Petty-dwarves

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The Petty-dwarves
People
Angus McBride - Petty dwarves.jpg
General Information
MembersMîm, Ibun, Khîm
Physical Description
Distinctionsexiled Dwarves of several Houses; only Dwarves known to reveal their "true" names
Average heightShorter than the other Dwarves
GalleryImages of The Petty-dwarves

The Petty-dwarves were a diminutive race of Dwarves.

History

The Petty-dwarves were Dwarves of [presumably] several houses, which had been exiled from eastern Dwarf cities for unclear reasons. They were the first to cross the Ered Luin in the First Age, and established strongholds in Beleriand before the Elves arrived, at Nulukkizdîn and Sharbhund (also known as Bar-en-Nibin-noeg, the "House of the Petty Dwarves"). In Beleriand they diminished in physical stature and in smith-craft.[1]

Steamey - Hunting

The Sindar, not acquainted with Dwarves yet, thought the Petty-dwarves were animals, and hunted them. Not until the Dwarves of Belegost and Nogrod established contact with the Sindar did they realize what the "animals" were and named them Noegyth Nibin; Petty-dwarves.

Afterwards they were mostly left alone, but they had already dwindled and hated all Elves with a passion; especially the Noldor whom they saw as usurpers who took their lands (Nargothrond was built in Nulukkizdîn).[1] In the time of the Wars of Beleriand the Petty-dwarves had nearly died out. The last remnant of their people were Mîm and his two sons Ibun and Khîm, who lived at Amon Rûdh.[1]

Petty-dwarves differed from normal Dwarves in various ways: they were smaller, far more unsociable, and they freely gave away their names: other Dwarves kept their Khuzdul names and language a secret. This may have been one of the reasons they were exiled.[2]

Names

A name among the Eldar for the Petty-dwarves was Levain tad-dail (biped animals), or simply Tad-dail.[3] Another name, used among the Sindar, was Noegyth Nibin or Nibin-Noeg or Nibin-Nogrim.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of Túrin Turambar"
  2. "[1]", Ardalambion (accessed 28 March 2024)
  3. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part Four. Quendi and Eldar: Appendix B. Elvish names for the Dwarves", p. 388
Dwarven Clans
Longbeards · Firebeards · Broadbeams · Ironfists · Stiffbeards · Blacklocks · Stonefoots · (Petty-dwarves)