The War of the Jewels (39 page)

I am not altogether certain how to interpret this; but the simplest solution is to suppose that when my father wrote these texts he had forgotten Thorin's mention of Durin as the ancestor of the Longbeards in The Hobbit (or, less probably, that he consciously disregarded it), and the following considerations support it.

At the beginning of the section Durin's Folk in Appendix A (III) to The Lord of the Rings the reading of the First Edition was: 'Durin is the name that the Dwarves use for the eldest of the Seven Fathers of all their race', without mention of the Longbeards. Years later, on his copy of the second edition of The Hobbit, my father noted: 'Not so in Silmarillion nor see [sic] LR III p. 352' - this being a reference to the passage just cited from Appendix A in the First Edition: what was 'not so' was Thorin's reference to 'one of the two races of dwarves', become obsolete since the emergence of the conception of the Seven Fathers. At the same time he wrote on this copy many tentative phrases to replace Thorin's original words, such as 'the eldest of the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves', 'the father of the fathers of the eldest line of the Dwarf-kings, the Longbeards', before arriving at the final form as subsequently published, 'He was the father of the fathers of the eldest race of Dwarves, the Longbeards, and my first ancestor: I am his heir.' It was obviously consideration of Thorin's words in The Hobbit and the need for their correction that led him to alter the text of Appendix A, which in the Second Edition (1966) reads: 'Durin is the name that the Dwarves used for the eldest of the Seven Fathers of their race, and the ancestor of all the kings of the Longbeards', with the addition of a footnote reference to the passage in The Hobbit, now published in its corrected form.

Thus, circuitously, the Longbeards finally entered The Lord of the Rings, as the Dwarves of Khazad-dum; but the texts of The Silmarillion and the Annals were never changed, and the Longbeards remained the Dwarves of Belegost.

$6. The marginal note 'Thus the Lammas' apparently refers specifically to the statement in the text concerning the kinship of languages of the Easterlings with Dwarf-speech. Cf. V.179 (Lhammas $9): 'the languages of Men are derived in part from them' (the tongues of the Dwarves); this was repeated in the footnote to QS

$123, from which the present paragraph was developed, and which also has a marginal note 'So, the Lhammas'.

$7. The names and places of the Dwarf-cities now achieve almost their final form, and I recapitulate here the complex development: QS original form, $124 (V.274)

Khazad-dum = Nogrod = Dwarfmine (in the Blue Mountains) Gabilgathol = Belegost = Great Fortress

QS original form emended, p. 201

Khazad-dum = Nogrod = Dwarrowdelf, later Moria Gabilgathol = Belegost = Great Fortress

QS revised version, $7

Tumunzahar = Nogrod = Hollowbold (in the Blue Mountains) Gabilgathol = Belegost = Mickleburg

Khazad-dum = Nornhabar = Dwarrowdelf, later Moria The Dwarvish name Tumunzahar of Nogrod appears in GA $19, but this is the first occurrence of the Elvish name Nornhabar.

Of the names of the Dwarves themselves, there first occur here Gonnhirrim masters of stone, and Nyrn (cf. Nornwaith in AAm, X.93, Norn-folk in GA $19, and the name Nornhabar of Khazaddum). Naugrim is now said to mean 'stunted', and Nyrn is 'of like meaning', though this statement was struck out; in the original text ($124) Neweg = 'stunted'. In addition, Khuzud was subsequently changed to Khazad, and Naugrim to Naug. I give here a summary of the development of these confusing names and forms: Tale of the Nauglafring. Nauglath.

Q. Nauglir.

AB 1 (IV.311). Nauglar (also in the List of Names, V.405: Dark-elvish name, adopted by the

Gnomes).

QS (original form). Naugrim (Dark-elvish name > (p. 201) Gnomish name).

Neweg 'stunted' (Gnomish name).

QS (revised version). Naugrim (> Naug) 'stunted' (Gnomish name > Dark-elvish name, adopted by

the Gnomes).

Nyrn (Gnomish name, 'stunted' - but this

meaning rejected).

AAm. Nauglath > Naugrim Nornwaith (later rejected, X.106, $84)

GA. Naugrim

Norn-folk ($19).

An important element in this revised section remains to be mentioned: at this stage the myth of the creation of the Dwarves lacked the element of the Fathers being laid to sleep, by the command of Iluvatar, after their first arising. This is apparent from the text as it stands; and the entry of this element will be seen in a moment.

The next text was the typescript of the LQ 1 series, which followed the manuscript text exactly (but the changes of Khuzud > Khazad and Naugrim > Naug in $7 do not appear, nor in LQ 2), and after the first paragraph of the section Of the Edain ($9), where the revised version ends, followed the original text of QS, with the very few alterations that were made to it and which have been given on pp. 201-2.

The opening of 'the words of Pengolod [> Pengolod] concerning the Naugrim' ($2) were struck out, long afterwards, on LQ 1, as far as

'the desire of Aule's heart to make things of his own after the pattern of the designs of Iluvatar.' Associated with the QS manuscript at this point are two pages headed 'Of Aule and the Dwarves', enclosed in a paper wrapper bearing the words 'Amended Legend of Origin of Dwarves'; this begins as a good manuscript but breaks up into confusion and variant forms. A new text was written out fair in a late script of my father's, without title, and attached to LQ 1 as a replacement for the passage struck out; it begins thus, differing little from the rejected form:

The Naugrim are not of the Elf-kind, nor of Man-kind, nor yet of Melkor's breeding; and the Noldor, when they met them in Middle-earth, knew not whence they came, holding that they were alien to the Children, although in many ways they resembled them.

But here in Valinor we have learned that in their beginning the Dwarves were made by Aule, while Earth was still dark; for Aule desired the coming of the Children so greatly, to have learners to whom he could teach his lore and his crafts, that he was unwilling to await the fulfilment of the designs of Iluvatar.

The remainder of the text will be found in the published Silmarillion, Chapter 2 Of Aule and Yavanna, pp. 43 - 4, to its end at 'Then Aule took the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves, and laid them to rest in far-sundered places; and he returned to Valinor, and waited while the long years lengthened.' There are a number of insignificant editorial alterations in the published text, and among them one point should be mentioned: my father was uncertain whether to use 'thou' or 'you' in the converse of Aule with Iluvatar (in one case he changed 'you may'

to 'thou mayst' and then reverted to 'you may'). In the end he decided on 'you', whereas the published text has 'thou' throughout.

At the end of the insertion the chapter continues with 'Since they came in the days of the power of Melkor ...' (p. 204), but concomitantly with the introduction of the new form of the legend, in which the Fathers of the Dwarves were laid to sleep until after the awakening of the Elves and the imprisonment of Melkor, this was changed on LQ 1 to 'Since they were to come ...' The only other significant alteration made to LQ 1 was in the opening sentence of $3, which was changed to read: 'Now these Seven Fathers, they say, return to live again and to bear once more their ancient names.' It might be expected that my father would have made some change to the opening sentence of $4 after the entry of the new form of the legend, but he was evidently content with an internal shift of meaning: 'even from the first days of their Fathers' is to be understood as 'even from the first days of their Fathers when they awoke from their sleep'.

The earlier of the two texts of the inserted passage shows my father much exercised about the details of the making of the first Dwarves.

Thus there are the following tentative and roughly-written passages: (a). But it is said that to each Dwarf Iluvatar added a mate of female kind, yet because he would not amend the work of Aule, and Aule had yet made only things of male form, therefore the women of the Dwarves resemble their men more than all other [? speaking] races.

(b). He wrought in secret in a hall under the mountains in Middle-earth. There he made first one Dwarf, the eldest of all, and after he made six others, the fathers of their race; and then he began to make others again, like to them but of female kind to be their mates. But he wearied, and when he [had] made six more he rested, and he returned to the seven fathers and he looked at them, and they looked at him, and whatever motion was in his thought that motion they performed. And Aule was not pleased, but he began to teach them the language that he had designed for them, hoping thus to instruct them.

But Iluvatar knew all that was done, and in the very hour that the Eldest Dwarf first spoke with tongue, Iluvatar spoke to Aule; and Aule

(c). Aule made one, and then six, and he began to make mates for them of female form, and he made six, and then he wearied.

Thus he buried six pairs, but one (Durin) the eldest he laid alone.

(d). And Aule took the Seven Dwarves and laid them to rest under stone in far-sundered places, and beside each [of] them he laid a mate as the Voice bade him, and then he returned to Valinor.

(e). Then Aule took the Seven Dwarves and laid them to rest under stone in far-sundered places, and beside each he laid his mate, save only beside the Eldest, and he lay alone. And Aule returned to Valinor and waited long as best he might. But it is not known when Durin or his brethren first awoke, though some think that it was at the time of the departure of the Eldar over sea.

With passage (b) cf. the essay on Orcs in Vol.X, p. 417: But if [Melkor] had indeed attempted to make creatures of his own in imitation or mockery of the Incarnates, he would, like Aule, only have succeeded in producing puppets: his creatures would have acted only while the attention of his will was upon them, and they would have shown no reluctance to execute any command of his, even if it were to destroy themselves.

In the final text, as printed in The Silmarillion, my father evidently abandoned the question of the origin of the female Dwarves, finding it intractable and the solutions unsatisfactory. Moreover in the finished form the element of the Eldest (Durin) being distinct from the others, and without mate, finds no place.

There is another version of the legend in the draft continuation (not sent) of a letter to Miss Rhona Beare dated 14 October 1958 (The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien no.212); arid here appears the idea of the one and the six, and the six mates of the six, making thirteen in all. I reprint the passage here, since it may not be readily available.

Aule, for instance, one of the Great, in a sense 'fell'; for he so desired to see the Children, that he became impatient and tried to anticipate the will of the Creator. Being the greatest of all craftsmen he tried to make children according to his imperfect knowledge of their kind.

When he had made thirteen,* God spoke to him in anger, but not without pity: for Aule had done this thing not out of evil desire to have slaves and subjects of his own, but out of impatient love, desiring children to talk to and teach, sharing with them the praise of Iluvatar and his great love of the materials of which the world is made.

The One rebuked Aule, saying that he had tried to usurp the Creator's power; but he could not give independent life to his makings. He had only one life, his own derived from the One, and could at most only distribute it. 'Behold' said the One: 'these creatures of thine have only thy will, and thy movement. Though you have devised a language for them, they can only report to thee thine own thought. This is a mockery of me.'

Then Aule in grief and repentance humbled himself and asked for pardon. And he said: 'I will destroy these images of my presump-tion, and wait upon thy will.' And he took a great hammer, raising it to smite the eldest of his images; but it flinched and cowered from him. And as he withheld his stroke, astonished, he heard the laughter of Iluvatar.

(* One, the eldest, alone, and six more with six mates.)

'Do you wonder at this?' he said. 'Behold! thy creatures now live, free from thy will! For I have seen thy humility, and taken pity on your impatience. Thy making I have taken up into my design.'

This is the Elvish legend of the making of the Dwarves; but the Elves report that Iluvatar said thus also: 'Nonetheless I will not suffer my design to be forestalled: thy children shall not awake before mine own.' And he commanded Aule to lay the fathers of the Dwarves severally in deep places, each with his mate, save Durin the eldest who had none. There they should sleep long, until Iluvatar bade them awake. Nonetheless there has been for the most part little love between the Dwarves and the children of Iluvatar. And of the fate that Iluvatar has set upon the children of Aule beyond the Circles of the world Elves and men know nothing, and if Dwarves know they do not speak of it.