Stiffbeards

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Stiffbeards
People
Daniel Falconer - Stiffbeard dwarf.jpg
"Stiffbeard dwarf" by Daniel Falconer
General Information
LocationsRhûn[1]
AffiliationIronfists
LanguagesKhuzdul
Physical Description
Lifespanc. 250 years[2]
GalleryImages of Stiffbeards

The Stiffbeards were one of the seven houses of the Dwarves that dwelt in Rhûn. They were originally paired with the Ironfists.[3]

The locations of the four Dwarven clans, including the Stiffbeards, who lived in the East are unknown. The distance between their mansions in the East and the Misty Mountains, specifically Gundabad, was said to be as great or greater than that of Gundabad's distance from the Blue Mountains in the West.[4]

It is possible that the Stiffbeards were among the "Houses of other Fathers" who sent troops to help Durin's Folk in the War of the Dwarves and Orcs.[5]

Late in the Third Age, when war and terror grew in the East itself, considerable numbers of Stiffbeards and dwarves of the Eastern clans left their ancient homelands. They sought refuge in Middle-earth's western lands, where some of them met Frodo Baggins.[6]

Portrayal in adaptations

1982-97: Middle-earth Role Playing:

The unnamed Dwarven tribes were given invented names in an early supplement.[7] While these were published before the publication of Tolkien's late note on the name of the Dwarven houses of the East, it has been suggested that the Stiffbeards could correspond to Bávor's tribe (as portrayed in MERP).[8]

2002-5: The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game:

The House corresponding to the Stiffbeards is called Thulin's Folk, said to inhabit the uttermost North of Middle-earth (dwelling so far north that "their beards grow stiff from cold", according to Khazâd legend).[9]

References

Dwarven Clans
Longbeards · Firebeards · Broadbeams · Ironfists · Stiffbeards · Blacklocks · Stonefoots · (Petty-dwarves)