Them Dwarven folk.

[alatar]

I too have been wondering where those Dwarves got all of their food. Think of the fair city of the Dwarrowdelf - in its hay day, more than a few busy dwarves lived there. Did they eat much of what Hollin produced? Then what of the elves? How many acres were given over in these lands to food production/procurement, and how many were required to keep a dwarf on its feet all day?

...

So why were prehistoric bugs so big (imagine a bug with a wing span of over two feet/70 cm!)? It's speculated that, with an atmospheric oxygen concentration up to 35 percent, bugs could be bigger back then. Did you know that bugs breathe through tiny holes and tubes and sacs that passively or actively get the air inside the bug? This ventilation mechanism limits the size of the bug - too big, and oxygen can't get to those cells deep inside the bug, those cells die and then...We, in case you haven't noticed, use our lungs and heart to circulate the oxygen around - and to rid ourselves of carbon dioxide, the same thing those bugs have to do.

What does this have to do with dwarves?

I've been wondering just how far away from an air source they can tunnel before they no longer can get air. Sure, Gandalf and company note air holes in Moria when they are camped outside the Chamber of Mazarbul, but what of the Mines? As with the Romans, surely the dwarves encountered the ventilation and heat issues that plague miners even today. Toxic gases can be released when mining, water has to be diverted to somewhere, and when they lit fires in the upper chambers, you end up with chimneys sucking out the air from below.

Deep they delved them.

So, that said, did the dwarves, seemingly with scant food resources and possibly low oxygen concentrations, have the ability to 'live on less?'

[Groin Redbeard]

I was thinking about starting a thread about this, but I think this is as good a place as any to discuss it.

What power did the dwarven rings posses? Just like Narya was called the Ring of Fire and Nenya was called the Ring of Water and the Ring of Adamant. I know that all the rings of power had the strength to govern each race, but is that all that they could do?

Yay, 300th post!

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Groin Redbeard

What power did the dwarven rings posses? Just like Narya was called the Ring of Fire and Nenya was called the Ring of Water and the Ring of Adamant. I know that all the rings of power had the strength to govern each race, but is that all that they could do?

Yay, 300th post!

Congratulations

Concerning the Rings: I am not sure if there is much said anywhere, but one thing I can remember for sure is that in the Appendices to LotR, there is said about the Ring of Durin's tribe that "it needed gold to breed gold", therefore, it probably was capable of - somehow - increase the wealth of the owner. I don't imagine it the way that i.e. the Ring would "generate" a pile of gold every morning (though even this is not totally impossible - in the Norse mythology, Odin's ring did similar thing; and some inspiration here could be imaginable); but I think rather it helped the person, somehow gave him luck in trade, making profits, finding deposits of gold etc. You may look there what's the exact quote; it is in the Appendix A III in the part about Thorin in exile in the Blue Mountains. I can't look it up, I'm leaving in a few minutes for an RPG-weekend

[Groin Redbeard]

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

You may look there what's the exact quote; it is in the Appendix A III in the part about Thorin in exile in the Blue Mountains. I can't look it up, I'm leaving in a few minutes for an RPG-weekend

Thanks Legate, you've been a big help as usual!

[alatar]

Originally Posted by Groin Redbeard

Thanks Legate, you've been a big help as usual!

Maybe this self-promotion here would be helpful as well.

[Kuruharan]

I think the idea that they purchased all (or even the major deal of) their food is quite impossible. Roughly generalised, to be selfsupporting is the ideal of every great kingdom, and I can see it apply to dwarves much better than any humans or elves.
-Aganzir

I guess it all depends on how you define their “kingdom.” When the dwarves were strong they seemed to have a tendency to regard the other peoples living near them as being their subjects to some extent and from some of the descriptions its not unreasonable to assume that these other peoples might not have disagreed with that assessment. So the dwarves may not have seen it as being dependent on outsiders to get their food but were rather relying on resources they regarded as their own…at least at times when they were strong.

Maybe they were just poor at farming and herding?

Yeah, neither were particular strong points.

[zxcvbn]

Originally Posted by Kuruharan

I guess it all depends on how you define their “kingdom.” When the dwarves were strong they seemed to have a tendency to regard the other peoples living near them as being their subjects to some extent and from some of the descriptions its not unreasonable to assume that these other peoples might not have disagreed with that assessment. So the dwarves may not have seen it as being dependent on outsiders to get their food but were rather relying on resources they regarded as their own…at least at times when they were strong.

A very good point, Kuruharan. Re-reading the books, I find that whenever there were 'lesser' Men living near Dwarves, they held the Dwarves in great reverence(something to this effect was stated in Of Dwarves and Men) and the Dwarven kings also seemed to regard the Men as their own subjects/vassals(to some extent). For example, Thorin and Co had more authority among the Lake-men than their own Master, and it pleased them whenever they heard the Lake-men singing their praises or treating them like Lords.

As such, it wouldn't seem wrong to the Dwarves(considering their preference for crafts rather than food-growing) to buy all their food from the Men, especially if the Men were literally living right outside their Gates(Dale).