The 7 Dwarf Realms - Nogrod
The history of the dwarven city of Nogrod is marked by metallurgy and the Elves, from whom they obtained their most outstanding recognition and the worst of the curses.
Like all the dwarven kingdoms of the Olden Days, the kingdom of Nogrod was founded by the clan descended from one of the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves, the Firebeards.
The kingdom was located in the Ered Luin (Blue Mountains), very close to the dwarven domain of Belegost. Its name comes from the derivation of the Elvish word (specifically from the Sindarin) Novrod, which translates the Dwarven name Tumunzahar and means Hollow Delving.
It was the minor kingdom among the dwarves, but at the same time, the clan had more clashes with the Elves. What happened between them for such enmity to arise?
The origin of the hostilities, especially from dwarves to elves, must be looked for in the discovery of Nargothrond, a hidden place that the Firebeards discovered when not even the Elves had arrived in Beleriand. But when the Dwarves appeared, they left, feeling resentment towards those they considered invaders.
Despite this, the Dwarves of Nogrod maintained close trade contact with the Elves. Thanks to their great skill as craftsmen and blacksmiths (like their entire race), they prospered through a weapons industry with which they supplied all of Beleriand.
The greatest of the smiths of the Old Days was Telchar, who was from Nogrod. He forged, among other weapons, the Narsil sword that thousands of years later would cut off Sauron’s finger on which he wore the One Ring.
For centuries the coexistence between Elves and Dwarves was very complicated, as violent episodes between them broke out from time to time even though, in parallel, both communities prospered through trade and also had Morgoth as a common enemy.
Another of the worst episodes in that tense relationship happened in one of the battles the Elves undertook against Morgoth. It was during the Nírnaeth Arnoediad, a battle in which Nogrod supplied weapons to the troops of Maedhros (the eldest son of Fëanor). However, when the dwarves also came to provide military support, many were slaughtered by the Elves because many did not know the appearance of that race of such small stature.
Relations were limited to trade, and dealings were cold and distant. With such events, the hate the dwarves had towards the Elves was justified. The Elves ended up calling the Nogrod dwarves Noegyth Nibin, which means mean dwarves. According to the Elven point of view, they were selfish beings and hated them, mainly the Noldor, for taking their lands from them (like Nargothrond).
Years later, when misfortune was already rampant in Beleriand and the end of the Elven empire was beginning, King Thingol of Doriath thought it would be a good idea to commission the Nogrod dwarves working in his kingdom. The project was to embellish the Nauglamír (a Noldor jewel that had ended up in the king’s hands) with the Silmaril that Beren had recovered from Morgoth’s crown.
At that moment, the curse of Mandos also reached the dwarves of Nogrod, for greed was awakened in their hearts during their work with the two jewels, and they wanted to keep that valuable treasure for themselves.
In a new slaughter between the races, the dwarves killed Thingol to possess the jewel, an impulsive act that meant the response of the elves of Doriath. The dwarves were slaughtered on the spot in Menegroth (an elven city within the forest of Doriath), although two dwarves managed to escape.
They returned to Nogrod and lied about what had happened, accusing the elves of murdering dwarves after finishing work with the Nauglamír. Upon hearing the testimony of the two survivors, the king of Nogrod decided that revenge was the next step.
As the spell of Melian, Thingol’s wife and a Maia had disappeared upon her return to Aman. The dwarves were able to enter the elven kingdom without problems. He prepared an army and marched into the forest of Doriath. In Menegroth, a bloody battle was fought in which the elves were defeated and slaughtered. The Firebeards took the Nauglamír and the Silmaril, as well as all the treasures of Doriath.
In their triumphal return, however, they were attacked by the Laiquendi elves (elves of Ossiriand, relatives of those of Doriath because of their Teleri origin). In command of the elven army were Beren and his son Dior.
Most of the dwarves of Nogrod, including their king, were exterminated. The few who survived returned painfully to the mountains, being harassed by the Ents, and little more was heard of them.
Those who remained in Nogrod hardly ever left again. After the War of Cholera and the subsequent collapse of Beleriand, the kingdom was in absolute ruin.
Finally, in the year 4 of the Second Age, the remaining Firebeards in Nogrod left the kingdom and took refuge in Khazad-dûm. Although the kingdom was deserted, a few small clans dwelt near the Ered Luin during the Second and Third Ages.