What this is
In brief
Origins
Durin was the eldest of the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves made by Aulë, and it was said he slept alone and woke to found his people in the halls beneath Mount Gundabad and then Khazad-dûm. He was called the Deathless because the Dwarves believed he was reborn in his heirs.
Culture
The Longbeards are the archetypal dwarven house: master miners and smiths, keepers of runes and genealogies, fiercely loyal to kin and oath. Their kings wear the beard and heirlooms of the line, and their halls are works of stone-craft and treasure.
Language
Khuzdul, the secret dwarven tongue; Westron in daily dealings.
History
Durin’s Folk ruled Khazad-dûm for ages until the Balrog was loosed in T.A. 1980 and the realm was lost. Thráin I and his heirs went north and founded Erebor, which became their greatest kingdom until Smaug drove them out. Thorin Oakenshield retook the mountain, and Dáin II Ironfoot and his people held the North in the War of the Ring.
Leaders
Settlements
- khazad-dum
- erebor
- iron-hills
- grey-mountains
Alliances
- bardings
- elves
- men
- the-fellowship-of-the-ring
Conflicts
- war-of-the-dwarves-and-orcs
- battle-of-five-armies
- battle-of-dale
Notable members
CharacterDurin
The eldest of the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves and founder of the line of Durin’s Folk.
CharacterBalin
A wise and kindly Dwarf of Thorin’s company who later led a doomed attempt to recolonise Moria.
CharacterGlóin
A Dwarf of Thorin’s company and father of Gimli, later a member of the Council of Elrond.
CharacterGimli
The Dwarf of the Fellowship, whose friendship with Legolas becomes a symbol of reconciliation between their peoples.
Sources
The Hobbit · 1937
Published in Tolkien’s lifetime. The primary narrative of Bilbo’s journey.
The Lord of the Rings · 1954–55
Three volumes: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King.
The Silmarillion · 1977
Posthumously edited. Contains the Ainulindalë, Valaquenta, Quenta Silmarillion, Akallabêth and Of the Rings of Power.
Related entries
PeopleDwarves
A stone-hewing race of great craft and endurance, made by Aulë before the Children awoke and famed for their smithing, their halls and their long grudges.
LocationErebor
The great Dwarven kingdom under the Lonely Mountain, taken by Smaug and reclaimed in the quest of Thorin.
PeopleMen
The Secondborn Children of Ilúvatar, mortal and brief-lived, whose kingdoms and choices dominate the later ages of Middle-earth.