The Hobbit: A Guide to Middle-Earth

Dwarves- Part 2

The Dwarves had a lot of distinguishing features and characteristics that set them apart from the other races of Middle-Earth.

Appearance:

When Aüle created the Dwarves, he had only a vague idea of what the Children of Illúvatar should look like, but due to the ever-present threat of Morgoth over the world, he made them very resilient, both in body and character.

Dwarves were a short, stocky race, a little taller than the average Hobbit but a lot broader and heavier. Most Dwarves had thick and luxuriant beards and hair, which they took great pride in. The way they braided their beards (or hair) often symbolised something, usually their status, how many battles they had fought in and if they were courting someone.

They seem to have favoured simple durable clothing; heavy cloaks for travelling, and wide belts of gold or silver. Royalty, such as Durin's Line, tended to wear finer clothing with blue and red hues, decorated with their own sigils.

Armour:

For battle, Dwarven soldiers had expertly crafted armour, shields and helmets, bearing various angular designs that were trademarks of Dwarven crafting styles.

Helmets- covered the entire face, fashioned in the style of a forge mask. They were hideous to look upon, but also particularly useful in shielding ones eyes from the flames of a dragon. They could be simple or intricate in design.

Armour- made out of iron or steel chain-mail, worn with plate armour of the same material.

Shields- came in many different types and as seen in all Dwarven works they were elaborately decorated.

Mithril-
A precious silvery metal, very lightweight but capable of providing extreme strength in alloys. It was mined by the Dwarves in the deep mines of Khazad-Dûm (until Durin's Bane drove the Dwarves out of the Mines).

All folk desired Mithril; it could be beaten like copper, and polished like glass, and the Dwarves could make lightweight, durable and unbelievably strong armour out of it.

The beauty of Mithril did not tarnish or grow dim, meaning the Elves used it for jewellery and attire, rather than armour and weaponry.

Weaponry:
The Dwarves had some of the most skilled warriors and crafters throughout Middle-Earth, who were well versed in forging and using all kinds of weaponry.

Types of Weapons:

Axe- An axe was the standard weapon for any Dwarven soldier. They could be either large or small, curved, doubled headed, smooth or a throwing type.

Used extensively throughout the wars fought by Dwarves, the axe came into use by the time Khazad-Dûm was founded, sometime in the The First Age.

In combat, the axe was used to drive forward while attacking; therefore, it was not good in defence, but brilliant in staggering the enemy. Being a weapon that was hard to control, the axe would have taken great skill to master, which shows the extraordinary skill, and dedication, Dwarves had in warfare. Indeed, the axe was probably the first real weapon used by the Dwarves, most likely being first made out of stone and then iron.

As the ages went on, Dwarves were constantly changing the way they forged their weapons. With the new use of steel, Dwarves made hardier and overall better axes, but the newfound metal Mithril changed everything for them. With Mithril, Dwarves were able to reach their peak in making weapons. Suddenly, axes began taking on almost magical qualities, being able to slice through almost any metal. The metal Mithril may have completely changed the way Dwarves made and used their axes, but the magical metal was hard to find and even harder to harvest. Thus, most Dwarven axes continued to be made of other metals like steel.