Dwarf Life

The Dwarves of J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth are beings of short stature who all possess beards, and are often friendly with Hobbits although long suspicious of Elves. They are typically blacksmiths and stoneworkers by profession, unrivaled in some of their arts even by the Elves. For Dwarves in other legends and fantasy works see: Dwarf.

Unlike Elves and Men, the Dwarves are not counted among the Children of Ilúvatar. They were created by Aulë the Smith. They were kept asleep until the creation of the Elves. Aulë created the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves, from whom all other Dwarves are descended. Aulë's work was doomed, though, because he did not have the power to grant independent life to his creations, that is, free will - that power belonged to Ilúvatar alone. Aulë later repented and confessed to Ilúvatar. When the Dwarves were completed, though, the voice of Ilúvatar spoke to Aulë and agreed to grant them true life, and include them in His plan for Arda. Ilúvatar granted the Dwarves life, and therefore they are known as the Adopted Children of Ilúvatar.

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

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

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

   1. Longbeards. Durin's Folk. Durin originally awoke at Gundabad and wandered alone, but eventually founded a colony at Khazad-dum.

   2. Firebeards. Originally from Nogrod. Paired with the;

   3. Broadbeams. Originally from Belegost.

   4. Ironfists. Originated somewhere far in the East. Located paired with the;

   5. Stiffbeards.

   6. Blacklocks. Originated somewhere far in the East. Located paired with the;

   7. Stonefoots.

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.

Thorin Oakenshield brings twelve Dwarves to Bag End to recruit Bilbo for their treasure hunt in The Hobbit.

Dwarf men were overprotective of their women who they sheltered from other races. Few dwarf women were seen by other races, hence the myth of Men which lead to the belief that Dwarves grow out of stone. In addition, no more than one third of the dwarven population was female, and few men took Wives as they were too busy in the mines.

As a result, they dwindled after the fourth age like Hobbits until men were the only of the great races left to rule middle earth.

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

Female Dwarves are rare in Middle-earth, and seldom are seen outside. When they are seen, they are often mistaken for male dwarves, because they too have beards.

Balin

Balin was among the Dwarves that travelled with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf in The Hobbit.

Balin was part of the company assembled by Thorin Oakenshield to kill the dragon Smaug and retake the mountain kingdom of Erebor.

He was the second dwarf to arrive at Bilbo's house at the beginning of The Hobbit. The one before him was his brother Dwalin. Like his brother, he played a viol.

Among the Dwarves in The Hobbit, Balin was the second-eldest Dwarf on the quest (behind Thorin), and so he spoke for the party when they were captured by the Elvenking.

He is described as "always their look-out man": He spots Bilbo approaching the Green Dragon Inn at Bywater, he spots the trolls' fire, and he's the first to spot the Elves in Mirkwood. Conversely he did not notice Bilbo (hidden by wearing the magic ring) as look-out for the company after escaping the goblins in the Misty Mountains. After this bit of trickery, Balin gained respect for Bilbo's abilities. He's the only Dwarf that volunteers to accompany Bilbo down the secret passage to Smaug. Of all the Dwarves in the quest, he's the only one known to have visited Bilbo afterwards at Bag End.

In T.A. 2989 Balin left Erebor and entered Moria with Flói, Óin, Ori, Frár, Lóni, and Náli. He was killed by an Orc archer in the Dimrill Dale in 2994.

In The Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship discovers his tomb in the Chamber of Mazarbul.

Glóin

Glóin was the father of Gimli and was one of Thorin Oakenshield's companions in The Hobbit. He was the son of Gróin, the grandson of Borin, the younger son of King Náin II, and so could claim direct descent from Durin the Deathless himself. Óin, another of Thorin's companions, was his brother.

Thráin II

Thráin is the father of Thorin Oakenshield, and the son of Thrór. He became heir of the lost King under the Mountain and King of Durin's Folk as Thráin II when his father Thrór was killed at Moria, and he was a direct descendant of Durin the deathless.

Thráin fled with a small group of companions when the dragon Smaug descended on Erebor the Lonely Mountain, and took the kingdom. Together with the other survivors and his son Thráin fled to the Ered Luin, where there still were old dwarven mines. Thráin took with him a map which showed a secret entrance to Erebor.

However, as Thráin grew older he wanted to reclaim his kingdom. He left for Wilderland, but was captured by Sauron and trapped in Sauron's stronghold Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood. Sauron took from him the last of the Dwarven Rings of Power, and left him in his dungeon to die.

While on a mission to Dol Guldur, Gandalf the Grey came upon Thráin, and was given the old map. Gandalf promised to deliver it to Thráin's son, but Thráin at the time had forgotten his name so Gandalf did not expect to be able to fulfill this promise. There Thráin died.

Much later Gandalf met with Thorin near Bree, and realized who the Dwarf he had met in Dol Guldur had been. He promised to help Thorin in his quest to the Lonely Mountain in many ways, the most notable of which was by inviting a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins along to fulfill the role of thief.