LOTR: Where are all the dwarves?

[RoJoHen]

Potentially dumb question, but maybe not.

Where the heck are all the dwarves in LOTR? We have Gimli, who for some reason is in Rivendell and joins the Fellowship of the Ring.

We trek through the Mines of Moria to find that a lot of dwarves are dead.

Are there other dwarves hanging out somewhere, or were the Moria Massacres a form of genocide? If there were other dwarves, what the heck were they doing during the time of LOTR?

 

[Gov Kodos]

Busy at the Lonely Mountain and other places, many of them under siege or threat from Sauron's forces directly or through puppet kings.

 

[sojourner]

Yep, the Lonely mountain and I believe the grey hills if I remember were mentioned as being the major abodes of the dwarves at the time of the LOTR.

 

[Skywalker]

Most of the Dwarves by the time of LOTR lived at the Lonely Mountain or in the Iron Hills, both located far east and north of the Fellowship's activities, or in the Blue Mountains, which were west of the Shire. In the books, the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain (along with the Men of Dale, who you'll learn about in The Hobbit) were besieged by Sauron's forces, whom they eventually defeated.

 

[Dream]

You'll get more than your fill of dwarves when you see the Hobbit. A barrel of dwarves!

 

[RoJoHen]

You'll get more than your fill of dwarves when you see the Hobbit. A barrel of dwarves!

Well, that's kind of what I was wondering about. I knew there were a bunch of dwarves in "The Hobbit," and I just wondering where the heck they all went.

And yes, I have read all 4 books...it's just been a really long time since then!

Follow-up Question: If all the dwarves were elsewhere doing their own thing, why was Gimli in Rivendell at all?

 

[Gov Kodos]

He and Gloin were sent because Sauron had sent an offer to the Dwarves at the Lonely Mountain about receiving a lost Ring of the Dwarves in return for their allegiance, as I recall. Also, the agents Sauron sent were asking questions about Bilbo, I believe.

 

[Hound of UIster]

Follow-up Question: If all the dwarves were elsewhere doing their own thing, why was Gimli in Rivendell at all?

The servants of Sauron were asking about the Ring and the Shire with promises of friendship to the Dwarves and threats of retribution for non-cooperation. Gimili was there to ask for counsel from Elrond.