Dwarven Culture (Further Reading)

[shastastwin]

(Warning: This thread will contain spoilers for both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings)

Are you curious about Dwarven culture and history? Do you want to know more about Thorin’s family and his quest for the treasure of the Lonely Mountain? Well, a good place to start would be Appendix A of The Lord of the Rings, found at the end of The Return of the King. In the third section, titled “Durin’s Folk,” you will find a brief history of the Dwarves of Middle-earth, and specifically to do with Thror and Thrain, Thorin’s grandfather and father, and with Thorin Oakenshield himself. This is where we discover some of what occurred just before The Hobbit begins, particularly conversations between Gandalf and Thorin. For more about those meetings, see the thread here.

If you want to take a closer look at the chronology of events leading up to The Hobbit, check out Appendix B of The Lord of the Rings, in which Tolkien recorded a rough timeline of the history of Middle-earth. You’ll want to look at the section on the Third Age, beginning about Year 1999 and ending Year 2941. (Note: Some of these sections in both Appendices will contain spoilers for both TH and LotR. If you are new to the material, read carefully. )

This thread is open for you to discuss Dwarven culture in all its aspects. What fascinates you about the Dwarves? What do you wish you knew about them? How do you expect the filmmakers will express or display Dwarven culture in the films? What do you hope will be shown in the films and (maybe) what do you hope will be left out?

[Pattertwigs Pal]

Note: answer were written before I saw the Hobbit movie.
What fascinates you about the Dwarves?
It is very interesting that there are so few female dwarves and that so few dwarves marry. Also, it is interesting that magic rings had little power over them - just increased their greed. They could not be reduced to shadows enslaved to another will. They were made to resit domination.

What do you wish you knew about them? A little more about the members of Thorin's company that weren't of Durrin's line (Bifur, Bofur, Bombur).

How do you expect the filmmakers will express or display Dwarven culture in the films? They will use their clothing and weapons for one if they follow the pattern they used in LotR. I assume they will also use dialog and actions. I fear they will be making up "gaps" from their own imagination.

What do you hope will be shown in the films and (maybe) what do you hope will be left out? I want to see Gandalf's meeting with Thorin. Otherwise, I want details from the Hobbit first and then information from the appendices.

[Ithilwen]

What fascinates you about the Dwarves?

I like that, even though they are very rude and gruff, there is a deep beauty to their culture. Songs, stories, treasure, runes, things they keep secret from other races. It shows there is much more to them than meets the eye.

What do you wish you knew about them?

I'd love to hear that age old question answered as to whether or not the women actually have beards. Finding out more about their language would also be interesting.

How do you expect the filmmakers will express or display Dwarven culture in the films?

Probably much like they did in the LOTR films. Although, once they reach the mountain, there will be a lot more opportunity to go into their culture in depth. I hope they take that opportunity.

What do you hope will be shown in the films and (maybe) what do you hope will be left out?

I suppose I'm especially interested in how they design the halls inside the mountain. I'd really like to see more of that, even if it's just by torchlight.


~Riella