far from the sea and avoided getting on boats, as they disliked the sound of the ocean and were afraid of it.<ref name=S10>{{S|10}}</ref>

===First Age===
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, and they began exchanging knowledge and creating ring-mails and many other works; the [[Dwarves of Nogrod]] were unmatched in Middle-earth in smithing. 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, which prompted King [[Thingol]] to begin 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 an army of Dwarves who issued from Mount Dolmed and destroyed them.

After the [[Return of the Noldor]], [[Finrod|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]]. This necklace without equal contained one of the [[Silmarils]], and sparked jealousy and conflicts over its true ownernship rights. These initial conflicts receded by the beginning of the Second Age, but were rekindled to a new intensity by the discord sown by [[Sauron]]. They eventually created a rivalry and mistrust between Elves and Dwarves that endured to the end of the Third Age, when [[Gimli]] the Dwarf bridged the distance between the two races by developing a deep admiration for lady [[Galadriel]] and forming a strong friendship with [[Legolas]] the Elf.

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]]

In early [[Second Age]] most of the [[Firebeards]] and [[Broadbeams]] houses migrated to [[Moria|Khazad-dûm]] from their cities in the [[Blue Mountains]] which were ruined during the sinking of Beleriand.

===Second Age===
The Dwarves had little participation in most of the important events involving the other races. 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]].<ref name="UTGalad">{{UT|Galadriel}}</ref>
[[File:Liz Danforth - Annatar and the Seven Rings.png|thumb|[[Liz Danforth]] - ''Annatar and the seven rings'']]
When "[[Annatar]]" distributed the Rings of Power, he gave [[seven Rings|seven]] to Dwarf Lords in order to subdue and control them. However, they did not have the same effect as they did over Men. Dwarves did not shift into the [[wraith-world]] and in fact resisted domination. The Rings only augmented their greed and ability to create riches.

At the end of the Age, some of the [[Dwarves of Moria]] joined the great host of the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men]] and went to the [[War of the Last Alliance|great War]].

===Third Age===

[[File:Angus McBride - Dwarves.jpg|thumb|left|[[Angus McBride]] - ''The Dwarves are upon You!'']]
In [[Third Age 1980]], after centuries of greedy digging for ''[[mithril]]'' and other minerals, the Dwarves woke a [[Durin's Bane|Balrog]] that was sleeping in the deeps of the Misty Mountains since the First Age. 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 briefly went to [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]] in {{TA|1999}}. For more than 300 years the [[Dwarves of the Grey Mountains]] prospered until the Dragons in the far North started to gain strength. Some fled to the [[Iron Hills]], while most followed the the new king [[Thrór]] to Erebor to start a new [[Kingdom under the Mountain]]. There, they prospered for over 200 years until the dragon [[Smaug]] descended in {{TA|2770}}. The King and his company went in exile South, while most of the survivors went to the Iron Hills.

Durin's folk settled in [[Dunland]], and in {{TA|2790}} King Thrór traveled North to Moria where he was killed by the [[Orcs|Goblin]] king [[Azog]]. Thrór's son [[Thráin II]] (who had received the Last of the Seven Rings from his father before his departure) summoned all the Houses of Dwarves to war. Thus began the [[War of Dwarves and Orcs]], in which the Dwarves destroyed all the Goblin strongholds in the [[Misty Mountains]] culminating to the great [[Battle of Azanulbizar]] where all the dwarven clans united. The Goblin hosts issuing from Moria were strong and relentless until the arrival of fresh [[Dwarves of the Iron Hills]]. The Battle ended with the victory of Dwarves, but at great cost. The Dwarven clans however were unwilling to repopulate Moria. Thráin therefore came to the [[Blue Mountains]] and established his realm there.

[[File:Angelo Montanini - Dori.jpg|thumb|[[Angelo Montanini]] - ''Dori'']]
The Wizard [[Gandalf]] was instrumental into helping Thráin's son Thorin in reclaiming the Kingdom of Erebor. Thorin gathered around him [[Thorin and Company|twelve dwarves]], mostly from his own line, and was joined by [[Gandalf]] and [[Bilbo Baggins]]. The [[Quest of Erebor]] ended with the death of [[Smaug]]. After a quarrel with the Men and Elves over the unguarded hoard, the Dwarves - assisted by those from the [[Iron Hills]] - united with the Men and Elves to fight the attacking Goblins and Wargs, in what was called the [[Battle of Five Armies]], where Thorin was killed.

[[Gimli]] son of Glóin joined the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] as a representative of the Dwarves and befriended [[Legolas]] during the [[War of the Ring]].

===Fourth Age===
Not much is known about the Dwarves in the [[Fourth Age]]. After the [[War of the Ring]], [[Gimli]] brought a part of Durin's Folk from Erebor to the Glittering Caves behind Helm's Deep and founded a colony there. Subsequently, Gimli went on many travels with his friend Legolas, and History lost track of their fate. Through their friendship and influence, the feud between the two races that had lasted for millennia finally ended, shortly before the departure of the last Elves from Middle-earth. It is rumored that Gimli and Legolas eventually boarded a ship that sailed down the river Anduin, out to sea and across to Valinor in the year {{FoA|120}}. Gimli would thus have become the only Dwarf to ever be permitted to cross to the Undying Lands.

[[Durin VII]] (the Last), retook Moria and brought Khazad-dûm back to its original splendor, and the Longbeards lived there till the "world grew old and the days of Durin's race ended".

==Nature==
The Dwarves were created by Aulë to be strong, resistant to fire and the evils of Morgoth. They were hardier than any other race, secretive, stubborn, and steadfast in enmity or loyalty. They were generally less corruptible than Men. When Sauron attempted to enslave the Free Folk of Middle-earth using the [[Rings of Power]], the Elves completely resisted his power (indeed, his hand had never sullied the Three Rings), while the Nine Rings utterly corrupted the Men who bore them into the [[Ringwraiths]]. In contrast, the Dwarves were sturdy and resistant enough that Sauron was not able to dominate them using the Seven Rings. At most, the Seven Rings sowed strife among the Dwarves and filled their wearers with an insatiable greed for gold, but they did not turn them into wraiths subservient to the Dark Lord, and he considered his plan to have failed. Sauron was furious at the Dwarves' resistance, spurring his drive to recapture the Seven Rings from them.

The lifespan of Dwarves was varied depending on their ancestry. The Longbeards were particularly long-lived, but by the Third Age their lifespan was diminished and they lived, on average, 250 years. Occasionally they would live up to 300 years of age, and Dwalin lived for 340 years, but such a phenomenon was rare, comparable to a Man living to 100. Dwarves were considered too young for heavy labor or war until they were around 30 years of age (hence the slaying of Azog by [[Dain Ironfoot]] at age 32 was a great feat). By the age of 40, Dwarves were hardened into the appearance that they would keep for most of their lives. Between the approximate ages of 40 and 240, most Dwarves were equally hale and able to work and fight with vigor. They took on the appearance of age only about ten years before their death, wrinkling and greying rapidly, but never going bald.<ref name=PMAiv>{{PM|Aiv}}</ref>

Sickness was almost unknown to the Dwarves, as they were immune to human diseases. Corpulence, however, could effect them. In prosperous circumstances, many grew fat by the age of 200 and became physically inept.<ref name=PMAiv>{{PM|Aiv}}</ref>

Despite being 4.5 - 5 feet (1.35 - 1.52 m) tall, they 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 holding axes. In appearance their more distinctive characteristic was their beard which they have from the beginning of their lives, male and females alike; and which they shave only in shame.<ref>{{WJ|13}}</ref>

As creations of Aulë, they were attracted to the substances of Arda and crafts. They mined and worked precious metals throughout the mountains of Middle-earth, but had a tendency toward gold lust, and committed their share of rash and greedy acts. Among these was the dispute over the [[Nauglamír]], which led to the slaying of Elu [[Thingol]] and stirred up the initial suspicion between Elves and Dwarves to open hatred.<ref>{{S|Rings}}</ref>

Dwarves are fiercely devoted to their children. In their desire for their children to grow up hardy and enduring, they may treat them harshly, but they will protect them at all costs. Dwarves resent injuries to their children and to their parents more than injuries to themselves.<ref name=PMAiv/>

The Dwarves' numbers, although they sometimes flourished, often faced periods of decline, especially in periods of war. The slow increase of their population was due to the rarity of [[Dwarf-women]], who made up only about a third of the total population. Dwarves seldom wedded before the age of ninety or more, and rarely had so many as four children. They took only one husband or wife in their lifetime, and were jealous, as in all matters of their rights. The number of Dwarf-men that married was actually less than a third, for not all the Dwarf-women took husbands; some desired none, some wanted one they could not have and would have no other. Many Dwarf-men did not desire marriage because they were absorbed in their work.<ref name=AppA3>{{App|A3}}</ref><ref name=PMAiv/>

Dwarf-women seldom walked abroad, and that only in great need. When they did travel, they were so alike Dwarf-men in voice, appearance, and garb that it was hard for other races to tell them apart. They were likewise seldom named in genealogies, joining their husbands' families. The only Dwarf-woman named in Tolkien's legendarium is [[Dís]], sister of Thorin Oakenshield, who was given a place in the records because of the gallant deaths of her sons, Fíli and Kíli. The scarcity of women, their rare mention, and their identical looks with the males, coupled with the Dwarves' secretive culture, led many to mistakenly believe that Dwarves were born out of stone, and upon death they returned to that stone.<ref name=AppA3/><ref name=PMAiv/>

==Religion==
The Dwarves loved and revered the Vala Aulë. In an earlier version of the legendarium it is hinted that the Dwarves do not know about Ilúvatar, or that they disbelieve his existence, but later writings contradict that suggestion.<ref name=S10/><ref name="#">{{LT2|IV}}</ref><ref name=S2>{{S|2}}</ref>

Of old the Elves believed that the Dwarves would have no future in [[Arda Unmarred]], but the Dwarves themselves held to a promise that Ilúvatar would hallow them and adopt them as his Children. They maintained that after death Aulë (Mahal) cared for them, gathering them to the [[Halls of Mandos]] with the other Children of Ilúvatar, though in halls set apart. It is said that after the Last Battle they will work alongside Aulë in the remaking of Arda.<ref name=S2/>

==Language==
The Dwarven language was created by Aulë, and was called [[Khuzdul]]. It was a strange language to Elves and Men, and few non-Dwarves learned it, because it was difficult, and the Dwarves kept it secret, preferring to communicate in the languages of their neighbors. Only one Khuzdul phrase was well known to outsiders: 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 taught Khuzdul carefully to their children, as a learned language, not a cradle-tongue, and thus the language changed very little over the ages, unlike those of other races.
The Dwarves also devised a secret language of gestures to communicate between themselves in silence, the ''[[iglishmêk]]''.<ref>{{WJ|Quendi}}, p. 395</ref>

==Names==
The Dwarves called themselves the ''[[Khazâd]]'', the name Aulë gave them; this is adapted as ''[[Hadhod]]rim'' in [[Sindarin]], and ''[[Casar]]i'' in [[Quenya]]. Casari was the common word for Dwarves among the [[Noldor]], but the [[Sindar]] usually called them ''Naugrim'' or ''Nogothrim'', the Stunted People.<ref>{{App|F2}}</ref>
In their dealings with people of other races, the Dwarves did not reveal their true names, rather adopting new names in other languages (the [[petty-dwarves]] were an exception). During the Third Age, the Longbeards used [[northern Mannish]] names in public.

==Inspiration==
Almost all the names of the Dwarves of Middle-earth are taken from the Old Norse [[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" (''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien|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 of the Legendarium==
In the earliest versions of Tolkien's Middle-earth mythology (see: ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'') the dwarves were evil beings created by [[Morgoth|Melkor]].

==See also==
* [[:Category:Images of Dwarves|Images of Dwarves]]

==External links==

*"[http://lingwe.blogspot.se/2013/02/did-tolkien-coin-plural-dwarves.html Did Tolkien coin the plural “dwarves”?]" by [[Jason Fisher]]

{{references}}

{{Dwarvenclans}}

[[Category:Dwarves| ]]
[[Category:Races]]
[[Category:Characters in The Hobbit]]

[[de:Zwerge]]
[[fa:دورف]]
[[fr:encyclo/peuples/nains/nains]]
[[fi:Kääpiöt]]

Théoden

2014-10-26T20:49:41Z

Troelsfo: Deleting one instance of "he" added erroneously to the quotation.

{{rohirrim infobox
| image=[[Image:Michael Kaluta - Theoden Espies the Serpent Banner.jpg|250px]]
| name=Théoden
| pronun=
| othernames=''Ednew'', [[Horsemaster]]
| titles=[[Kings of Rohan|King of Rohan]]
| position=
| location=[[Rohan]]
| affiliation=
| language=[[Rohirric]] and [[Westron]]
| birth={{TA|2948}}
| birthlocation=[[Gondor]]<ref name="Mark"/>
| rule={{TA|2980}} - {{TA|3019|n}}
| death=[[15 March]] {{TA|3019}}
| deathlocation=[[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]]
| age=70
| notablefor=
| house=[[House of Eorl]]
| parentage=[[Thengel]] & [[Morwen Steelsheen|Morwen]]
| siblings=[[Théodwyn]], three unnamed sisters{{fact}}
| spouse=[[Elfhild]]
| children=[[Théodred]]
| gender=Male
| height=Tall
| hair=Long, thick, braided white hair<ref name="Hall"/>
| eyes=Blue<ref name="Hall"/>
| clothing=
| weapons=[[Herugrim]]
| steed=[[Snowmane]]
}}
{{quote|Out of doubt, out of dark, to the day's rising<br>he rode singing in the sun, sword unsheathing.<br>Hope he rekindled, and in hope ended;<br>over death, over dread, over doom lifted<br>out of loss, out of life, unto long glory.|[[Gléowine]]<ref name=partings>{{RK|VI6}}</ref>}}
'''Théoden''' ([[Third Age]] 2948 – March 15, 3019, aged 71 years) was the seventeenth [[Kings of Rohan|King of Rohan]], ruling for 39 years, from {{TA|2980}} until his death. He was the last of the Second Line.<ref name="Mark">{{App|Mark}}</ref>

==History==

===Early Life===

Théoden was the only son of [[Thengel]], and became king after the death of his father in {{TA|2980}}. Théoden spoke [[Sindarin]] and [[Westron]] rather than [[Rohirric]], for he had been born in [[Gondor]] and spent his youth there.

Théoden loved his sister [[Théodwyn]] most of all. After she and her husband both died he adopted her children [[Éomer]] and [[Éowyn]] as his own. He had a son, [[Théodred]], whose mother [[Elfhild]] died in childbirth.<ref name="Mark"/>

In {{TA|3014}} Théoden's health began to fail. This may have been due to natural causes (he was sixty-six) or it may have been induced or increase by subtle poisons administered by [[Gríma]]. Gríma (or ''Wormtongue'' as most others in the [[Mark]] called him), was secretly in the employ of [[Saruman|Saruman the White]].<ref>{{UT|Isen}}</ref>

===War of the Ring===
As the war approached Théoden was increasingly misled by his chief adviser Gríma. In the last years before the War of the Ring, Théoden let his rule slip out of his hands completely, and Gríma became increasingly powerful. Rohan was troubled again by [[Orcs]] and [[Dunlendings]], who operated under the will of Saruman, ruling from [[Isengard]]. On Gríma's orders Éomer had been arrested and imprisoned after Éomer's foray to destroy the Orcs that had crossed Rohan.<ref name="Hall">{{TT|III6}}</ref>

When [[Gandalf]] and [[Aragorn]] appeared before him, the [[Wizards|Wizard]] healed the king. He then restored his nephew, took up his [[Herugrim|sword]], and led the [[Rohirrim|Riders of Rohan]] to the [[Fords of Isen]].

On their way, they got news that the border was lost and he retreated into [[Battle of the Hornburg|battle at Helm's Deep]]. After this he became known as '''Théoden Ednew''', the Renewed,<ref name="Mark"/> because he had thrown off the yoke of Saruman.

After the battle he visited [[Isengard]] where he witnessed as [[Gandalf]] deposed Saruman from [[Wizards|their order]]. On their way back to Rohan, they stopped by the [[Helm's Deep]], where he noticed that the lonely [[Hobbits|Hobbit]] of their company, [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]] felt out of place, and offered to ride with him for the rest of the journey. The hobbit was delighted, as he felt useless among the Riders and offered Théoden his sword in service of Rohan.<ref>{{RK|V2}}</ref>

[[Aragorn]] left the Rohirrim's company for [[Dunharrow]], and Théoden and the Riders took a safer path to Edoras. Near the outer hills of Rohan, Théoden dismissed Éomer's urge not to go to the war, and with the remaining Riders he rode to the [[Hold]] at Dunharrow, where his people took shelter.<ref name=muster>{{RK|V3}}</ref>

===Fulfilling the Oath of Eorl===
[[File:Paula DiSante - The Red Arrow.JPG|thumb|[[Paula DiSante]] - ''The Red Arrow'']]
After reuniting with Éowyn and while resting, a [[Gondorian]] named [[Hirgon]] entered his tent, bringing the [[Red Arrow]] from [[Denethor]] II. Théoden responded to him that 6000 Riders would reach [[Minas Tirith]] in the week. Indeed they set off the next morning ([[the Dawnless Day]]); before leaving he ordered his squire, Meriadoc, to stay behind at Edoras.<ref name=muster/>

On their way to Minas Tirith, Théoden's forces were alerted to a host of Orcs upon the road from the city moving towards them. A leader of the [[Woses]], [[Ghân-buri-Ghân]], offered to lead the Rohirrim by secret paths through the [[Drúadan Forest]] so they could avoid the Orcs. Taking the forgotten road down [[Stonewain Valley]] the riders of Rohan were able to come to the [[Pelennor Fields]] undetected.
[[File:Abe Papakhian - The Ride of the Rohirrim.jpg|thumb|[[Abe Papakhian]] - ''The Ride of the Rohirrim'']]
To his dismay, they found Hirgon dead and understood that the Gondorians were unaware of their arrival; Minas Tirith [[Siege of Gondor|was being destroyed]]. Théoden was reinvigorated by a sudden great flash of light from the city. He ordered to charge as [[the Darkness]] was fading. He led the Rohirrim to the aid of Gondor at the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]]. In that battle he challenged the [[Black Serpent]] of the [[Haradrim]], and slew him and his standard-bearer. <ref>{{RK|V5}}</ref>
[[File:Angus McBride - Eowyn against Witch-king.gif|thumb|left|[[Angus McBride]] - ''Eowyn against Witch-king'']]
The [[Witch-king|Lord of the Nazgûl]] attacked him, and he was mortally wounded when his horse [[Snowmane]] fell upon him after being frightened by the Ringwraith's [[Fell beasts|Fell beast]].

He was immediately avenged by Éowyn and the [[Hobbits|Hobbit]] [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]], both of whom had ridden to war in secret. He claimed to Merry at his death on the field that he was satisfied, for he had felled the Black Serpent.<ref>{{RK|V6}}</ref>

==Legacy==
After Théoden's death his body remained in the [[Hallows]] of Minas Tirith while [[Snowmane]] was buried where they fell.

His nephew Éomer succeeded him as King of Rohan. In [[July]] he returned to Minas Tirith and brought Théoden's body back to [[Edoras]]. On [[10 August]] the funeral of Théoden took place. [[Gléowine]] composed a poem for him and other Kings of the line of [[Eorl]].<ref name=partings/>

==Etymology==
The [[Old English]] word ''[[Wiktionary:þeoden|þeoden]]'', means "lord, king", and contains the element ''þeod'' "people" (''[[éothéod]]'' "horse-people"). It is related to the Old Norse word ''þjóðann'', meaning "Leader of the People" (i.e. "King").{{fact}}

In Tolkien's fictional etymology, the name ''Théoden'' is an Old English translation of the original [[Rohirric]] ''[[Tûrac]]'', an old word for King.{{fact}}

==Other versions==
In one of Tolkien's early drafts, Théoden also had a daughter by the name of [[Idis]], but she was eventually removed when her character was eclipsed by that of Éowyn.
==Portrayal in adaptations==
<center><gallery>
File:The Lord of the Rings (1978 film) - Théoden.JPG|<center><small>[[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1978 film)]]</center></small>
File:The Return of the King (1980 film) - Théoden.png|<center><small>[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|''The Return of the King'' (1980 film)]]</center></small>
File:The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers - Théoden.jpeg|<center><small>[[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]</center></small>
File:The Lord of the Rings Online - Théoden.jpg|<center><small>''[[The Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan]]''</center></small>
</gallery></center>

'''1955: [[The Lord of the Rings (1955 radio series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1955 radio series)]]:'''
:[[Valentine Dyall]] voiced the part of Théoden.

'''1978: [[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1978 film)]]:'''
:The voice of Théoden was provided by [[Philip Stone]].

'''1979: [[The Lord of the Rings (1979 radio series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1979 radio series)]]:'''
:[[Erik Bauersfeld]] provided the voice of Théoden.

'''1980: [[The Return of the King (1980 film)|''The Return of the King'' (1980 film)]]:'''
:Théoden is voiced by [[Don Messick]], though he speaks very little. His death is narrated by [[John Huston]] as Gandalf.

'''1981: [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1981 radio series)]]:'''
Theoden played by [[Jack May]] appears much earlier in the narrative than in the book, allowing Gandalf to borrow a horse on his escape from Isengard.

'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]'':'''
:This film deviates from Tolkien's story by having Théoden (played by [[Bernard Hill]]) actually possessed by Saruman rather than simply deceived by Gríma. He then goes to [[Helm's Deep]] to take his people to safety rather than to make a stand against the enemy.

'''2003: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]'':'''
:Théoden at first refuses to come to the aid of Gondor saying that Gondor did not come to the aid of Rohan at the [[Battle of the Hornburg]]. His death is placed after the coming of the [[Haradrim]], and is depicted differently; he is not crushed by [[Snowmane]], but wounded by the [[Fell beasts|fell beast]]. In general, his personality is changed from a "kindly old man" to that of a callous and somewhat obstinate character, though he has several tender moments at the grave of his son and near Éowyn.

'''2004: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth]]'':'''
:Théoden is a hero in the Rohan faction. He is voiced by [[Phil Proctor]].

'''2006: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II]]'':'''
:Théoden is a hero in the Men faction. He is voiced by [[Phil Proctor]].

'''2009: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: Conquest]]'':'''
:Théoden is voiced by [[Brian George]].

==Titles==
{{seq-start}}
{{seq-head
| race=rohirrim
| house=House of Eorl
| born={{TA|2948}}
| died={{TA|3019}}
}}
{{seq
| prev=[[Thengel]]
| list=17th [[Kings of Rohan|King of Rohan]]
| dates={{TA|2980}} – {{TA|3019|n}}
| next=[[Éomer]]
}}
{{seq-end}}

== See Also ==
* [[:Category:Images of Théoden|Images of Théoden]]

{{references}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Theoden}}
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]
[[Category:Masculine names]]
[[Category:Old English names]]
[[Category:Rohirrim]]
[[Category:Rulers of Rohan]]
[[de:Théoden]]
[[fr:encyclo/personnages/hommes/3a/hommes_du_nord/rohirrim/theoden]]
[[fi:Théoden]]
[[fa:تئودن]]

Dwarves

2014-01-13T22:33:26Z

Troelsfo: Undo revision 238833 by Troelsfo (talk)

{{sources}}
{{race
|image=[[File:Alarie - A bunch of dwarves.jpg|250px]]
|name= Dwarves
|dominions= [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]], [[Moria|Khazad-dûm]], [[Belegost]], [[Nogrod]], [[Iron Hills]], [[Orocarni]], [[Glittering Caves]], [[Grey Mountains]], Northern [[Misty Mountains]], [[Blue Mountains]]
|languages= [[Khuzdul]] ([[Dwarvish]]), [[Iglishmêk]] (sign language)
|height= 4 to 5 feet
|length=
|skincolor= Probably white
|haircolor= Red, white, grey, blonde, brown, black
|distinctions= Short in stature, beards
|lifespan= c. 195 <ref name="LOTRProjectStats">{{webcite|author=Emil Johansson|articleurl=http://lotrproject.com/statistics.php|articlename=Lord of the Rings in Statistics|website=[http://lotrproject.com/ Lord of the Rings Project]|accessed=09-September-2012}}</ref>
|members= [[Durin|Durin I]], [[Gimli]], [[Thorin|Thorin II Oakenshield]]
}}
{{quote|Since they were to come in the days of the power of [[Morgoth|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]]''''' in their own tongue, 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 [[Aulë#Names and etymology|Mahal]], known as [[Aulë]] the Smith. Aulë created the Seven [[Fathers of the Dwarves]] deep beneath an unknown mountain somewhere in [[Middle-earth]], from whom all other Dwarves are descended. However, Aulë did not have the divine power to grant independent life to any creation, and the dwarves were bound to his will. [[Ilúvatar]] came and reprimanded Aulë, who confessed his desire to create more living things, but in repentance lifted his hammer to destroy the dwarves. Even as the blow was about to land, the dwarves cowered and begged for mercy, as Ilúvatar had taken pity and given true life to the creations of his child, including them in His plan for [[Arda]]. However, Ilúvatar did not wish them to wake before the [[Elves]], whom he intended to be the first-born. Ilúvatar granted the Dwarves life, and therefore they are known as the Adopted Children of Ilúvatar, but he bade Aulë lay them to sleep in their chamber deep beneath the mountain, and they were to awake after the [[Awakening of the Elves]]. <ref>{{S|2}}</ref>

[[File: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 with their wives, though [[Durin|Durin I]] had awoken alone. The seven different groups of Dwarf-folk originated in the locations where the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves first awoke. {{fact}}

The seven clans of the Dwarves were:

* [[Longbeards]], Durin's Folk, originally from [[Gundabad]].
* [[Firebeards]] and [[Broadbeams]], originally from [[Nogrod]] and [[Belegost]].
* [[Ironfists]] and [[Stiffbeards]], originated in the [[Orocarni]] in the far East.
* [[Blacklocks]] and [[Stonefoots]], originated in the Orocarni.

Durin settled in the caves above [[Kheled-zâram]] which later became the greatest of Dwarf realms, [[Moria|Khazad-dûm]]. Therefore the halls of the Longbeards were not located near the halls of another Dwarf-kingdom.

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.

Dwarves generally lived far from the sea and avoided getting on boats, as they disliked the sound of the ocean and were afraid of it. <ref>{{S|10}}</ref>

===First Age===
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, and they began exchanging knowledge and creating ring-mails and many other works; the [[Dwarves of Nogrod]] were unmatched in Middle-earth in smithing. 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, which prompted King [[Thingol]] to begin 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 an army of Dwarves who issued from Mount Dolmed and destroyed them.

After the [[Return of the Noldor]], [[Finrod|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]]. This necklace without equal contained one of the [[Silmarils]], and sparked jealosy and conflicts over its true ownernship rights. These initial conflicts receded by the beginning of the Second Age, but were rekindled to a new intensity by the discord sown by [[Sauron]]. They eventually created a rivalry and mistrust between Elves and Dwarves that endured to the end of the Third Age, when [[Gimli]] the Dwarf bridged the distance between the two races by developing a deep admiration for lady [[Galadriel]] and forming a strong friendship with [[Legolas]] the Elf.

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]]

In early [[Second Age]] the most many of the [[Firebeards]] and [[Broadbeams]] houses migrated to [[Moria|Khazad-dûm]] from their cities in the [[Blue Mountains]] which were ruined during the sinking of Beleriand.

===Second Age===
The Dwarves had little participation in most of the important events involving the other races. 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]].<ref name="UTGalad">{{UT|Galadriel}}</ref>
[[File:Liz Danforth - Annatar and the Seven Rings.png|thumb|Annatar and the seven rings, by [[Liz Danforth]].]]
When "[[Annatar]]" distributed the Rings of Power, he gave [[seven Rings|seven]] to Dwarf Lords in order to subdue and control them. However, they did not have the same effect as they did over Men. Dwarves did not shift into the [[wraith-world]] and in fact resisted domination. The Rings only augmented their greed and ability to create riches.

At the end of the Age, some of the [[Dwarves of Moria]] joined the great host of the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men]] and went to the [[War of the Last Alliance|great War]].

===Third Age===

[[File:Angus McBride - Dwarves.jpg|thumb|left|''The Dwarves are upon You!'' by [[Angus McBride]]]]
In [[Third Age 1980]], after centuries of greedy digging for [[Mithril]] and other minerals, the Dwarves woke a [[Durin's Bane|Balrog]] that was sleeping in the deeps of the Misty Mountains since the First Age. 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 briefly went to [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]] in {{TA|1999}}. For more than 300 years the [[Dwarves of the Grey Mountains]] prospered until the Dragons in the far North started to gain strength. Some fled to the [[Iron Hills]], while most followed the the new king [[Thrór]] to Erebor to start a new [[Kingdom under the Mountain]]. There, they prospered for over 200 years until the dragon [[Smaug]] descended in {{TA|2770}}. The King and his company went in exile South, while most of the survivors went to the Iron Hills.

Durin's folk settled in [[Dunland]], and in {{TA|2790}} King Thrór traveled North to Moria where he was killed by the [[Orcs|Goblin]] king [[Azog]]. Thrór's son [[Thráin II]] (who had received the Last of the Seven Rings from his father before his departure) called all the Houses of Dwarves to war. Thus began the [[War of Dwarves and Orcs]], in which the Dwarves destroyed all the Goblin strongholds in the [[Misty Mountains]] culminating to the great [[Battle of Azanulbizar]] where all the dwarven clans united. The Goblin hosts issuing from Moria were strong and relentless until the arrival of fresh [[Dwarves of the Iron Hills]]. The Battle ended with the victory of Dwarves, but at great cost. The Dwarven clans however were unwilling to repopulate Moria. Thráin therefore came to the [[Blue Mountains]] and established his realm there.

[[File:Angelo Montanini - Dori.jpg|thumb|[[Dori]] by [[Angelo Montanini]].]]
The Wizard [[Gandalf]] was instrumental into helping Thráin's son Thorin in reclaiming the Kingdom of Erebor. Thorin gathered around him [[Thorin and Company|twelve dwarves]], mostly from his own line, and was joined by [[Gandalf]] and [[Bilbo Baggins]]. The [[Quest of Erebor]] ended with the death of [[Smaug]]. After a quarrel with the Men and Elves over the unguarded hoard, the Dwarves - assisted by those from the [[Iron Hills]] - united with the Men and Elves to fight the attacking Goblins and Wargs, in what was called the [[Battle of Five Armies]], where Thorin was killed.

[[Gimli]] son of Glóin joined the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] as a representative of the Dwarves and befriended [[Legolas]] during the [[War of the Ring]].

===Fourth Age===
Not much is known about the Dwarves in the [[Fourth Age]]. After the [[War of the Ring]], [[Gimli]] brought a part of Durin's Folk from Erebor to the Glittering Caves behind Helm's Deep and founded a colony there. Subsequently, Gimli went on many travels with his friend Legolas, and History lost track of their fate. Through their friendship and influence, the feud between the two races that had lasted for millennia finally ended, shortly before the departure of the last Elves from Middle-earth. It is rumored that Gimli and Legolas eventually boarded a ship that sailed down the river Anduin, out to sea and across to Valinor in the year {{FoA|120}}. Gimli would thus have become the only Dwarf to ever be permitted to cross to the Undying Lands.

[[Durin VII]] (the Last), retook Moria and brought Khazad-dûm back to its original splendor, and the Longbeards lived there till the "world grew old and the days of Durin's race ended".

==Nature==
The Dwarves were created by Aulë to be strong, resistant to fire and durable to the evils of Morgoth. Thus they were secretive, proud and hardier than any other race, and never forgot a wrong or debt. They were generally less corruptible than Men. When Sauron attempted to enslave the Free Folk of Middle-earth using the [[Rings of Power]], the Elves completely resisted his power (indeed, his hand had never sullied the Three Rings), while the Nine Rings utterly corrupted the Men who bore them into the [[Ringwraiths]]. In contrast, the Dwarves were sturdy and resistant enough that Sauron was not able to dominate them using the Seven Rings. At most, the Seven Rings sowed strife among the Dwarves and filled their wearers with an insatiable greed for gold, but they did not turn them into wraiths subservient to the Dark Lord, and he considered his plan to have failed. Sauron was furious at the Dwarves' resistance, spurring his drive to recapture the Seven Rings from them.

In the Third Age, Dwarves on average lived to be 250 years of age, but it is possible that earlier Dwarves, particularly the Seven Firstborn and other patriarchs, lived longer.

**The following paragraph may be from non-canonical sources and needs a reference** A 30 year old Dwarf is very much considered a young stripling, having not yet reached full adulthood. Thus it was considered very remarkable when the young [[Dain Ironfoot]] slew [[Azog]] the Orc chieftain of Moria, at only 32 years old. Once a Dwarf has reached maturity, he will stop aging almost entirely, remaining in prime physical condition, or perhaps middle-aged at the most, for over two centuries. However, when Dwarves reach 240 years old, they will begin to age very rapidly and their physical condition drastically worsens, essentially condensing the aging process that Men experience from 40 to 80 years of age into only ten years. It is not, however, unheard of for an elderly Dwarf to live beyond 250 years. Once again Dain Ironfoot was renowned for his health in this matter as he died in the [[Battle of Dale]] at the age of 252 years, still wielding his battle-axe and cleaving dozens of enemies during a rearguard action. Even Gandalf the Wizard was astonished that Dain was still healthy and hale enough to lead troops into battle at an age when most Dwarves would be lucky to be on their deathbed, much less engaged in close-quarters combat.

Despite being 4.5 - 5 feet (1.35 - 1.52 m) tall, they 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 holding axes. In appearance their more distinctive characteristic was their beard which they have from the beginning of their lives, male and females alike; and which they shave only in shame.<ref>{{WJ|13}}</ref>

Also, as creations of Aulë, they were attracted to the substances of Arda and crafts. They
mined and worked precious metals throughout the mountains of Middle-earth but were noted for their gold lust; they committed their share of rash and greedy acts. Among these are the slaying of Elu [[Thingol]] and the dispute over the [[Nauglamír]], which stirred up the initial suspicion between Elves and Dwarves to open hatred.<ref>{{S|Rings}}</ref>

The Dwarves' numbers, although they sometimes flourished, often faced periods of decline, especially in periods of war. Dwarves married around the age of 100; few [[Dwarf-women]] were born and not all did wed and made up only about a third of the total population. They seldom walked abroad, and that only in great need. Dwarf-women were so alike in voice, appearance and garb when they must travel, that it was hard for other races to tell them apart from Dwarf-men. It was because of the rarity of women that the Dwarf population increased slowly. Dwarves only took one husband or wife in their lifetime, and were jealous, as in all matters of their rights. The number of Dwarf-men that married was actually less than a third, and not all the Dwarf-women took husbands either; some desired none, some wanted one they could not have, and would have no other. There were also many Dwarf-men that didn't want a wife, because they were obsessed with their crafts.

Women were seldom named in genealogies. They joined their husbands' families. Thorin Oakenshield's sister [[Dís]] was named simply because of the gallant death of her sons Fíli and Kíli.

The scarcity of women, their scarce mention and their identical looks with the males, coupled to their secretive culture, led many to mistakenly believe that Dwarves were born out of stone, and upon death they returned to that stone.<ref>{{App|A3}}</ref>

The Elves claimed that the Dwarves would have no future in the [[Arda Unmarred]], but the Dwarves hoped that Mahal would gather them to the [[Halls of Mandos]] with the other Children of Ilúvatar. About their death, some other peoples believed that Dwarves melt into the stones they were made of.

==Language==
The Dwarven language was created by Aulë, and was called [[Khuzdul]]. It was a strange language to Elves and Men, and few non-Dwarves learned it, also because they kept it secret. The Dwarves preferred to communicate with the languages of their neighbors, and did not reveal their real names, rather adopting new names in other languages (the [[petty-dwarves]] were an exception). During the Third Age, the Longbeards used [[northern Mannish]] names in public.

The Dwarves also had devised a secret gesture language to communicate between themselves in silence, the ''[[iglishmêk]]''.<ref>{{WJ|Quendi}}, p. 395</ref>

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!".

==Names==
The Dwarves called themselves the ''[[Khazâd]]'', the name Aulë gave them; this is adapted as ''[[Hadhod]]rim'' in [[Sindarin]], and ''[[Casar]]i'' in [[Quenya]]. Casari was the common word for Dwarves among the [[Noldor]], but the [[Sindar]] usually called them ''Naugrim'' or ''Nogothrim'', the Stunted People.

==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" (''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien|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 of the Legendarium==
In the earliest versions of Tolkien's Middle-earth mythology (see: ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'') the dwarves were evil beings created by [[Morgoth|Melkor]].

==See also==
* [[:Category:Images of Dwarves|Images of Dwarves]]

==External links==

*"[http://lingwe.blogspot.se/2013/02/did-tolkien-coin-plural-dwarves.html Did Tolkien coin the plural “dwarves”?]" by [[Jason Fisher]]

{{references}}

{{Dwarvenclans}}

[[Category:Dwarves| ]]
[[Category:Races]]
[[Category:Characters in The Hobbit]]

[[de:Zwerge]]
[[fa:دورف]]
[[fr:encyclo/peuples/nains/nains]]
[[fi:Kääpiöt]]

Dwarves

2014-01-13T22:32:37Z

Troelsfo: /* Origin */

{{sources}}
{{race
|image=[[File:Alarie - A bunch of dwarves.jpg|250px]]
|name= Dwarves
|dominions= [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]], [[Moria|Khazad-dûm]], [[Belegost]], [[Nogrod]], [[Iron Hills]], [[Orocarni]], [[Glittering Caves]], [[Grey Mountains]], Northern [[Misty Mountains]], [[Blue Mountains]]
|languages= [[Khuzdul]] ([[Dwarvish]]), [[Iglishmêk]] (sign language)
|height= 4 to 5 feet
|length=
|skincolor= Probably white
|haircolor= Red, white, grey, blonde, brown, black
|distinctions= Short in stature, beards
|lifespan= c. 195 <ref name="LOTRProjectStats">{{webcite|author=Emil Johansson|articleurl=http://lotrproject.com/statistics.php|articlename=Lord of the Rings in Statistics|website=[http://lotrproject.com/ Lord of the Rings Project]|accessed=09-September-2012}}</ref>
|members= [[Durin|Durin I]], [[Gimli]], [[Thorin|Thorin II Oakenshield]]
}}
{{quote|Since they were to come in the days of the power of [[Morgoth|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]]''''' in their own tongue, 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 [[Aulë#Names and etymology|Mahal]], known as [[Aulë]] the Smith. Aulë created the Seven [[Fathers of the Dwarves]] deep beneath an unknown mountain somewhere in [[Middle-earth]], from whom all other Dwarves are descended. However, Aulë did not have the divine power to grant independent life to any creation, and the dwarves were bound to his will. [[Ilúvatar]] came and reprimanded Aulë, who confessed his desire to create more living things, but in repentance lifted his hammer to destroy the dwarves. Even as the blow was about to land, the dwarves cowered and begged for mercy, as Ilúvatar had taken pity and given true life to the creations of his child, including them in His plan for [[Arda]]. However, Ilúvatar did not wish them to wake before the [[Elves]], whom he intended to be the first-born. Ilúvatar granted the Dwarves life, and therefore they are known as the Adopted Children of Ilúvatar, but he bade Aulë lay them to sleep in their chamber deep beneath the mountain, and they were to awake after the [[Awakening of the Elves]]. <ref>{{S|2}}</ref>

[[File: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 with their wives, though [[Durin|Durin I]] had awoken alone.<ref>{{S|5}}</ref> The seven different groups of Dwarf-folk originated in the locations where the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves first awoke. {{fact}}

The seven clans of the Dwarves were:

* [[Longbeards]], Durin's Folk, originally from [[Gundabad]].
* [[Firebeards]] and [[Broadbeams]], originally from [[Nogrod]] and [[Belegost]].
* [[Ironfists]] and [[Stiffbeards]], originated in the [[Orocarni]] in the far East.
* [[Blacklocks]] and [[Stonefoots]], originated in the Orocarni.

Durin settled in the caves above [[Kheled-zâram]] which later became the greatest of Dwarf realms, [[Moria|Khazad-dûm]]. Therefore the halls of the Longbeards were not located near the halls of another Dwarf-kingdom.

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.

Dwarves generally lived far from the sea and avoided getting on boats, as they disliked the sound of the ocean and were afraid of it. <ref>{{S|10}}</ref>

===First Age===
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, and they began exchanging knowledge and creating ring-mails and many other works; the [[Dwarves of Nogrod]] were unmatched in Middle-earth in smithing. 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, which prompted King [[Thingol]] to begin 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 an army of Dwarves who issued from Mount Dolmed and destroyed them.

After the [[Return of the Noldor]], [[Finrod|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]]. This necklace without equal contained one of the [[Silmarils]], and sparked jealosy and conflicts over its true ownernship rights. These initial conflicts receded by the beginning of the Second Age, but were rekindled to a new intensity by the discord sown by [[Sauron]]. They eventually created a rivalry and mistrust between Elves and Dwarves that endured to the end of the Third Age, when [[Gimli]] the Dwarf bridged the distance between the two races by developing a deep admiration for lady [[Galadriel]] and forming a strong friendship with [[Legolas]] the Elf.

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]]

In early [[Second Age]] the most many of the [[Firebeards]] and [[Broadbeams]] houses migrated to [[Moria|Khazad-dûm]] from their cities in the [[Blue Mountains]] which were ruined during the sinking of Beleriand.

===Second Age===
The Dwarves had little participation in most of the important events involving the other races. 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]].<ref name="UTGalad">{{UT|Galadriel}}</ref>
[[File:Liz Danforth - Annatar and the Seven Rings.png|thumb|Annatar and the seven rings, by [[Liz Danforth]].]]
When "[[Annatar]]" distributed the Rings of Power, he gave [[seven Rings|seven]] to Dwarf Lords in order to subdue and control them. However, they did not have the same effect as they did over Men. Dwarves did not shift into the [[wraith-world]] and in fact resisted domination. The Rings only augmented their greed and ability to create riches.

At the end of the Age, some of the [[Dwarves of Moria]] joined the great host of the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men]] and went to the [[War of the Last Alliance|great War]].

===Third Age===

[[File:Angus McBride - Dwarves.jpg|thumb|left|''The Dwarves are upon You!'' by [[Angus McBride]]]]
In [[Third Age 1980]], after centuries of greedy digging for [[Mithril]] and other minerals, the Dwarves woke a [[Durin's Bane|Balrog]] that was sleeping in the deeps of the Misty Mountains since the First Age. 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 briefly went to [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]] in {{TA|1999}}. For more than 300 years the [[Dwarves of the Grey Mountains]] prospered until the Dragons in the far North started to gain strength. Some fled to the [[Iron Hills]], while most followed the the new king [[Thrór]] to Erebor to start a new [[Kingdom under the Mountain]]. There, they prospered for over 200 years until the dragon [[Smaug]] descended in {{TA|2770}}. The King and his company went in exile South, while most of the survivors went to the Iron Hills.

Durin's folk settled in [[Dunland]], and in {{TA|2790}} King Thrór traveled North to Moria where he was killed by the [[Orcs|Goblin]] king [[Azog]]. Thrór's son [[Thráin II]] (who had received the Last of the Seven Rings from his father before his departure) called all the Houses of Dwarves to war. Thus began the [[War of Dwarves and Orcs]], in which the Dwarves destroyed all the Goblin strongholds in the [[Misty Mountains]] culminating to the great [[Battle of Azanulbizar]] where all the dwarven clans united. The Goblin hosts issuing from Moria were strong and relentless until the arrival of fresh [[Dwarves of the Iron Hills]]. The Battle ended with the victory of Dwarves, but at great cost. The Dwarven clans however were unwilling to repopulate Moria. Thráin therefore came to the [[Blue Mountains]] and established his realm there.

[[File:Angelo Montanini - Dori.jpg|thumb|[[Dori]] by [[Angelo Montanini]].]]
The Wizard [[Gandalf]] was instrumental into helping Thráin's son Thorin in reclaiming the Kingdom of Erebor. Thorin gathered around him [[Thorin and Company|twelve dwarves]], mostly from his own line, and was joined by [[Gandalf]] and [[Bilbo Baggins]]. The [[Quest of Erebor]] ended with the death of [[Smaug]]. After a quarrel with the Men and Elves over the unguarded hoard, the Dwarves - assisted by those from the [[Iron Hills]] - united with the Men and Elves to fight the attacking Goblins and Wargs, in what was called the [[Battle of Five Armies]], where Thorin was killed.

[[Gimli]] son of Glóin joined the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] as a representative of the Dwarves and befriended [[Legolas]] during the [[War of the Ring]].

===Fourth Age===
Not much is known about the Dwarves in the [[Fourth Age]]. After the [[War of the Ring]], [[Gimli]] brought a part of Durin's Folk from Erebor to the Glittering Caves behind Helm's Deep and founded a colony there. Subsequently, Gimli went on many travels with his friend Legolas, and History lost track of their fate. Through their friendship and influence, the feud between the two races that had lasted for millennia finally ended, shortly before the departure of the last Elves from Middle-earth. It is rumored that Gimli and Legolas eventually boarded a ship that sailed down the river Anduin, out to sea and across to Valinor in the year {{FoA|120}}. Gimli would thus have become the only Dwarf to ever be permitted to cross to the Undying Lands.

[[Durin VII]] (the Last), retook Moria and brought Khazad-dûm back to its original splendor, and the Longbeards lived there till the "world grew old and the days of Durin's race ended".

==Nature==
The Dwarves were created by Aulë to be strong, resistant to fire and durable to the evils of Morgoth. Thus they were secretive, proud and hardier than any other race, and never forgot a wrong or debt. They were generally less corruptible than Men. When Sauron attempted to enslave the Free Folk of Middle-earth using the [[Rings of Power]], the Elves completely resisted his power (indeed, his hand had never sullied the Three Rings), while the Nine Rings utterly corrupted the Men who bore them into the [[Ringwraiths]]. In contrast, the Dwarves were sturdy and resistant enough that Sauron was not able to dominate them using the Seven Rings. At most, the Seven Rings sowed strife among the Dwarves and filled their wearers with an insatiable greed for gold, but they did not turn them into wraiths subservient to the Dark Lord, and he considered his plan to have failed. Sauron was furious at the Dwarves' resistance, spurring his drive to recapture the Seven Rings from them.

In the Third Age, Dwarves on average lived to be 250 years of age, but it is possible that earlier Dwarves, particularly the Seven Firstborn and other patriarchs, lived longer.

**The following paragraph may be from non-canonical sources and needs a reference** A 30 year old Dwarf is very much considered a young stripling, having not yet reached full adulthood. Thus it was considered very remarkable when the young [[Dain Ironfoot]] slew [[Azog]] the Orc chieftain of Moria, at only 32 years old. Once a Dwarf has reached maturity, he will stop aging almost entirely, remaining in prime physical condition, or perhaps middle-aged at the most, for over two centuries. However, when Dwarves reach 240 years old, they will begin to age very rapidly and their physical condition drastically worsens, essentially condensing the aging process that Men experience from 40 to 80 years of age into only ten years. It is not, however, unheard of for an elderly Dwarf to live beyond 250 years. Once again Dain Ironfoot was renowned for his health in this matter as he died in the [[Battle of Dale]] at the age of 252 years, still wielding his battle-axe and cleaving dozens of enemies during a rearguard action. Even Gandalf the Wizard was astonished that Dain was still healthy and hale enough to lead troops into battle at an age when most Dwarves would be lucky to be on their deathbed, much less engaged in close-quarters combat.

Despite being 4.5 - 5 feet (1.35 - 1.52 m) tall, they 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 holding axes. In appearance their more distinctive characteristic was their beard which they have from the beginning of their lives, male and females alike; and which they shave only in shame.<ref>{{WJ|13}}</ref>

Also, as creations of Aulë, they were attracted to the substances of Arda and crafts. They
mined and worked precious metals throughout the mountains of Middle-earth but were noted for their gold lust; they committed their share of rash and greedy acts. Among these are the slaying of Elu [[Thingol]] and the dispute over the [[Nauglamír]], which stirred up the initial suspicion between Elves and Dwarves to open hatred.<ref>{{S|Rings}}</ref>

The Dwarves' numbers, although they sometimes flourished, often faced periods of decline, especially in periods of war. Dwarves married around the age of 100; few [[Dwarf-women]] were born and not all did wed and made up only about a third of the total population. They seldom walked abroad, and that only in great need. Dwarf-women were so alike in voice, appearance and garb when they must travel, that it was hard for other races to tell them apart from Dwarf-men. It was because of the rarity of women that the Dwarf population increased slowly. Dwarves only took one husband or wife in their lifetime, and were jealous, as in all matters of their rights. The number of Dwarf-men that married was actually less than a third, and not all the Dwarf-women took husbands either; some desired none, some wanted one they could not have, and would have no other. There were also many Dwarf-men that didn't want a wife, because they were obsessed with their crafts.

Women were seldom named in genealogies. They joined their husbands' families. Thorin Oakenshield's sister [[Dís]] was named simply because of the gallant death of her sons Fíli and Kíli.

The scarcity of women, their scarce mention and their identical looks with the males, coupled to their secretive culture, led many to mistakenly believe that Dwarves were born out of stone, and upon death they returned to that stone.<ref>{{App|A3}}</ref>

The Elves claimed that the Dwarves would have no future in the [[Arda Unmarred]], but the Dwarves hoped that Mahal would gather them to the [[Halls of Mandos]] with the other Children of Ilúvatar. About their death, some other peoples believed that Dwarves melt into the stones they were made of.

==Language==
The Dwarven language was created by Aulë, and was called [[Khuzdul]]. It was a strange language to Elves and Men, and few non-Dwarves learned it, also because they kept it secret. The Dwarves preferred to communicate with the languages of their neighbors, and did not reveal their real names, rather adopting new names in other languages (the [[petty-dwarves]] were an exception). During the Third Age, the Longbeards used [[northern Mannish]] names in public.

The Dwarves also had devised a secret gesture language to communicate between themselves in silence, the ''[[iglishmêk]]''.<ref>{{WJ|Quendi}}, p. 395</ref>

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!".

==Names==
The Dwarves called themselves the ''[[Khazâd]]'', the name Aulë gave them; this is adapted as ''[[Hadhod]]rim'' in [[Sindarin]], and ''[[Casar]]i'' in [[Quenya]]. Casari was the common word for Dwarves among the [[Noldor]], but the [[Sindar]] usually called them ''Naugrim'' or ''Nogothrim'', the Stunted People.

==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" (''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien|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 of the Legendarium==
In the earliest versions of Tolkien's Middle-earth mythology (see: ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'') the dwarves were evil beings created by [[Morgoth|Melkor]].

==See also==
* [[:Category:Images of Dwarves|Images of Dwarves]]

==External links==

*"[http://lingwe.blogspot.se/2013/02/did-tolkien-coin-plural-dwarves.html Did Tolkien coin the plural “dwarves”?]" by [[Jason Fisher]]

{{references}}

{{Dwarvenclans}}

[[Category:Dwarves| ]]
[[Category:Races]]
[[Category:Characters in The Hobbit]]

[[de:Zwerge]]
[[fa:دورف]]
[[fr:encyclo/peuples/nains/nains]]
[[fi:Kääpiöt]]

Samwise Gamgee

2012-10-02T19:30:54Z

Troelsfo: Corrected Sam's age when passing over the Sea -- the figure 99 was based on the erroneous, pre-2004, year for his birth in the Tale of Years.

{{Expansion}}
{{hobbit
| image=[[File:Lorraine Brevig - Sam in a Garden.jpg|250px]]
| name=Samwise Gamgee
| othernames=[[Banazîr]]
| birth=[[6 April]], {{TA|2980}}
| death=Unknown, after [[Fourth Age 61]]
| parentage=[[Gaffer Gamgee|Hamfast Gamgee]] and [[Bell Gamgee|Bell Goodchild]]
| location=[[Hobbiton]]
| gender=Male
| hair=
}}
<center>{{quote|I am glad you are here with me. Here at the end of all things, Sam|[[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]]<ref name="Mount Doom">{{RK|Doom}}</ref>}}</center>

'''Samwise Gamgee''' ([[Third Age]] April 6, 2980<ref group="note">In the second edition of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', Sam's year of birth was added to ''[[Appendix B|The Tale of Years]]''; it was, however, {{TA|2983}}. This contradicts both the ''[[Longfather Tree of Master Samwise]]'' and a later entry in ''The Tale of Years''. The incorrect date has been corrected in the [[The Lord of the Rings (50th Anniversary Edition)|50th anniversary edition]]. See also ''[[The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion]]'', p. 716.</ref> - [[Fourth Age]] 61; [[Shire Reckoning]]: 1380 - 1482; 102 years old when he sailed into the [[Aman|West]]) was [[Frodo Baggins]]' servant and the only original member of the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] to remain with him till the very end of the journey to [[Mount Doom]].

== History ==
He lived with his father, Hamfast Gamgee, better known as "[[The Gaffer]]", on [[Bagshot Row]] in [[the Shire]], close to [[Bag End]]. Sam's mother was [[Bell Gamgee|Bell Goodchild]]; he had five siblings: [[Hamson Gamgee|Hamson]], [[Halfred Gamgee|Halfred]], [[Daisy Gamgee|Daisy]], [[May Gamgee|May]], and [[Marigold Gamgee|Marigold]].

A gardener by trade, Sam seemed to be a simple [[Hobbits|Hobbit]] of plain speech. However, his love for [[Elves]], his gift for poetry, and his belief that the world contains greater wonders than most hobbits are aware of (all nurtured by his tutor [[Bilbo Baggins]]) set him apart from the beginning. It was Sam who first introduced the theme of the Elves' sailing from [[Middle-earth]], a subtle foreshadowing of Bilbo and Frodo's final journey across the Sea.

Sam was one of the "[[Conspirators]]" who were summoned by [[Merry Brandybuck]] in order to watch after [[Frodo Baggins]] and the [[One Ring|Ring]] inherited by Bilbo. Being the closest to Frodo, Sam was their "chief investigator" who eavesdropped on his talks with [[Gandalf]] the [[Wizard]].<ref>{{FR|Conspiracy}}</ref>

In [[April 13]], when Gandalf revealed to Frodo that Bilbo's ring is [[Sauron]]'s One Ring, they noticed Sam eavesdropping. Initially suspected as a spy, Sam feigned innocent curiosity. As "punishment", Sam was made Frodo's first companion on his journey to [[Rivendell]].<ref>{{FR|Shadow}}</ref> Sam and [[Pippin Took]] followed Frodo to his new house at [[Crickhollow]] where his and the Conspirators' role was revealed. Joined by Merry, they passed through the [[Old Forest]], the [[Barrow Downs]] and [[Bree]] where they were joined by "[[Strider]]".

When they reached [[Rivendell]], Sam was beside Frodo's bed while he was recovering from the [[Morgul-wound]] he was inflicted on [[Weathertop]]. Sam also was eavesdropping on the [[Council of Elrond]] and insisted to accompany Frodo on his [[Quest for the Ring]]. In [[Lothlórien]], [[Galadriel]] [[Gifts of Galadriel|gave]] Sam a [[Sam's garden box|box]] containing earth from her orchard, and also some [[elven rope]].

Sam saved Frodo's life more than once and he accompanied him all the way to [[Mount Doom]]. After the [[Breaking of the Fellowship]] he followed him down the [[Emyn Muil]] to [[Ithilien]].
[[File:John Howe - Sam and Shelob.jpg|thumb|[[John Howe]] - Sam and Shelob.jpg]]
After [[Shelob]] attacked and seemingly killed Frodo, Sam took the Ring, intending to complete the quest. Because he held the Ring for a time, he is considered one of the [[Ring-bearers]].
[[File:Ted Nasmith - Sam and Rosie Cotton.jpg|thumb|left|[[Ted Nasmith]] - Sam and Rosie Cotton]]
After the [[War of the Ring]], and the [[Scouring of the Shire]], Sam planted saplings in all the places where specially beautiful and beloved trees had been destroyed, and he put a grain of Galadriel's soil at the root of each. He planted a silver nut in the [[Party Field]] where the [[Party Tree]] had once been, and the nut grew into a [[Mallorn]] tree.

He married [[Rose Cotton|Rose "Rosie" Cotton]]. In honor for restoring the Shire his family was given the name [[Gardner Family|Gardner]].

They had thirteen children: [[Elanor Gardner|Elanor the Fair]], [[Frodo Gardner|Frodo]], [[Rose Gardner|Rose]], [[Merry Gardner|Merry]], [[Pippin Gardner|Pippin]], [[Goldilocks Gardner|Goldilocks]], [[Hamfast Gardner|Hamfast]], [[Daisy Gardner|Daisy]], [[Primrose Gardner|Primrose]], [[Bilbo Gardner|Bilbo]], [[Ruby Gardner|Ruby]], [[Robin Gardner|Robin]], and [[Tolman Gardner|Tolman]]. When Frodo sailed on the [[White Ship]], at the end of the Third Age, he was entrusted the [[Red Book of Westmarch]].

After [[Will Whitfoot]] resigned his post as [[Mayor of Michel Delving]] (the largest town in the Shire and the "unofficial capital"), in {{FoA|6}}, Sam was elected Mayor of the Shire for seven consecutive 7-year terms.

After his wife died in {{FoA|61}}, Sam entrusted the Red Book to Elanor and left [[Middle-earth]] to sail across the Sea and be reunited with Frodo in the [[Undying Lands]].

==Etymology==
Samwise means "simple minded" or "half-minded". Gamgee is a corruption of the name [[Gammidgy]], a village in the Shire. Both names are presented as translations of the [[Westron]] form of Sam's name '''[[Banazîr]] [[Galbasi]]''' (''also spelled Banazîr Galpsi'') (q.v. for more information).<ref>{{App|Translation}}</ref>

Tolkien's English translation, ''Samwís Gamwich'', could have come to ''Samwise Gamgee'' in modern English.

The [[Sindarin]] version of Samwise is '''[[Perhael]]'''.

== Inspiration==
[[J.R.R. Tolkien]] took the name from ''Gamgee Tissue'', a surgical dressing invented by a 19th century [[Birmingham]] surgeon called Joseph Sampson Gamgee. "Gamgee" became the colloquial name in Birmingham for cotton wool. Here, Tolkien describes why he had chosen that name for his character:
{{quote|The choice of Gamgee was primarily directed by alliteration; but I did not invent it. It was caught out of childhood memory, as a comic word or name. It was in fact the name when I was small (in Birmingham) for 'cotton-wool'. (Hence the association of the Gamgees with the Cottons.) I knew nothing of its origin.|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]''}}

It is possible that Tolkien may have subconsciously recalled Dr. Gamgee (who died in 1886 but is commemorated by a plaque at the Birmingham Medical Institute, only yards from Tolkien's childhood home) but he claimed to be genuinely surprised when, in March 1956, he received a letter from one Sam Gamgee, who had heard that his name was in ''The Lord of the Rings'' but had not read the book. Tolkien replied on March 18:
{{quote|Dear Mr. Gamgee,<p>It was very kind of you to write. You can imagine my astonishment when I saw your signature! I can only say, for your comfort, I hope, that the 'Sam Gamgee' of my story is a most heroic character, now widely beloved by many readers, even though his origins are rustic. So that perhaps you will not be displeased at the coincidence of the name of this imaginary character of supposedly many centuries ago being the same as yours.|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]:'' [[Letter 184]]}}

He proceeded to send Mr Gamgee a signed copy of all three volumes of the book. However, the incident sparked a nagging worry in Tolkien's mind, as he recorded in his journal:
{{quote|For some time I lived in fear of receiving a letter signed 'S. Gollum'. That would have been more difficult to deal with.|''[[J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography]]''}}

== Portrayal in Adaptations ==
<center><gallery>
File:Sam Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings 1978.png|Sam in ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)]]''
File:Rankin-Bass' Samwise Gamgee.jpg|Sam in ''[[The Return of the King (1980 film)]]''
File:Peter Jackson's Samwise Gamgee.jpg|Sam in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy]]''
File:Lego - Sam mini figure.png|Sam as a ''[[Lego]] mini figure''
</gallery></center>

'''1955: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1955 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:[[Victor Platt]] provided the voice of Sam.
'''1978: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)]]'':'''
:[[Michael Scholes]] was the voice of Sam, and [[Billy Barty]] played him in rotoscoped footage.

'''1979: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1979 radio series)|Mind's Eye's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:The voice of Sam is provided by [[Lou Bliss]].

'''1980: ''[[The Return of the King (1980 film)]]'':'''
:[[Roddy McDowall]] provided the voice of Sam.

'''1981: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:A young [[Bill Nighy|William Nighy]] portrays Sam as a warm and caring person. No dialectical or social difference was made.

'''1992: ''[[Tales from the Perilous Realm (1992 radio series)|Tales from the Perilous Realm]]'':'''
:In the two episodes of "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil", [[Jonathan Adams]] portrayed Sam with a very rustic accent.

'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|Vivendi's The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''
:[[Scott Menville]] provided the voice for Sam in all but the X-box version; there, [[Cliff Broadway]] took over. The role of Sam is greatly diminished: after being caught eavesdropping by Gandalf, Sam is to be Frodo's companion, but he does not appear again until Frodo reaches [[Farmer Maggot]].

'''2001-3: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy]]'':'''
:Sam is played by [[Sean Astin]].

'''2003: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (video game)]]'':'''
:Sam is a playable characters in several missions: escape from [[Osgiliath]], Shelob's Lair, Cirith Ungol and the Crack of Doom.

'''2004: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring]]'':'''
:Samwise only makes a single appearance in the Lothlorien mission.

'''2004: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth]]'':'''
:Unlike most other characters, Frodo and Sam make no appearance in Skirmish battles - they only appear in the storyline campaign.

'''2006: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II]]'':'''
:Sam and other Hobbits are no longer permanent units, they are now a temporary power boost available to Free People forces.

'''2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:Samwise is first found in Rivendell, preparing for the departure. Later, he is found on [[Cerin Amroth]] in Lothlorien, alongside Frodo. The game's "Guardian" class ("Tank" in MMO terms) is based on Samwise due to the dedication he showed Frodo. This leads to an interesting occurrence: at some point each player gets to talk to a major character, who inspired his class. But while Legolas can teach a lot to a Hunter and Bilbo can show much to a Burglar, Sawmwise insists that he is no Guardian and not fit to be one - because his heroic deeds have not happened yet. The player has to double-check and discovers that whoever talked of Sam as a great Guardian, apparently had misheard the word "Gardener".

== Commentary ==
Sam Gamgee is by many regarded as the "true hero" of Tolkien's story. Tolkien himself expressed this view in one of his letters: Sam is referred to as the "chief hero", and special emphasis is placed on Sam's "rustic love" for Rosie.<ref>{{L|131}}</ref> The quest to destroy the Ring only succeeds because of Sam, who repeatedly saves Frodo from disaster (such as rescuing him at [[Cirith Ungol]] and carrying him up [[Mount Doom]]). He was one of three Ring-bearers strong enough to surrender the Ring voluntarily.

The relationship between Frodo and Sam is, in many respects, at the center of ''The Lord of the Rings''. To the modern reader, it seems archaic, as it is extremely class-oriented. Sam's humbleness and "plain speaking" is frequently emphasised in contrast to Frodo's "gentility", and he often shows deference to Frodo, calling him "Mister Frodo" or "Master". At the same time, a strong bond of love and trust grows between them, portrayed most poignantly during the events of Cirith Ungol, where Sam vows to return to his (apparently) dead master, to be reunited with Frodo in death.

[[Tolkienists]] regard Sam as Frodo's ''[[wikipedia:Batman (army)|batman]]''. In the British Army, a batman was an orderly who acted as the personal servant of an officer. It was a role with which Tolkien (who served as an Army officer in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I First World War]) would have been extremely familiar. Sam undertakes all of the typical roles of a batman — he runs errands for Frodo, he cooks, he transports him (or at least carries him), and he carries his luggage. Tolkien confirmed this interpretation when he wrote in a private letter that:
{{quote|My Sam Gamgee is indeed a reflexion of the English soldier, of the privates and batmen I knew in the 1914 war, and recognized as so far superior to myself|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]''}}

Compare to the relation between [[wikipedia:Don_Quixote|Don Quixote]] and his squire [[wikipedia:Sancho Panza|Sancho Panza]], and the gradual "Quixotization" of Sancho.

{{seq-start}}
{{seq-head
| race=hobbit
| house=[[Gamgee Family]]
| born=[[6 April]] {{TA|2980}}
| died=After {{FoA|61}}
}}
{{seq
| prev=[[Frodo Baggins]]
| list=[[Ring-bearer]]
| dates=[[13 March|13]]-[[14 March]], {{TA|3019}}
| next=[[Frodo Baggins]]
}}
{{seq-end}}
{{fellowship}}

==See also==
*[[:Category:Images of Samwise Gamgee|Images of Samwise Gamgee]]

{{References|n}}

[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]
[[Category:Hobbits]]
[[Category:Gamgee]]
[[Category:Ring-bearers]]
[[de:Samweis Gamdschie]]
[[fa:سم‌وایز گمجی]]

Samwise Gamgee

2012-10-02T08:16:06Z

Troelsfo: Earlier editions of 'The Lord of the Rings' had Sam's birth at TA2983 in the Tale of Years rather than TA2963.

{{Expansion}}
{{hobbit
| image=[[File:Lorraine Brevig - Sam in a Garden.jpg|250px]]
| name=Samwise Gamgee
| othernames=[[Banazîr]]
| birth=[[6 April]], {{TA|2980}}
| death=Unknown, after [[Fourth Age 61]]
| parentage=[[Gaffer Gamgee|Hamfast Gamgee]] and [[Bell Gamgee|Bell Goodchild]]
| location=[[Hobbiton]]
| gender=Male
| hair=
}}
<center>{{quote|I am glad you are here with me. Here at the end of all things, Sam|[[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]]<ref name="Mount Doom">{{RK|Doom}}</ref>}}</center>

'''Samwise Gamgee''' ([[Third Age]] April 6, 2980<ref group="note">In the second edition of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', Sam's year of birth was added to ''[[Appendix B|The Tale of Years]]''; it was, however, {{TA|2983}}. This contradicts both the ''[[Longfather Tree of Master Samwise]]'' and a later entry in ''The Tale of Years''. The incorrect date has been corrected in the [[The Lord of the Rings (50th Anniversary Edition)|50th anniversary edition]]. See also ''[[The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion]]'', p. 716.</ref> - [[Fourth Age]] 61; [[Shire Reckoning]]: 1380 - 1482; 99 years old when he sailed into the [[Aman|West]]) was [[Frodo Baggins]]' servant and the only original member of the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] to remain with him till the very end of the journey to [[Mount Doom]].

== History ==
He lived with his father, Hamfast Gamgee, better known as "[[The Gaffer]]", on [[Bagshot Row]] in [[the Shire]], close to [[Bag End]]. Sam's mother was [[Bell Gamgee|Bell Goodchild]]; he had five siblings: [[Hamson Gamgee|Hamson]], [[Halfred Gamgee|Halfred]], [[Daisy Gamgee|Daisy]], [[May Gamgee|May]], and [[Marigold Gamgee|Marigold]].

A gardener by trade, Sam seemed to be a simple [[Hobbits|Hobbit]] of plain speech. However, his love for [[Elves]], his gift for poetry, and his belief that the world contains greater wonders than most hobbits are aware of (all nurtured by his tutor [[Bilbo Baggins]]) set him apart from the beginning. It was Sam who first introduced the theme of the Elves' sailing from [[Middle-earth]], a subtle foreshadowing of Bilbo and Frodo's final journey across the Sea.

Sam was one of the "[[Conspirators]]" who were summoned by [[Merry Brandybuck]] in order to watch after [[Frodo Baggins]] and the [[One Ring|Ring]] inherited by Bilbo. Being the closest to Frodo, Sam was their "chief investigator" who eavesdropped on his talks with [[Gandalf]] the [[Wizard]].<ref>{{FR|Conspiracy}}</ref>

In [[April 13]], when Gandalf revealed to Frodo that Bilbo's ring is [[Sauron]]'s One Ring, they noticed Sam eavesdropping. Initially suspected as a spy, Sam feigned innocent curiosity. As "punishment", Sam was made Frodo's first companion on his journey to [[Rivendell]].<ref>{{FR|Shadow}}</ref> Sam and [[Pippin Took]] followed Frodo to his new house at [[Crickhollow]] where his and the Conspirators' role was revealed. Joined by Merry, they passed through the [[Old Forest]], the [[Barrow Downs]] and [[Bree]] where they were joined by "[[Strider]]".

When they reached [[Rivendell]], Sam was beside Frodo's bed while he was recovering from the [[Morgul-wound]] he was inflicted on [[Weathertop]]. Sam also was eavesdropping on the [[Council of Elrond]] and insisted to accompany Frodo on his [[Quest for the Ring]]. In [[Lothlórien]], [[Galadriel]] [[Gifts of Galadriel|gave]] Sam a [[Sam's garden box|box]] containing earth from her orchard, and also some [[elven rope]].

Sam saved Frodo's life more than once and he accompanied him all the way to [[Mount Doom]]. After the [[Breaking of the Fellowship]] he followed him down the [[Emyn Muil]] to [[Ithilien]].
[[File:John Howe - Sam and Shelob.jpg|thumb|[[John Howe]] - Sam and Shelob.jpg]]
After [[Shelob]] attacked and seemingly killed Frodo, Sam took the Ring, intending to complete the quest. Because he held the Ring for a time, he is considered one of the [[Ring-bearers]].
[[File:Ted Nasmith - Sam and Rosie Cotton.jpg|thumb|left|[[Ted Nasmith]] - Sam and Rosie Cotton]]
After the [[War of the Ring]], and the [[Scouring of the Shire]], Sam planted saplings in all the places where specially beautiful and beloved trees had been destroyed, and he put a grain of Galadriel's soil at the root of each. He planted a silver nut in the [[Party Field]] where the [[Party Tree]] had once been, and the nut grew into a [[Mallorn]] tree.

He married [[Rose Cotton|Rose "Rosie" Cotton]]. In honor for restoring the Shire his family was given the name [[Gardner Family|Gardner]].

They had thirteen children: [[Elanor Gardner|Elanor the Fair]], [[Frodo Gardner|Frodo]], [[Rose Gardner|Rose]], [[Merry Gardner|Merry]], [[Pippin Gardner|Pippin]], [[Goldilocks Gardner|Goldilocks]], [[Hamfast Gardner|Hamfast]], [[Daisy Gardner|Daisy]], [[Primrose Gardner|Primrose]], [[Bilbo Gardner|Bilbo]], [[Ruby Gardner|Ruby]], [[Robin Gardner|Robin]], and [[Tolman Gardner|Tolman]]. When Frodo sailed on the [[White Ship]], at the end of the Third Age, he was entrusted the [[Red Book of Westmarch]].

After [[Will Whitfoot]] resigned his post as [[Mayor of Michel Delving]] (the largest town in the Shire and the "unofficial capital"), in {{FoA|6}}, Sam was elected Mayor of the Shire for seven consecutive 7-year terms.

After his wife died in {{FoA|61}}, Sam entrusted the Red Book to Elanor and left [[Middle-earth]] to sail across the Sea and be reunited with Frodo in the [[Undying Lands]].

==Etymology==
Samwise means "simple minded" or "half-minded". Gamgee is a corruption of the name [[Gammidgy]], a village in the Shire. Both names are presented as translations of the [[Westron]] form of Sam's name '''[[Banazîr]] [[Galbasi]]''' (''also spelled Banazîr Galpsi'') (q.v. for more information).<ref>{{App|Translation}}</ref>

Tolkien's English translation, ''Samwís Gamwich'', could have come to ''Samwise Gamgee'' in modern English.

The [[Sindarin]] version of Samwise is '''[[Perhael]]'''.

== Inspiration==
[[J.R.R. Tolkien]] took the name from ''Gamgee Tissue'', a surgical dressing invented by a 19th century [[Birmingham]] surgeon called Joseph Sampson Gamgee. "Gamgee" became the colloquial name in Birmingham for cotton wool. Here, Tolkien describes why he had chosen that name for his character:
{{quote|The choice of Gamgee was primarily directed by alliteration; but I did not invent it. It was caught out of childhood memory, as a comic word or name. It was in fact the name when I was small (in Birmingham) for 'cotton-wool'. (Hence the association of the Gamgees with the Cottons.) I knew nothing of its origin.|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]''}}

It is possible that Tolkien may have subconsciously recalled Dr. Gamgee (who died in 1886 but is commemorated by a plaque at the Birmingham Medical Institute, only yards from Tolkien's childhood home) but he claimed to be genuinely surprised when, in March 1956, he received a letter from one Sam Gamgee, who had heard that his name was in ''The Lord of the Rings'' but had not read the book. Tolkien replied on March 18:
{{quote|Dear Mr. Gamgee,<p>It was very kind of you to write. You can imagine my astonishment when I saw your signature! I can only say, for your comfort, I hope, that the 'Sam Gamgee' of my story is a most heroic character, now widely beloved by many readers, even though his origins are rustic. So that perhaps you will not be displeased at the coincidence of the name of this imaginary character of supposedly many centuries ago being the same as yours.|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]:'' [[Letter 184]]}}

He proceeded to send Mr Gamgee a signed copy of all three volumes of the book. However, the incident sparked a nagging worry in Tolkien's mind, as he recorded in his journal:
{{quote|For some time I lived in fear of receiving a letter signed 'S. Gollum'. That would have been more difficult to deal with.|''[[J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography]]''}}

== Portrayal in Adaptations ==
<center><gallery>
File:Sam Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings 1978.png|Sam in ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)]]''
File:Rankin-Bass' Samwise Gamgee.jpg|Sam in ''[[The Return of the King (1980 film)]]''
File:Peter Jackson's Samwise Gamgee.jpg|Sam in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy]]''
File:Lego - Sam mini figure.png|Sam as a ''[[Lego]] mini figure''
</gallery></center>

'''1955: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1955 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:[[Victor Platt]] provided the voice of Sam.
'''1978: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)]]'':'''
:[[Michael Scholes]] was the voice of Sam, and [[Billy Barty]] played him in rotoscoped footage.

'''1979: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1979 radio series)|Mind's Eye's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:The voice of Sam is provided by [[Lou Bliss]].

'''1980: ''[[The Return of the King (1980 film)]]'':'''
:[[Roddy McDowall]] provided the voice of Sam.

'''1981: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:A young [[Bill Nighy|William Nighy]] portrays Sam as a warm and caring person. No dialectical or social difference was made.

'''1992: ''[[Tales from the Perilous Realm (1992 radio series)|Tales from the Perilous Realm]]'':'''
:In the two episodes of "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil", [[Jonathan Adams]] portrayed Sam with a very rustic accent.

'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|Vivendi's The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''
:[[Scott Menville]] provided the voice for Sam in all but the X-box version; there, [[Cliff Broadway]] took over. The role of Sam is greatly diminished: after being caught eavesdropping by Gandalf, Sam is to be Frodo's companion, but he does not appear again until Frodo reaches [[Farmer Maggot]].

'''2001-3: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy]]'':'''
:Sam is played by [[Sean Astin]].

'''2003: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (video game)]]'':'''
:Sam is a playable characters in several missions: escape from [[Osgiliath]], Shelob's Lair, Cirith Ungol and the Crack of Doom.

'''2004: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring]]'':'''
:Samwise only makes a single appearance in the Lothlorien mission.

'''2004: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth]]'':'''
:Unlike most other characters, Frodo and Sam make no appearance in Skirmish battles - they only appear in the storyline campaign.

'''2006: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II]]'':'''
:Sam and other Hobbits are no longer permanent units, they are now a temporary power boost available to Free People forces.

'''2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:Samwise is first found in Rivendell, preparing for the departure. Later, he is found on [[Cerin Amroth]] in Lothlorien, alongside Frodo. The game's "Guardian" class ("Tank" in MMO terms) is based on Samwise due to the dedication he showed Frodo. This leads to an interesting occurrence: at some point each player gets to talk to a major character, who inspired his class. But while Legolas can teach a lot to a Hunter and Bilbo can show much to a Burglar, Sawmwise insists that he is no Guardian and not fit to be one - because his heroic deeds have not happened yet. The player has to double-check and discovers that whoever talked of Sam as a great Guardian, apparently had misheard the word "Gardener".

== Commentary ==
Sam Gamgee is by many regarded as the "true hero" of Tolkien's story. Tolkien himself expressed this view in one of his letters: Sam is referred to as the "chief hero", and special emphasis is placed on Sam's "rustic love" for Rosie.<ref>{{L|131}}</ref> The quest to destroy the Ring only succeeds because of Sam, who repeatedly saves Frodo from disaster (such as rescuing him at [[Cirith Ungol]] and carrying him up [[Mount Doom]]). He was one of three Ring-bearers strong enough to surrender the Ring voluntarily.

The relationship between Frodo and Sam is, in many respects, at the center of ''The Lord of the Rings''. To the modern reader, it seems archaic, as it is extremely class-oriented. Sam's humbleness and "plain speaking" is frequently emphasised in contrast to Frodo's "gentility", and he often shows deference to Frodo, calling him "Mister Frodo" or "Master". At the same time, a strong bond of love and trust grows between them, portrayed most poignantly during the events of Cirith Ungol, where Sam vows to return to his (apparently) dead master, to be reunited with Frodo in death.

[[Tolkienists]] regard Sam as Frodo's ''[[wikipedia:Batman (army)|batman]]''. In the British Army, a batman was an orderly who acted as the personal servant of an officer. It was a role with which Tolkien (who served as an Army officer in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I First World War]) would have been extremely familiar. Sam undertakes all of the typical roles of a batman — he runs errands for Frodo, he cooks, he transports him (or at least carries him), and he carries his luggage. Tolkien confirmed this interpretation when he wrote in a private letter that:
{{quote|My Sam Gamgee is indeed a reflexion of the English soldier, of the privates and batmen I knew in the 1914 war, and recognized as so far superior to myself|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]''}}

Compare to the relation between [[wikipedia:Don_Quixote|Don Quixote]] and his squire [[wikipedia:Sancho Panza|Sancho Panza]], and the gradual "Quixotization" of Sancho.

{{seq-start}}
{{seq-head
| race=hobbit
| house=[[Gamgee Family]]
| born=[[6 April]] {{TA|2980}}
| died=After {{FoA|61}}
}}
{{seq
| prev=[[Frodo Baggins]]
| list=[[Ring-bearer]]
| dates=[[13 March|13]]-[[14 March]], {{TA|3019}}
| next=[[Frodo Baggins]]
}}
{{seq-end}}
{{fellowship}}

==See also==
*[[:Category:Images of Samwise Gamgee|Images of Samwise Gamgee]]

{{References|n}}

[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]
[[Category:Hobbits]]
[[Category:Gamgee]]
[[Category:Ring-bearers]]
[[de:Samweis Gamdschie]]
[[fa:سم‌وایز گمجی]]

Forums:Theory on Maia

2010-04-28T11:49:23Z

Troelsfo: Fixing error in external link

<div style="background: #eee; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 5px">'''[[Main Page|Tolkien Gateway]] > [[Forum:Council|Council]] > {{PAGENAME}}'''</div> [[Category:Council]]


I've been searching around about [[Maia]] and a few things don't quite add up.I suddenly had a "eureka!" moment and came up with this theory:

When Tolkien said "the Maia were sent by the [[Valar]], perhaps he didn't mean "sent" as in their bodies included. Perhaps he meant their ''souls'' alone were sent. Kinda like how Christianity says the "spirit of Jesus came to Earth as a man". In that example, Jesus had mortal parents, yet was the son of God. Thus, his body was the son of his parents, but his soul was the son of God. Perhaps is kinda the same with Maia (though most probably didn't have parents). For example:

-[[Gandalf]] and the other [[Istari]] were Maia, but they were also men.

-Likewise, perhaps [[Galadriel]] was also a Maia, yet sent in the form of an elf.

-Just like [[Durin]], who was possibly also a Maia, but sent as one of the seven [[Fathers of the Dwarves]].

-Then there's the [[Balrog]]s. Tolkien first tells us that there were thousands of them, but later changes this to "between three and seven". Perhaps there ''were'' thousands of ordinary Balrogs, but only seven or so were Maia - these would be the most powerful, such as the one fought by Galdalf in Moria ([[Durin's Bane]]).

-Then there's the [[ents]]. Tolkien only mentions six or so, yet there are clearly much more, as seen in [[Peter Jackson]]'s movie adaptation of [[The Lord of the Rings]]. Perhaps these six or so ents (such as Treebeard) were also Maia!

-Finally, I once read a book (Tolkien's World - witch I now believe to be mostly fanon) witch said that [[Sauron]] was a Maia in the form of an elf (o0). Whether or not this is true or not still remains a mystery to me.

So, perhaps there are still Maia spirits by the side of the Valar, waiting to be sent in some or other physical form. Perhaps a baby could be born and the soul of that baby could be a Maia. Who knows. If only Tolkien still lived, we would have been able to ask him of this. But since he is no longer capable of answering, what do ''you'' think of my theory? -- [[User:Explorer of Arda|Explorer of Arda]] 08:36, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

Nice that you are thinking about the works of [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] but I think this theory can't be true.

: - [[Gandalf]] was a maia was sended in a human body (he wasn't an men, it was said he looked more like a elf inside)

: - The Children of Ilúvatar were made by Eru Ilúvator alone, not by the Valar.

: - Eru Ilúvatar gave the Dwarves a soul, Aulë hadn't the power to do that.

: - The [[Balrog]]'s numbers were just changed by Tolkien. that were thousand is just non-canon information.

: - Tolkien named 6, but there were many more described at the Entmoot.

: - the thing in your book, isnt true. It has no grounds.

It is however said by Tolkien that the first [[Eagles]], first [[Drakes]], [[Huan]] and [[Vampires]] were [[Maiar]]. --[[User:Amroth|Amroth]] 15:04, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

:: - Ah. So Galdalf was more like some sort of half-elf than a human?

:: - I know the Children of Ilúvatar were made by Eru alone, but what of their decendants? I don't think Tolkien ever said that Ilúvatar/Eru made a soul for every single individual ever to exist, so perhaps some of their souls could have been made by other Valar.

:: - That I know. Eru "adopted" the dwarves and put them to sleep, placing each somewhere within the numerous mountain ranges. How does this discount my theory?

:: - I know. Tolkien originally states that there were thousands, but later changes it to somewhere between 6 and twelve. I simply noted that perhaps there ''were'' thousands, but only 6 to twelve were Maia.

:: - Perhaps the named ents were named because they were of higher importance? Perhaps these named ents (though they all probably had names) were named by Tolkien because they were Maia. Who knows?

:: - It's highly likely that the book at hand was lying. Ederchill has allready proven that much of what is mentioned inside is fanon.

:: - Yes. My theory is partly based on that. Perhaps ''all'' first beings were Maia. Again, who knows? Tolkien never really elaborated on this, so perhaps it's safe to say that there's room for speculation. -- [[User:Explorer of Arda|Explorer of Arda]] 11:52, 5 April 2010 (UTC)

::: - He had the body of a human given, but was a maiar. But he was more like one of the elves while in [[Endor]].

::: - None of the [[Valar]] had the ability to give somebody a soul, otherwise they could have make their own races, but it was only [[Eru]] who could do that. They could change the Hroär (body) but not the Fëa (soul).

::: - The [[maiar]] existed already at the begining, and Durin was made thousand years after the Valar and maiar entered [[Eä]]

::: - I think tolkien some where stated that all Balrogs were [[Maiar]].

::: - No, they were named because something happened with them. Quickbeam because he meeted the Hobbits, some other one because he was burned, and the others because they were leaders.

::: - How the hell did that publisher ever got it one the market?

::: - I'm sure that the first [[Dwarves]], [[Elves]] and [[Humans]] were not Maiar. About the most other races you are rigth.
:::--[[User:Amroth|Amroth]] 13:15, 5 April 2010 (UTC)

::::[[Wikipedia:Gresham's law|Gresham’s Law]] works for books as well ... — [[User:Mithrennaith|Mithrennaith]] 04:44, 6 April 2010 (UTC)

:::::Ah, I see. So my theory is pretty much debunked, right? -- [[User:Explorer of Arda|Explorer of Arda]] 06:39, 6 April 2010 (UTC)

I don't think that this theory is right. First - [[Maia]] had nothing similar to Jesus, because they were not born in middle-earth, they were sent from [[Valinor]] to [[Middle-earth]] by a ship. Second - there could not be that the part of Balrogs of Ents are Maia and the others not! how can it be? If so, what are the other Balrogs and Ents? And also, [[Gendalf]] and [[Saruman]] are not a human, nor a elves, they were something between them, they took a form of old wizards when came from Valinor. And, as I sayed, the Maia were not ''born'', they were ''sent'' to Middle-earth, but [[Galadriel]], and [[Ent]]s also, have parents. Maybe Sauron was some time in a shape of elf, because mostly the Maia were able to change forms, but for some reason the [[Istari]] did not change shapes.

----

The status of the Istari is unclear. They were no longer really ''Maiar'', but they weren't really Men either. The process of their incarnation was clearly different from the usual kind of self-arraying of the Ainur that Tolkien describes in [[Ósanwe-kenta]], but apart from making a vague statement to the fact that the Istari appear to occupy some kind of middle-space beetween Maiar and Men, we cannot say with any confidence what exactly they were.

With the ''original'' Ents, you have a better case. It is stated explicitly in [[Of_Aulë_and_Yavanna|Of Aulë and Yavanna]] that the Ents were created when "spirits from afar" took up dwelling in the trees, animating them. The only known source of such spirits would be the Ainur - ‘whether of the Valar and the Maiar, or of any other order that Ilúvatar has sent into Eä.’ (The [[Valaquenta]] - the last line of the section ‘Of the Valar’).

The primary distinction in the taxonomy of free-willed creatures of rational intelligence in Tolkien's sub-creation is that between the Ainur, created before Eä and in origin discarnate spirits, and the Eruhíni (including the Dwarves, Ilúvatar's Children by adoption), who were always incarnate and were not in existence (though they were bethought and sung of before Eä) until after the creation of Eä. The chief distinction here is between spirits that were in origin and in Eru's intention ''discarnate'' and then the Incarnates which were, in origin and in Eru's intention, the combination of soul and body. Durin and Galadriel were definitely incarnates, and the Balrogs were definitely Ainur.

Sauron was, as you say, a Maia. There can, in my opinion, be little doubt that the shape he wore when he went among the [[Mírdain]] in Eregion was that of an Elf. Later, ''after'' the downfall of Númenórë, he could no longer assume a pleasing shape, and the only description we get of his shape as a Dark Lord is from [[The_Letters_of_J.R.R._Tolkien|letter #246]], where Tolkien wrote that ‘The form that he took was that of a man of more than human stature, but not gigantic.’ At a guess, the book you are referring to is ''Tolkien's World: Mythological Sources of “The Lord of the Rings”'' by David Day; if so, Day does have a reputation for . . . shall we just say ‘extrapolating’ a bit from Tolkien's writings: see for instance Steuard Jensen's comments at [[http://tolkien.slimy.com/essays/DayBooks.html Notes on David Day's Tolkien Books]].

[[User:Amroth|Amroth]] mentions that Tolkien did consider whether the original Eagles along with Huan the Hound were actually Maiar. The context of this is his considerations published in the ‘Myths Transformed’ section of [[Morgoth's_Ring|''Morgoth's Ring'']], in texts where Tolkien was actually trying to work out the nature of the Orcs and their inheritable evil. One of the solutions that Tolkien considered was that a part of the original corruption was to introduce a divine strain by making some of the lesser Maiar take Orc shape, and part of his argumentation was to point to Huan and the Eagles as probably being Maiar. [[User:Troelsfo|Troelsfo]] 11:45, 28 April 2010 (UTC)

Forums:Theory on Maia

2010-04-28T11:45:42Z

Troelsfo: A response to the discussion in general

<div style="background: #eee; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 5px">'''[[Main Page|Tolkien Gateway]] > [[Forum:Council|Council]] > {{PAGENAME}}'''</div> [[Category:Council]]


I've been searching around about [[Maia]] and a few things don't quite add up.I suddenly had a "eureka!" moment and came up with this theory:

When Tolkien said "the Maia were sent by the [[Valar]], perhaps he didn't mean "sent" as in their bodies included. Perhaps he meant their ''souls'' alone were sent. Kinda like how Christianity says the "spirit of Jesus came to Earth as a man". In that example, Jesus had mortal parents, yet was the son of God. Thus, his body was the son of his parents, but his soul was the son of God. Perhaps is kinda the same with Maia (though most probably didn't have parents). For example:

-[[Gandalf]] and the other [[Istari]] were Maia, but they were also men.

-Likewise, perhaps [[Galadriel]] was also a Maia, yet sent in the form of an elf.

-Just like [[Durin]], who was possibly also a Maia, but sent as one of the seven [[Fathers of the Dwarves]].

-Then there's the [[Balrog]]s. Tolkien first tells us that there were thousands of them, but later changes this to "between three and seven". Perhaps there ''were'' thousands of ordinary Balrogs, but only seven or so were Maia - these would be the most powerful, such as the one fought by Galdalf in Moria ([[Durin's Bane]]).

-Then there's the [[ents]]. Tolkien only mentions six or so, yet there are clearly much more, as seen in [[Peter Jackson]]'s movie adaptation of [[The Lord of the Rings]]. Perhaps these six or so ents (such as Treebeard) were also Maia!

-Finally, I once read a book (Tolkien's World - witch I now believe to be mostly fanon) witch said that [[Sauron]] was a Maia in the form of an elf (o0). Whether or not this is true or not still remains a mystery to me.

So, perhaps there are still Maia spirits by the side of the Valar, waiting to be sent in some or other physical form. Perhaps a baby could be born and the soul of that baby could be a Maia. Who knows. If only Tolkien still lived, we would have been able to ask him of this. But since he is no longer capable of answering, what do ''you'' think of my theory? -- [[User:Explorer of Arda|Explorer of Arda]] 08:36, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

Nice that you are thinking about the works of [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] but I think this theory can't be true.

: - [[Gandalf]] was a maia was sended in a human body (he wasn't an men, it was said he looked more like a elf inside)

: - The Children of Ilúvatar were made by Eru Ilúvator alone, not by the Valar.

: - Eru Ilúvatar gave the Dwarves a soul, Aulë hadn't the power to do that.

: - The [[Balrog]]'s numbers were just changed by Tolkien. that were thousand is just non-canon information.

: - Tolkien named 6, but there were many more described at the Entmoot.

: - the thing in your book, isnt true. It has no grounds.

It is however said by Tolkien that the first [[Eagles]], first [[Drakes]], [[Huan]] and [[Vampires]] were [[Maiar]]. --[[User:Amroth|Amroth]] 15:04, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

:: - Ah. So Galdalf was more like some sort of half-elf than a human?

:: - I know the Children of Ilúvatar were made by Eru alone, but what of their decendants? I don't think Tolkien ever said that Ilúvatar/Eru made a soul for every single individual ever to exist, so perhaps some of their souls could have been made by other Valar.

:: - That I know. Eru "adopted" the dwarves and put them to sleep, placing each somewhere within the numerous mountain ranges. How does this discount my theory?

:: - I know. Tolkien originally states that there were thousands, but later changes it to somewhere between 6 and twelve. I simply noted that perhaps there ''were'' thousands, but only 6 to twelve were Maia.

:: - Perhaps the named ents were named because they were of higher importance? Perhaps these named ents (though they all probably had names) were named by Tolkien because they were Maia. Who knows?

:: - It's highly likely that the book at hand was lying. Ederchill has allready proven that much of what is mentioned inside is fanon.

:: - Yes. My theory is partly based on that. Perhaps ''all'' first beings were Maia. Again, who knows? Tolkien never really elaborated on this, so perhaps it's safe to say that there's room for speculation. -- [[User:Explorer of Arda|Explorer of Arda]] 11:52, 5 April 2010 (UTC)

::: - He had the body of a human given, but was a maiar. But he was more like one of the elves while in [[Endor]].

::: - None of the [[Valar]] had the ability to give somebody a soul, otherwise they could have make their own races, but it was only [[Eru]] who could do that. They could change the Hroär (body) but not the Fëa (soul).

::: - The [[maiar]] existed already at the begining, and Durin was made thousand years after the Valar and maiar entered [[Eä]]

::: - I think tolkien some where stated that all Balrogs were [[Maiar]].

::: - No, they were named because something happened with them. Quickbeam because he meeted the Hobbits, some other one because he was burned, and the others because they were leaders.

::: - How the hell did that publisher ever got it one the market?

::: - I'm sure that the first [[Dwarves]], [[Elves]] and [[Humans]] were not Maiar. About the most other races you are rigth.
:::--[[User:Amroth|Amroth]] 13:15, 5 April 2010 (UTC)

::::[[Wikipedia:Gresham's law|Gresham’s Law]] works for books as well ... — [[User:Mithrennaith|Mithrennaith]] 04:44, 6 April 2010 (UTC)

:::::Ah, I see. So my theory is pretty much debunked, right? -- [[User:Explorer of Arda|Explorer of Arda]] 06:39, 6 April 2010 (UTC)

I don't think that this theory is right. First - [[Maia]] had nothing similar to Jesus, because they were not born in middle-earth, they were sent from [[Valinor]] to [[Middle-earth]] by a ship. Second - there could not be that the part of Balrogs of Ents are Maia and the others not! how can it be? If so, what are the other Balrogs and Ents? And also, [[Gendalf]] and [[Saruman]] are not a human, nor a elves, they were something between them, they took a form of old wizards when came from Valinor. And, as I sayed, the Maia were not ''born'', they were ''sent'' to Middle-earth, but [[Galadriel]], and [[Ent]]s also, have parents. Maybe Sauron was some time in a shape of elf, because mostly the Maia were able to change forms, but for some reason the [[Istari]] did not change shapes.

----

The status of the Istari is unclear. They were no longer really ''Maiar'', but they weren't really Men either. The process of their incarnation was clearly different from the usual kind of self-arraying of the Ainur that Tolkien describes in [[Ósanwe-kenta]], but apart from making a vague statement to the fact that the Istari appear to occupy some kind of middle-space beetween Maiar and Men, we cannot say with any confidence what exactly they were.

With the ''original'' Ents, you have a better case. It is stated explicitly in [[Of_Aulë_and_Yavanna|Of Aulë and Yavanna]] that the Ents were created when "spirits from afar" took up dwelling in the trees, animating them. The only known source of such spirits would be the Ainur - ‘whether of the Valar and the Maiar, or of any other order that Ilúvatar has sent into Eä.’ (The [[Valaquenta]] - the last line of the section ‘Of the Valar’).

The primary distinction in the taxonomy of free-willed creatures of rational intelligence in Tolkien's sub-creation is that between the Ainur, created before Eä and in origin discarnate spirits, and the Eruhíni (including the Dwarves, Ilúvatar's Children by adoption), who were always incarnate and were not in existence (though they were bethought and sung of before Eä) until after the creation of Eä. The chief distinction here is between spirits that were in origin and in Eru's intention ''discarnate'' and then the Incarnates which were, in origin and in Eru's intention, the combination of soul and body. Durin and Galadriel were definitely incarnates, and the Balrogs were definitely Ainur.

Sauron was, as you say, a Maia. There can, in my opinion, be little doubt that the shape he wore when he went among the [[Mírdain]] in Eregion was that of an Elf. Later, ''after'' the downfall of Númenórë, he could no longer assume a pleasing shape, and the only description we get of his shape as a Dark Lord is from [[The_Letters_of_J.R.R._Tolkien|letter #246]], where Tolkien wrote that ‘The form that he took was that of a man of more than human stature, but not gigantic.’ At a guess, the book you are referring to is ''Tolkien's World: Mythological Sources of “The Lord of the Rings”'' by David Day; if so, Day does have a reputation for . . . shall we just say ‘extrapolating’ a bit from Tolkien's writings: see for instance Steuard Jensen's comments at [[http://tolkien.slimy.com/essays/DayBooks.html|Notes on David Day's Tolkien Books]].

[[User:Amroth|Amroth]] mentions that Tolkien did consider whether the original Eagles along with Huan the Hound were actually Maiar. The context of this is his considerations published in the ‘Myths Transformed’ section of [[Morgoth's_Ring|''Morgoth's Ring'']], in texts where Tolkien was actually trying to work out the nature of the Orcs and their inheritable evil. One of the solutions that Tolkien considered was that a part of the original corruption was to introduce a divine strain by making some of the lesser Maiar take Orc shape, and part of his argumentation was to point to Huan and the Eagles as probably being Maiar. [[User:Troelsfo|Troelsfo]] 11:45, 28 April 2010 (UTC)

Racism

2010-01-26T09:51:55Z

Troelsfo:

{{sources}}
{{quote|For years, Tolkien scholars have waged a fight on two fronts: against an academic establishment that for the most part refused to take the author's work seriously, and against white supremacists who have tried to claim the professor as one of their own.|David Ibata, ''Chicago Tribune''<ref>http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/movies/chi-030112epringsrace,0,341461.story</ref>}}

[[Image:Haradrim.jpg|thumb|225px|''Haradrim'' from [[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings]]]]
[[Image:John Howe - Easterlings.jpg|thumb|''Easterlings'' by [[John Howe]].]]

Fans and critics of Tolkien's works have observed several ambiguously '''Racist and race-based elements'''; these go further into stereotyping or symbolism of good versus evil in the Tolkien's [[legendarium]]. As early as the first edition of the Lord of the Rings this topic was discussed, including by [[C.S. Lewis]] who wrote that people who dislike a clear demarcation of good and evil ''"imagine they have seen a rigid demarcation between black and white people."''

Some of these accusations of racism may be partially explained by a wider reading of Tolkien's works or a deeper thematic analysis, and others are more difficult to dismiss. Comments that can be interpreted as racism as well as defense agaist the accusations can be found in Tolkien's extensive letters.

In the Foreword to the revised edition of ''The Lord of the Rings'', Tolkien cautioned strongly against viewing it as an allegory, saying that he disliked allegory himself. Furthermore, according to his own claims, Tolkien denounced Hitler, Nazi beliefs, "race-doctrine" and apartheid and praised the Jews, calling them a "gifted people" (see below).

The global popularity of [[The Lord of the Rings film trilogy]] has done much to perpetuate popular interest in, as well as criticism of, Tolkien's writing.

==Indications==

===Orcs===
The mostly white Free People's of Middle-Earth doing battle with the hordes of beast-like orcs is seen by some as an indication of racism.

Of the orcs, the [[Uruk-Hai]] are described as "black"<ref>''The Lord of the Rings'' book two chapter 5: ''"some are large and evil: black Uruks of Mordor"'' and appendix A: ''"In the last years of Denethor I the race of uruks, black orcs of great strength, first appeared out of Mordor"''</ref> and a smaller orc, a tracker, is described as "black-skinned".<ref>''The Lord of the Rings'' book six chapter 2 ''"it was of a small breed, black-skinned, with wide and snuffling nostrils: evidently a tracker of some kind."''</ref> All orcs are often described as "slant-eyed" and the Uruk-Hai at least refer to the Rohhirim as 'white skins.' In one of his letters, Tolkien described Orcs as ''"...squat, broad, flat-nosed, sallow-skinned, with wide mouths and slant eyes; in fact degraded and repulsive versions of the (to Europeans) least lovely Mongol-types."''([[Letter 210]])

While Tolkien's statement comparing Orcs to the "Mongol-types" is undoubtedly insensitive given today's standards, he does put a disclaimer, "(to Europeans,)" before "least lovely", at least recognizing Western cultural bias and also points out that they were "degraded and repulsive versions" of "Mongol-types", not actual "Mongol-types". It is worth noting that some Orcs use crooked or bent swords (Tolkien also uses the term scimitar, which are historically associated with the Middle-East).

Orcs however, are not men. Unlike the wicked men who serve the Enemy, who might have been enslaved or beguiled, orcs are portrayed as iredeemably evil, or at least having a redemption outside the scope of the narrative. The origin of orcs is not clear, but they may be products of Morgoth's sorcery, or the descendants of tortured and ruined elves. Regardless of their origins they are not presented as a natural race, indeed there is no mention of orc women, children, villages, or culture. Perhaps inspired by his Roman Catholicism, Tolkien's orcs may have more in common with demonic armies than foreign ones [http://digis.ewha.ac.kr/data/test/50.4rearick%5B1%5D.pdf].

===Light vs. Dark===
The whole of Tolkien's Legendarium contains a conflict between ''literal'' light (The Trees, the [[Silmirils]]) and darkness (the literal absence of light). Morgoth's standard was ''"sable unblazoned"'' (that is, plain black). ''"Mordor"'' means "black land" in Sindarin. This ongoing clash may be interpreted as containing racial symbolism of light skinned versus dark skinned peoples, although Eol, father of Maeglin was known as the Dark Elf, and the Moriquendi were called the Elves of Darkness, although both these terms refer to remaining outside the light of the two trees, not to skin tone. the [[Black Numenoreans]] are likewise named because of the color of their heraldry, not their skin tone.

But white is not associated only with Good. [[Saruman]] the White has the White Hand as his symbol. Similarly black is not only associated with evil as Gondor uses a black standard bearing the White Tree, and the Guards of the Citadel of Minas Tirith wore black chain mail. In [[The Peoples of Middle-earth]], a Numenorean fleet is headed by a boat with black sails. One of the mariners explains to a native of Middle-earth, scared that the black sails indicate doom, that the blackness is in fact a thing of beauty, the night sky of Elbereth (who kindled the stars). Indeed, Tolkien states that one of Morgoth's (literally, the ''Black Enemy'') victories was in associating darkness and night with fear and evil.

===Evil Men===
One potentially racist element in Middle-Earth is that the majority of the men who serve Sauron are the dark-skinned peoples of the [[Easterling]]s and [[Southrons]]. They come from the South and East of Middle-Earth, corresponding with Asia and Africa in the loose connection between Middle-Earth geography and that of the real world.
The Easterlings are aligned with Morgoth or Sauron with the single exception of Bór. They are described as being of fairly dark skin complexion, swarthy and exceedingly cruel. The Southrons (or Haradrim) are described black-skinned, cruel and evil, and are apparently at least inspired by Indian cultures with traits such as fighting on [[Mumakil]]-back.

In some cases, people having the slightest blood relation to enemies, like [[Freca]] and [[Wulf]], who are related to the [[Dunlendings]], are presented as evil themselves, as if evilness is hereditary. Some of these are also called "swarthy" (dark).
Usually, those whose appearance was 'unpleasant' ([[Maeglin]], [[Bill Ferny]]) and disliked by the main protagonists, turn out to be traitors. Bill Ferny is said to be swarthy, and this can be traced to his Dunlending ancestry.

While the Easterling and the Haradrim are dark-skinned people in the service of the Enemy, the [[Woses]] are primitive, small, and alien compared to other peoples (their chief Ghan-buri-Ghan only wears a grass skirt) yet they are valuable allies (in ''The Return of the King''). While Tolkien does not mention their skin colour, they were considered monsters by the Rohirrim who hunted them as animals, which the narrative explicitly condemns. However in the First Age they were counted as ''Edain'', or noble Men, and were allies of the Elves.

However, not all enemies are non-white. Noteworthy examples are Saruman, [[Grima]], [[Gollum]], and at least two of the [[Nazgul]]. Also [[Lotho Sackville-Baggins]] and the [[ruffians]] are white-skinned characters who ravage and take over the [[Shire]]. Indeed, while during the timeframe of Lord of the Rings those enslaved and serving Sauron are darker skinned people from the South and East, during the history of Middle-Earth many of the white races of man and even some Elves were fooled and coerced by the Enemy.

===Racism in Middle-Earth===
Tolkien portrays racism within the "heroic" races as unabashedly negative. Elves and Dwarves distrust each other. Some Elves hunted the Petty-dwarves as animals, as did the Rohirrim to the [[Woses]]. The friendship between [[Legolas]] and [[Gimli]] is portrayed as unusual but commendable, and several scenes illustrate them learning to understand and respect each other's cultural differences. When [[Gimli]] takes a strand of [[Galadriel]]'s hair, he is described as having ''"look[ed] into the heart of an enemy and saw there love and understanding."''

It is notable that there is apparently racism within the ranks of Orcs as the Uruk-hai held themselves as superior to the common Orcs, whom they called ''snaga'' (slave).

The point-of-view characters of the book -- the hobbits -- are themselves of a race that is frequently described as being overlooked, under-estimated, and lightly regarded by the other races of Middle-earth, yet they often demonstrate far greater courage and nobility than the races who denigrate them.

The Numenoreans of Gondor fell to infighting because of a supposed need for racial purity, especially concerning the ancestry of their king (the [[Kin-strife]]), and grew weaker as a result. In this affair, the villain was the pure-blooded Numenorean [[Castamir]] while the hero was the half-Numenorean [[Eldacar]].

===Dwarves as Jews===

Tolkien himself compared Dwarves to Jews:
{{quote|"The dwarves of course are quite obviously - wouldn't you say that in many ways they remind you of the Jews? Their words are Semitic obviously, constructed to be Semitic."|J.R.R. Tolkien<ref>http://www.daisy.freeserve.co.uk/jrrt_int.htm</ref>}}
One may interpret this comment in many ways. It should be noted that he only made an explicit connection between the dwarf-language [[Khuzdul]] to Semitic languages. In another letter, he makes the same comparison, but this time it is explicitly about both peoples being dispossessed of their lands, forced to wander the world, and adopt the languages of other lands: both were "at once natives and aliens in their habitations, speaking the languages of the country, but with an accent due to their own private tongue…" [[(Letter 176)]]

Throughout the books, Tolkien paints a mostly positive picture of th dwarves ([[Gimli]] of course is brave and honourable, and it is stated in one of the Appendices to The Lord of the Rings that "few Dwarves ever served the enemy willingly", contrary to the tales of Men) and elsewhere he made explicitly positive statements about the Jewish people.

However, one of the weaknesses of the Dwarves was their greed for gold and other riches, amplified by the [[Seven Rings]]. Some see a connection between this and the stereotype of the Jewish usurer. It is also possible to draw a connection between the bearded Dwarves and the beards of Orthodox Jews.

*Tolkien has divine beings blessing or gifting peoples or persons and their descendants, having thus the concept of the [[chosen people]] who differ from others — in Tolkien's case, the Dunedain (literally "Men of the West") of Numenor.

===Counterindications===

Tolkien's defenders assert that many criticisms of racism and elitism levelled at ''The Lord of the Rings'' and other writings are oversimplifications and generalizations, and do not take account of everything the author may have written concerning these matters.

*Tolkien was English, and wanted to make a mythology for England. Therefore he wrote ''The Lord of the Rings'' according to his people's point of view. He could not make his protagonists, say, Incan or Japanese, or even put the setting anywhere else than (an alternative) North-western Europe, in spirit if not in actuality.

*Tolkien only made precise ''geographic'' correspondences of Third Age Middle-earth locations to those in the real world. For example, [[Hobbiton]] was at the latitude of Oxford. The Shire was based upon, but ''was not actually'' rural England, since "the lands have changed" since then. Tolkien made no precise correspondences regarding the ''peoples'' concerned. Though the Hobbits were based upon rural English folk, they were not literally ancient Englishmen. He never said that Harad was Africa, nor the Eastlands Asia, nor their inhabitants ancestors of Africans or Asians. ''The Silmarillion'' presents tales of a time when the Earth's lands were different from that in the Third Age.

*Not only the East and South are associated with evil, and neither were they always so. In the First Age, evil came from the North when Morgoth based himself in [[Angband]]. Also, all Men and Elves first awoke in the East. Boromir is introduced as a "man of the South" without qualification (actually South-west).

*The white but darker-skinned Dunlendings themselves are descendants of the [[Edain]] (through the [[House of Haleth]]), therefore distant though unrecognized relatives of the Dunedain of Numenor, and their ancestors grew hostile to the Dunedain due to the latter despoiling their forests. The mostly benign and hearty men of Bree are descended from Dunlendings.

*In the War of the Ring, the enemies are not truly evil, since they are described as deceived, enslaved or exploited. Sam sees a dead warrior of Harad and wonders if he was truly evil — or rather deceived or coerced to go to war (see below). The Dunlendings are persuaded by Saruman to attack Rohan, playing on their grievances due to Gondor giving what they considered their land to the Eotheod, the ancestors of the Rohirrim. Earlier, Sauron persuaded their ancestors to fight against the Numenoreans, the cause of their relocation from forests into the hills.

*Tolkien does not actually mention the physical features of the Easterlings in ''The Lord of the Rings''; however the Easterlings of ''The Silmarillion'' are described as either sallow or swarthy. There is no certainty that the Easterlings of the First Age are the same people as those of the Third Age though: in fact, many of the "white" Men of Eriador are indicated to be descendants of the First Age Easterlings.

*Tolkien first describes the Haradrim in ''The Lord of the Rings'' as tall, dark, and looking fierce and nasty (according to [[Gollum]]), with long black hair, painted faces and gold earrings and ornaments. Later a warrior of Harad who falls at Sam's feet has black plaits of hair braided with gold. Notably, the author does not describe them as black, nor their hair as kinky, nor give them any other typical African features.

*All the "superior" people, be they Elves, Edain or Dunedain, have no direct analogues in peoples of the real world. If the Dunedain could be put somewhere, they would belong in [[Atlantis]], since Numenor was Middle-Earth's counterpart to Plato's Atlantis. The Rohirrim, who have been parallelled to blond and fair Europeans, are "inferior" to them, being Middle Men, in their view.

*Kings, princes, heirs and noblemen as protagonists is not necessarily an advocation of blood nobility, since it is a theme and concept common in myths and fairy-tales. Also, [[Sam Gamgee]] represents the common man, and sees insights that more "noble" characters apparently do not, such as the true situation of the human enemies. Note that in a letter (#131), Tolkien states that Sam is the chief hero of the whole book.

*There are no truly "perfect" peoples in Tolkien's writings. Given that Tolkien loved trees and nature in general, having his Numenoreans wantonly cut down trees for ships is decidedly negative. The Noldor rebelled against the Valar and killed their fellow Elves.

==''Lord of the Rings'' and Fascism==

In Italy, ''Lord of the Rings'' is considered fascist by some groups and Italian fascist organisations are allegedly using the book for recruiting[http://www.johnreilly.info/ata.htm]. According to Italian website [http://www.caltanet.it/frm/cinema/ Caltanet], [[Wikipedia:Alleanza Nazionale|Alleanza Nazionale]] a right-oriented Italian political party had taken a picture from ''Fellowship of the Ring'' movie to promote a speech by his leader, [[Wikipedia:Gianfranco Fini|Gianfranco Fini]]<ref>http://www.theonering.net/perl/newsview/8/1001628604</ref>[[Natalia Aspesi]] from the Cannes Film Festival called the movie 'naziskn'.

==Relevant Passages from the text==
{{quote|It is not unlikely that they <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Orcs]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> invented some of the machines that have since troubled the world, especially the ingenious devices for killing large numbers of people at once, for wheels and engines and explosions always delighted them"|''[[The Hobbit]]'', "Over-Hill and Under-Hill"}}

{{quote|It was Sam's first view of a battle of Men against Men, and he did not like it much. He was glad that he could not see the dead face. He wondered what the man's name was and where he came from; and if he was really evil at heart, or what lies or threats had led him on the long march from his home; and if he would not really rather have stayed there in peace.|''[[The Two Towers]]'', "[[Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit]]"}}

==Tolkien on Racism==
{{quote|I must say that the enclosed letter from Rutten & Loening is a bit stiff. Do I suffer this impertinence because of the possession of a German name, or do their lunatic laws require a certificate of arisch origin from all persons of all countries? ... Personally I should be inclined to refuse to give any ''[[Wikipedia:Bestatigung|Bestatigung]]'' (although it happens that I can), and let a German translation go hang. In any case I should object strongly to any such declaration appearing in print. I do not regard the (probable) absence of all Jewish blood as necessarily honourable; and I have many Jewish friends, and should regret giving any colour to the notion that I subscribed to the wholly pernicious and unscientific race-doctrine.|[[Letter 29]] — Tolkien's German publishers had asked whether he was of Aryan origin)}}

{{quote|Thank you for your letter ... I regret that I am not clear as to what you intend by ''arisch''. I am not of Aryan extraction: that is Indo-Iranian; as far as I am aware noone (sic) of my ancestors spoke Hindustani, Persian, Gypsy, or any related dialects. But if I am to understand that you are enquiring whether I am of Jewish origin, I can only reply that I regret that I appear to have no ancestors of that gifted people.|[[Letter 30]] (Tolkien's unsent response to his German publishers; a more neutral version was ultimately sent)}}

{{quote|There was a solemn article in the local paper seriously advocating systematic exterminating of the entire German nation as the only proper course after military victory: because, if you please, they are rattlesnakes, and don't know the difference between good and evil! (What of the writer?) The Germans have just as much right to declare the Poles and Jews exterminable vermin, subhuman, as we have to select the Germans: in other words, no right, whatever they have done.|J.R.R. Tolkien — September 23, 1944}}

{{quote|I have the hatred of apartheid in my bones; and most of all I detest the segregation or separation of Language and Literature. I do not care which of them you think White.|From a valedictory address to the [[University of Oxford]] in [[1959]]}}

{{quote|As for what you say or hint of ‘local’ conditions: I knew of them. I don't think they have much changed (even for the worse). I used to hear them discussed by my mother; and have ever since taken a special interest in that part of the world. The treatment of colour nearly always horrifies anyone going out from Britain, & not only in South Africa. Unfort[unately], not many retain that generous sentiment for long." — From a letter to Christopher Tolkien, who was stationed in South Africa during World War II|[[Letter 29]]}}

{{quote|Anyway, I have in this War a burning private grudge--which would probably make me a better soldier at 49 than I was at 22: against that ruddy little ignoramus Adolf Hitler (for the odd thing about demonic inspiration and impetus is that it in no way enhances the purely intellectual stature: it chiefly affects the mere will). Ruining, perverting, misapplying, and making for ever accursed, that noble northern spirit, a supreme contribution to Europe, which I have ever loved, and tried to present in its true light.|[[Letter 45]]}}

{{references}}
*[http://tolkien.slimy.com/faq/External.html#Racist Portion of a Tolkien FAQ attempting to give an answer to the matter]
*Relevant [http://www.merp.com/essays/MichaelMartinez/michaelmartinezsuite101essay13/view article on the movies] by [[Michael Martinez]]
*[http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/jan/08lord.htm Critique of the Lord of the Rings as an 'epic rooted in racism' by Dr Shapiro]
*[http://ta-nea.dolnet.gr/print_article.php?e=A&f=17519&m=P21&aa=1 Critique of the Peter Jackson movies, pointing out possible racist messages] by Dimitris Danikas (in Greek)

[[Category:Debates]]

Forums:Tom Bombadil, Man or Maia?

2010-01-05T10:43:18Z

Troelsfo:

<div style="background: #eee; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 5px">'''[[Main Page|Tolkien Gateway]] > [[Forum:Council|Council]] > {{PAGENAME}}'''</div> [[Category:Council]]


I have read numerous articles about Tom Bombadil and who exactly he is. But there are SO many different opinions, I still can't figure it out. I am a Tolkien fan under 20, and would really like a good strong opinion using facts to help me figure out who he really is. Below are some opinions i have heard:

1. Tom Bombadil is a "retired" Maia.

2. Tom Bombadil is just a crazy man.

3. Tom Bombadil was a fictional character from bedtime stories that Tolkien would make up for his children. Then he was later added to LoTR for no reason, just as an enigma.

Please help me out here. Thanks.

:Well, young fan. First off, our article on ol' Tom is a wreck - I'm planning to rewrite that. As for the opinions - #3 is the right one. -- [[User:Ederchil|Ederchil]] 03:21, 19 July 2008 (EDT)

:He's not a Maia or indeed a Vala because he says he was in Middle Earth before even Melkor. Obviously he's not a man, for a start he's immune to the ring's effects (which since Gandalf and Saruman aren't would be another reason he's not a Maia) and he's many thousands of years too old. Number 3 is correct, but that doesn't mean he can't be placed in Middle earth's cosmology. The way I see it, since we can't fit him in to any other categories and because of his unequivocal claim to being "Oldest" he is an integral part of the Music of the Ainur; a natural force of Middle earth, a [[hröa]] without a [[fëa]]. --[[User:Aule the Smith|Aule the Smith]] 13:42, 7 August 2008 (EDT)
::Can't agree more. It's exactly my opinion about Tom since years. Nice going, Aule. [[User:Sage|Sage]] 17:27, 7 August 2008 (EDT)
::::Yes, I also agree with Aule. Tom Bombadil could be part of the Music of the Ainur. He could be made with Arda at the beginning of Time. However I'm not completely sure, because the assumption don't clarify why Tom, made together with Arda, is free to the Ring's evil effects, whilst the Ainur (like the Maiar) made by Ilúvatar before the Creation are not free. We can't forget that Arda is not immune from the evil effects of Morgoth's (and Sauron's) power. So the supposition that Tom Bombadil is part of the Middle-Earth and at the same time immune from the Ring's power could be a little paradox. [[User:Finrod Felagund|Finrod Felagund]] 13:09, 6 September 2008 (UTC)

:::Could it possibly be that Tom B. is an avatar of Illúvatar? I have seen this tossed around by a few Tolkien scholars. In many forms of myth, some avatars of greater gods are not even aware that this is what they are. Japanese Myth for instance is replete with characters who are the avatars of great spirits who have no idea that this is their origin. Joseph Campbell talks about this in relation to primitive societies where the avatars must live among mankind in order to understand their suffering before they are allowed to enter into "Heaven" to take their place among the motive forces of the universe.

:::Maybe this is what Tom B. is. I am pretty sure that he would have been unaware of Campbell (due to Campbell not yet having written most of his works and just being a student of Jung at the time. Being such a creature would give him the insights into the world and a flighty short attention span.

:::Of course, it is just another theory, and it is far more likely that Tom is just an accident in the writing of ''The Lord of the Rings'' when he still had a vision of it as a more thorough children's story than ''The Hobbit''. As such, he is the mystery of the far off towers in the mist which hold the promise of adventure for some and peril for others.

:::[[User:Matthew|Matthew]] 17:21, 24 August 2008 (UTC)

:::::I reckon Tom is basicaly a god. I think that he's the creator of everything natural, hence his power over trees. As he is a 'god' he is not affected by age or the ring.
:::::--[[User:Pand.|Pand.]] 21:50, 20 September 2008 (UTC)

::::Another suggestion I have heard is that he is a personification of Middle-earth: the ring doesn't affect him because the Ring affects people and not the land itself. This also might help to explain Goldberry's connection with him as she comes from Middle-earth itself (the Withywindle).

::::But, ultimately, as Tolkien said in Letter 144, "''And even in a mythical age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. Tom Bombadil is one (intentionally).''" (In fact, Letter 144 is probably the most interesting and important with regards to Tolkien's thinking on Bombadil).

::::With regards to the article on Tom, I think we should just state all the relevant points of view, with evidence and leave it at that. --[[User:Mith|Mith]] 14:20, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

:::::I don't know what you think,but I believe that he is some form or avatar of Iluvatar himself stationed to watvh over Arda.{{unsigned|Beres}}

::::::This explanation - while attractively logical - is not consistent with Tolkien's intent. As a staunch Catholic, this couldn't be what he envisioned about Tom.[[User:ElfMaven|ElfMaven]] 02:23, 22 December 2009 (UTC)

:::::: My preferred solution to the enigma of Tom is that he is the author incarnate, the creator of the legendarium who has taken bodily form to enter and live inside his own creation. In other words, he is Tolkien himself. This interpretation is consistent with most of the textual references, and flows naturally from Tolkien's strong Christian beliefs. As the creator he is of course older than anything in his created world, and because he actually has an existence outside his creation in a wholly different dimension the powerful evils of Middle Earth do not hold sway over him. Finally, the author of a story generally tries to let his characters run their own lives and make their own decisions, rather then forcing them to act according to his own wishes. This explains why Bombadil chooses to live an isolated life, away from and unconcerned with all the important persons and events of Middle-earth, and can not be relied upon as the solution to the problem of the One Ring.{{unsigned|Faded Glory}}

Something I've heard is the possibility of Tom being the reader. This would explain how he can see Frodo and know that everything will turn out okay. He is the reader of the book put into the book. The ring doesn't affect the reader, nor can the reader affect the ring. Finally, the reader doesn't have any power in the world in the bok, explaining why Tom can't help them anymore.[[User:LotRfan01|LotRfan01]] 05:12, 15 December 2009 (UTC)

:I never really understood Bombadil, but I suppose he can represent the reader. My explanation is that he was the first Maia sent into the world, possibly to help build Alamaren or the Lamps. He may have been unassigned to any Ainur (or assigned to Melkor, then fled from him) and therefore not bound to any task. He may have found a love for the Shire, like Gandalf, and settled there early in the history of Arda. Choice No. 3 is also correct.--[[User:Galdor of the Havens|Galdor of the Havens]] 21:34, 17 December 2009 (UTC)

::An interesting point is that, although he was created to be an enigma, since he was in the books there must be a logical explanation. Everything in the books must be explainable because the world has to make sense. [[User:LotRfan01|LotRfan01]] 05:29, 19 December 2009 (UTC)

Exactly! Although I do not believe any of his works to be in any way allogorical (and so does he, "It is neither allegorical nor topical....I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence." Wiki article on Allegory) I believe that he has based Tom on either himself or the reader. Yet it must be explained literally as well.--[[User:Galdor of the Havens|Galdor of the Havens]] 20:14, 23 December 2009 (UTC)

I have come across this [http://tolkien.slimy.com/essays/Bombadil4Spirits.html article] which, not to make this any more confusing, does bring up Goldberrry and some significant evidence. It is possible for Tom to exist in a category that is entirely his own.

:Steuard's essay is certainly one of the best texts available, though I do think that even this fine paper does contain some minor flaws. I have discussed this with Steuard [[http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.books.tolkien/msg/4fb051ba3ce3aea2|here]] (please forgive the references to physics -- Steuard is a physicist as am I), but in essence I think that Steuard makes too little of the very distinct possibility that all such genii loci were ''still'' considered Maiar in the later evolution of the legendarium, just as they certainly were when Tolkien wrote ''The Book of Lost Tales''. As it is, I think it is a mistake trying to put Tom into some nice pre-made box -- leave him the enigma he is, and wonder rather about the crucial role he plays in Tolkien's story. ''If'', however, you insist that he should be given a name, he is definitely a nature spirit, a genius loci, but the only race described by Tolkien that can not be refuted is for Tom to be an Ainu, but ''not'' one of the Valar (i.e. a Maia or someone of another, unnamed, order of Ainur). All other possibilities (including Eru or 'the reader') can be refuted. --{{User:Troelsfo/sig}} 10:42, 5 January 2010 (UTC)

Secondly, I'm not sure how hippie this theory is, so bear with me, isn't it possible that Tolkien created Tom just because he wanted to see that in his world some good, that could never be consumed by evil, would always last. As many authors do who get so involved with their works, few as much as the Professor, this may be Tolkien's way of secretely insuring a "happily ever after" ending - knowing that Tom will always be in Middle Earth and that some good will never be destroyed.--{{User:Breragor/sig}} 00:18, 24 December 2009 (UTC)

Forums:Tom Bombadil, Man or Maia?

2010-01-05T10:42:22Z

Troelsfo:

<div style="background: #eee; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 5px">'''[[Main Page|Tolkien Gateway]] > [[Forum:Council|Council]] > {{PAGENAME}}'''</div> [[Category:Council]]


I have read numerous articles about Tom Bombadil and who exactly he is. But there are SO many different opinions, I still can't figure it out. I am a Tolkien fan under 20, and would really like a good strong opinion using facts to help me figure out who he really is. Below are some opinions i have heard:

1. Tom Bombadil is a "retired" Maia.

2. Tom Bombadil is just a crazy man.

3. Tom Bombadil was a fictional character from bedtime stories that Tolkien would make up for his children. Then he was later added to LoTR for no reason, just as an enigma.

Please help me out here. Thanks.

:Well, young fan. First off, our article on ol' Tom is a wreck - I'm planning to rewrite that. As for the opinions - #3 is the right one. -- [[User:Ederchil|Ederchil]] 03:21, 19 July 2008 (EDT)

:He's not a Maia or indeed a Vala because he says he was in Middle Earth before even Melkor. Obviously he's not a man, for a start he's immune to the ring's effects (which since Gandalf and Saruman aren't would be another reason he's not a Maia) and he's many thousands of years too old. Number 3 is correct, but that doesn't mean he can't be placed in Middle earth's cosmology. The way I see it, since we can't fit him in to any other categories and because of his unequivocal claim to being "Oldest" he is an integral part of the Music of the Ainur; a natural force of Middle earth, a [[hröa]] without a [[fëa]]. --[[User:Aule the Smith|Aule the Smith]] 13:42, 7 August 2008 (EDT)
::Can't agree more. It's exactly my opinion about Tom since years. Nice going, Aule. [[User:Sage|Sage]] 17:27, 7 August 2008 (EDT)
::::Yes, I also agree with Aule. Tom Bombadil could be part of the Music of the Ainur. He could be made with Arda at the beginning of Time. However I'm not completely sure, because the assumption don't clarify why Tom, made together with Arda, is free to the Ring's evil effects, whilst the Ainur (like the Maiar) made by Ilúvatar before the Creation are not free. We can't forget that Arda is not immune from the evil effects of Morgoth's (and Sauron's) power. So the supposition that Tom Bombadil is part of the Middle-Earth and at the same time immune from the Ring's power could be a little paradox. [[User:Finrod Felagund|Finrod Felagund]] 13:09, 6 September 2008 (UTC)

:::Could it possibly be that Tom B. is an avatar of Illúvatar? I have seen this tossed around by a few Tolkien scholars. In many forms of myth, some avatars of greater gods are not even aware that this is what they are. Japanese Myth for instance is replete with characters who are the avatars of great spirits who have no idea that this is their origin. Joseph Campbell talks about this in relation to primitive societies where the avatars must live among mankind in order to understand their suffering before they are allowed to enter into "Heaven" to take their place among the motive forces of the universe.

:::Maybe this is what Tom B. is. I am pretty sure that he would have been unaware of Campbell (due to Campbell not yet having written most of his works and just being a student of Jung at the time. Being such a creature would give him the insights into the world and a flighty short attention span.

:::Of course, it is just another theory, and it is far more likely that Tom is just an accident in the writing of ''The Lord of the Rings'' when he still had a vision of it as a more thorough children's story than ''The Hobbit''. As such, he is the mystery of the far off towers in the mist which hold the promise of adventure for some and peril for others.

:::[[User:Matthew|Matthew]] 17:21, 24 August 2008 (UTC)

:::::I reckon Tom is basicaly a god. I think that he's the creator of everything natural, hence his power over trees. As he is a 'god' he is not affected by age or the ring.
:::::--[[User:Pand.|Pand.]] 21:50, 20 September 2008 (UTC)

::::Another suggestion I have heard is that he is a personification of Middle-earth: the ring doesn't affect him because the Ring affects people and not the land itself. This also might help to explain Goldberry's connection with him as she comes from Middle-earth itself (the Withywindle).

::::But, ultimately, as Tolkien said in Letter 144, "''And even in a mythical age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. Tom Bombadil is one (intentionally).''" (In fact, Letter 144 is probably the most interesting and important with regards to Tolkien's thinking on Bombadil).

::::With regards to the article on Tom, I think we should just state all the relevant points of view, with evidence and leave it at that. --[[User:Mith|Mith]] 14:20, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

:::::I don't know what you think,but I believe that he is some form or avatar of Iluvatar himself stationed to watvh over Arda.{{unsigned|Beres}}

::::::This explanation - while attractively logical - is not consistent with Tolkien's intent. As a staunch Catholic, this couldn't be what he envisioned about Tom.[[User:ElfMaven|ElfMaven]] 02:23, 22 December 2009 (UTC)

:::::: My preferred solution to the enigma of Tom is that he is the author incarnate, the creator of the legendarium who has taken bodily form to enter and live inside his own creation. In other words, he is Tolkien himself. This interpretation is consistent with most of the textual references, and flows naturally from Tolkien's strong Christian beliefs. As the creator he is of course older than anything in his created world, and because he actually has an existence outside his creation in a wholly different dimension the powerful evils of Middle Earth do not hold sway over him. Finally, the author of a story generally tries to let his characters run their own lives and make their own decisions, rather then forcing them to act according to his own wishes. This explains why Bombadil chooses to live an isolated life, away from and unconcerned with all the important persons and events of Middle-earth, and can not be relied upon as the solution to the problem of the One Ring.{{unsigned|Faded Glory}}

Something I've heard is the possibility of Tom being the reader. This would explain how he can see Frodo and know that everything will turn out okay. He is the reader of the book put into the book. The ring doesn't affect the reader, nor can the reader affect the ring. Finally, the reader doesn't have any power in the world in the bok, explaining why Tom can't help them anymore.[[User:LotRfan01|LotRfan01]] 05:12, 15 December 2009 (UTC)

:I never really understood Bombadil, but I suppose he can represent the reader. My explanation is that he was the first Maia sent into the world, possibly to help build Alamaren or the Lamps. He may have been unassigned to any Ainur (or assigned to Melkor, then fled from him) and therefore not bound to any task. He may have found a love for the Shire, like Gandalf, and settled there early in the history of Arda. Choice No. 3 is also correct.--[[User:Galdor of the Havens|Galdor of the Havens]] 21:34, 17 December 2009 (UTC)

::An interesting point is that, although he was created to be an enigma, since he was in the books there must be a logical explanation. Everything in the books must be explainable because the world has to make sense. [[User:LotRfan01|LotRfan01]] 05:29, 19 December 2009 (UTC)

Exactly! Although I do not believe any of his works to be in any way allogorical (and so does he, "It is neither allegorical nor topical....I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence." Wiki article on Allegory) I believe that he has based Tom on either himself or the reader. Yet it must be explained literally as well.--[[User:Galdor of the Havens|Galdor of the Havens]] 20:14, 23 December 2009 (UTC)

I have come across this [http://tolkien.slimy.com/essays/Bombadil4Spirits.html article] which, not to make this any more confusing, does bring up Goldberrry and some significant evidence. It is possible for Tom to exist in a category that is entirely his own.

:Steuard's essay is certainly one of the best texts available, though I do think that even this fine paper does contain some minor flaws. I have discussed this with Steuard [[http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.books.tolkien/msg/4fb051ba3ce3aea2|here]] (please forgive the references to physics -- Steuard is a physicist as am I), but in essence I think that Steuard makes too little of the very distinct possibility that all such genii loci were ''still'' considered Maiar in the later evolution of the legendarium, just as they certainly were when Tolkien wrote ''The Book of Lost Tales''. As it is, I think it is a mistake trying to put Tom into some nice pre-made box -- leave him the enigma he is, and wonder rather about the crucial role he plays in Tolkien's story. ''If'', however, you insist that he should be given a name, he is definitely a nature spirit, a genius loci, but the only race described by Tolkien that can not be refuted is for Tom to be an Ainu, but ''not'' one of the Valar (i.e. a Maia or someone of another, unnamed, order of Ainur). All other possibilities (including Eru or 'the reader') can be refuted. [[User:Troelsfo|Troelsfo]] 10:42, 5 January 2010 (UTC)

Secondly, I'm not sure how hippie this theory is, so bear with me, isn't it possible that Tolkien created Tom just because he wanted to see that in his world some good, that could never be consumed by evil, would always last. As many authors do who get so involved with their works, few as much as the Professor, this may be Tolkien's way of secretely insuring a "happily ever after" ending - knowing that Tom will always be in Middle Earth and that some good will never be destroyed.--{{User:Breragor/sig}} 00:18, 24 December 2009 (UTC)

User:Troelsfo/sig

2010-01-05T10:42:12Z

Troelsfo: New page: Troelsfo (<span style="font-size:0.8em"><span style="color:#000080">Talk</span> '''|''' [[Special:Contributions/Troelsfo|<span style="color:#000080...

[[User:Troelsfo|Troelsfo]] (<span style="font-size:0.8em">[[User talk:Troelsfo|<span style="color:#000080">Talk</span>]] '''|''' [[Special:Contributions/Troelsfo|<span style="color:#000080">Contribs</span>]] '''|''' [[Special:Editcount/Troelsfo|<span style="color:#000080">Edits</span>]]</span>)

User:Troelsfo

2010-01-05T10:29:57Z

Troelsfo: New page: Troels Forchhammer is best known in the Tolkien usenet newsgroups, news:rec.arts.books.tolkien rec.arts.books.tolkien and news:alt.fan.tolkien alt.fan.tolkien (also available from ...

Troels Forchhammer is best known in the Tolkien usenet newsgroups, [[news:rec.arts.books.tolkien rec.arts.books.tolkien]] and [[news:alt.fan.tolkien alt.fan.tolkien]] (also available from [[http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.books.tolkien/topics/ Google Groups]]), where he has been contributing regularly to the discussions since 2001.

A member of the Tolkien Society and the Mythopoeic Society, Troels presented his paper, ''Voices of a Music: Models of Free Will in Tolkien's Middle-earth'', at the Tolkien Society's 2008 Seminar.

When not discussing Tolkien on-line, or reading books by or about Tolkien, Troels divides his time between his family (a wife and four children), the Danish Scout and Guide Association where he is a group leader, and his job, working with data analysis for a large European cell-phone company.

Highday

2009-03-23T18:52:55Z

Troelsfo:

{{shiredays}}
'''Highday''' was the seventh and last day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]]. ''Highday'' is translated Friday in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Mersday

2009-03-23T18:52:37Z

Troelsfo:

{{shiredays}}
'''Mersday''' was the sixth day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]]. ''Mersday'' is translated as Thursday in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.

Originally there was a six-day week - as [[Elves]] liked to reckon in sixes and twelves - but it was the [[Númenóreans]] who desired a seven-day week so they inserted an extra day after [[Hevensday|Heaven's Day]]. As they were great mariners they dedicated it to the sea, naming it [[Eärenya]] in Quenya (or [[Oraearon]] in [[Sindarin]]).

The [[Hobbits]] inherited the seven-day week from the [[Men of the North]] and Eärenya originally became Meresdei before it was later known as Mersday.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Hevensday

2009-03-23T18:52:15Z

Troelsfo:

{{shiredays}}
'''Hevensday''' was the fifth day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]]. ''Hevensday'' is translated Wednesday in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Trewsday

2009-03-23T18:51:52Z

Troelsfo:

{{shiredays}}
'''Trewsday''' was the fourth day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]]. ''Trewsday'' is translated as Tuesday in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Monday

2009-03-23T18:51:31Z

Troelsfo:

{{shiredays}}
'''Monday''' was the third day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]]. ''Monday'' is translated Monday in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Sunday

2009-03-23T18:51:15Z

Troelsfo:

{{shiredays}}
'''Sunday''' was the second day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]]. ''Sunday'' is translated Sunday in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Sterday

2009-03-23T18:50:53Z

Troelsfo:

{{shiredays}}
'''Sterday''' was the first day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]]. ''Sterday'' is translated Saturday in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Highday

2009-03-23T18:44:19Z

Troelsfo:

{{shiredays}}
'''Highday''' was the seventh and last day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]]. Highday is translated Friday in ''The Lord of the rings''.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Sunday

2009-03-23T18:43:37Z

Troelsfo:

{{shiredays}}
'''Sunday''' was the second day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]]. Sunday is translated Sunday in ''The Lord of the rings''.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Sterday

2009-03-23T18:43:15Z

Troelsfo:

{{shiredays}}
'''Sterday''' was the first day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]]. Sterday is translated Saturday in ''The Lord of the rings''.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Monday

2009-03-23T18:42:53Z

Troelsfo:

{{shiredays}}
'''Monday''' was the third day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]]. Monday is translated Monday in ''The Lord of the rings''.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Hevensday

2009-03-23T18:42:13Z

Troelsfo:

{{shiredays}}
'''Hevensday''' was the fifth day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]]. Hevensday is translated Wednesday in ''The Lord of the rings''.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Mersday

2009-03-23T18:41:25Z

Troelsfo:

{{shiredays}}
'''Mersday''' was the sixth day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]]. Mersday is translated Thursday in ''The Lord of the rings''.

Originally there was a six-day week - as [[Elves]] liked to reckon in sixes and twelves - but it was the [[Númenóreans]] who desired a seven-day week so they inserted an extra day after [[Hevensday|Heaven's Day]]. As they were great mariners they dedicated it to the sea, naming it [[Eärenya]] in Quenya (or [[Oraearon]] in [[Sindarin]]).

The [[Hobbits]] inherited the seven-day week from the [[Men of the North]] and Eärenya originally became Meresdei before it was later known as Mersday.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Trewsday

2009-03-23T18:40:45Z

Troelsfo:

{{shiredays}}
'''Trewsday''' was the fourth day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]]. Trewsday is translated Tuesday in ''The Lord of the rings''.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Highday

2009-03-23T18:36:51Z

Troelsfo:

{{shiredays}}
'''Highday''' was the seventh day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]]. In The Lord of the Rings Highday is translated as Friday according to the system in which Shire ‘Sunday’ and ‘Monday’ appear unchanged and Friday is last day of the week.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Mersday

2009-03-23T18:36:07Z

Troelsfo:

{{shiredays}}
'''Mersday''' was the sixth day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]]. In The Lord of the Rings Mersday is translated as Thursday according to the system in which Shire ‘Sunday’ and ‘Monday’ appear unchanged and Friday is last day of the week in translation of ‘Highday’.

Originally there was a six-day week - as [[Elves]] liked to reckon in sixes and twelves - but it was the [[Númenóreans]] who desired a seven-day week so they inserted an extra day after [[Hevensday|Heaven's Day]]. As they were great mariners they dedicated it to the sea, naming it [[Eärenya]] in Quenya (or [[Oraearon]] in [[Sindarin]]).

The [[Hobbits]] inherited the seven-day week from the [[Men of the North]] and Eärenya originally became Meresdei before it was later known as Mersday.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Hevensday

2009-03-23T18:35:45Z

Troelsfo:

{{shiredays}}
'''Hevensday''' was the fifth day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]]. In The Lord of the Rings Hevensday is translated as Wednesday according to the system in which Shire ‘Sunday’ and ‘Monday’ appear unchanged and Friday is last day of the week in translation of ‘Highday’.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Trewsday

2009-03-23T18:35:24Z

Troelsfo:

{{shiredays}}
'''Trewsday''' was the fourth day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]]. In The Lord of the Rings Trewsday is translated as Tuesday according to the system in which Shire ‘Sunday’ and ‘Monday’ appear unchanged and Friday is last day of the week in translation of ‘Highday’.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Monday

2009-03-23T18:34:47Z

Troelsfo:

{{shiredays}}
'''Monday''' was the third day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]]. In ''The Lord of the Rings'' Monday is translated according to the system in which Shire ‘Sunday’ and ‘Monday’ appear unchanged and Friday is last day of the week in translation of ‘Highday’.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Sunday

2009-03-23T18:34:28Z

Troelsfo:

{{shiredays}}
'''Sunday''' was the second day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]]. In ''The Lord of the Rings'' Sunday is translated according to the system in which Shire ‘Sunday’ and ‘Monday’ appear unchanged and Friday is last day of the week in translation of ‘Highday’.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Sterday

2009-03-23T18:34:02Z

Troelsfo:

{{shiredays}}
'''Sterday''' was the first day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]]. In ''The Lord of the Rings'' Sterday is translated Saturday according to the system in which Shire ‘Sunday’ and ‘Monday’ appear unchanged and Friday is last day of the week in translation of ‘Highday’.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Highday

2009-03-23T18:27:06Z

Troelsfo: Added information about usage in The Lord of the Rings

{{shiredays}}
'''Highday''' was the seventh day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]] and is equivalent with the Gregorian Sunday. In ''The Lord of the Rings'' Highday is translated as Friday according to the system in which Shire ‘Sunday’ and ‘Monday’ appear unchanged and Friday is last day of the week.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Mersday

2009-03-23T18:25:47Z

Troelsfo: Added information about usage in The Lord of the Rings

{{shiredays}}
'''Mersday''' was the sixth day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]] and is equivalent with the Gregorian Saturday. In The Lord of the Rings Mersday is translated as Thursday according to the system in which Shire ‘Sunday’ and ‘Monday’ appear unchanged and Friday is last day of the week in translation of ‘Highday’.

Originally there was a six-day week - as [[Elves]] liked to reckon in sixes and twelves - but it was the [[Númenóreans]] who desired a seven-day week so they inserted an extra day after [[Hevensday|Heaven's Day]]. As they were great mariners they dedicated it to the sea, naming it [[Eärenya]] in Quenya (or [[Oraearon]] in [[Sindarin]]).

The [[Hobbits]] inherited the seven-day week from the [[Men of the North]] and Eärenya originally became Meresdei before it was later known as Mersday.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Template:Shiredays

2009-03-23T18:24:40Z

Troelsfo: Removing confusing references to Gregorian week days

{| align="right" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" style="margin-left:15px; border:1px solid #ccccff;background-color:white;"
! bgcolor="#ccccff" | Days in the [[Shire Calendar]]
|-
|
# [[Sterday]]
# [[Sunday]]
# [[Monday]]
# [[Trewsday]]
# [[Hevensday]]
# [[Mersday]]
# [[Highday]]
|}
<noinclude>[[Category:Calendars and events templates]]</noinclude>

Shire Calendar

2009-03-23T18:20:24Z

Troelsfo: /* Days of the week */

The '''Shire Calendar''' was used by the [[Hobbits]] of the [[Shire]]. It was different from that used by the [[Men]], [[Dwarves]] and [[Elves]]. Use of this calendar in Middle-earth is referred to as '''Shire-reckoning'''.

Year 1 of the Shire Calendar corresponded when the Shire was founded by the [[Bree]] Hobbits Marcho and Blanco in the year 1601 of the [[Third Age]]. Therefore, years of the Third Age can be converted to Shire-years by subtracting 1600.

The last year of the Third Age was year 1421 on the Shire calendar.

==Months of the year and special days==

The Shire calendar's year was divided into 12 months of 30 days. Five additional days were added to create a 365-day year. The months followed the lunar cycle.

<table border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">
<tr style="background:#EFEFEF;"><th>Month number</th><th>Name</th><th>Approximate relationship to Gregorian calendar</th></tr>
<tr><td align=center> </td><td>''2 Yule''</td><td>22nd of December</td></tr>
<tr><td align=center>1</td><td>''[[Afteryule]]''</td><td>23rd of December to the 21st of January</td></tr>
<tr><td align=center>2</td><td>''[[Solmath]]''</td><td>22nd of January to the 20th of February</td></tr>
<tr><td align=center>3</td><td>''[[Rethe]]''</td><td>21st of February to the 22nd of March</td></tr>
<tr><td align=center>4</td><td>''[[Astron]]''</td><td>23rd of March to 21st of April</td></tr>
<tr><td align=center>5</td><td>''[[Thrimidge]]''</td><td>22nd of April to the 21st of May</td></tr>
<tr><td align=center>6</td><td>''[[Forelithe]]''</td><td>22nd of May to the 20th of June</td></tr>
<tr><td align=center> </td><td>''1 Lithe''</td><td>21st of June</td></tr>
<tr><td align=center> </td><td>''[[Midyear's Day]]''</td><td>22nd of June</td></tr>
<tr><td align=center> </td><td>''[[Overlithe]]''</td><td>Leap day</td></tr>
<tr><td align=center> </td><td>''2 Lithe''</td><td>23rd of June</td></tr>
<tr><td align=center>7</td><td>''[[Afterlithe]]''</td><td>24th of June to the 23rd of July</td></tr>
<tr><td align=center>8</td><td>''[[Wedmath]]''</td><td>24th of July to the 22nd of August</td></tr>
<tr><td align=center>9</td><td>''[[Halimath]]''</td><td>23rd of August to the 21st of September</td></tr>
<tr><td align=center>10</td><td>''[[Winterfilth]]''</td><td>22nd of September to 21st of October</td></tr>
<tr><td align=center>11</td><td>''[[Blotmath]]''</td><td>22nd of October to the 20th of November</td></tr>
<tr><td align=center>12</td><td>''[[Foreyule]]''</td><td>21st of November to the 20th of December</td></tr>
<tr><td align=center> </td><td>''1 Yule''</td><td>21st of December</td></tr>
</table>

The ''Yuledays'' were the days that mark the end of an old year and the beginning of a new one, so 2 Yule was the first day of the year. The ''Lithedays'' are the three days in the middle of the year, 1 Lithe, Mid-year's Day, and 2 Lithe. In leap years (every fourth year except centennial years) a day was added after Mid-year's Day called ''Overlithe''. All these days were placed outside of any month. These days were primarily holidays and feast days. ''Mid-year's Day'' is meant to correspond to the summer solstice, being 10 days earlier than the middle day of our year. However, since then the summer solstice has shifted slightly so it falls on a different date now, rendering the difference between ''Mid-year's Day'' and the middle day of our year eleven days, instead of ten.

== Days of the week ==

There were seven days in the Shire week. The first day of the week was called ''Sterday'' and the last day of the week was called ''Highday''. The Mid-year's Day and, when present, Overlithe had no weekday assignments. This arrangement was used because it caused every day to have the same weekday designation from year to year (instead of changing as in the Gregorian calendar).

In ''The Lord of the Rings'' all days (except in Bilbo's Song) translated according to the meaning of Sunday and Monday rather than according to position in the Gregorian calendar.

<table border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">
<tr style="background:#EFEFEF;"><th>Day Name</th><th>Meaning</th><th>Translation in ''The Lord of the Rings''</th><th>Relationship to Gregorian calendar</th></tr>
<tr><td >''[[Sterday]]''</td><td>Stars of [[Varda]]</td><td>Saturday</td><td>Monday</td></tr>
<tr><td >''[[Sunday]]''</td><td>[[Sun]]</td><td>Sunday</td><td>Tuesday</td></tr>
<tr><td >''[[Monday]]''</td><td>[[Moon]]</td><td>Monday</td><td>Wednesday</td></tr>
<tr><td >''[[Trewsday]]''</td><td>[[Two Trees]] of Valinor</td><td>Tuesday</td><td>Thursday</td></tr>
<tr><td >''[[Hevensday]]''</td><td>[[Ilmen|Heavens]]</td><td>Wednesday</td><td>Friday</td></tr>
<tr><td >''[[Mersday]]''</td><td>[[Belegaer|Sea]]</td><td>Thursday</td><td>Saturday</td></tr>
<tr><td >''[[Highday]]''</td><td>[[Valar]]</td><td>Friday</td><td>Sunday</td></tr>
</table>

Highday was a holiday with evening feasts.

==Inspiration==
It is highly based on the Germanic calendar.

In ''[[The Hobbit]]'' and ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', the names of months and days are given in modern equivalents. For instance, Afteryule is called ''January'' and Sterday is called ''Monday''.
==External links==
*[http://shire-reckoning.com/ The Shire-reckoning] website, dedicated to detailed analysis of the Hobbit Calendar.
[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

[[de:Auenland-Kalender]]
[[fi:Konnun kalenteri]]

Hevensday

2009-03-23T18:16:27Z

Troelsfo: Added information about usage in The Lord of the Rings

{{shiredays}}
'''Hevensday''' was the fifth day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]] and is equivalent with the Gregorian Friday. In The Lord of the Rings Hevensday is translated as Wednesday according to the system in which Shire ‘Sunday’ and ‘Monday’ appear unchanged and Friday is last day of the week in translation of ‘Highday’.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Monday

2009-03-23T18:15:04Z

Troelsfo: Added information about usage in The Lord of the Rings

{{shiredays}}
'''Monday''' was the third day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]] and is equivalent with the Gregorian Wednesday. In ''The Lord of the Rings'' Monday is translated according to the system in which Shire ‘Sunday’ and ‘Monday’ appear unchanged and Friday is last day of the week in translation of ‘Highday’.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Sterday

2009-03-23T18:14:11Z

Troelsfo: Added information about usage in The Lord of the Rings

{{shiredays}}
'''Sterday''' was the first day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]] and is equivalent with the Gregorian Monday. In ''The Lord of the Rings'' Sterday is translated Saturday according to the system in which Shire ‘Sunday’ and ‘Monday’ appear unchanged and Friday is last day of the week in translation of ‘Highday’.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Sunday

2009-03-23T18:13:20Z

Troelsfo: Added information about usage in

{{shiredays}}
'''Sunday''' was the second day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]] and is equivalent with the Gregorian Tuesday. In ''The Lord of the Rings'' Sunday is translated according to the system in which Shire ‘Sunday’ and ‘Monday’ appear unchanged and Friday is last day of the week in translation of ‘Highday’.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

Trewsday

2009-03-23T18:11:54Z

Troelsfo: Added information about use in The Lord of the Rings

{{shiredays}}
'''Trewsday''' was the fourth day of the week in the [[Shire Calendar]] and is equivalent with the Gregorian Thursday. In ''The Lord of the Rings'' Trewsday is translated as Tuesday according to the system in which Shire ‘Sunday’ and ‘Monday’ appear unchanged and Friday is last day of the week in translation of ‘Highday’.

[[Category:Hobbit Calendar]]

User talk:Troelsfo

2009-02-21T17:56:49Z

Troelsfo: Adding welcome message to new user's talk page