Migrations and monuments: Part 5 - Dwarves

Migrations and monuments: the story of the First Age in Eriador and Rhovanion

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“Migrations and monuments” quick links:

Contents | Introduction | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 |
Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Conclusion | Addendum 1 |
Addendum 2 | Bibliography
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📗 Part 5] Dwarf-roads to the fortress delvings: the Dwarves in Eriador

Dwarves were not part of the Children of Ilúvatar having been created in secret by the Vala Aulë. When it was discovered what he had done, in repentance Aulë almost destroyed them but his hand was stayed by Eru Ilúvatar. The Seven Fathers of the Dwarves were put to sleep and hidden under mountains, to be awakened after the Elves.

Durin the Deathless awoke from slumber under Mount Gundabad during the Years of Trees and then wandered. He founded Khazad-dûm under Hithaeglir, greatest of the Dwarven mansions, sometime between Y.T. 1050 and Y.T. 1300. During this time two Dwarf cities were founded in Ered Luin (the Blue Mountains) on the western border of Eriador. These were Belegost and Nogrod. Far to the east, in Rhovanion, lay another settlement of Dwarves in the Iron Hills. These are all First Age settlements. I hope to write more about these settlements at a later date, perhaps for a Durin's Day themed Tolkien Trewsday (potentially around 19 October).

One of the greatest achievements of the Dwarves, besides their fortresses and mansions, was the creation of a road system that extended from Beleriand over the Blue Mountains through Eriador to Khazad-dûm and across Rhovanion to the Iron Hills. This facilitated trade between the Dwarf kingdoms, Elves and later Men.

“…they were great and hardy travellers and skilled road-makers; also, all the kindreds shared a common language.”

-- Christopher Tolkien, The History of Middle-earth, Book 12: The Peoples of Middle-earth (Part Two: Late Writings – X. Of Dwarves and Men: Relations of the Longbeard Dwarves and Men)

 There were three sections:

⛏  Dwarf-Road of Beleriand (Beleriand)
⛏ East Road (Eriador)
⛏ Old Forest Road (Rhovanion)

There is not much written besides scattered references of various peoples travelling along the road, but in “Nature of Middle-earth” there is a chapter about the eastern part which led out of Moria:

“The Dwarf Road, Menn-i-Naugrim had been made with great labour by the Longbeard Dwarves of Moria and their kin in the Iron Hills (Emyn Engrin) in the North-east.”

-- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Nature of Middle-earth (Part Three: The World, its Lands, and its Inhabitants – XX. Note on the Dwarf Road)

It is also noted that the work to create this section of the Dwarven road continued into the Second Age:

“The making of the bridges and the first miles of the road through the forest was work of the First Age; the road was completed early in the Second Age when the population of Moria (and to a less extent also of the Iron Mines) was much increased by emigrants from the mansions in the Ered Luin.”

-- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Nature of Middle-earth (Part Three: The World, its Lands, and its Inhabitants – XX. Note on the Dwarf Road)

The ingenuity of the Dwarves as craftsmen and tradesmen established travelling routes across the wildernesses of Eriador and Rhovanion which would be used by the various races of the Westlands of Middle-earth. We turn now to the last group of those: Men.

Next: 
📜 Part 6] “A Darkness lies behind us”: the westward migrations of Men

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“Migrations and monuments” quick links:

Contents | Introduction | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 |
Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Conclusion | Addendum 1 |
Addendum 2 | Bibliography
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