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Where do Dwarves come from?
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Күн бұрынExplore the best of fantasy and sci-fi in depth, with analysis of the worlds of Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, The Witcher and more.
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@nikosmanarolis9962 3 ай бұрын
The fact that Galadriel chose Gimli as her champion basically and even granted him what she had refused to Feanor is the ultimate testament to this noble race.
@BillyReplies 3 ай бұрын
Well said.
@Nostradevus1 3 ай бұрын
Not just the race, but Gimli as an individual as well.
@SunnyCida 3 ай бұрын
Absolutely warms my heart how much Gimli admired and respected Galadriel so quickly after being so anti-elf
@allthatishere 3 ай бұрын
I mean, Feanor wasn't exactly a high bar to beat. The dude was a prick.
@UnseenHitman-1932 3 ай бұрын
@@allthatishere One of the mightiest elves at least in intelligence.
@andrewtyrell4795 3 ай бұрын
About a year and a half ago I read Fellowship for the first time in twenty years. There was a section during Frodo's stay in Rivendell that stuck out to me where Glóin tells him about the stonework the dwarves had been up to in Erebor and Dale. He mentioned the roads paved with many colors and the underground streets with arches carved like trees and all the towers and terraces on the side of the mountain. And I saw then what I hadn't remembered that the dwarves weren't just great builders but had the souls of artists and clearly found immense joy in the act of creation. And in that moment i found that special place in my heart for the dwarves of Middle Earth.
@CorwinFound 3 ай бұрын
I love the word "craftsman" for dwarves. All that they create has a practical function but always created in the most beautiful and enduring way. Art implies no practical reason and the dwarves are nothing if not practical. They exemplify the old saying, "Anything worth doing is worth doing well."
@dandiehm8414 3 ай бұрын
@@CorwinFound Not everything they made was practical. They also engaged in making things of great beauty - they were great jewelers and jewelsmiths. See the Nauglamir.
@andrewtyrell4795 3 ай бұрын
@@CorwinFound How about artisan?
@CorwinFound 3 ай бұрын
@@andrewtyrell4795 Artisan also works. :) Although I tend to think of overpriced organic, gluten-free, vegan, farmers market bread when I hear "artisan." Lol
@Matthewwithers33 3 ай бұрын
We also get to see their love of beauty and art from gimli when he sees the caves at helms deep in the two towers and his description to Legolas even convinces Legolas to return with him one day to see the caves
@SpencerBringhurst 3 ай бұрын
Dwarves are so cool. It really is a shame that they aren’t taken very seriously in a lot of media.
@Grancigul 3 ай бұрын
This is mostly due to gimli being the only dwarf on screen in the movies who was comic relief, it might make you glad to know that in manga/manhwa they are almost always portrayed as the greatest craftsman and strong and noble and loyal, somtimes the bad guys but almost never a joke
@etherraichu 3 ай бұрын
@@Grancigul Also the dwarves in The Hobbit. They were weird too. But they, like Gimli, were on a rather insane quest that was probably going to kill them. Only the most eccentric types would eagerly join such a journey. So we never really meet the dwarves that arent at least a little bit crazy.
@klaykid117 3 ай бұрын
Elves can be anything you need them to be in different fantasy. Universes but dwarves are mostly dwarves and their traits do make them pretty comical
@jimmygames5557 3 ай бұрын
Yeah I've always thought they were cool since wow but nobody seems to care too much about them, my first dnd character was a dwarf and the campaign has been going on for over a year now
@SMiki55 3 ай бұрын
@@Grancigul what's the name of the manhwa?
@Jonathan-bu7iv 3 ай бұрын
It's fucking crazy to me how deep Tolkien went with every detail. He could explain a 50 page article in 2 sentences. The way he phrased it was poetic, full of life and meaning, but also to a point. The hardest part of writing is conveying a message with the minimum amount of words, while still keeping the artistic expression.
@dandiehm8414 3 ай бұрын
Yet he could also take a few sentences and turn them into a 50 page article....and leave you wanting for more. See "Of Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin (Unfinished Tales)" - in my opinion the best writing the Professor ever did and of which Christpher Tolkien said (paraphrasing) "belongs at the top of the all time list of unfinished projects and might have beens". I completely agree. My deepest Tolkien regret is that this tale was never finished.
@EarlHare 3 ай бұрын
If the Orcs and forces of evil symbolise industry and commerce in the polluted cities of England, and the shire represents the English countryside and village-folk with an agrarian lifestyle, then surely the Dwarves represent English craftsmanship as it should be: Being in tune with the rock, taking only what you need, and dedication to the highest quality of craftsmanship possible bringing beauty to the world.
@Florian-yk8vg 3 ай бұрын
isnt it literally a theme that the dwarves didnt just take what they needed but in fact dug deeper and deeper basically to their own demise..?
@dplocksmith91 3 ай бұрын
@@Florian-yk8vg good point.
@Vito_Tuxedo 3 ай бұрын
Tolkien insisted that his work was not meant to be interpreted as an allegory for any part of modern life or culture. This fact does not dissuade "Tolkien scholars" from making such symbolic connections, and some of their arguments are compelling. Nevertheless, for my part, I'm content to simply take the stories on their own merits, focusing on what they have to say about life in general, morality, and the virtues of those who rise above challenges, to their own betterment.
@bbgun061 3 ай бұрын
@@Vito_Tuxedo You're right that his work is not allegory. That means it doesn't have a 1:1 relation to the real world. But his story is full of timeless wisdom, themes, and lessons that can relate to many real-world events.
@6Sparx9 3 ай бұрын
@@Florian-yk8vg The Dwarves only dug too deep under the sway of the rings of power Anatar gifted to them. In another example which foreshadows the greed Dwarves can be driven to when corrupted is the assassination of Thingol, who had in his posession a silmaril and forced the dwarves to make a necklace for it - only for the divine corrupting nature of the silmarili to convince them of treachery, as the silmarili have done so pretty much since Feanor created them.
@kajisora 3 ай бұрын
The first time I read the lord of the rings as a child, I fell in love with the dwarves. First for Khazad-dûm, then for how Gimli describes Helm's Deep to Legolas. They see beauty in things that many others would find cold, lifeless or only useful. 'Then I will wish you this fortune for your comfort, Gimli,' said the Elf, 'that you may come safe from war and return to see them again. But do not tell all your kindred! There seems little left for them to do, from your account. Maybe the men of this land are wise to say little: one family of busy dwarves with hammer and chisel might mar more than they made.' 'No, you do not understand,' said Gimli. 'No dwarf could be unmoved by such loveliness. None of Durin's race would mine those caves for stones or ore, not if diamonds and gold could be got there. Do you cut down groves of blossoming trees in the spring-time for firewood? We would tend these glades of flowering stone, not quarry them. With cautious skill, tap by tap - a small chip of rock and no more, perhaps, in a whole anxious day - so we could work, and as the years went by, we should open up new ways, and display far chambers that are still dark, glimpsed only as a void beyond fissures in the rock. And lights, Legolas! We should make lights, such lamps as once shone in Khazad-dûm; and when we wished we would drive away the night that has lain there since the hills were made; and when we desired rest, we would let the night return.'
@expred 3 ай бұрын
It's my second (and ongoing) read-through of LotR. I am already a long-time Tolkien (and Jackson) fan because I've watched the films uncountable times and watched lore channels and such. Still I didn't really even know about this discussion of Legolas and Gimli. I had missed it the first time around, somehow. I was reading this part on a plane and had to read it multiple times simply because of the beauty. The way how Gimli describes his astonishment about the caves and corrects Legolas in his assumptions about dwarves' behavior when witnessing such natural beauty, actually moved me to tears. I always wanted to visit Lothlorién, but after reading this part I definitely want to add The Glittering Caves to my "top places to visit in Middle Earth" list :)
@quillquickcard8824 3 ай бұрын
It is interesting to note how the Dwarven halls in their glory are never described as dark. They are filled with light and brilliance. Even at home in the dark and the deep, comfortable and peaceful there where neither sun nor moon nor stars shall ever reach, the Dwarves ever sought the light and filled their places with it. There are places in the deep that would have never known a single mote of light in all the ages of the earth if not for the Dwarves. The elves rejoice in the sacred purity of the light that already was. The Dwarves made new light to fill the places it could not touch.
@allenrussell1947 3 ай бұрын
That was poetry. Well done!
@haileydee9954 3 ай бұрын
It always makes me a little sad when i see the Dwarves played for laughs. They have long been my favorite fantasy race. They are prideful, boisterous, fiercely loyal, hard workers, hard partiers, great friends, tenacious fighters, and they craft.
@venomdrenched 3 ай бұрын
I dislike when they *only* get played for laughs. It's fine for them to be a bit silly. But with Gimli's portrayal in the films, it often makes him look incompetent.
@KnugLidi 3 ай бұрын
@@venomdrenched blame Jackson. He didn't understand Tolkein and was a huge Legolas fanboy.
@kenrickman6697 3 ай бұрын
@@KnugLidi Agreed. His treatment of Gimli was one of the most egregious insults to the legendarium in my opinion. Certainly the first example I give when anyone challenges me to find anything wrong with the Jackson folks.
@ryanjohnson3615 3 ай бұрын
@@kenrickman6697 Yeah damn, they even threw in a couple "dwarf tossing" jokes if I recall. Lame.
@JobiWan144 3 ай бұрын
I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with using dwarves for comic relief, as long as they get some serious moments as well. Think of Gimli's grief in Balin's tomb turning to vengeful anger when the orcs and troll attack them -- there's nothing funny about him then!
@jonathankipps9061 3 ай бұрын
My belief on the demise of the dwarves is that they just kept doing dwarfish things; digging deeper, and growing ever more suspicious of surface dwellers. Eventually, they traded with men for the last time, and just never came above ground again. Meanwhile, they kept digging deeper, and abandoned the shallow mines and halls as they went.
@Trendle222 3 ай бұрын
thats kinda what i was thinking
@brendangolledge8312 3 ай бұрын
What do they eat underground with no trade?
@marykateharmon 3 ай бұрын
@@brendangolledge8312 You grow underground mushrooms. And/or use mirrors to direct life to farm caves within.
@blueshit199 3 ай бұрын
@@brendangolledge8312 arkenstones and nameless things
@SMiki55 3 ай бұрын
Diggy diggy hole
@creatorsremose 3 ай бұрын
Tolkien was quoted from an interview for modelling the Dwarves after Jews, with their language inspired by Hebrew. I find this interesting because of their name for Aule -- Mahal. In Hebrew the word Mahal means "he who forgave". I don't know if it was intentional or not, but it would've been really cool if it was a reference to Aule staying his hammer and the Dwarf fathers saw that as forgiveness. After which naming his Mahal -- the forgiver.
@greenman6141 Ай бұрын
How grotesquely anti semitic of Tolkien. That stupid Rowling person did something similar, but, as usual, even worse.
@charlesweinert4116 3 ай бұрын
Just before the breaking of the Fellowship is forced on them, Aragorn chooses Sam (who would be impossible to separate from Frodo) and Gimli to go to Mordor with him and Frodo. He doesn’t choose Legolas. I don’t hear much talk about that scene but I think it’s really interesting.
@procrastinator9 3 ай бұрын
I first read LotR in junior high and fell in love with Gimli. From then on I always played a dwarf fighter in D & D. Very useful when battling trolls and assaying gems. And their saving throws vs spells and poisons was always top notch. A most hearty folk.
@colindunnigan8621 3 ай бұрын
Noble, complex beyond human understanding, and they have impeccable table manners, too!
@awesomehpt8938 3 ай бұрын
Ah yes the adopted children of iluvatar.
@alpsrider1316 3 ай бұрын
Dwarves always have been my favorite race for that very reason. Thanks for the video!
@gillsejusbates6938 3 ай бұрын
i like the whites
@etherraichu 3 ай бұрын
so wait. the very first thing the dwarves experienced after becoming self-aware was the guy who made them about to crush them with a hammer? That kinda sucks.
@expred 3 ай бұрын
Hahah. So it seems, that's indeed quite the wake-up. It would be reasonable to think dwarves would like to avoid all things related to hammers after having their first experience be "a God-like creature with a giant hammer almost destroyed me", but I suppose due to their hardy nature they also don't really suffer from PTSD that much. Interesting to ponder about. I suppose it's also possible that they lost memories of this event after being put to sleep in the seven locations under stone.
@londomolari5715 3 ай бұрын
Very Good. I always wondered what happened to them when they died. Additionally. it is interesting how the conceptualization of them by Peter Jackson is so pervasive in the artwork (at least here). There art is always protrayed as blocky and thick. Yet they were fine craftsman and could make delicate things as evidenced by the mithril shirt that Frodo had. One wonder if they could not make items as elegant as what the elves are shown to make.
@KnugLidi 3 ай бұрын
Portrayed to visually separate it from the Elves. Think Art Deco vs. Art Nouveau.
@davidbirch3479 3 ай бұрын
Thank you Robert, that was enlightening - did you spot the similarity between similarity Aulë being prepared to sacrifice the Dwarves with Abraham in the Bible being prepared to sacrifice Isaac? In both story God intervenes just as the hammer / knife falls and even the outcome is similar too - because of his faith it is counted as righteousness and God blesses him with innumerable offspring. I'm sure you'll want references so have a look at Genesis 22. There is good interpretaton in Romans 4v1-3 & Hebrews 11v8-19. Its fascinating. 😃
@MargoB 3 ай бұрын
I find fascinating the way Tolkien expresses things from the Bible in his stories. It always shows me a new angle on Scripture.
@MrJinxmaster1 3 ай бұрын
aule's relationship with dwarves seems like an analogue for tolkien's relationship with the legendarium Tolkien could create anything he liked, but only God could ever make it real. Whenever tolkien stopped writing, his sub-creation would cease to change.
@MrJinxmaster1 3 ай бұрын
Also feels like aule's dedication of his creation to eru seems like what tolkien felt towards God.
@KorriTimigan 3 ай бұрын
I quite like this perspective!
@differous01 3 ай бұрын
The power of Melkor meant Dwarves were made "strong and unyielding" [1:55]. Thrain had forgotten his own name, yet survived for 5yrs in the pits of Dol Guldur, and even Gandalf didn't know how. Sauron had made their rings (and took back Thrain's) without appreciating the quality they'd amplify. It was a "small oversight, but it proved fatal" [Gandalf - The Quest For Erebor], as Sauron never learned of Thrain's map and key.
@nigeldepledge3790 3 ай бұрын
Well, kind of. Sauron's original plan had been to use the Sixteen to control the Elves. But Celebrimbor made the Three after Sauron had left Eregion; and the wearers of the Three became aware of Sauron's identity and purpose when he finished crafting the One and donned it for the first time. The Three were carefully hidden, but the Sixteen remained in Eregion (hubris much, Celebrimbor?). Sauron waged war and destroyed Eregion, and took the Sixteen. But the elves now knew of his plan and would never trust him again, so he had to come up with a Plan B. He turned then to the dwarves. There being seven clans of dwarves, he gave one ring each to the dwarven kjngs. That left nine, which he gave to mortal men, who proved most susceptible to their power. There was no fundamental difference between the Seven and the Nine - the only difference is that the Seven didn't work on the dwarves in the way Sauron hoped they might.
@legofan1394 3 ай бұрын
I was waiting for a video like this for such a long time! Thank you very much for doing it :)
@c.ladimore1237 3 ай бұрын
the ents seem stranger. they got no boon from iluvatar but are sentient
@KnugLidi 3 ай бұрын
Same with Manwe's eagles. Illuvatar gave them free will in the same way, but only after the dwarves awoke and the other valar saw them.
@keysliceace5015 3 ай бұрын
I think the ents and eagles are technically maiar who have incarnated in to middle earth
@ecthelion1735 3 ай бұрын
No the ents are a race, the children of Yavanna, very similar to dwarves in their metaphysics, I think. The Eagles *might* be Maiar, but I think they may also just be aspects of Manwë himself.
@i.b.640 3 ай бұрын
Right. But Yavannah asked for a race to protect the trees after she saw the dwarfs and feared they would chop down the Woods for fire and didn't just make them - if I remember correctly. She was granted them by Erú.
@sonokawaray 2 ай бұрын
My theory is Iluvatar gave the same sentience to Ents as he did to Dwarves. He did say to Melkor that everything that happens in Arda will ultimately fit his design, so I take that to mean he probably had the possibility of extra races beyond elves and humans already as part of the equation. Only difference between the additions is Aule's work was done in secret and had to be called out, whereas Yavanna's idea was carried out through the proper channels (requested with Manwe, who checked if it fit the world creation song and got Iluvatar's blessing).
@93techie 3 ай бұрын
“The child of little understanding that makes a play of the deeds of his father may do so without thought of mockery, but because he is the son of his father.” Is one of my absolute favorite quotes in how it highlights the difference between Aule and Melkor.
@tscarb 3 ай бұрын
I think this is the best video yet on the Dwarves. Thank you Robert
@karenpeterson5780 2 ай бұрын
You do such a great job of clearly stating what Tolkien believed and wrote about in his books. Thank you!
@lscales6131 2 ай бұрын
I love LOTR and the hobbit as well. This channel is great just to hear you talk about all of this really doesn’t renew my love for the books, stories, and films. Thank you.
@RustyDust101 3 ай бұрын
There's a good reason I've been playing a dwarven character in LARP for the last 25 years. They are both fun to play as a personality (often gruff, belligerent, but yet upright and steadfast to their friends and allies) and as a role. This video shows their personality how I like to portrait my character as well. For me they are the first ones, not the Elves. They may not be the first BORN, as they were created, not born. But they definitely were in Middle Earth well before the Elves. Which for me is also a reason for the resentment among Elves who may have found out that the Dwarves took what they claimed as their rightful position.
@mjlamey1066 3 ай бұрын
A Dwarf made the sword that cut the Ring from Sauron's hand.
@StruStru2k 3 ай бұрын
i just got home from a long, long trip that while fun has left me utterly exhausted (my very own "there and back again"). Naturally I have a lot of youtube to catch up on but my first port of call was In Deep Geek. Thank you for producing such clear, calm and interesting videos Robert.
@raphaelargus2984 3 ай бұрын
After Gandalf falls in Moria but before the Fellowship breaks up violently, Aragorn planned, if they have to split up and figure out who was going to Mordor and who was going to Minas Tirith, he would go with Frodo, and of course Sam because they're impossible to separate, and then he'd take one other, Gimli, and send all the others to Minas Tirith. That's how highly he thought of Gimli--he picked him above all others to go to Mordor, even above Legolas. (Fellowship of the Ring page 525). If I was going to Mordor, he's the one I'd pick too.
@emythatsenough5016 3 ай бұрын
Wonderfully narrated as usual. Thanks a lot❤
@RhysOlwyn 3 ай бұрын
The version I heard was that... The first thing Tak did, he wrote himself. The second thing Tak did, he wrote the laws. The third thing Tak did, he wrote the World. The fourth thing Tak did, he wrote a cave. The fifth thing Tak did, he wrote a geode, an egg of stone. And in the twilight of the mouth of the cave, the geode hatched, and the Brothers were born. The first Brother walked toward the light, and stood under the open sky. Thus he became too tall. He was the first Man. He found no Laws and he was enlightened. The second Brother walked toward the darkness, and stood under a roof of stone. Thus he achieved the correct height. He was the first Dwarf. He found the Laws Tak had written, and he was endarkened.
@JohannSauer81 Ай бұрын
Then Tak looked upon the stone and it was trying to come alive, and Tak smiled, and wrote All things strive. And for the service the stone had given, he fashioned it into the first Troll, and delighted in the life that came unbidden. These are the things that Tak wrote!
@eldridgebrown3907 3 ай бұрын
This was wonderful to listen to. All your Middle Earth explorations or quite enjoyable. I, too, know quite a bit. But Honestly, your natural accent for your lectures is really quite appropriate. I listen, because I can never really have enough of Middle Earth, often you share nuggets info that I have missed or forgotten, and the art work you use is really quite beautiful. Thanks for doing such excellent work.
@ishubetterthanyou1582 3 ай бұрын
Man, InDeepGeek is on a roll these days.
@JRandaII 3 ай бұрын
I don’t particularly identify with dwarves, but I do understand that diversity begets innovation, creativity, tolerance & understanding (even love,) and a more interesting world.
@MargoB 3 ай бұрын
I have no particular fondness for the dwarves, but because it was something you (Robert) created, I watched the video. It was informative and enjoyable! No matter the topic, you do such a fine job on these videos, not simply giving us data, but connecting pertinent points to show us how enchanting, beautiful, and rich Tolkien's stories are. Thank you for the wholesome and uplifting content you consistently produce and share with us.
@Eastwood69 3 ай бұрын
ROCK AND STONE!
@jamierobertson9832 3 ай бұрын
Tolkien was on another level of world building.
@dlxmarks 3 ай бұрын
8:13 "And the dwarves seem unique in believing in reincarnation." Nope, certainly the elves of Aman knew that their spirits could be reborn into new bodies sooner or later depending on their actions in their previous lives because dying was not part of their nature. And after Glorfindel returned to Middle-earth, the concept probably spread to the other elves as well over the course of the nearly 5,000 years he lived there.
@davidmiddleton7958 2 ай бұрын
Just food for thought, Yavanna, knowing her husband's nature, could also guess at Curumnirs character. Hence Radagast being sent as one of the Istari!
@lyarrastark6254 3 ай бұрын
Thank you, Robert.
@univ1204 3 ай бұрын
Rock and Stone!
@feroxfreak209 3 ай бұрын
I love the adoption of the dwarves bei Eru. It is such a display of grace and honor from a creator to accept the other.
@drschonify 3 ай бұрын
Worth mentioning for those who might be interested that the Dwarves of the Hobbit (names) along with a certain Grey pilgrim, come from the Voluspa prophecy in the Poetic Edda (Norse Mythology).
@AstralDragoon 3 ай бұрын
6:57 That is by far my favorite artistic depiction of Ents.
@EGHGHI Ай бұрын
My headcanon is that when Gimli went to the west with Legolas he was the first dwarf to meet his maker since the first born ones. I'd pay much to read about that interaction
@niyanlan8928 3 ай бұрын
Love the channel, brilliant production values and always interesting subjects. Would love to hear more about the undying lands-any plans?
@ai2802 2 ай бұрын
Dwarfs are really becoming my favourite race in fantasy. Which a year or two ago, i never thought I would say 😊
@frankydaulman2291 3 ай бұрын
A curious irony to me, that out of concern Aule's creation would wreak havoc on Yavanna's beloved trees, bringing into being the Ents, of all the people, the chosen men, the Numenoreans by far most aggressively deforested Middle Earth.
@kenthresh3350 3 ай бұрын
This is awesome. I think I made a comment asking for a video about the origin of dwarves a while back. Ask, then receive. Nice.
3 ай бұрын
I take the lines about what happens to the dwarves as them going back to Moria and pretty much shutting themselves off from the world, but enduring, possibly even into our age, but unnoticed. Tolkien seemed to like this idea of some of the beings still existing in our time. Dragons, for instance, he alludes to still existing in one of his letters. It seems to me he likely saw something similar for the dwarves.
@ddegn 3 ай бұрын
But how do you get rid of dwarves? I have two in my basement. They broke through the wall of my basement and started moving things around. I admit my basement has never looked so nice but they don't pay any rent. It's possible they would pay rent if I asked but I don't have the nerve to ask. Their scowls are very intimidating. I always end up going back upstairs before I asking them to either leave or pay rent.
@venomdrenched 3 ай бұрын
Have they started to roll your plates down the hallways?
@ScampiTheSighted 3 ай бұрын
Take another look at your basement, and you will find the square footage has increased by orders of magnitude. Share them your beer, and they might let you explore!
@viensseigneurjezu 3 ай бұрын
I appreciate the effort you put into making videos that educate and inspire. You're making a difference!
@michikomanalang6733 3 ай бұрын
I don’t know if Tolkien ever knew this, but “mahal” is a Filipino word that can mean ever “love/beloved”or “expensive”-I find that oddly fitting
@JasonHolody76 3 ай бұрын
Im sure he did, he was a linguist
@user-sd7ri9fy4i 3 ай бұрын
Nice work dude thanks
@dorfjungegeorg8709 3 ай бұрын
Best LotR Channel ❤️
@davidtatro7457 2 ай бұрын
Beautiful video!
@InTheBasementProduct 3 ай бұрын
I wish Tolkien had spent as much time on Khuzdul as he did with the Elven languages. The Dwarrow Scholar has done some great work filling in the gaps though.
@Makujah_ 2 ай бұрын
A kid who can't wait to get a gaming device, so they make a cardboard effigy and just imagine playing it - we have all been Aule at some point
@NisGaarde 3 ай бұрын
These are fantastic! I'd love to see one on the Angmar War and the Witch King at some point.
@MaverickHistorian 3 ай бұрын
Oule made the dwarves without Eru's will. And both Sauron and Saruman served under him. Seems he is a bit of a problem maker
@neildaly2635 3 ай бұрын
I think the indomitable spirit of the dwarves is illustrated in The Hobbit, when Thorin doesn’t hesitate to take on three trolls who have been “knocking his people about.”
@jondyr20 3 ай бұрын
Usually I don't comment but this video was quite interesting, I learned something awesome today :)
@MercyReigns 3 ай бұрын
Just found your channel a couple days ago but I LOVVVEEEEE LOTR explanation vids and yours are so good!
@lindaforsberg6932 3 ай бұрын
great vieo such a nice story time
@Markus_Berglund 3 ай бұрын
Love the ending! ❤
@davinhunt7558 3 ай бұрын
Man i love this channel
@JazzJackrabbit Ай бұрын
Well, when a pickaxe and a beard love each other very much...
@taom4itu 3 ай бұрын
Could you make a video about Arwen? I don't understand why in the movies she is the only elf who withers and 'is dying' because Sauron is growing stronger. Also, when she is rescuing Frodo did she actually give him some of her elf mojo so he doesn't die? And what is the significance of the medallion she gives to Aragorn?
@terpman 3 ай бұрын
As a child of Elrond, Arwen has the choice of either remaining immortal or becoming mortal (same choice Elrond and Elros had). She chooses mortality by choosing to remain in Middle Earth with Aragorn. As far as the relationship with Sauron goes, I believe all elves' power/lifeforce suffered as Sauron's power grew. But because Arwen chose mortality, I believe this was actually killing her from that point on.
@custard131 3 ай бұрын
one issue with those is that they are movie only things in the books it was Glorfindal who rescues frodo after weathertop not Arwen and iirc there is no mention of Arwen specifically dying, i think the elves power more generally is fading but nowhere near to the extent of where the movies show Arwen collapsing and not even able to hold a book, that is just to give urgency and to give Aragorn the extra motivation to take on his full power + fast from what i remember in the book in terms of relevant differences - Aragorn was already carrying the shards of Narsil (or at least the hilt if not all of the pieces) around before the hobbits met him in Bree (im sure he shows Frodo the broken sword during the private chat they have after Frodo uses the ring) - it was reforged into Anduril between the council of Elrond + the Fellowship setting out. not when Arwen collapses and is somehow delivered to him - Aragorn gets the urgency to pass through the paths of the dead after he uses the Palantir to challenge Sauron and sees the ships of reinforcements too Gondor, not due Arwen dying - Elrond does send his sons to help Aragorn but doesnt go in person, and the "gift" they bring from Arwen is a banner for his kingdom not Anduril
@Nostradevus1 3 ай бұрын
That scene in the movies between Arwen and Frodo didn’t happen. It was actually Glorfindel who rescues Frodo and brings him back to Rivendell. There is no significance in the amulet she gives to Aaragorn, other than as a sign of her love for him. It’s not an elvish phylactery or anything like that. Noble ladies of old would give favors to knights as they left for battle, I saw this scene as something similar. I don’t remember it mentioned in the books that Arwen is steadily growing weaker over time. All elves are fading and must head to Valinor or diminish into lesser beings over the millennia. She chose to become mortal, so that fading will have stopped, but I’d imagine she felt some changes as she transitioned from immortal to mortal, though again I don’t remember it in the books. Either way, it had literally nothing to do with Sauron’s conquest of Middle Earth.
@terpman 3 ай бұрын
@@custard131 Yeah, that makes sense. I always felt like the movies were overdramatic about it but only because Peter Jackson I guess wanted to introduce another sense of urgency to the quest.
@KnugLidi 3 ай бұрын
@@terpman He needed female character in the first movie to get time on screen. Female characters are rather thin on the ground in the Fellowship book.
@saladinbob 3 ай бұрын
Do you not see the contradiction in Tolkien's passage? Only Ilúvatar had the power to create consciousness// "...and they bowed down their heads and begged for mercy." You have to have consciousness to understand the concept of mercy. Had they been mere automatons they would simply have accepted their fate. Tolkien confirms this: "Dost thou not see these things have now a life of their own, and speak with their own voices? Else they would not have flinched from they blow, nor from any command of thy will." So who gave the Dwarfs consciousness? Ilúvatar by being all knowing? If so that is a paradox. Or Aule? That breaks Tolkien's own rules. Then Ilúvatar breathed life into creatures that already had consciousness. Herein lies the contradiction, how can consciousness exist in beings life had not been breathed into yet?
@cauxzieruffhausen9547 3 ай бұрын
Your voice and skill are amazing. I so look forward too your postings.
@christopherdunn3255 27 күн бұрын
I find it interesting that the Ents exist as a result of the Dwarves, so opposite sides of the same coin. I wonder if that had any influence over the casting of John Rhys-Davies as both Gimli and Treebeard.
@originaluddite 3 ай бұрын
Aule here is like a nice version of the Demiurge in Gnosticism, submitting his simulations to the true creator.
@user-cd5ki1ip3i 3 ай бұрын
The Orcs nor the Dwarves did not die out after The War of the Ring. Tolkien made it clear in The Lost Tales that both races pretty much started to slowly withdraw back to their underground and mountain strong holds and it was speculated that The Dwarves would finally die out thanks to being so consumed with minding and crafting that they would stop replenishing their numbers and there was no mention of what might eventually happen to The Orcs.
@VarmilMorr 3 ай бұрын
Tolkien concentrated too much on elves in his works. That is why readers think less of dwarves. Sapkowski on the other side showed how amazing and diverse dwarves are. Most of my favourite characters in Witcher books are dwarves.
@Meritania 3 ай бұрын
It’s interesting how the fate of the Dwarves is played in the Elder Scrolls mythos when compared to Tolkien’s legendarium. In the former they became so advanced in the ways of the world that they create a god and banish themselves from the world. Whereas in the latter they eventually learn to create a balance with nature and live out a humble existence far from sight.
@parsifal6094 3 ай бұрын
That is one of the greatest inconsistencies in Tolkien's world. Eru said, he doesn't want the dwarves to be awaken before his children. But when Aule tried to destroy his creations, Eru gave them life and the dwarves begged for mercy - Namely: THEY WERE ALREADY AWOKEN BEFORE THE ELVES
@tbg07 3 ай бұрын
They are just how tolkin viewed French and this makes me laugh each f time 😂😂😂
@sannyassi73 3 ай бұрын
Why did you make your most recent video private? the one about Jeoffrey in Game of Thrones being the one to give the dagger to the Cat's Paw. I don't get it.
@anthonymiele4320 3 ай бұрын
I had an idea for what would probably be a series of episodes and that is to do deep dives on different character relationships. We all know Sam & Frodo's story as well as Gimli & Legolas, but do we know just how Merry & Gimli got on? Or how about exploring whether the relationship between Legolas & Frodo was as frosty as it was in the movies? Or how did Boromir & Aragorn get along? You could do a whole series of different combinations.
@Critter145 3 ай бұрын
I so enjoy these videos. Greetings from TN.
@AskMia411 3 ай бұрын
One of my chief heartbreaks in the Hobbit movies was hire the dwarves were depicted as crass and disrespectful. The dwarves are just as noble and regal as elves in the books. It’s a shame, because the ACTORS of the 13 dwarves created detailed and rich backstories for their characters that give them that status. Bombur’s weight is seen as a positive thing in dwarf culture, and his actor is utterly charming and likable. But he isn’t given moments to let that shine! Bombur has ONE LINE in the movies, and it’s only in the extended version of battle of five armies. I’ve watched the appendices for the hobbit movies far more times than the actual movies, because all the care and character the dwarves had never really made it to screen, being supplanted by the master of Laketown eating bullocks and his annoying weasel sidekick being in EVERY SINGLE SCENE. I could go on and on, but the point is, the dwarves and their actors were done dirty in the movies. Their stories and connections to each other were sidelined. If you only watched the movies, you probably wouldn’t realize that most of the dwarves are related to each other! Okay rant over
@jrsilva85 3 ай бұрын
Robert, will you be doing a breakdown of the Season 2 teaser of Rings of Power?
@istari0 3 ай бұрын
The line regarding Sauron not being able to dominate the Dwarves through Rings of Power continues though. "The Dwarves indeed proved tough and hard to tame; they ill endure the domination of others, and the thoughts of their hearts are hard to fathom, nor can they be turned to shadows. They used their rings only for the getting of wealth; but wrath and an overmastering greed of gold were kindled in their hearts, of which evil enough after came to the profit of Sauron. It is said that the foundation of each of the Seven Hoards of the Dwarf-kings of old was a golden ring; but all those hoards long ago were plundered and the Dragons devoured them, and of the Seven Rings some were consumed in fire and some Sauron recovered." So, while Sauron could not dominate Dwarves as he could Men, the Dwarves were corrupted in a different way by the Rings of Power and that worked to Sauron's benefit as well. My own personal theory is that the Petty Dwarves originated from Dwarves that Melkor captured and attempted to corrupt. While the Dwarves are highly resistant to being dominated, they are not immune. I suspect Melkor had some success with some captured Dwarves but not enough for him to regard them as useful servants so he discarded them. In time they formed their own clan and ended up in Beleriand, where they ultimately met their end.
@somethinborrowed 2 ай бұрын
I found this a quite moving origin story
@semweerts 3 ай бұрын
They simply popped out of the ground
@unclerojelio6320 3 ай бұрын
Can you do a video about Goldberry?
@bbgun061 3 ай бұрын
What were the Rangers doing during the War of the Ring, and why did they stop defending the Shire? They allowed Saruman and Grima to take over and ruin it. I wonder if Tolkien ever wrote about the other Rangers. Is stopping Saruman the kind of thing they would do? Or would that be too much direct intervention? Maybe they limited themselves to keeping orcs and fell beasts out of the Shire. I understand the importance of the Scouring of the Shire to the development of Sam, Merry, Pippin, and Frodo. It had to be them dealing with their own problems at home. But there must have been a reason for the Rangers' absence.
@sgolosio 3 ай бұрын
Fire video as always bro !!
@iowaredneck9416 3 ай бұрын
Tough, hardy, strong, loyal… these are the qualities I think of when I think of dwarves. While they can cut down 100 enemies with an axe, their pride would serve much better to use the same axe for works of craftsmanship that humans could barely fathom
@owenwgoodrich 3 ай бұрын
Rock and stone! Strike the earth!
@arkdeniz 3 ай бұрын
If Tolkien wanted us to see dwarves as noble and complex beyond understanding then he needed to rewrite the Hobbit. Even as written there the dwarves are often foolish and slapstick (and not just Bombur!)
@kezia8027 3 ай бұрын
Seeing as you've missed all of the bombastic heroics, the love for art and crafts, the tales about how their halls were made and why they were abandoned, plus countless other details it's understandable that you don't think they're complex beyond understanding. Ironically though, you've proved that at least for you, they ARE beyond understanding. So congrats, I guess you don't have anything to worry about!
@stevie-con67 3 ай бұрын
@@kezia8027you don’t speak to real people much I assume ?
@neb3195 3 ай бұрын
You need to re-read the hobbit because you're wrong.
@dandiehm8414 3 ай бұрын
The hobbit was written from Biblo's perspective, by Bilbo. Biblo did not know the History of the Dwarves when writing his memoirs.
@agalaxysama3949 2 ай бұрын
ty
@thomasw_ 3 ай бұрын
In The Hobbit, the dwarves seem to be susceptible to greed and even for it to stand in the way of loyalty and friendship. Tolkien's narrator even states we shouldn't expect much of Dwarves asi it seems to be in their nature.... See in ch.12: “The most that can be said for the dwarves is this: they intended to pay Bilbo really handsomely for his services; they had brought him to do a nasty job for them, and they did not mind the poor little fellow doing it if he would; but they would all have done their best to get him out of trouble, if he got into it. . . . There it is: dwarves are not heroes, but calculating folk with a great idea of the value of money; some are tricky and treacherous and pretty bad lots; some are not, but are decent enough people like Thorin and Company, if you don’t expect too much.” In this passage from Chapter 12, the narrator seems to make an apology for the dwarves’ bad behavior in sending Bilbo into the dragon’s lair all alone. The narrator implies that the dwarves’ cowardice is not really their fault. Their very nature - their greed and deceptiveness - Is inherent to their race. It does seem though that individual dwarfs like Balin or Gimili could overcome this nature ... but with most "don't expect too much".
@user-cd5ki1ip3i 3 ай бұрын
The Elves hunted all Dwarves in the begging, allegedly mistaking them for the random monsters that Melkor had created at the time. The Petty Dwarves went extinct because they were always few in number, and couldn't keep their numbers stable after they were exiled from their clans for some unknown reason.
@palydinaugustus820 3 ай бұрын
Obviously they spring out of holes in the ground!
@samrijijkot 3 ай бұрын
How, then, did Ents get created so easily?
@TheLyricalCleric 3 ай бұрын
Because Yavanna found out about her husband’s works and was pissed! She thought that enough species were going to be taking axes to her favored creations (trees) and wanted someone in Middle Earth to advocate for them.
@samrijijkot 3 ай бұрын
@@TheLyricalClericMy point is who and how? The video mentioned Manwe...but do Ents not have a free will? They seem to be able to act on their own, unlike the seven dwarves before Eru gave them "true life". I guess what it boils down to: In what way are Ents different, such that their creation was not another point of contention?
@venomdrenched 3 ай бұрын
It sounds like Manwe received communication or vision from Eru that the Ents would be created. "And Manwë said: 'O Kementári, Eru hath spoken, saying: "... Behold! When the Children awake, then the thought of Yavanna will awake also, and it will summon spirits from afar, and they will go among the kelvar and the olvar, and some will dwell therein, and be held in reverence, and their just anger shall be feared. ..." He also mentions the Eagles after this, so it's likely their origin as well. So it sounds like, rather than being created like the Children, they were awakened/transformed from existing trees to serve in this role. One could say what makes them different is they were already beings that had been created and were simply repurposed, and granted greater will and intellect.
@TheLyricalCleric 3 ай бұрын
@@samrijijkot I’m not sure-considering Manwë is not Eru but was fulfilling the will of Eru in his judgments, I’d say that the Ents would be classed among the greater creatures of the world, like Eagles. They are smart and possessed of their own will, but they are not part of the great plan to remake the world when the last battle comes. Elves, men, and dwarves will be the new Valar to create the world after Melkor returns and the battle is fought. Sorta like how a few of the Norse gods survive Ragnarok along with the new man and new woman Asc and Embla to remake the world.
@istari0 3 ай бұрын
@@venomdrenched Yes! The origins of the Ents are in the Music of the Ainur. We don't get as much of an original tale for them as we do the Dwarves but it is there. Whether they have souls as do Dwarves is not told to us but personally I think they did.
@nzlemming 3 ай бұрын
"Dwarfy things"???? Oooh Robert...
@odysseusrex5908 3 ай бұрын
What happened to the Dwarvish rings? I know what happened to the Elvish and Human rings, obviously, but if the fate of the Dwarvish ones was ever recorded, I have never read it.
@TranslucentStudios 3 ай бұрын
I know it’s a lot of work, but could you make these an hour long, please? 😺
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