Azanulbizar

The deep-shadowed valley of the Dimrill Dale

The Dwarves' name for a valley between two arms of the Misty Mountains, called Nanduhirion by the Elves and the Dimrill Dale by Men. Azanulbizar was of vital importance in Dwarvish history: it was here that Durin first looked on the waters of Kheled-zâram and was inspired to found Khazad-dûm. It was here, too, millennia later, that Dwarves destroyed the armies of the Orcs to bring an end to the War of the Dwarves and Orcs.

Notes

Tolkien himself was uncertain on the interpretation of the Dwarvish name Azanulbizar. He suggested that it probably derived from azan 'dimness, shadows', ul 'of' and bizār 'small streams'. Hence the entire name can be interpreted as the 'rills of the shadows' or the 'shadowed streams'.

The name is thus very close in meaning to the Elvish equivalent, Nanduhirion, which meant 'valley of dim streams' (and the Common Speech name, which is given in English as the 'Dimrill Dale'). Notably both the Elvish and Common Speech names include a word for 'valley', which is missing from Azanulbizar. Tolkien addresses this in his notes on the name, suggesting that the full name (which is never actually used in his tales) would have incorporated duban 'valley' to form Duban Azanulbizar.

Azanulbizar

The deep-shadowed valley of the Dimrill Dale

Notes

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