Dwarves in The Lord of the Rings are distinguishable by their beards, height, and strength. They play important roles in both of the adventures of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins with Thorin and his company in The Hobbit on a quest to reclaim Erebor and Gimli as a member of the Fellowship in The Lord of the Rings.

Dwarves are described through the film and the books to be stubborn, steadfast, and loyal with a passion for the beautiful gems of the earth (gold, silver, mithril, and gems) and master crafters of weapons, armor, and massive labyrinthian cities deep within the mountains. Other characteristics of dwarves, as described by Gimli, is that dwarves are "natural sprinters", dislike elves (except Legolas and Galadriel) love ripe meat off the bone with malt beer, and offer their guests exceptional hospitality (and receiving it in return, as shown by their famous pilfering of Bilbo's pantry in The Hobbit).

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The films and books also inform readers and moviegoers that elves and dwarves, historically, do not get along; an animosity in Peter Jackson’s trilogies that is either contradicted or reinforced. In The Hobbit, a romance between Kili and Tauriel blossoms after Thorin's company is taken captive in Mirkwood, but they are the exception to the rule. The relationship between Thorin and Thranduil is much more representative of the historical relationship between elves and dwarves; fraught with insults, shouting matches, threats, and the ever-present sneers of disgust and loathing. In The Lord of the Rings, viewers are treated to a bromance for the ages, Legolas and Gimli, as the exception to dwarven/elvish animosity.

gimli and legolas lotr

However, one thing that is not mentioned in the films and only alluded to in the books is where do dwarves come from? What is their origin story? Why were they made? Who made them? To answer these questions, readers need to go outside the Lord of the Rings to Tolkien's extensive, yet sometimes fragmented, source material.

Because creating a whole race of beings is a cosmic task, it makes sense that the story of the creation of the dwarves would be found in a book that deals with cosmic themes. Those who've stumbled across The Silmarillion somewhere in their reading journey will know some of these themes, along with the name of Ilúvatar. Ilúvatar is the first character mentioned in The Silmarillion, also known by Eru or simply The One, and is a cosmic being who appeared from out of the void and---after thinking a pantheon of gods into existence known as the Valar---goes about creating the world where Middle Earth can be found; Arda. However, despite his great cosmic power, Ilúvatar is not the one who created the dwarves. Ilúvatar did, however, create two other races that are well known in Middle Earth.

Ilúvatar not only created gods and the world but also what is known as the Children of Ilúvatar. These "Children" later became known as the races of Elves and Men, the Firstborn and the Followers. However, outside of the Valar, these are the only races that Ilúvatar claimed as their own, so where did dwarves come from? Did they, as Gimli quips in The Two Towers, "spring out of holes in the ground"? Where do the dwarves factor into the story and, if they're not Children of Ilúvatar, then whose children are they?

The answer lies in the Hephaestus of the Tolkien universe, Aulë. Aulë commands "all the substances of which Arda is made", making him a smith and maker, who takes great delight in the creations of his own hands. He's also very loyal to Ilúvatar and stalwart in that loyalty. Further, because of his skill set, Aulë also played a central role in preparing Arda for the awakening of the Children of Ilúvatar and was thus aware of the existence of Elves and Men (although unaware of what they looked or acted like).

Now knowing what we do about Aulë, the next part of the story will likely be less surprising. Chapter 2 of the Quenta Silmarillion, "Of Aulë and Yavanna", details how excited Aulë was to teach the Children of Ilúvatar his lore and his crafts prior to their awakening. Excited and impatient, it turns out, because in his impatience he decides to create a race of beings later known as the dwarves, deep in the belly of Middle Earth. However, because he knew nothing about the Children of Ilúvatar, dwarves instead were crafted according to Aulë's vision of the Children of Ilúvatar.

the hobbit dwarves

When Aulë created the dwarves, he created them out of impatience. He had no reference point for how to create a race of beings and, as a result, the dwarves are Aulë's interpretation of the Children of Ilúvatar. This fact could be a reason why there is so little overlap between Elvish, Man-ish, and Dwarvish characteristics. Further, by creating a race of beings with no reference, Aulë's dwarves are instead a reflection of him; sturdy and strong, takes great joy in creating beautiful things, crafts in the deep places of the world, quick to friendship, but also equally quick to enmity.

So Aulë creates the dwarves, is pretty proud of himself, and is in the process of teaching them a language he devised for them when he suddenly hears Ilúvatar's voice in his ear, asking why he’d make a race of beings behind his back. Aulë answers by saying he wanted to have someone else to celebrate the world Ilúvatar created alongside and created the dwarves as a way to honor Ilúvatar. This response, alongside Aulë’s humility and the dwarves’ “life of their own”, is reason enough for Ilúvatar not to smite the dwarves (although Aulë is more than ready to with his hammer), and instead commands that they are put to sleep until the other children of Ilúvatar awaken.

Further in the chapter (after Ilúvatar pardons Aulë), Aulë returns to his partner Yavanna (the goddess who protects the flora and fauna of Arda, amongst other things) and tells her the story of the dwarves. While she is glad Aulë was able to keep the dwarves, she laments the effect of having a whole other race on Arda that depends on the destruction of the things she cares about (trees, plants, wildlife) to survive. To protect the non-humanoid populace of Arda, Yavanna petitions to have another race of beings, in the form of large tree-like humanoids. Thus, the Ents were also brought into being.

This story of Ilúvatar, Aulë, Yavanna, dwarves, and Ents shows an element of Middle Earth many readers and viewers alike tend not to see. It shows a glimpse into an ancient world where races are young and created at the whims of powerful beings and provides unique insight into the powerful forces that created Arda in the First Age.

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