Follow Up to the Blue Mountains Question - Gundabad

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Ghazi

What significance did Gundabad hold other than being the place where Durin awoke? Was it ever a dwelling place for other dwarves? My impression is that Durin left it soon after he awoke and eventually founded Khazad-dum.

Another perspective on this springs out of the sometimes-theorised connection between dwarves and Judaism: there is a strong body of thought in modern-day Judaism that it is forbidden to set foot on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, partly because only high priests were permitted in the inner areas of the temple, but there's no way of knowing where exactly they were, so anyone visiting the Mount could enter them accidentally.

It's easy to imagine an analogous situation for Gundabad. The canon says that the mountain was used for gatherings; perhaps dwarves were only allowed to enter with the express permission of Durin. Any of the first three Durins would have been able to give that permission before the mountain was first sacked, so it would have been in irregular use up to the mid-Second Age; but the War of the Dwarves and Orcs took place under Thrain. He may simply not have had the authority to open up the holy place. Nor would any other king of the Longbeards, until Durin VII reigned in Khazad-dum.

Obviously this is purest speculation, but the idea fits well with how Tolkien crafted his world. Only the kings of Numenor could speak on the hallows on Meneltarma; without them, the three prayers to Iluvatar simply couldn't be spoken. The idea of royal authority being required for something to take place is deeply embedded in Middle-earth - think of the Palantiri needing the right to use them (hence the Steward of Gondor had better luck than Saruman the White!), or Maedhros and Maglor unable to forsake their oath without the approval of Iluvatar who they swore it to.

Obviously this isn't a Tolkien Approved Answer - the actual reason is probably 'the idea of the War post-dated The Hobbit, so they couldn't resettle Gundabad without messing up the geography later' - but I think it's a Tolkien-Friendly one.

hS