The Resurrection of Durin

Posted on June 25, 2013 by The Dwarrow Scholar

As my regular PC is in the shop, the neo-khuzdul translations I was working on grinded to a sudden halt.  Though I had made a backup of most of the documents I was working on, some of the files are just too enormous to run on my little old backup-PC.

Hence the idea of writing another article for the blog in the meanwhile slowly took form.  Asking around for suggestions I quickly received some superb ideas concerning things people always wanted to know about the dwarves, but never had seen answered.   I believe I have received enough excellent suggestions to create many new articles in the months to come.  So thank you all for that.

There were many ideas I wanted to start researching straight away, one of them jumped out just a bit more than the others, which is the topic I want to talk about now.

Mike. wrote: “I never understood how the whole resurrection of Durin worked.  Was Durin II son of Durin the Deathless? If he was, how could Durin the Deathless have been “reborn” in Durin II, if they at one point were both alive?  Also, Tolkien says that Durin the Deathless died at the end of the First Age, living longer than any other dwarf. Yet at the same time says that Durin’s line never failed, from father to son.  Surely Durin must have seen his children die and grandchildren die, perhaps even many generations.  How did he hold his line in check from not claiming the thrown during his reign?  Looking forward to your view on my questions DS”

Thank you so much for your excellent question Mike.

Let me start with your first question: “I never understood how the whole resurrection of Durin worked.  Was Durin II son of Durin the Deathless? If he was, how could Durin the Deathless have been “reborn” in Durin II, if they at one point were both alive?

For those that don’t know exactly what you are talking about, this refers to appendix A in the appendixes of Rotk

There he lived so long that he was known far and wide as Durin the Deathless. Yet, in the end he died before the Elder Days had passed, and his tomb was in Khazad-Dûm: but his line never failed and five times an heir was born in his House so like to his Forefather that he received the name of Durin. He was indeed held by the Dwarves to be the Deathless that returned, for they have many strange tales and beliefs concerning themselves and their fate in the world.

In this quote I believe we already find the answer to your first question. In my opinion Durin II could not have been the son of Durin the Deathless.   Apart from writing “Forefather”, Tolkien writes: “the Deathless that returned”.  If both were alive at the same time he could not have “returned” at the time of the birth of Durin II, as he was still alive.  Some have suggested the possibility that the soul of Durin the Deathless would have transferred to Durin II on the night of his death, but I cannot agree with that as I find it to be contradicting to the quote above.   Now, according to me this does give us a hint when Durin II would have been born.   “…an heir was born in his House so like to his Forefather that he received the name of Durin. He was indeed held by the Dwarves to be the Deathless that returned …” This means it is very likely that the dwarves would have known the previous Durin when the heir was born, to be able to judge this likeness.  It is possible off course that statues of the previous Durin existed.  Meaning that Durin II was likely born at the start of the Second Age, as we know Durin the Deathless died at the end of the First Age, so keeping their lifetimes within one generation of each other.

Tolkien strengthens the idea that Durin II was no son of Durin the Deathless in this quote from Last Writings (HoMe XII):

“For the Dwarves asserted that the spirits of the Seven Fathers of their races were from time to time reborn in their kindreds. This was notably the case in the race of the Longbeards whose ultimate forefather was called Durin, a name which was taken at intervals by one of his descendants, but by no others but those in a direct line of descent from Durin I… Of these Durin’s the Dwarves reported that they retained memory of their former lives as Kings, as real, and yet naturally as incomplete, as if they had been consecutive years of life in one person.
How this came to pass the Elves do not know; nor would the Dwarves tell them much more of the matter. But the Elves of Valinor knew of a strange tale of Dwarvish origins, which the Noldor brought to Middle-earth, and asserted that they had learned it from Aulë himself… The Dwarves add that at that time Aulë gained them also this privilege that distinguished them from Elves and Men: that the spirit of each of the Fathers should, at the end of the long span of life allotted to Dwarves, fall asleep, but then lie in a tomb of his own body, at rest, and their its weariness and any hurts that had befallen it should be amended. Then after long years he should arise and take up his kingship again.”

For some the last line “Then after long years he should arise and take up his kinship again.” Was seen as a sign that every Durin was in fact the very same dwarf.   I don’t entirely agree with that assumption.  As the “he” in “he should arise” refers to the spirit of the Father (in this case Durin).  Tolkien states clearly that he rests in a tomb of his own body.  So the body of Durin the Deathless did not arise to walk Arda again, yet his spirit did and found a new home in the body of his own offspring.   So not a resurrection, but a  reincarnation in fact.

It is interesting to notes that this isn’t something exclusive for the Longbeards, but this gift was given to all the seven fathers.

This does make me wonder one important thing though, how did the dwarves know without a doubt that the son of the current King was indeed the spirit Durin the Deathless reborn ?

“…an heir was born in his House so like to his Forefather that he received the name of Durin.”

“Of these Durins the Dwarves reported that they retained memory of their former lives as Kings, as real, and yet naturally as incomplete, as if they had been consecutive years of life in one person.”

This would indicate that the dwarves did not give their children* an outer name at birth (*or at least those of direct Royal line).  The likeness here could have be physical, but would obviously have been spiritual.  Tolkien stated that dwarves were born with beards, perhaps the beard of the new-born was like that of Durin the Deathless – though I doubt a new-born dwarf would have had a beard alike to that of an elder dwarf (yet, perhaps that was the likeness that gave it away).  But as it was the spirit that found a new home in the young dwarf, it would be logical that the dwarves would wait for some sign of the little one to indicate it was indeed Durin the Deathless reborn.

As the dwarves have both an outer and inner name (see previous articles on this), there would have been no pressure for the father of the young dwarf-prince to give his heir an outer name, as the child already had a name used by his family (his secret inner name).  In addition to the fact dwarven children are hidden from the outside world, as their parents are highly protective of them, the inner name would suffice for years.  Until the young heir was old enough to venture out of the Halls of his father would an outer name really be of any use.   Meaning that there was plenty of time for young dwarf prince to prove that Durin the Deathless had returned within him.  As the memories of Durin the Deathless would have been as real to the young dwarf as his own, this should not have proven too much difficulty to convince the dwarves that Durin was reborn.

 

Turning to the second part of Mike’s question:

“Also, Tolkien says that Durin the Deathless died at the end of the First Age, living longer than any other dwarf. Yet at the same time says that Durin’s line never failed, from father to son.  Surely Durin must have seen his children die and grandchildren die, perhaps even many generations.  How did he hold his line in check from not claiming the thrown during his reign?”

Most would think that Durin the Deathless would have seen many of his children and grandchildren die.

I don’t agree with that myself.  Though Tolkien mentions that no other dwarf lived longer than Durin the Deathless and that this gift of long life became less with every generation, being stronger though with those that were named Durin.  We must not forget a very important detail in this story, and that is that the Fathers (and their spouses) were laid to sleep for a very long time. During this time they obviously had no children, hence their first children were born long after they themselves were created.   So, did Durin see any of his offspring die before he himself passed away?

Well, we know that by the third age life-expectancy of the dwarves had been reduced to around 250.  Which is indeed true for the majority of the Kings mentioned in Tolkien’s overview of Durin’s Folk.  Durin the Deathless was created by Mahal many years before the awakening of the Elves.  So let’s say he was created in the year 900 of the Years of Trees.  And died at the end of the First Age, for the sake of our example here, let’s say in 567 F.A. This would fit with all of the known lore.  This would make Durin the Deathless 6316 Years old at his time of death (multiplying Valian years with 9,582).

Knowing that the children of the first generation were born after 1090 YoT (after the dwarves awake) and gently reducing the age expectancy with 3 to 9% every generation until we reach the end of the First age (when Durin the Deathless died) we notice that the next in line to be King would have been Durin’s eldest son, who himself would have likely reached the fine age of 5000 (deducted by the notion that age expectancy gradually reduced over time).   This means that Durin the Deathless would not have seen any of his children or grandchildren die.  Though his offspring was not as long lived as him, the fact that he slept for a very long time before he had children allowed him to see many generations be born and none of them die.

The children of Durin the Deathless would not have been that lucky unfortunately, as they would have seen many generations of their offspring die (as their offspring died earlier each generation).

It could be argued off course that as they were long-lived they likely had children at still an older age than dwarves in the 3rd age.  I don’t believe this would have been the case.  For three reasons:

* Tolkien mentions that the army of King Azaghâl in the Battle of Unnumbered Tears numbered 6.000 dwarves. Assuming that the majority of the male Broadbeam dwarves entered this battle, this gives us a clear view on dwarven population numbers of this period.   If it was the custom of the Kings of old to have children at an age far greater than one-hundred (which is about the dwarven custom), it would simply have been impossible to reach this number of 6.000.   To reach this number the dwarves of elder days would also have fathered many more children than was the custom by the third age. But more on that topic in a future article.

* In HoME XII a similar question is raised (How many Kings were there between Durin I and Durin IV?) and it seems Tolkien changed his mind a few times on the topic.  On a piece of paper he had first written “5”, which he later replace by “12”, and later still by “many”.  This is speculation, but perhaps it can be suggested that Tolkien also did the math and noticed that it would have taken many dozens of generations to given them the numbers he had in mind.

* When Mahal created the seven fathers they were already adult dwarves, ready to have children of their own. They slept for about 200 years of the Trees (about 1800 years in our reckoning), so for them to wait any longer still to have had children would not make any sense, nor would it make possible the dwarven numbers that are mentioned in later stories.

You also asked: “How did he hold his line in check from not claiming the thrown during his reign?”

Well, I don’t believe this would have been a problem that Durin the Deathless faced himself.  He was Mahal’s first dwarf and his son would have become the next King after all.  This problem would have arisen with his grandchildren and those that followed.  As they became old and eventually died, while the son of Durin was still alive.  After a few generations you might expect that sooner or later an heir was born that did not agree with the fact that he was not going to be King, due to the fact that his great-great-grand-daddy, the King, was still around.

I personally doubt that however, as the important thing here is that we should not compare the behaviors and succession customs of men with those of dwarves.   The succession of the Numenorean Kings saw such problems, as a result of their extended age they chose to have children at a later age (some having children still when they had passed the age of one-hundred).  This ensured they did not have too many living generations in their line, making their rule a more solid one as there were less contenders for the crown.  With the dwarves I cannot see this happen so easily as we must not forget that Mahal made the fathers (rulers of each house) and their line was practically a sacred institute. The Kings of men did not necessarily come in a straight line from the very first man that roamed the East, hence the line of the Kings of men could have been contested more easily as well.   With dwarves, challenging that “sacred institute”, would have been “not done”, as in a way it would have challenged the wisdom of Mahal himself.

I hope that answers your great question Mike, and it proves interesting reading for all.

Posted in Characters, History, Life & Death | Leave a comment

LoTRO: Grand Travelling Dwarrow Fayre (Laurelin)

Posted on April 18, 2013 by The Dwarrow Scholar

The combined Kinships of Durin’s Folk and Khuzd Belkul are hosting a Grand Travelling Dwarrow Fayre!

Starting in Frerin’s Court at 8pm (BST) on Wednesday 24 April, the Fayre will travel to Needlehole on 25th, Bywater on 1st May and finish in Bree on May 2nd. All dwarrow traders are invited to contact Hanfur to secure a stall. Entertainers of all races are also invited to perform.

Date: April 24th, 2013 – May 2nd, 2013
Time: 15.00-19.00 (ST)
Location: Frerin’s Court, Needlehole, Bywater and Bree

Event details:

The first Travelling Dwarrow Fayre is about to begin! Join the brothers and sisters of Durin’s Folk and Khuzd Belkul in their caravans as they traverse Ered Luin, The Shire and Breelands to bring the finest Dwarrow goods to the people of Middle Earth. All dwarrow traders are welcome to register with Hanfur, fayre organiser, to sell their wares.

Ale and vittles will be avaiable with the finest entertainment in Eriador. Do not miss this unique event! Stalls, Games, Music and dancing. Even if you’re not buying come along and enjoy true dwarrow hospitality.

Dates:
Wednesday 24 April at Frerin’s Court, begins 3PM (ST)
Thursday 25 April at Needlehole Trading post, begins 3PM (ST)
Wednesday 1 May at Bywater (Green Dragon), begins 3PM (ST)
Thursday 2 May at Bree (Stone quarter market place), begins 3PM (ST)

OOC details:

Anyone wishing to sell (dwarves only) or entertain (all races) contact Hanfur in game or at hanfur@me.com. Rogue traders will meet an untimely end.
Posted in Durin's Folk Kinship, Events, LoTRO | Leave a comment

“Who’s the Bride ?” – Dwarven Marriage

Posted on April 11, 2013 by The Dwarrow Scholar

Updated: August 4th 2015 (Added DS Neo-Khuzdul translations)

My thanks to Merrydew that gave me the idea to look into this topic almost a year ago.

—–

As we know Tolkien provides very little information with regard to the customs of the dwarves, compared to that of the elves it’s almost nonexistent. So when we want to delve into something like the topic of marriage, the procedures of a marriage, the methods of finding a spouse, the form of the wedding ceremony, and the nature of the marital relationship we are forced to think in terms of conjecture.  In other words, what do we think could be true (without breaking any of Tolkien’s lore).

So what do we know from Tolkien related to the marriage customs/relations of dwarves… our “core facts on the topic” are:

* Only 1 in 3 dwarves are female, and not all females choose to marry.

* Few dwarves wish to marry (some are more interested in their crafts than a spouse)

* When dwarves marry they marry for life, choosing only one partner in their life.

* Female dwarves are never forced against their will to marry.

* Dwarves marry late, seldom before they are ninety or more.

* When dwarven women marry they join their husband’s family.

* If female dwarves could not marry the dwarf of their choice they would have none.

With the above in mind, how do we proceed to expand what we already know ?  My way of working has been to look at Jewish customs (as Tolkien often used the Jewish people as a base for his dwarves).

It has been quite a study, of which the details can be found in this article.  For those of you who however wish to know the basics of the dwarven marriage, here is an extremely brief chronological summary:

  • The female dwarf would select her husband to be
  • The male dwarf would have the right to accept or deny
  • If he denies she will not marry any other for the rest of her life, If he accepts he will do so by offering her his “acquirement sum, which can be a contract (“zarb”), sum of money or sexual relations (or a combination of these).  The groom will usually visit the halls of the bride and give the acquirement sum to her, after which they will together make the zarb.
  • An acceptance by the bride means the couple enter the stage of betrothal, or “azlâf” (“sleep”).
  • During this period the male is required to make a home where the couple will live (an extension of his Halls).  While the female dwarf will make the clothing she will wear for the wedding.
  • Shortly before the father of the groom approves the new house of his son he will inform family and friends that the Halls of this son near completion, meaning that the guests should make their way to the halls of his son as the wedding is near.
  • When the father of the groom approves of the house his son has made he will allow this son to inform his bride that the betrothal will end soon and the marriage, or “abkân” (“awakening”) will take place (usually the week after).  A friend of the groom will blow a horn in the Halls of the bride informing all of the wedding and the wedding date.
  • The week before the wedding the groom enjoys a bachelor party (be it in a different form) and the bride receives gifts from her guests.
  • The family of the groom will prepare the Halls of the groom for the ceremony and the festivities. The family of the bride will prepare to leave their halls in safety to travels to the Halls of the groom.
  • On the day of abkân the family of the bride travels to the halls of the groom (a well-armed force to protect the bride on her first voyage)
  • When arriving at the halls of the groom they are met with great celebrations
  • The ceremony proceeds (explained in detail below)
  • There is a feast for seven days
  • The newlyweds go to their new home and have sex
  • The couple will start to save for the acquirement sum of their own offspring.

For those brave amongst you… or those that wish to know more about the above summary, read on and enjoy 🙂

Delving Deep, a prepared study.

The first thing I did however was not related to the Jewish community at all…  I tried to look at other cultures around the world (both present and historically) where the men outnumber the woman greatly, looking at the impact on marital relations and seeing if there is something that we could learn that would fit the dwarves.

Seeing that this article is already very long as it is, I have decided to spare you the study of skewed man/woman gender radios of China and Qatar, as frankly they did not provide any new insight.

Which leads us to our best possible source for more on the dwarven culture, one that Tolkien openly used… the Jewish culture.

The method of finding a spouse, the form of the wedding ceremony, and the nature of the marital relationship are all explained in the Talmud.

Obviously copy/pasting what we find here won’t do.  We need to find aspects of these customs that fit our core Tolkien facts established at the start of this article.

Reading all what I could find related to Jewish marriage customs in the Talmud has proven to be an education on its own, one I would recommend to all regardless of your own faith.   Though it must be said, I’m sure I only scratched the surface as it would take a life time to truly read all on the topic.

Now there are some things within the Judaic marriage customs that strongly oppose our established dwarven facts, these off course have not be included in our theory of the dwarven marriage customs.  Some examples of that would be polygyny (though never common in Judaism it was permitted), remaining unmarried (refraining from marriage is considered to be unnatural in Judaism) or divorce (allowed in Judaism).

 

DEVINE DESTINY

I long doubted about using something like the concept of “bashert”.  Those not familiar with the concept of “bashert”, according to the Talmud, Rav Yehuda taught that 40 days before a male child is conceived, a voice from heaven announces whose daughter he is going to marry (talk about a match made in heaven!) In Yiddish, this perfect match is called “bashert,” a word meaning fate or destiny, but it is usually used to refer to one’s soul mate. Seeing that most dwarves do not bother with marriage at all, “bashert” could not apply to them. As that would mean that for every dwarf male that would be born Mahal would assign a dwarf female that would later become his wife.  There would simply not be enough women to go around. Nor do I believe Tolkien meant for Aulë, “the great smith” to become “the great matchmaker”.

On the other hand Aulë did create 6 spouses for the dwarves, talk about a matchmaker… he not only coupled the dwarves, he literally created their wives for them.   So where would a concept like “bashert” fit in with the dwarves ?   Seeing that dwarven women would not marry against their will and their choice would be one for life, one could argue that their choice would be a divine one, similar to the one Mahal himself made when he made a wife for 6 of the dwarven fathers. Although “bashert” in its original meaning would not be applicable for the dwarves, it surely would seem logical that the dwarves would relate their marriages to the first ones made by Mahal himself, hence seeing the commitment as a divine choice.

How would the dwarf woman know she has indeed found her “divine choice”?  When in doubt she should perhaps hold off on marrying someone for fear that the person she would want to marry might not be her “bashert”, and there might be a better match out there for her ?

Well, this simply would not apply to the dwarven women to begin with. Tolkien tells us that when dwarven women make their choice and they could for whatever reason not marry that dwarf, they would not have another.  So, waiting for another is something that would not cross their mind.  They would be 100% sure of their choice. So, from the moment she believes she has found her dwarf, that would be it, that would be her “bashert”.

 

Acquiring a Spouse

Firstly, in all cases, the Talmud specifies that a woman can be acquired (i.e to be a wife) only with her consent, and not without it. Kiddushin 2a-b.   I believe Tolkien clearly got his inspiration from this when he said the dwarven women could not be forced to marry.

Mishnah Kiddushin 1:1 specifies that a woman is acquired (i.e., to be a wife) in three ways: through money, a contract, and sexual intercourse. Ordinarily, all three of these conditions are satisfied, although only one is necessary to effect a binding marriage.

Now how would this translate to the dwarves?  It is important to remember that “acquiring” a wife does not mean that you buy the woman, who would become a piece of property.  In fact, as we have established, the woman is in fact the one that decides if she will take a man, the man can only accept or deny – when he denies he in fact “condemns” the woman into a state of unaccepted love for the rest of her life (as she will not have another).   So, “acquiring” a wife is in fact a symbolic demonstration of the husband who accepts his future wife.

Which can be done through money, sexual intercourse or a contract (or a combination of these).

Knowing the love of dwarves for gold and a good contract (referring to Bilbo’s burglar contract). It would seem very logical that the acquiring would solely be done through an extensive contract and a decent sum of money, gold or gems. Some might believe that, considering Tolkien’s catholic belief that sex is the product of a healthy marriage, it would seem unlikely that Tolkien would have thought of sexual intercourse as being a fulfillment to enter into marriage.   Well, nothing could be further from the truth, in Morgoth’s Ring by Tolkien (Laws and Customs of the Eldar) we see that for the Elves sex is marriage (more on this on: http://www.realelvish.net/an_elven_wedding.php).   Similar to the Elves, when two dwarves would have sex, it would mean the dwarf male would have acquired his wife for marriage and by doing so would enter into an automatic state of betrothal (more on that later).   Unlike the Elves though they would not be married yet.

In case the wife is acquired by a sum of money, why would it need to be a “decent” sum of money, and not a mere copper coin ? In Judaism the amount of money involved is nominal (according to the Mishnah, a perutah, a copper coin of the lowest denomination, was sufficient). So why state a large sum of money would be appropriate ? Well, because these are dwarves, and they value gold and other treasures from the earth above most things in life.  Which means that the acquirement by one copper coin would be seen by the dwarven woman as an insult. As the sum of the acquirement would be an indication of how the husband views his future wife.

Seeing that a dwarven father would not wish to have his family shamed when his son would marry (in case the acquirement sum would be viewed by the bride as an insult), it would be a custom for dwarven families to set aside gold, gems and coins for the marriage of their son, often from the moment that the newlyweds move into their new home before any child is born.  Seeing however that only 1 in 4 male dwarves marry, a family would usually set aside one of these acquirement sums.

Tolkien writes that dwarven women were fiercely protected by the male dwarves and seldom left their halls.  Which means that their fathers would have protected them within his halls as long as they were unmarried.  When a male dwarf would offer the acquirement some, this would be accepted by the female dwarf, who at that time would still live in the halls of her father. Her property would in effect than also belong to her father.  Meaning that the acquirement sum would in fact be a payment made by the daughter to her father for shielding her during her youth. She would off course not be “obliged”, in the strict sense of the word, to offer the entire acquirement sum to her father, but on the other hand, whatever sum she would take with her to the halls of her husband would be a public insult to her own father.

To satisfy the requirements of acquisition by wealth, the sum of acquisition must belong to the groom. It cannot be borrowed, although it can be a gift from a relative (in most cases the parents of the groom). It must be given to the wife irrevocably. In addition, the value must be known to the wife, so that there can be no claim that the husband deceived her into marrying by misleading her as to its value.

The wife keeps (from the moment it has been signed by both parties) the marriage contract, in Khuzdul the “zarb” (from roots ZRB – as in mazarbul – “that which is written” / in Judaic custom the “Ketubah”, meaning “writing”). The “zarb” spells out the husband’s obligations to the wife during marriage, conditions of inheritance upon his death, and obligations regarding the support of children of the marriage. There are standard conditions; however, additional conditions can be included by mutual agreement. Marriage agreements of this sort were commonplace in the ancient Semitic world and considering the fondness of dwarves for a good contract, I can imagine these would have been at least as extensive as Bilbo’s contract.

Although the zarb has much in common with prenuptial agreements, it should not be compared to it. As prenuptial agreements automatically suggest the events in case of divorce.  The zarb has nothing to do with divorce as it is a concept unfamiliar to dwarves.  Its purpose is to declare to the Halls of both bride and groom in what manner the couple will care for each other till death (a more symbolic part of the contract) and ensure their offspring will gain the riches which they are entitled too (in effect an insurance of wealth).

The zarb would have been written in Khuzdul, the language taught to the dwarves by Mahal.  Seeing that khuzdul is considered a secretive language of the dwarves it would not be framed or displayed in the home (unlike the Judaic custom) but would be guarded as a treasure and heirloom of the family until the conditions of the zarb were fulfilled (in most cases after the settling of the child(ren)’s inheritance after the death of the both parents), which meant the “zarb” would be a well-guarded contract of tremendous worth for usually over 160 years.

The Process of Marriage 

Bethrohal (sleep – azlâf)

In Judaism, the process of marriage occurs in two distinct stages: kiddushin (commonly translated as betrothal) and nisuin (full-fledged marriage). Kiddushin occurs when the woman accepts the money, contract or sexual relations offered by the prospective husband. The word “kiddushin” means “sanctified”, it reflects the sanctity of the marital relation, however also connotes something that has been set aside for a sacred purpose.  In short, the woman has been set aside to be the wife of the particular man and no other.

This stage of betrothal is far more binding than any engagement as we understand the term in modern English; in fact, Rambam speaks of a period of engagement before the kiddushin. Once kiddushin is complete, the woman is legally the wife of the man. The relationship created by kiddushin can only be dissolved by death or divorce. However, the spouses do not live together at the time of the kiddushin, and the mutual obligations created by the marital relationship do not take effect until the nisuin is complete.

Translating this to the dwarves would seem rather straightforward, without breaking any of our core facts.  The two stages would be the “azlâf” (the sleep – referring to the betrothal) and the “abkân” (the awakening – referring to the full-fledged marriage). These terms refer to the times where the fathers of the dwarves slept together with their spouses (safe Durin) and awaited the moment of awakening so they could live the remainder of their lives together.

In Judaism the second stage is the “nisuin” (meaning “elevation”) which completes the process of marriage. The husband brings the wife into his home and they begin their married life together. In ancient times these two ceremonies would routinely occur as much as a year apart (today however these are performed together). Between these two ceremonies the husband would prepare a home for the family.

When translating this to the world of the dwarves, this however might not be as straight forward as it looks.  We should not forget that the dwarven women were considered to be true treasures of the Halls and they were guarded fiercely.  This meant that the father would not let his daughter from his sight when moving beyond his own halls until the time that “abkân” was completed, and his daughter would be entrusted in the keeping of her new husband.  In practice this would mean that when “azlâf” was accepted by the groom he would bring his bride her acquiring sum, in the halls of her father.  This would be a solemn (and very public) moment as the dwarves of the Halls of her father would judge the sum carefully. The groom would then return to his own halls and prepare them for his wife to be. In the meanwhile, while azlâf continued, the bride would guard her acquiring sum, while her father would guard her. During “azlâf”, the bride would naturally remain in the halls of her father.

The Marriage (“awakening” – “abkân”)

Dwarves have a betrothal, that usually lasts about a year, followed by a wedding. The actual wedding ceremony would only take place when the father of the groom believes his son has done the required preparations for the new home of the couple. Meaning that when the father of the groom would give the “go” and with that approves the home he has prepared for his bride, the groom would see to announce the marriage in the halls of the bride (similar to ancient Hebrew customs).

This means that dwarves can never know in advance the exact date of the wedding, in fact the bride would not even know. When the new home is as-good-as-finished however the father of the groom would send out letters to both his own family and that of the bride.  The letter would serve as an early warning that the wedding would happen soon, stating: “The Halls of my son near completion”, basically meaning: “start your travel to the halls of the groom* as the wedding is about to happen soon”.  When the father of the groom finally approves the home his son has delved for his wife, he would call his son to him and give his blessing.  The groom would than appoint a herald (usually a close friend of his) to travel to the halls of the bride carrying a horn.  Once arrived at the halls of the bride the herald would sound the horn and announce “The groom of …. cometh”. Which for the bride would be like winning the lottery after having waited for a year or so. In all fairness this time would have been used by the bride to fashion her own wedding clothing.  The herald would also announce the date of the actual wedding.  Unless the bride and groom would live more than a week of walking away from each other this would usually be the next week.

*Note that the closest relations of the bride will in fact leave with her and her father from their halls.

The period between the proclaiming of the marriage date and the actual wedding ceremony the couple do not see each other (this refers to the same period in Judaism).  In this period the family of the groom would welcome the arriving guests.  During this period the bride and groom are treated as Queen and King and are to refrain from any laborious activity.  For the groom this usually means a lengthy feast (from dawn till dusk). While for the bride this means she receives gifts from all who visit her.

When the day of “abkân” finally came the father of the bride would lead a hoste of dwarves from his halls.  The larger the hoste the better, as this would ensure greater safety for the bride (who in most cases would venture out her halls for the first time).  We must consider that at this time the acquiring sum also would normally remain in the Halls of the father of the bride. At the same time, in the Halls of the groom, a large hoste of the groom’s kin would make prepare “the welcoming”.  “Admâ” in khuzdul, is a welcoming feast that calls in the end of the “azlâf” and the start of the “abkân”.  When the hoste of the bride and her father would arrive in the halls of the groom the “zarb” would first be read aloud.  This would normally be done by the father of the bride, as the “zarb” is kept with the bride during the “azlâf” (reason for this is that in case the bride would die during azlâf the father of the bride would burn the zarb and dissolve the marriage, while in case the groom would die the bride would burn the zarb herself and live the rest of her life unmarried).

Though the dwarves honour Mahal as their creator and Eru as the father of all and giver of life they do not worship either in what could be called an organized religion, hence there are no religious officials of any kind involved in the marriage.  The name of Mahal and Eru are spoken in the ceremony, reminding all of the beginnings of the dwarves, their first marriages and the seed of their life (referring to the offspring that will grow from the marriage).

Which brings us to the next part…

A Typical Wedding Ceremony

Before the hoste of the father of the bride leaves his halls on the day of abkân, as part of a well-armed (merely to ensure the protection of the bride) family, the entire party is outfitted with masked helms and simple robes (above their wedding attire), so no distinction can be made between the bride and the rest of the party.  The belief here is that in case the party is attacked the bride would not be singled out and would stand a better chance of surviving.   Even when the abkân takes place within the same mountain Halls, the tradition stands.  It is not uncommon that dwarves with small families would pay a large company of dwarves to guard the party of the father of the bride, after all the protection of the bride when on route to her groom is the prime importance.

Dwarven weddings must take place within a mountain or hill, symbolic of their new dwelling together and the husband’s bringing the wife into his new home. (This obviously refers to the Judaic custom of the “chuppah”).

When the party of the father arrives at the Halls of the groom, there are exuberant celebrations and the family of the groom offer gifts to the members of the fathers party.  This is in gratitude for safely delivering the bride to what will be her new home. It is common that the amount and type of gifts would have been decided in the zarb, at the start of azlâf, 1 year prior to the day of abkân.

When the entire party of the father has safely entered the Halls of the groom the mask-helms and simple robes are removed.  This reveals to all for the first time the attire of the bride and her party. The wedding attire of both bride and groom are a symbol of the history and wealth of their halls, a showcase of power of both families. It is custom for both bride and groom to decorate their beards with jewels and gold, in addition to wearing robes of gold and silver color, again to emphasize the wealth of the families.  As marriages are few and far between it is not uncommon for the bride to wear the robe of her mother (the time of azlâf can be used to either make a new wedding-robe or enrich the one of her mother).  Note, that dwarves do not wear a wedding dress, but a formal robe (referring to Tolkien’s statement that dwarven females dress as males), which is often encrusted with a variety of jewels.  Though the wedding robe of the groom can be tailor-made, that of the bride cannot, as she must use the time of “azlâf” to fashion her own attire.  It is not unheard of that other members of the family of the bride assist her in this.

When the bride reveals her robe, her father will start the actual ceremony by holding up a hammer in the air. At this sign the two families will form a large circle around the bride and groom.  This symbolizes the staying of Mahal’s hammer by the grace of Eru and signifies that both families will shield the couple from harm. When the circle is formed the father of the bride lowers the hammer and enters the circle, after which he reads aloud the zarb.  The reading of the zarb can take a tremendous amount of time, as dwarven contract can be quite extensive. Though none of the guests would utter any sound while the father of the bride reads the zarb aloud, as this would be a sign of disrespect, protesting to what both groom and bride have agreed to.

After the reading of the zarb, the bride and groom – who have been on opposite sides of the circle approach each other, followed by the groom that circles the bride (indicating he will guard her in his halls).  The circling of the bride is a joyous event, met with cheers from both families.

When the cheers fade (which can take several minutes, as one family does not wish to appear less overjoyed than the other) the father of the bride will ask the groom if he accepts his daughter in his halls.  The groom would than kneel to the father of the bride as a sign of acceptance, respect and appreciation of the protection the father has given his bride.

The final part of the ceremony then proceeds.  The bride and groom will stand facing each and hold each other’s hands and will recite seven blessings (again another Judaic reference, this time to “sheva brakhos”).  The Seven Dwarven blessings are (note, I’ll see to update this article soon with the Khuzdul translation of these):

  • Mamahdûn Mahal ku’ muha sullu khama akrâzu Sulladad. ((Blessed are you Mahal who has created everything for the glory of Eru.))
  • Mamahdûn Mahal ku’ muha kâmin, abbad ra hanâd. ((Blessed are you Mahal who fashioned the earth, the mountains and the hills.))
  • Mamahdûn Mahal ku’ muha îbin ra ritîh ni kurdû id-abad. ((Blessed are you Mahal who fashioned the gems and metals in the heart of the mountain.))
  • Mamahdûn Mahal ku’ muha khazâd ra barraf haded. ((Blessed are you Mahal who fashioned the dwarves and the seven houses.))
  • Mamahdûn Mahal ku’ gashara khazâd atrâb d’amzur îbin ra ritîh ni kurdû id-abad. ((Blessed are you Mahal who taught the dwarves the skill to work the gems and metals in the heart of the mountain.))
  • Mamahdûn Mahal ku’ mahgayada dûmmâ tur naddanhu. ((Blessed are you Mahal who gladdens our Halls through his children.))
  • Mamahdûn Mahal ku’ mahgayada mayasthûn ra mayasthûna. ((Blessed are you Mahal who gladdens groom and bride.))

These blessings are said by both bride and groom.  The groom would start and the bride would repeat.

The ceremony continues by the groom reciting his vow to the bride:

Ni dûmê zasamkhihiya zahar, ni kurduzi zâmkhihi azhâr. ((In my Halls you will find a house, in your heart I will find a home.))

The bride than replies:

Ni dûmzu zâmkhihi zahar, ni kurdumê zasamkhihi azhâr. ((In your Halls I will find a house, in my heart you will find a home.))

With this vow the groom proclaims to all that the bride is now his wife and she belongs to his clan. Though it is not stated as a question he in fact asks her to be part of his house and love him.  By the fact that the bride replies in this manner she accepts his proclaiming and vows to love him.  This does not mean the groom does not proclaim his own love, in fact the delving of their new home is considered  the proof of the love of the groom for his bride.

This would follow with the giving of the rings.  The groom would hand the bride a golden ring which had markings of his clan on it, while the bride would hand the groom a plain golden ring.  This symbolizes again that the bride is now part of the clan of her husband.

The father of the groom would now hand both the bride and groom the “marriage-ale”, a frothy pint of malt.  Once it has been drunk it concludes the ceremonial part of the marriage, met with great cheers and well wishes.

As is to be expected it, a marriage is followed by a festive meal.  The festive meal is followed by a repetition of the Seven Blessings.  After this the festivities are not over, on the contrary, the dwarves rejoice with seven full days of food, music, dance and celebration – (Referring to the ancient Judaic custom in Jn. 14:10-12).

After the festivities of seven days the husband brings his bride to their new home to live together as husband and wife. At this point it is expected for the newlyweds to have sex which completed the marriage.  As most dwarves marry late (usually after the age of 90) this explains why we notice why the first children of dwarves are usually born when their parents are close to 100 (see Fili and his mother Dís who was 99).

Would there be any music during the ceremony ?  Though exuberant music and dancing would traditionally accompany the welcoming before the ceremony and the festive meal after the ceremony, the actual ceremony would have no music at all. As this would be very disrespectful and could be seen as an actual sign of protest.

 

Prohibited Marriages  

Only dwarves considered to be adult would be able to marry, which in most cases would make the minimum age for marriage for Dwarves 65, for both males and females.  However the azlâf can take place before that.  Most dwarves (if they would indeed marry, which is the minority still) would wait well past the age of 65. Usually beyond the age of ninety (“Dwarves marry late, seldom before they are ninety or more”).

As mentioned earlier, divorce between Dwarves is not an option. Even when one of the partners dies the marriage is still considered very much alive. Meaning that divorce or marrying a second time is simply not considered. Only until both dwarves would have died and the terms of the zarb would have been fulfilled would the marriage be considered ended, though some would argue that this would only end the marriage on Arda as even then the couple would be in the Halls of Waiting together as husband and wife.

Dwarves cannot marry those who:

  • Are not dwarves
  • Are not of adult age
  • Are a married dwarf
  • Are a widowed dwarf (as they are still considered married even though their partner has died).
  • Are relatives (marriages within the same clan are allowed though are prohibited within four degrees of consanguinity)

Dwarves MUST marry those who:

  • They have sexual relations with.  As noted earlier, having sex would in fact mean they entered “azlâf” (betrothal) which cannot be undone (unless one of the partners would die before the “abkân” (actual marriage ceremony) would take place.

 

Matchmakers

As dwarven women stay within the Halls of their father before they get married it obviously might not be ideal for them to find the partner of their dreams.  Hence the dwarven female that had a wish to indeed marry would hire a marriage broker or matchmaker (referring to the Judaic custom – “the shadkhan”) that would for her travel to other halls and make arrangements for her to meet other dwarves who she could potentially marry. These meetings would take place within the Halls of her father. Note however that custom would be rarely used.

Posted in Life & Death, Marriage, Women | Tagged , | 52 Comments

The Dwarrow Slacker ?

Posted on March 20, 2013 by The Dwarrow Scholar

I’ve been getting a few emails lately by friendly folks asking if I’ve fallen asleep, or worse yet, perhaps had given up on the project to update all neo-khuzdul documents.

Firstly, my thanks to all that have taken their time to send me emails and requests, I much appreciate it.

To answer the question though.  Work and family life have kept me busy of late, though that’s no excuse.  In fact there isn’t anything to excuse for, as I’ve used every spare bit of my time to update and create documentation I hope all will be able to enjoy.

The main culprit has been my completely mad idea to not only redo most of the documentation (and on quite a few parts start anew) but to add to the current documentation AND my recent decision to redo all the neo-khuzdul videos (I just couldn’t leave these as was while the rest was updated).

So, in short… no Dwarrow Slacker here 🙂

I must admit though that I have been close to giving up at times (as the task is massive), but the kind comments of so many people have kept me going.  Thank you again for that all!

So when will this project be finished you say ?

As soon as I’m done and satisfied with the result you can be sure to find the material in your mailboxes.  Might take another month, but hope to get it done sooner.

Thanks for the patience.

 

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Salo shares more insight on his Khuzdul.

Posted on February 18, 2013 by The Dwarrow Scholar

Greetings friends,

I wanted to give a heads-up to all that I’m nearly done with the updating of the neo-khuzdul documents (and should send them as soon as I can).  I’m merely waiting for some confirmation from David Salo (Linguist who made the neo-khuzdul for The Hobbit movies) on some questions I still had related to his work.

It must be said that I’ve been plaguing David Salo for months now, asking question after question, trying to get the neo-khuzdul on this blog in line with the ideas he had invented, even before the release of The Hobbit movie.  My apologies David 😉

This morning David informed me of a blog he has created where he will be posting more information for all to view… some extracts from the email:

….. I wanted to let you know that your questions (among others) got me to start a blog where I can talk about my version of Khuzdul and similar issues. I’m inviting you to follow it. It’s called Midgardsmal, and it’s located at the URL midgardsmal.com.  It’ll probably start a little slowly, and generally, because I’m addressing a lot of people who don’t have your background or special interests — but it will eventually get into core details about the language…..

So, exciting news…  what are you waiting for friends, have a look!  www.midgardsmal.com

Posted in Language | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Traditional Dwarven Map of Middle-Earth

Posted on January 20, 2013 by The Dwarrow Scholar

This has been a work in progress for some time now… in between other items whenever I had a moment to spare.

This might be a bit odd to look at, at first, but as is traditional among the Dwarves, the map is drawn with East at the top.

Meaning that the mountains, trees and rivers have been hand-drawn by myself, so apologies for that, as I’m anything but an artist.

Enjoy.

MiddleEarthDwarfMapv2

 

Posted in Maps | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Zai dashunizu! (At your service!) – 2013 Updates

Posted on January 10, 2013 by The Dwarrow Scholar

For those that might think I have forgotten about the affairs of the dwarves, fear not!

In fact, you could not be further from the truth! 🙂

As in the last weeks and months I’ve been tremendously busy updating all the neo-khuzdul documents (with brand new “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” material).

In addition The Hobbit movie has really kept me busy as I’ve received a ton of emails from friendly and eager enthusiast wanting to pick up the language of our dwarrow friends.

To all of you that have sent me emails… thank you so much.  And yes, I’ll soon publish all the new documents and you’ll get them in your mailbox in a neat little package – a grand thanks to David Salo (linguist on “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”), consider it a late Christmas gift 😉

® & ™ 2012 Warner Bros, Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

® & ™ 2012 Warner Bros, Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

– for those Khuzdul enthusiasts that haven’t yet “signed up”, no worries… just drop a reply on this post and I’ll add you to the list.

Finally, there is more from The Dwarrow Scholar still to come in the weeks and months ahead… including a massive project that will surely please all dwarven fanatics! (stay tuned!)

Now, for those that have a hard time waiting for all of this juicy content, I would like to point you in the direction of the monthly Khuzdul lessons I provide via LotRO (Laurelin Server), for dwarves only (obviously 😉  )

This week’s Khuzdul lesson will provide a new twist on our monthly lessons.

For the first time, we are going beyond our class room and will see to use Khuzdul while exploring the world around us.

It goes without saying that we must only use the ancient tongue of the seven fathers when dwarves are around, hence our exploration will focus on the dwarrow lands of Ered Luin.

Not only will we practice our Khuzdul, in addition we will learn new words, numbers and verbs by playing games while we explore the grand lands of the Blue Mountains.

All dwarves, of all kinships, are welcomed at the Gates of Thorin’s Hall, at 3 past the noon ((3PM LotRO Server time – 8PM UK Time – 9PM Central European Time)) on Friday 11th of January.

Those not on Laurelin, merely create yourself a dwarven character on the server and you’ll be most welcome.  In game questions can be directed to “Kandral”  –  See you there!

May your beard continue to grow longer!

Posted in Durin's Folk Kinship, General Updates | Tagged , , , , , , | 101 Comments

Dwarven Astronomy

Posted on October 26, 2012 by The Dwarrow Scholar

With Durin’s day recently, I had the idea to make an article on astronomy from a dwarven viewpoint, hence this post… .

It turned out to take quite a bit longer to research that I had though initially, which is always good news I find as it proves some or most of my ideas on the matter were in need of some finetuning.

Firstly, what did I set out to do ? To gather all mentions of constellations, stars, planets related to the dwarves and provide a happy-meal-sized post for all to (hopefully) easily digest.

So, what do we know about dwarven astronomy ?

We know that Durin’s Day, like the rest of the dwarven calendar was based on the moon cycle.  More can be found on that in previous articles on the matter on this blog.

Now, as for stars, there is “Durin’s Crown” , the constellation Durin saw when he was first at Kheled-zâram (Mirrormere).  As written in “Song of Durin”:  “He stooped and looked in Mirrormere, and saw a crown of stars appear”.   It also formed the symbol of Durin, as seen on the doors of Khazad-dûm. Many believe that the seven stars that make up the Big Dipper (Sickle of the Valar) are those stars.

Seven Stars

The Sickle of the Valar in LotRO

So did I at first… but I believe I’ll have to disagree on that now.  First reason for that is that if we look at the 7 stars on the symbol of Durin’s crown, they are arragened in a specific order, 1 high in the middle, 3  on each side slightly lower.

Some believe “Durin’s Crown” is what is known as “The Netted Stars” in middle earth. A tiny group of seven stars, that in our modern age are known as Pleiades, which in fact is a part of Taurus.

I can’t agree with that myself, merely because these would have been too tiny to make up any crown, in addition to the fact that they do no look like a crown.

After looking at all the constellations and star groupings I could only find one constellation that comes close to a crown… which is the Northern Crown.

Northern Crown (Corona Borealis)

Not only does it look like a crown, the name itself says it, which Tolkien would have known without a doubt.  If you look at the symbol on the doors of Moria, you can see a closer resemblance than the Big Dipper, which in my view is no crown at all.

In the Northern hemisphere, the Northern Crown can only be seen in summer time, which makes sense if you listen the “Song of Durin” where it says: “he drank from yet untasted wells”, which perhaps might prove difficult in winter time when wells can freeze over.

This is also the reason that we won’t find the Northern Crown in LotRO, as the stars in LotRO resemble those of the fall/winter skies, when Sam and Frodo departed on their quest.

Normally, the Northern Crown would appear upside down in the summer sky, however as a reflection in the water, it would “fit like a crown”.  Hence my vote goes to the Northern Crown.

Apart from Durin’s Crown and the Moon phases (calendar) no other stars or bodies are mentioned in direct relation to the dwarves.  Likely related to the fact that few of them saw many stars in the mines of the deep. Though obviously dwarven scholars must have used lunar tablets to calculate the passing of the months and years. Unlike with the elves or men it is likely that few other stars were of great importance to the dwarves however. The morning and evening star (Venus- Star of Eärendil) for instance, important to many middle earth cultures, has little meaning to the Dwarves.

 

 

 

 

Posted in Calendar & Festivals | Tagged | 7 Comments

Happy New Year… on October 15th!?!

Posted on October 13, 2012 by The Dwarrow Scholar

If you think October 15th is all about the launch of Riders of Rohan… think again… as it is also the Dwarven New Year or “Durin’s Day” !

The first day of the Dwarven year is calculated according to the last new moon of autumn.  This places Durin’s Day, anytime between about Oct. 7 and Nov. 6, on the last day before the astronomical new moon, as the moon sets just before the sun.  This year Durin’s Day falls on Monday October 15th.

You have to hand it to Turbine, what timing !

Though, not every single Dwarven new year is a “Durin’s Day”, as Thorin mentioned:

“We still call it Durin’s Day when the last moon of Autumn and the sun are in the sky together.”

Only a Dwarven New Year where this occurs would technically be called a “Durin’s Day”.

So, is this one a Durin’s Day ?

Well, we can usually see the Moon during the day if it is close in direction to the Sun. But on days with excessive glare or cloudiness, the Moon may not be visible, especially just before and after a new Moon.

So, we can see the Moon during the daytime when the Sun and Moon are relatively close in direction, but not too close either! (When they are aligned too closely, we can not see the Moon because the Sun is directly behind it and can not light up the side of the Moon facing us.)

Meaning that we’ll have to look to the skies on October 15th… while on our journeys in Middle Earth and see if we can spot the moon while the sun is out.

Will it be (just) another Dwarven New Year on the 15th… or a “Durin’s Day” ?

Durin’s Day – Sun and Moon

If you see the moon and sun in the sky at the same time (in real life or Middle Earth for that matter), make sure to make a picture/screenshot of it and feel free to leave a post!

To celebrate the dwarven new year, the Durin’s Folk band, “The Rolling Kegs” will be giving a new years eve concert at the kinhall ((Laurelin – Thorin’s Hall Homesteads – Ulfhirth, 2 Highspires Street)) on sunday 14th of October, right after the kinmeeting (usual 3PM).  Though the kinmeeting itself is for kinmembers only, all friends and allied people are welcomed at the new years eve concert.

Hope all can make it brothers and sisters, see you there!

And don’t forget to look at the skies on the 15th!

Posted in Calendar & Festivals | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Khuzdul Common Sayings

Posted on October 8, 2012 by The Dwarrow Scholar

One of the outstanding items I had on my todo list was to complete the list of common sayings…

anything from “How are you”, “Thank you”… to even wise dwarven saying such as “Rejoice not when an elf falls – but don’t rush to pick him up either.”

Enjoy!

HERE

Posted in Language | 2 Comments