`As most Tolkien fans are aware, the dwarves
in his most famous works are often referred to as Durin’s folk - named after the original
king of the dwarves. However, Durin was not the only father of
the dwarves - in fact, there were seven, each accounting for their own clan with their own
heritage and history. Today on Nerd of the Rings, we are covering
the Seven Houses of the Dwarves. In an earlier video, we covered the different
clans of the Elves, explaining their hierarchy. In which we learned things like the silvan
elves of Mirkwood ranked lower than Thranduil and Legolas, who were Sindar - and they in
turn were not as noble as the Noldor such as Galadriel and Elrond. While the dwarves don’t have this kind of
hierarchy among their race, like the elves they originated from a single source. As we’ve covered in other videos, the dwarves
are created in secret by Aule, the Smith of the Valar. He teaches his seven creations to speak the
language he had created for them - Khuzdul. When he is finally confronted by Iluvatar,
Aule offers to destroy his creations, which did not have souls of their own, but merely
operated through Aule himself. In this moment, Iluvatar gives the dwarves
true life, though he decrees that they will not awaken before his own chosen firstborn
- the elves. He also tells Aule that their creations would
often have strife between them. As they are made to slumber, Aule places the
seven fathers in various locations within the earth, where they would lay until their
time to wake. Durin, the eldest and greatest of all, was
set alone in Mount Gundabad at the north of the Misty Mountains. Two others are placed in the Blue Mountains
to the West, while the other four are made to rest in the East. In the Elder Days, sometime after the elves
wake at Lake Cuivienen, the Fathers of the Dwarves come forth from their chambers. Durin awakes at Gundabad and travels south. He comes to a lake that would come to be known
as the Mirrormere, where he sees seven stars reflected as a crown above his head - despite
this being during the day and no stars being visible in the sky. Taking this as a sign, Durin goes into the
mountains and founds the city of Khazad-dum. The Longbeards, or Durin’s Folk, would prosper
for thousands of years. But Durin and his people would not factor
much into the earliest days of the world. Instead, it is the dwarves to the west, in
the Blue Mountains, that would play major roles in the First Age - the time of Morgoth
in Beleriand. These dwarves, whose people would be known
as the Firebeards and the Broadbeams, would found the great dwarf-cities of Belegost and
Nogrod. As they awake shortly after the elves, these
dwarf cities are already established prior to the elves making their journey west to
Beleriand. The northernmost city, Belegost, generally
had better relations with the elves than their southern kin. The dwarves of Belegost are the first to forge
mail of linked rings and also engage in trade with the Sindar of Middle-earth - including
Thingol of Doriath. In fact, it was the Dwarves of Belegost who
carved the Thousand Caves of Menegroth for King Thingol. The dwarves of Belegost also marched side
by side with the elves in the great alliance known as the Union of Maedhros in 472. While the dwarves of Nogrod also fought in
this conflict against Morgoth, it is those of Belgost who were able to withstand the
fire of the dragon Glaurung. Their Lord Azaghal succeeds in driving off
Glaurung when he uses his last breath to stab the beast in the belly. As for the dwarves of Nogrod, their relationship
with the elves was much more fraught with evil deeds - and explain a great deal of the
elven enmity toward the dwarves. Later in the First Age, Thingol tasks some
dwarves of Nogrod with placing the stolen Silmaril of Beren and Luthien into the Nauglamir
- a great necklace that the dwarves of the Blue Mountains had fashioned for Finrod, who
was long ago slain. Out of greed for both the necklace of their
ancestors and it’s new jewel, these dwarves kill Thingol and steal the necklace. However, they would be hunted down by Beren
and the Green Elves and destroyed. They would not only be known for this act
of violence and greed, however. While their northern kin would be better known
for their deeds in battle, the Dwarves of Nogrod were known to be the better craftsmen. In fact, the great smith Telchar forges the
Dragon-helm of Dor-Lomin, the knife Angrist, which Beren uses to steal a Silmaril from
Morgoth’s crown, and most notably, the sword Narsil - the sword of Elendil which would
be reforged as Anduril for Aragorn. However, it would not only be the dwarves
who were hostile in their relationship with elves. In addition to the seven houses of the dwarves,
there was actually an 8th group - the Petty-dwarves. The Petty-dwarves were smaller in stature
than their kin and originated from exiles of the other dwarf clans. They were actually the first to establish
strongholds in Beleriand - specifically Nulukkizdin and Sharbhund. Before the Sindar met the dwarves of the Blue
Mountains, they found the petty-dwarves. Mistaking them for animals, the elves hunted
the petty-dwarves. Once the Sindar met the dwarves of Belegost
and Nogrod, they realized their mistake. However, the petty-dwarves would forever harbor
a hatred for the elves - especially the Noldor who they viewed as usurpers who took their
lands. For Nulukkizdin would become the realm of
Nargothrond after it was abandoned by the petty-dwarves, who had been hunted to near
extinction. Sharbhund, also known as Amon Rudh, would
be under dwarven control until the very last remnant of the petty-dwarves - Mim and his
sons who come into play in the Children of Hurin. Mim would die in 502 FA, the very last of
his kind. I want to pause to bring in a bit of brand
new information, found in the pages of The Nature of Middle-earth, which releases on
September 2nd. I got an early copy of the book and in it,
it tells of a deeper connection between the petty-dwarf Mim and Galadriel’s brother
Finrod, the founder of Nargothrond. In these notes of Tolkien, it is said that
Finrod initially had the help of some of the petty-dwarves, who feigned friendship with
the elf. Finrod rewarded the petty-dwarves generously
for helping him build his realm, but Mim himself attempted to murder Finrod in his sleep, leading
to the petty-dwarves being driven into the wild. Years later, nearly all of Beleriand would
be destroyed in the cataclysmic War of Wrath - including the cities of Belegost and Nogrod. With the beginning of the Second Age (40 SA),
most of what dwarven refugees remained would travel east, settling with Durin’s folk
in Khazad-dum. Throughout the hundreds of years of the First
Age, Khazad-dum had thrived. Durin’s folk had not only created a great
wonder in their home in the Misty Mountains, but had also colonized the Grey Mountains
and the Iron Hills. They had also begun trading with the early
Northmen of Middle-earth - the ancestors of the later Men of Dale, Lake-town, and the
Rohirrim. As for Durin himself, he would live a remarkably
long life - well over two thousand years. This earned him the name Durin the Deathless. But it was not the only reason for the title. According to Dwarven tradition, their belief
was that the seven fathers of the dwarves would be reincarnated - returning to their
people throughout history. Durin, for example, was believed to have been
reincarnated six times. As for the other houses, we don’t know their
fathers names, or how many times they have been reincarnated. Now before we dive into the history of the
most well known of the dwarven houses, let’s cover the four who originated in the East. We are told that these fathers of the dwarves
awoke in two pairs and that they were at least as far from Gundabad as Gundabad was from
the Blue Mountains - if not further. One pair was the Ironfists and the Stiffbeards. The others were the Blacklocks and the Stonefoots. They create their halls in the land of Rhun
- the land which literally means “The East” and from which the Easterlings originate. We learn in Tolkien’s writings that not
all of these dwarves remained on the side of good. Tolkien tells us that while the dwarves were
the race most resistant to the corrupting influence of Morgoth and Sauron, there were
indeed some who aligned with the dark lords. In the First Age, some of the early Men met
dwarves who had fallen under the Shadow and were evil of mind. Whether these dwarves ever fought in battle
alongside the forces of Sauron or Morgoth isn’t known - though we are explicitly told
that none of Durin’s Folk ever fought on the side of evil. While we don’t know much about the Ironfists,
Stiffbeards, Blacklocks, or Stonefoots in the early ages, there are some interesting
notes about them in the Third Age. In The Fellowship of the Ring, we are told:
“Frodo often met strange Dwarves of far countries, seeking refuge in the West. They were troubled, and some spoke in whispers
of the Enemy and of the Land of Mordor.” We are led to believe these were in fact some
of the Eastern dwarves. This would be at a time when darkness and
war had grown in the lands of Rhun, causing these dwarves to abandon their ancient homes. We are also told of a specific battle that
actually reuinites all seven houses of the dwarves, but for that, we will have to return
to the Misty Mountains and the Durin’s Folk. As we pick back up in the Second Age, with
the remnants of Belegost and Nogrod divided between the Blue Mountains and Khazad-dum,
we learn that it is the latter location where the relationship between dwarves and elves
would reach new heights. With the elf lord Celebrimbor founding the
realm of Eregion near Khazad-dum, a great friendship comes about between the elven smith
and those of the dwarves. Together, Celebrimbor and the dwarf Narvi
forge the Doors of Durin and the two races would communicate and trade openly with one
another. It would be through Khazad-dum that Galadriel
would one day travel with her daughter when they move to Lorien from Eregion. Also in the Second Age, we know that Sauron,
in his disguise of Annatar, gives seven rings of power to dwarf lords, which help them in
building their seven great hoards of riches. It is implied that each of these rings was
given to the King of each of the seven houses of the dwarves.` Unlike the men, who were slowly transformed
into ringwraiths, the dwarves are not dominated by their rings. Instead, their ability to create and amass
wealth is enhanced, which would in part lead to their later run-ins with dragons. Durin’s Folk, being the house we know the
most about, are involved in quite a few significant events and conflicts over the following thousands
of years. They assist Elrond and the elves of Eregion
by attacking Sauron in the War of the Elves and Sauron. Later, some of their number marched with the
Last Alliance of Elves and Men in the climactic battle of the Second Age where Sauron is defeated
and his ring is taken by Isildur. The Third Age would be even more full of battle
and war for the Longbeards. As early as 1300 TA, the orcs of the Misty
Mountains began harassing the dwarves of Khazad-dum, laying the foundation for a mutual hatred
between these two races. In 1980, Durin’s folk wake the balrog in
the depths of the Misty Mountains, and are driven from their home. Most of the Longbeards go north to live in
the Grey Mountains, while some follow King Thrain I to establish Erebor (1999 TA). After a time, the dwarves of Erebor would
actually abandon it in favor of joining their kin in the Grey Mountains. There, they would prosper, until 2570 TA,
when they are attacked again - this time by the dragons. They hold out for 19 years before finally
being driven from their home once again in 2589. Once again, Durin’s Folk split, with most
travelling to re-establish Erebor with King Thror - the grandfather of Thorin, while some
go to the settlement in the Iron Hills. As we know from The Hobbit, Smaug would attack
the Kingdom Under the Mountain in 2770, and the Longbeards are once again refugees left
to wander Middle-earth. Thror leads his people to settle in Dunland
(2790), but also journeys to Moria, where he is killed by Azog. His son, Thrain, summons the Houses of the
Dwarves to War - beginning the six year War of the Dwarves and Orcs, which takes place
beneath the Misty Mountains between Moria and Gundabad. In a move never seen before or after, we are
told that all seven houses of the dwarves are represented in the climactic Battle of
Azanulbizar. While they defeat the orcs, the other houses
of the dwarves are unwilling to proceed with the war, due to the crushing losses on their
own side. Thrain leads his people to the Blue Mountains,
where he establishes a new realm of Durin’s Folk. As we know, Thorin and his company, with the
help of Bilbo, would reclaim Erebor a couple hundred years later. There, they would also battle alongside elves
and men against the goblins and wargs in the Battle of Five Armies. During the War of the Ring, this area would
be attacked by an army of Easterlings sent by Sauron. This conflict and resulting siege, known as
the Battle of Dale, would result in eventual victory for the Dwarves and Men, thanks in
part to the destruction of the One Ring causing their enemies to lose hope. Of course, we cannot fail to mention perhaps
the most famous of Durin’s Folk from the Lord of the Rings - Gimli son of Gloin, who
joins the Fellowship of the Ring. We’ve covered his entire life in a previous
video, but at the conclusion of the war, he founds a new realm of Durin’s Folk in the
Fourth Age. Behind Helm’s Deep, Gilmi becomes the first
Lord of the Glittering Caves. The dwarves of this new realm would have great
friendship with the men and elves of the area, particularly of Gondor and Ithilien. In addition to Gimli’s lands, the line of
Durin would continue to rule over the realm of Erebor and even make a return journey to
their first great home. It is said that sometime after 171 of the
Fourth Age, there would be the sixth and final reincarnation of Durin. Durin the 7th, or Durin the Last, would lead
his people from Erebor back to Khazad-dum - restoring their home to its former glory. It is said Durin’s Folk would remain in
Khazad-dum “until the world grew old and the Dwarves failed and the days of Durin’s
race were ended.” Be sure to hit subscribe so you don’t miss
next week’s video, voted on exclusively by my patreon supporters. As always, I want to say a huge thank you to these great people who make this channel possible.
