Let's Get Nerdy

    Who created the Dwarves in The Lord of the Rings? – Let’s Get Nerdy!

    Ashley Victoria RobinsonBy Updated:8 Mins Read

    Amazon Studios The Rings of Power is here. The Second season is on its way. We want all Spoilerites to have the best viewing experience possible and have the widest knowledge base about the Second Age of Middle-Earth. This is a weekly Let’s Get Nerdy article series highlighting a different piece of Tolkien I think you need to know about!

    Spoilerites, more requests have come in to return to Dwarven lore from Tolkien Lore, so today we are tackling the big ticket question of Who Created the Dwarves? The elf myth of coming over from Valinor and the beautiful music is pretty well-known in the book community. It takes up hundreds of pages in The Silmarillion, whereas the dwarf myth is less popular as it is not as in-depth or interesting, frankly.

    TL;DR Aulë created the Dwarves.

    Who is Aulë? 

    I’m so glad you asked!

    Aulë is a member of the Valar (elf gods, I’ve written about them extensively for previous installations in this

    Aulë prepares to destroy his children by: Ted Nasmith

    series), is referred to simply as The Smith or Smith of the Valar. Most of his smithing was working with the following substances: rock, metal, wood, and other naturally occurring material. I think simply knowing this makes a lot of sense that Aulë wound up creating the dwarves.

    Other names attributed to Aulë across J.R.R. Tolkien’s book canon include: Návatar (Dwarf-father in Quenya), Gaul or Belegol (great Aulë), or Barthan (World-artificer), in Noldorin, and in Eriol’s Old English translations Craeftfrea meaning Craft-ruler.

    When Aulë learned of the creation of the Children (elves), he was so excited to have new generations to pass on his gifts, crafts, and curiosity to that he decided to get a jumpstart on things and set up the task of crafting life in the “dark” (i.e. without telling anyone), and the result of these creative efforts were the dwarves.

    When compared to the elves the dwarves were considered imperfect and inferior in comparison and “put to sleep” until the time was right for them to come to Arda. Basically, they were held over until Middle-Earth became settled and it was decided not to let them live in Valinor.

    This decision was made because Aulë created beings closer to golems then the Dwarves full of drive and personality we know from The Second and Third Age of Middle-Earth. Ilúvatar forgave him and when the the race was reborn in Middle-Earth they were given autonomy and individuality.

    Here is a passage describing the beginning of this decision making process from The Silmarillion, “Of Aulë and Yavanna”:

    [T]he voice of Ilúvatar said to him: ‘Why hast thou done this? Why dost thou attempt a thing which thou knowest is beyond thy power and thy authority? For thou hast from me as a gift thy own being only, and no more; and therefore the creatures of thy hand and mind can live only by that being, moving when thou thinkest to move them, and if thy thought be elsewhere, standing idle. Is that thy desire?’

    Then Aulë answered: ‘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. But Ilúvatar had compassion upon Aule and his desire, because of his humility; and the Dwarves shrank from the hammer and were afraid, and they bowed down their heads and begged for mercy. And the voice of Ilúvatar said to Aulë: ‘Thy offer I accepted even as it was made. Dost thou not see that these things now have a life of their own and speak with their own voices? Else they would not have flinched from thy blow, nor from any command of thy will.’ Then Aulë cast down his hammer and was glad; and he gave thanks to Ilúvatar, saying: ‘May Eru bless my work and amend it!’

    The creation myth of the Dwarves is certainly sadder than the creation myth of the Elves and, in a lot of ways, makes the Dwarves even more human (don’t roll your eyes at me!), dare I state.

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    She/her. Canadian actress. Bi Queen. Canadian co-host of Geek History Lesson. Canadian comic book writer: Witchblade, Apollo IX, Jupiter Jet series, Science! The Elements of Dark Energy, Aurora and The Eagle. Award-losing: actor, writer, podcaster. https://linktr.ee/AshleyVRobinson

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