See, the trouble with this thread is that within a few replies it turns into the favourite nerd pastime of "Let's Play Medieval Warfare Experts By Linking To Wikipedia A Lot". Hence, I suppose, the otherwise inexplicable 3,000 or so posts about the use of the
longbow in the
Hundred Years' War.
I mean, what does that have to do with
anything?
But getting back to the original question:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kuruharan
I was playing The Fourth Age the other day when something hit me.
I think Tolkien got the dwarven way of war all wrong.
I think in a way he stumbled on this little bit of an issue himself in the battle of the Hornburg when he has Gimli say…
“but I looked on the hillmen and they seemed overlarge for me”
The axe is not exactly a handy weapon for fighting people taller than you are as you expose yourself even more when you make your stroke.
I think a better way would have been if the dwarves fought more along the lines of the Roman legionaries whose fighting style was made to order (literally) for short people fighting taller ones.
There is some evidence of dwarven equipment of this type…speaking of the dwarves of the Iron Hills
“but each of them had a short broad sword at his side and a round shield slung at his back”
Now I’m not suggesting that there is really anything in that to support my idea. I’m presenting this as an idea that I had rather than something that is in any way supported by Tolkien. |
Regarding the bolded passage-
are Dwarves
typically in the position of fighting people significantly taller than themselves? I mean, yes, they can be, but don't Gimli's words suggest he's not accustomed to fighting Men? And indeed most of the references are to Dwarves fighting Orcs, who themselves tend to be on the short side- c.f. the "
huge orc-chieftain,
almost man-high" in "The Bridge of Khazad-dum".