Durins Folk – Appendix A III of the Lord of the Rings
Durin was the eldest of the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves, and in the deeps of time he founded Khazad-dum beneath the Misty Mountains. After the end of the First Age the might of Khazad-dum waxed greatly when it’s people was swelled with refugees from Nogrod and Belegost after the drowning of Beleriand. Behind shut doors the city endured through Saurons dominion of Middle Earth, and was named Moria – the black pit – by the Elves of Eregion. In the middle of the Third Age however, evil things were again stirring in the world, and in Moria the Dwarves delved ever deeper in their search for Mithril. Under the foundations of Barazinbar they at last delved too deep and released the terror that would drive them out of the halls of Durin.
For the rest of the Third Age, Durins Folk lived in exile. A great many went to Erebor, the Lonely Mountain. Until in time the rumour of it’s wealth reached Smaug the Golden, greatest Dragon of the Age, and he descended upon Erebor and chased the Dwarves away. King Thror gave the last of the Seven Rings to his son Thrain, and went to Moria where he was slain by Orcs. The murder enraged the people of Durin who gathered from far and near and waged pitiless war on the Orcs. In the final battle of Azanulbizar the dwarves had the victory, but at a great cost, and they were unwilling to follow Train on a re-conquest of Moria.
Now Thrain, Thorin and their folk made a home of exile in the Ered Luin, but Thrain grew restless and soon departed. He was hunted by the emissaries of Sauron and at last captured and brought to Dol Guldur, where the Ring was taken from him. Now Thorin was the heir of the House of Durin. An heir without hope it seemed, brooding in his dwelling on the wrongs of his House, but one day his fortunes would change when he met Gandalf on the road. A chance meeting as they say in Middle Earth.
Did the Dwarves waken the Balrog or did they just release it? What part did greed play in the downfall of the House of Durin, and how did the last of the Seven Rings affect their fate? Dwarves are considered strange and solitary, and yet they made great communities with Elves and Men in Eregion and Dale. Could it be that they, in fact, more than the other races saw the benefits of dealing with others?
What were their motivations? What places were special to them and why? Where did they come from? What set them apart from Elves and Men and hobbits? Join us in #thehalloffire as we take a look at this strange people and the great impact they made in Middle Earth.
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November 29-30: The Scouring of the Shire – Chapter VIII of the Return of
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