The Dwarves

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Before the coming of the Elves, Aulë, the Valar of the earth, wanted to share his lore of the earth and teach others his skills.  He was unwilling to wait for the Children of Ilúvatar, so he made the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves in secret under the mountains.  Aulë made the Dwarves strong and unyielding to the power of Melkor.  Ilúvatar knew of Aulë's deed and grew angry with him.  Aulë humbly offered to destroy the Dwarves, but Ilúvatar took pity on him and allowed the Dwarves to live as long as

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they awoke after the coming of the Elves.  Aulë rejoiced and told his wife Yavanna, the Valar of growing things, all that had passed.  Yet she grew worried and told him that because he had concealed his plan to create the Dwarves from her, his creation would have no respect for her works.      Dwarves are stocky and short creatures with angry temperments.  They delight in the beauty of the earth underground and are great miners and craftsman.  Dwarf women are like in appearance to Dwarf men.  They account for only one third of their population.  Dwarf women grow beards and when they go on journeys, they wear armour like Dwarf men.      In the First Age their mail and armour could not be rivaled throughout all of Middle-earth.  In the Second Age, Sauron attempted to corrupt the Dwarves into his service.  His plans failed because the Dwarves are extremely resistant to all temptations except for the lure gold.  When Sauron gave to the Dwarves the seven rings of power, the ringbearers were filled with a lust for gold.  The Dwarves established many great cities and mines, but most of them were destroyed by dragons.  The seven rings of the Dwarves were either obtained by Sauron or captured  by dragons, along with the cities in which they were kept.  By the Third Age, only a few of the Dwarves' cities survived.

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