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Author Archives: The Dwarrow Scholar
Durin’s Day 2026: Finding the Last Moon of Autumn (… again)
When is Durin’s Day in 2026? By combining Tolkien’s description with historical seasonal reckoning and modern crescent-visibility calculations, this article rebuilds the question from the ground up and arrives at a Dwarvish New Year of 13 October 2026. It also introduces the new interactive Dwarvish Calendar and tests the same reconstruction against Tolkien’s own 19 October date for the Quest of Erebor. Continue reading
The Fields Beneath The Mountain
Rethinking Dwarven Agriculture: A 2026 Revisit Many years ago, I asked a question Tolkien, quite understandably, never spent a great many pages answering: What did the Dwarves eat? Here we aren’t talking about the cakes the Dwarves scoffed when visiting … Continue reading
The Hidden Characteristics of Khuzdul
Tolkien gives us very little spoken Khuzdul, but Dwarvish speech in the Common Tongue may still preserve traces of its social habits. This article explores guarded speech, politeness, formal courtesy, mining and craft metaphors, language shift, and the ways Neo-Khuzdul develops these patterns further. Continue reading
Posted in Language, Uncategorized
Tagged diglossia, Durin's Folk, Dwarves, dwarvish, Dwarvish culture, Dwarvish language, Gimli, Khazad-dûm, khuzdul, language shift, Longbeards, moria, neo-khuzdul, politeness, Thorin Oakenshield, tolkien, Westron
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Possible Sources and Influences in Tolkien’s Khuzdul: A Comparative Etymological Review
Introduction This review examines the known and reconstructed words of Khuzdul one by one, looking for possible sources of inspiration behind Tolkien’s Dwarvish vocabulary. Each entry considers the form and meaning of a Khuzdul word and compares it, where a … Continue reading
The Extraordinary Longevity of Khuzdul
Linguistic Conservatism, Mobility and Institutionalisation Introduction One of the most remarkable statements Tolkien made about Khuzdul is not that the language changed very little, but how little it changed despite the immense distances and periods involved. The history of the … Continue reading
Posted in History, Language, Uncategorized
Tagged Dwarves, khuzdul, language evolution
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Scholarium Is Here: A New Home for Learning Neo-Khuzdul
Today, I am delighted to announce that Scholarium has officially opened its doors. For many years, the Neo-Khuzdul courses have existed through a growing collection of written lessons, grammar documents, vocabulary lists, recordings, exercises and other study materials. These resources … Continue reading
How Geology Shaped the Great Dwarven Mansions
When we think of Dwarven architecture in Tolkien’s legendarium, we often imagine vast halls, endless pillars, and cities carved deep beneath the mountains. Yet one crucial factor is often overlooked: the stone itself. Not all mountains are alike. And for … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Aglarond, Blue Mountains, Dwarves, Dwarvish Halls, Erebor, Geology, Grey Mountains, Iron HIlls, Khazad-dûm
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On the Governance of the Dwarven Clans
A study of Dwarven political structures in Tolkien’s legendarium General Note: While this study refers to the Seven Clans as a whole, the available material is overwhelmingly drawn from the history of Durin’s Folk. The Longbeards are by far the … Continue reading
Posted in History, Life & Death
Tagged durin, Dwarves, Erebor, khuzdul, line of durin, moria, neo-khuzdul
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Slow to Be Born, On Dwarven Reproduction
A Reconsideration of Dwarven Gestation Length It has been a long while since I last posted on this blog, as I have mainly been writing through Tumblr in recent years, often in the form of replies to questions rather than … Continue reading
SSG, let’s talk Dwarves!
Last week I had the distinct pleasure to talk with Standing Stone Games’ Jerry Snook (LoTRO Community Manager) and Chris Pierson (LoTRO Lead World Builder) to muse about dwarves in LOTRO (being The Dwarrow Scholar… what else, right?). After last … Continue reading
Posted in LoTRO
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