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Dates
Belegost was founded before the first rising of the Sun;1 it was destroyed in the War of Wrath at the end of the First Age
Location
Belegost lay to the east of Mount Dolmed in the Blue Mountains
Race
Division
Not certainly known2
Culture
Settlements
Pronunciation
Belegost is pronounced 'be'legost'
Meaning
Belegost means 'great fortress'
Title of
Various rulers of Belegost, of whom Azaghâl is the only one named

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About this entry:

  • Updated 20 January 2025
  • This entry is complete

Lord of Belegost

The Dwarf-chieftain of Gabilgathol

The title given to the leader of those Dwarves who settled in the Blue Mountains, and delved the citadel of Belegost (Gabilgathol in their own language) beneath Mount Dolmed. It seems that this people represented the Broadbeam clan, and it is possible that the Lord of Belegost was descended from one of the seven Fathers of the Dwarves.

Most famous of Belegost's Lords, and indeed the only one independently named, was Azaghâl. He ruled in the later years of the First Age, and it was for this Lord that the famous Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin was originally made. He led his people to fight against Morgoth in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, where he was slain by Glaurung, but he succeeded in wounding the Dragon so deeply that it fled back to Angband.


Notes

1

We have no precise dating for the establishment of Belegost, but according to The Grey Annals in volume XI of The History of Middle-earth, the Dwarves of Belegost first became known to the Eldar in Valian Year 1250. Translating to solar years, this means that Belegost existed at least 2,400 years before the Return of the Noldor and the first rising of the Moon and Sun.

We're also lacking any detailed information about the history of the Dwarves of Belegost and their rulers, and indeed it is conceivable that they did not have a lord throughout their entire history. In an account of their work in the making of Menegroth, soon after their appearance in Beleriand, it is perhaps notable that their leader is referred to as the 'chieftain of the Dwarves of Belegost' rather than their lord (Quenta Silmarillion 10, Of the Sindar). This may be no more than insignificant choice of wording, but it may conceivably imply a change in the organisation of the Dwarves over time.

2

The Dwarves of Belegost did not belong to the Longbeard clan (commonly known as Durin's Folk) who played a large part in the events of the Third Age. Rather, they were descended from another of the Fathers of the Dwarves, and indeed if they followed the pattern of the Longbeards, the Lord of Belegost would have been a descendant of this original Father. Comments in volume XII of The History of Middle-earth associate the Dwarf-cities of the Blue Mountains with two separate clans, the Broadbeams and the Firebeards. Those comments are not absolutely specific about which city belong to which clan, but based on word order, the Dwarves of Belegost and their Lord belonged to the Dwarves known as Broadbeams.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 20 January 2025
  • This entry is complete

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