Where do Dwarves come from?

[@nikosmanarolis9962]

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]

Well said.

[@Nostradevus1]

Not just the race, but Gimli as an individual as well.

[@SunnyCida]

Absolutely warms my heart how much Gimli admired and respected Galadriel so quickly after being so anti-elf

[@allthatishere]

I mean, Feanor wasn't exactly a high bar to beat. The dude was a prick.

[@ChristianKnight-1054]

​@@allthatishere One of the mightiest elves at least in intelligence.

[@andrewtyrell4795]

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]

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]

@@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]

@@CorwinFound How about artisan?

[@CorwinFound]

@@andrewtyrell4795 Artisan also works. :) Although I tend to think of overpriced organic, gluten-free, vegan, farmers market bread when I hear "artisan." Lol

[@Matthewwithers33]

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

[@kajisora]

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]

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 :)

[@SpencerBringhurst]

Dwarves are so cool. It really is a shame that they aren’t taken very seriously in a lot of media.

[@Grancigul]

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]

@@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]

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]

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]

​@@Grancigul what's the name of the manhwa?

[@EarlHare]

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]

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]

​@@Florian-yk8vg good point.

[@Vito_Tuxedo]

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]

@@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]

​@@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.

[@quillquickcard8824]

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]

That was poetry. Well done!

[@jonathankipps9061]

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]

thats kinda what i was thinking

[@brendangolledge8312]

What do they eat underground with no trade?

[@marykateharmon]

@@brendangolledge8312 You grow underground mushrooms. And/or use mirrors to direct life to farm caves within.

[@blueshit199]

@@brendangolledge8312 arkenstones and nameless things

[@SMiki55]

Diggy diggy hole

[@haileydee9954]

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]

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]

@@venomdrenched blame Jackson. He didn't understand Tolkein and was a huge Legolas fanboy.

[@kenrickman6697]

@@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]

@@kenrickman6697 Yeah damn, they even threw in a couple "dwarf tossing" jokes if I recall. Lame.

[@JobiWan144]

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!

[@Jonathan-bu7iv]

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]

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.

[@procrastinator9]

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.

[@creatorsremose]

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]

How grotesquely anti semitic of Tolkien. That stupid Rowling person did something similar, but, as usual, even worse.

[@lorisewsstuff1607]

It makes sense. The father of the Jews, Abraham, was set to sacrifice his son until God stopped him. Then He blessed the son instead. It's such a similar story. Thank you for sharing.

[@ijansk]

How a short word as "Mahal" can means such a long phrase as "he who forgave"?

[@colindunnigan8621]

Noble, complex beyond human understanding, and they have impeccable table manners, too!

[@charlesweinert4116]

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.

[@Scientist_Salarian]

Indeed. Aragorn described Gimli as one of the finest wielders of a blade he had ever seen. The trope of dwarves as stumbling bumblers has no origin in Tolkien’s lore. It’s unfortunate how often they’re portrayed as such.

[@tscarb]

I think this is the best video yet on the Dwarves. Thank you Robert

[@alpsrider1316]

Dwarves always have been my favorite race for that very reason. Thanks for the video!

[@gillsejusbates6938]

i like the whites

[@karenpeterson5780]

You do such a great job of clearly stating what Tolkien believed and wrote about in his books. Thank you!

[@93techie]

“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.

[@ATHRUZEE]

What i really love about this channel is that, especially in this video, we're not told that we have to embrace the dwarves for their differences, rather we are given reasons why we should try to appreciate them. Each race in Tolkein's works are given such detail that we are able to see ourselves in all inhabitants of Middle Earth, for good or ill.

[@kenthresh3350]

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.

[@etherraichu]

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]

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.

[@awesomehpt8938]

Ah yes the adopted children of iluvatar.

[@yepyep9113]

I've watched many, many of your wonderful videos. This might be the best. It's subtle, deeply considered, kind, and generous of spirit; it seems deeply felt. And that all sounds like a Tolkien template. Well done and thanks.

[@RhysOlwyn]

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]

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!

[@RustyDust101]

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.

[@londomolari5715]

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]

Portrayed to visually separate it from the Elves. Think Art Deco vs. Art Nouveau.

[@lscales6131]

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.

[@differous01]

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]

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.

[@MargoB]

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.

[@emythatsenough5016]

Wonderfully narrated as usual. Thanks a lot❤

[@valcouren]

10:06 I agree, diferences aren't something to be feared but embraced.

[@eldridgebrown3907]

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.

[@KwehTheBird]

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.

[@AngelusAnsell]

The exact words of Aule are so touching and sweet. Like, he knows full well what he did and why he did it, and he knows why he's in trouble. And the way he explains his actions are beautiful in their almost childlike love of his maker. "I did not desire such lordship. I desired things other than I am, to love and to teach them, so that they too might perceive the beauty of Eä, which thou hast caused to be. For it seemed to me that there is great room in Arda for many things that might rejoice in it, yet it is for the most part empty still, and dumb. And in my impatience I have fallen into folly. Yet the making of things is in my heart from my own making by thee; and 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. But what shall I do now, so that thou be not angry with me for ever? As a child to his father, I offer to thee these things, the work of the hands which thou hast made. Do with them what thou wilt. But should I not rather destroy the work of my presumption?’ Then Aulë took up a great hammer to smite the Dwarves; and he wept."

[@ishubetterthanyou1582]

Man, InDeepGeek is on a roll these days.

[@raphaelargus2984]

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.

[@legofan1394]

I was waiting for a video like this for such a long time! Thank you very much for doing it :)

[@Eastwood69]

ROCK AND STONE!

[@dorfjungegeorg8709]

Best LotR Channel ❤️

[@feroxfreak209]

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.

[@Ultra_Glueckspilz]

English not my mothertongue, but I understand your enunciation very well, Robert! 😊 Thanks for your nice LotR-Videos!

[@univ1204]

Rock and Stone!

[@peterpayne2219]

Exactly the video we need in these trying times

[@c.ladimore1237]

the ents seem stranger. they got no boon from iluvatar but are sentient

[@KnugLidi]

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]

I think the ents and eagles are technically maiar who have incarnated in to middle earth

[@ecthelion1735]

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]

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]

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).

[@lyarrastark6254]

Thank you, Robert.

[@Markus_Berglund]

Love the ending! ❤

[@JRandaII]

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.

[@Makujah_]

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

[@mjlamey1066]

A Dwarf made the sword that cut the Ring from Sauron's hand.

[@AstralDragoon]

6:57 That is by far my favorite artistic depiction of Ents.

[@niyanlan8928]

Love the channel, brilliant production values and always interesting subjects. Would love to hear more about the undying lands-any plans?

[@MercyReigns]

Just found your channel a couple days ago but I LOVVVEEEEE LOTR explanation vids and yours are so good!

[@davidtatro7457]

Beautiful video!

[@IanHeins]

Nice work dude thanks

[@NisGaarde]

These are fantastic! I'd love to see one on the Angmar War and the Witch King at some point.

[@sgolosio]

Fire video as always bro !!

[@jondyr20]

Usually I don't comment but this video was quite interesting, I learned something awesome today :)

[@lindaforsberg6932]

great vieo such a nice story time

[@cauxzieruffhausen9547]

Your voice and skill are amazing. I so look forward too your postings.

[@jamierobertson9832]

Tolkien was on another level of world building.

[@drschonify]

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).

[@Critter145]

I so enjoy these videos. Greetings from TN.

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.

[@davinhunt7558]

Man i love this channel

[@MaverickHistorian]

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

[@davidmiddleton7958]

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!

[@tjabaley]

Love it!

[@ai2802]

Dwarfs are really becoming my favourite race in fantasy. Which a year or two ago, i never thought I would say 😊

[@ericgeddes3353]

Hey Robert. Did you ever see the video of the mountains and Moria with music and John-Ryes Davies reading Gimli's poem? It's amazing and I highly recommend it to anyone reading this comment.

[@neildaly2635]

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.”

[@EGHGHI]

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

[@frankydaulman2291]

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.

[@dutchmansmine9053]

I dunno, the orcs would be in for the running.

[@ddegn]

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]

Have they started to roll your plates down the hallways?

[@ScampiTheSighted]

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!

[@errantwinds-up8uu]

I love the origin story of the dwarves, partly because it could have gone so wrong. But Aule had good intentions fortunately - so Eru stepped in and approved - and then Yavanna was also able to bring forth the Ents. Like yes Tolkien cautions us about 'technology' but at the same time, the dwarves aren't ever portrayed as 'bad.' They're a part of shaping the world as it comes to be.

[@davidbirch3479]

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]

I find fascinating the way Tolkien expresses things from the Bible in his stories. It always shows me a new angle on Scripture.

[@jrsilva85]

Robert, will you be doing a breakdown of the Season 2 teaser of Rings of Power?

[@dlxmarks]

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.

[@dutchmansmine9053]

Is that really the same as reincarnation though?

[@dlxmarks]

@@dutchmansmine9053 Reincarnation literally means ""to take on the flesh again" so I would say yes even though elven spirits are rehoused in replacement bodies identical to the ones they lost instead of being born into an infant's body. And what is apparently a super rare occurrence for dwarves limited to Durin over the centuries is far more common for elves with most of their dead being rehoused.

[@dutchmansmine9053]

@@dlxmarks Fair enough.

[@MrJinxmaster1]

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]

Also feels like aule's dedication of his creation to eru seems like what tolkien felt towards God.

[@KorriTimigan]

I quite like this perspective!

[@tbg07]

They are just how tolkin viewed French and this makes me laugh each f time 😂😂😂

[@VarmilMorr]

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.

[@InTheBasementProduct]

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.

[@thequestbro]

I like to think the Dwarves are still around, they just never leave their mountain halls, and because the entrances are so secret, we've never found them to date. Like one day an expedition will fall in a crack in the alps and there will be whimsical little guys down there.

[@dricedt]

Another LOTR video dropped from IDG? Yes!

[@dandiehm8414]

Actually - a Silmarillion Video 😉

[@unclerojelio6320]

Can you do a video about Goldberry?

[@originaluddite]

Aule here is like a nice version of the Demiurge in Gnosticism, submitting his simulations to the true creator.

[@michikomanalang6733]

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]

Im sure he did, he was a linguist

[@saladinbob]

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?

[@Kennylaggins]

Hype!!

[@JazzJackrabbit]

Well, when a pickaxe and a beard love each other very much...

[@Meritania]

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.

[@semweerts]

They simply popped out of the ground

[@somethinborrowed]

I found this a quite moving origin story

[@christopherdunn3255]

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.

[@ectowolf203]

I would like to see the geek cover the drizzt books

[@MichaelBrown-q4y]

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.

[@agalaxysama3949]

ty

[@alexgedrose]

Love it

[@owenwgoodrich]

Rock and stone! Strike the earth!

[@hutch322]

hell yeah brother ❤️❤️❤️

[@samrijijkot]

How, then, did Ents get created so easily?

[@TheLyricalCleric]

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]

@@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]

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]

@@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]

@@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.

[@parsifal6094]

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