Some Dwarf-based trivia for yer birthday. 


1)  In a letter, Tolkien cites this actual people-group as an influence on the creation of the Dwarves.  Who does he cite?

2) Why was Durin named "the Deathless?" (two-part answer)

3) How long did the dwarves battle Durin's Bane?

4) Who forged Narsil?  What Age was it Forged in?  What city did the smith live in? 

5) What is Gimli's fate in the 4th age? 

6) What do Sauron and Saruman have in common with the Dwarves?

Ok, that's it for now  I think. 

Which three? Oh, and it looks I edited after your response, I added a 6th.

Lol, Khailin.  *sigh* Unfortunately I cannot agree with that kind of dwarfish nonsense.

Responses still welcome.  Send me a GP mail with your answers.

1)  In a letter, Tolkien cites this actual people-group as an influence on the creation of the Dwarves.  Who does he cite?

The Jewish People. (Carpenter, Humprhey ed. (1981), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 176)

"I do think of the 'Dwarves' like Jews: at once native and alien in their habitations, speaking the languages of the country, but with an accent due to their own private tongue..." and in a radio interview, "The dwarves of course are quite obviously, wouldn't you say that in many ways they remind you of the Jews? Their words are Semitic, obviously, constructed to be Semitic."

2) Why was Durin named "the Deathless?"

He lived a much longer life than most dwarves.  It was also a reference to the belief that 7 of his descendants were reincarnations of the original Durin. 

3) How long did the dwarves battle Durin's Bane?

They battled the Balrog for one year, and after the deaths of both Durin VI and King Nain, they fled Khazad-Dum.

4) Who forged Narsil?  What Age was it Forged in?  What city did the smith live in? 

Telchar the smith forged Narsil in Nogrod in the First Age.

5) What is Gimli's fate in the 4th age? 

He founds a kingdom in the Glittering Caves, Aglarond, under the Hornburg in Rohan.  Upon Aragorn's death he sails to the Undying Lands.

6) What do Sauron and Saruman have in common with the Dwarves?

All three are linked to Aule.  Sauron and Saruman were his servants, while the dwarves are his creation. (would also have accepted something regarding their all being great at the craft of metalworking, etc.)