Dates Not known in detail. Durin awoke some time after the Elves, and died before the end of the First Age Origins Eldest of the Fathers of the Dwarves made by Aulë the Smith Race Dwarves Division Founder of Durin's Folk, the Longbeards Culture Dwarves of Khazad-dûm Family Founder of the House of Durin Settlements Khazad-dûm Pronunciation doo'rin Meaning Apparently 'king'1 Titles The Deathless Indexes: Alphabetical: D Dwarves About this entry: Updated 30 January 1998 Updates planned: 4 Eldest of Dwarves  Years of the TreesFirst AgeISecond AgeIIThird AgeIIIFourth AgeIV Kings of Durin's Folk The eldest of the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves, the first of that race to be created by the Vala Aulë. He was set to sleep under the mountains of Middle-earth until after the awakening of the Elves. When he woke, he journeyed in the wilds until he came upon the Mirrormere, the lake that the Dwarves call Kheled-zâram. Looking upon mysterious stars reflected in its surface, he took this as a sign, and there founded a great city tunnelled into the heart of the Misty Mountains. This was Khazad-dûm, later called Moria. Durin lived to a great age even by the measure of the Dwarves, but though he was called the Deathless, he was not immortal. He died some time before the end of the First Age, but he founded the line of the Kings of Durin's Folk that extended down through the history of Middle-earth. Notes 1 According to the essay Of Dwarves and Men in volume XII of The History of Middle-earth, the name Durin '...appears to have been simply a word for 'king' in the language of the Men of the North of the Second Age'. The name's actual literary source is Durinn in the Old Norse Dvergatal. The meaning there is far from clear, but it can be interpreted as 'one who sleeps'. That would make sense, given that the Dwarves were set to sleep under the earth until after the first Elves appeared, and Durin was said to be the first of the Fathers of the Dwarves to awaken at that time. Other sources prefer the interpretation 'doorward', and this is also a realistic possibility. Though 'doorward' does not have any obvious relevance to Durin I, it does have a logical connection to Durin III, who made the famous Doors of Durin to guard the West-gate of Moria. See also... Azanulbizar, Company of the Ring, Crown of Durin, Durin VI, Durin VII, Durin’s Axe, Durin’s Bridge, Durin’s Day, Durin’s Folk, Durin’s Heir, Durin’s House, Durin’s Stone, Durin’s Tower, Dwarf-kind, Dwarf-lords, [See the full list...]Dwarves, Dwarves of Moria, Father of Dragons, Fathers of the Dwarves, Forn, Great Hall of Thráin, Gróin, Heir of Durin, House of Durin, Khazad-dûm, Kheled-zâram, King of Durin’s Folk, King of Khazad-dûm, King under the Mountain, Last of the Seven, Longbeards, Lord of Moria, Mansion of the Khazâd, Misty Mountains, Náin II, Óin, Old Forest Road, Old Moria, The Deathless, Thorin and Company, Thráin I Indexes: Alphabetical: D Dwarves About this entry: Updated 30 January 1998 Updates planned: 4 For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 1998, 2001. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by Axiom Discovery aptitude and skill testing.Personality is one part of understanding a candidate's suitability for a role, but aptitude can also be crucial. |
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