The Ruin of Doriath

"...Yet two there were of the slayers of Thingol who escaped from the pursuit on the eastern marches, and returned at last to their city far off in the Blue Mountains; and there in Nogrod they told somewhat of all that had befallen, saying that the Dwarves were slain in Doriath by command of the Elvenking who thus would cheat them of their reward.

Then great was the wrath and lamentation of the Dwarves of Nogrod for the death of their kin and their great craftsmen, and they tore their beards, and wailed; and long they sat taking thought for vengeance. It is told that they asked aid from the Dwarves of Belegost [link] , but it was denied them and the Dwarves of Belegost sought to dissuade them from from their purpose; but their counsel was unavialing, and ere long a great host came forth from Nogrod, and crossing over Gelion marched westward through Beleriand.

Thus it was that the host of the Naugrim crossing over Aros passed unhindered into the woods of Doriath; and none withstod them, for they were many and fierce, and the captains of the Grey-elves were cast into doubt and despair, and went hither and thither purposeless. But the Dwarves held on their way, and passed over the great bridge, and entered into Menegroth; and there befell a thing most grievous among the sorrowful deeds of the Elder Days. For there was battle in the Thousand Caves, and many Elves and Dwarves were slain; and it has not been forgotten. But the Dwarves were victorious, and the halls of Thingol were ransacked and plundered. There fell Mablung of the Heavy Hand before the doors of the treasury wherein lay the Nauglamir; and the Silmaril was taken."

********************

A lot of text, perhaps, but necessary for an event of this stature.

This, THIS is the reason the Dwarves and the Elves hate each other. They were never good friends, but after this it got to be a bitter feud. It's a complicated event, and like most things in 'The Silmarillion," it revolves around the Silmarils, the most beautiful jewels in the history of ever.

Basically, the elven king Thingol, the only guy outside of Morgoth who actually OWNS a Silmaril, hired some dwarven craftsmen to remake the Nauglamir, Necklace of the Dwarves (which he'd gotten from a bitter hero), with the Silmaril in the middle. The dwarves did, but when the work was done, demanded the necklace as theirs by right, since it's... y'know, a DWARVEN necklace. King Thingol got mad, the dwarves got mad, the dwarves killed King Thingol, and then tried to high-tail it out of Thingol's realm. The elves got most of them, but they missed two... and this happened.

In all fairness, the Dwarves of Nogrod are slaughtered on their way out of Doriath, so they don't actually get anything out of the deal. AND, when some other elves, the Noldor, hear that Doriath got stomped and still has the Silmaril, THEY come down and slaughter everyone there AGAIN. And they STILL don't get the Silmaril. This sort of thing happens all the time in "The Silmarillion."

Compositionally, this piece was tricky, as I wanted to convey the size of the place, the slaughter, and Mablung's prowess. Mablung IS supposed to be a great warrior, but this IS a series about the dwarves, so the Dwarves have to be the main focus of the picture.

On the plus side, this picture also allowed me to revisit the Dwarven Masks that I never really got a chance to develop in the "Dwarves of Belegost" picture. [link]

The Deeds of the Dwarves.

The Dwarves of Belegost: [link]

The King Under the Mountain: [link]

The Fall of Azog: [link]

Alas! My Axe is Notched: [link]

Thorin "Oakenshield": [link]

The Last Stand of Dain: [link]

The Orcs are Behind the Wall!: [link]

A Chance Meeting: [link]

Baruk Khazad!: [link]

I Say Neither Yea nor Nay: [link]

The Undying Lands: [link]