Dwarves and their axes

Beorneo7

Beorneo7

The Shire
Tolkien states that the preferred weapon of the dwarves is the axe but the other day I got to thinking: I do believe Gimli and Dain are the only dwarves mentioned that use axes. Azaghal in the Silmarillion wounded Glaurung with a dagger, if I remember rightly his guard used pikes. Thorin had his Orcrist and the dwarves that arrived for the Battle of Five Armies all used mattocks (which are something like picks). Maybe I'm just playing the devil's advocate but it doesn't sound like many axes are out there floating around.[evil]
 
A dagger is typicly a secondary weapon, so an axe could have been a primary. Orchrist was a discovered weapon, made by the elves and I'd assume a very high quality and beauty. I like my axes when I reenact, but a beautiful sword of that kind of renown would make me consider putting it down. The pike issue is resolved by the fact that they were a guard detail. And a mattok has an axe-like back blade, and a hoe like front one. They are so simmilar to axes that I cut the front blade off of one to make a training weapon for my nephew. They are basicly an axe that serve as a mining tool, just the kind of thing that an impromptu dwarf army would carry[:)].
Sorry about the spelling, but I'm a little tired.
 
It's his candy shop. If he says Dwarves primarily fight with axes, despite telling as many stories of dwarves who don't as who do, I'm prepared to believe him.

Meanwhile, here are a few more Dwarven axe references to balance the other weapons you've noticed.

And the eastern host of the Orcs was taken between the armies of the Eldar, north of the Andram and midway between Aros and Gelion, and there they were utterly defeated, and those that fled north from the great slaughter were waylaid by the axes of the Naugrim that issued from Mount Dolmed: few indeed returned to Angband. (Sil, 10, "Of the Sindar")

Glaurung and his brood would have withered all that was left of the Noldor. But the Naugrim made a circle about him when he assailed them, and even his mighty armour was not full proof against the blows of their great axes; (Sil, 20, "Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad")

[the dwarf] Mîm was old even in the reckoning of Dwarves, old and forgotten. And in his halls the smithies were idle, and the axes rusted... (Sil,
21, "Of Turin Turambar")

Behind [Smaug] where the walls were nearest could dimly be seen coats of mail, helms and axes, ... (Hobbit, XII, "Inside Information")

Now the dwarves took down mail and weapons from the walls, and armed themselves. Royal indeed did Thorin look, clad in a coat of gold-plated rings, with a silver hafted axe in a belt crusted with scarlet stones. (Hobbit, XIII, "Not at Home")

Thorin wielded his axe with mighty strokes, and nothing seemed to harm him. (Hobbit, XVII, "The Clouds Burst")

`Well, I can read no more for a long way,' said Gandalf, 'except the word "gold", and "Durin's Axe" and something "helm". (LotR, II, 5, "The Bridge of Khazad-dum")

[Thorin] thought of weapons and armies and alliances, as his great hammer rang in his forge; but the armies were dispersed and the alliances broken and the axes of his people were few; (LotR, Appendices, "Durin's Folk")

...the battle-cry which [Gimli] uttered in the siege of the Hornburg. That at least was not secret, and had been heard on many a field since the world was young. Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu! 'Axes of the Dwarves! The Dwarves are upon you!' (LotR, Appendices, "The Languages and Peoples of the Third Age")​


 
I stand corrected many times over, good thing it was only a thought and nothing I tried preaching as canon!
 
I'm responding here because the LZ-Tull thread has dropped off the first page. Don't worry about a post on Main drifting off-topic -- all that matters is that it starts out Tolkien-related. TORnadoes have a proud history of hijacking threads -- it's one of the things we love about this site!

But you might want to drop in on the OT board, since there are frequent music discussions. We just had one on Tull a few weeks ago.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top