In the beginning, Aule the Smith created the Seven Dwarf Fathers and six wives.
Durin the Deathless was the only one without a wife, so how did his bloodline begin?
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4Where do you see the "six wives" part?– Matt GuttingCommented Dec 20, 2014 at 23:42
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I reckon I could cope with six wives. Now, six mothers-in-law I'd struggle with...– ValorumCommented Dec 20, 2014 at 23:48
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the seven dwarf men had one wife each, except Durin.– user35971Commented Dec 21, 2014 at 0:04
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4@user35971 - Durin's Bride : i.sstatic.net/0MxGp.png– ValorumCommented Dec 21, 2014 at 0:17
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1@MattGutting This question was posted first, but here is one reference– IzkataCommented Dec 21, 2014 at 4:26
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1 Answer
As discussed here, one was created alone (Durin), then the other six fathers of the Dwarf race and their respective spouses.
Per Tolkien's own Letter #212, we know that there were created...
"One, the eldest, alone, and six more with six mates".
and that
From The Hobbit are also derived the matter of the Dwarves, Durin their prime ancestor, and Moria; and Elrond.
That being the case, there doesn't seem to be any special reason to assume that Durin didn't marry one of the children of the other Dwarf fathers once they'd come of age. Dwarves are known to be long-lived and marrying the Elder Dwarf would presumably be an honour for the family of whichever dwarf lady he managed to secure as his wife.
We do know that Durin was unequivocably the progenitor of the Dwarf race, whom all other dwarves relate to, even those that also relate to one of the six fathers. so there must have been a reasonable level of interbreeding in the earliest days of the race.
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Not only are Dwarves in general long lived, Durin lived exceptionally long for the Dwarves, very likely the mortal who lived longest in all of Middle-Earth history. He easily could have married a later generation, or possibly multiple generations. Commented May 25, 2021 at 17:48