Barz: Page created

2013-01-27T21:27:36Z

Page created

New page

There are few Dwarf women: perhaps about one third of the entire population is female. Thus, the numbers of the Dwarves increase slowly. Dwarven women are rarely seen by other folk, for they are kept secret. Regarding female dwarves and beards, please read below.

Passage from The Return of the King Appendix A reads:
"It was said by Gimli that there are few dwarf-women, probably no more than a third of the whole people. They seldom walk abroad except at great need. They are in voice and appearance, and in garb if they must go on a journey, so like to Dwarf-men that the eyes and ears of other peoples cannot tell them apart. This has given rise to the foolish opinion among Men that there are no dwarf-women, and that the Dwarves 'grow out of stone'."

Passage from The History of Middle Earth, Volume XI, War of the Jewels:
"The Naugrim were ever, as they still remain, short and squat in stature; they were deep-breasted, strong in the arm, and stout in the leg, and their beards were long. Indeed this strangeness they have that no Man or Elf has ever seen a beardless Dwarf - unless he were shaven in mockery, and would then be more like to die of shame than of many other hurts that to us would seem more deadly. For the Naugrim have beards from the beginning of their lives, male and female alike; nor indeed can their womenkind be discerned by those of other race, be it in feature or in gait or in voice."

Concerning the travel of Dwarven females, two phrases are used: 'at great need' and 'if they must'. This implies that not only are the male members of Khazad society protective of the rare females, but that the females aren't fond of leaving their mountain halls. Dwarf-women may still travel, however, if a 'great need' is supplied.

[[category:Dwarven theme]]

Dwarven women - Revision history

Barz: Page created