Hail and well met, Kin
To introduce (or re-introduce) the Pillar of Lore to all our Kinfolk is perhaps too large a task for any one Dwarf, but its resources must be available to benefit all our Kin in all our wide-scattered and varied activities, so I will try.
“Lore” sounds like history, and indeed it is! Keeping and recovering records of millenia of our history is one of the prime functions of the Scholars’ Guild. Dwarrow traders and miners all over Middle-earth have brought us news of Dwarvish ruins, runes, & artefacts just waiting to be explored. But Dwarrow History is also made in the present day, every day, by ordinary dwarves everywhere. When we fight off a goblin invasion, and write that story down, we are making history. When we make a punitive raid into Angmar to avenge an attack on our allies, we are making history. From battles and brawls to solemn celebrations and pub crawls, all of us are participating in the long and glorious history of the Dwarrow in Middle-earth!
“Lore” is also education and education in our history is important. While each Craft Hall keeps its own lore and young Dwarrow are educated in their Crafts there, we must all acknowledge that every craft has lost craft secrets and vital knowledge during the turbulent millenia. The Battle of Azanulbizar was undoubtedly the worst such loss, but it is not the only one. Lore treks throughout Middle-earth can help us rediscover and reinvent that essential knowledge!
Additionally, the Lore Pillar and the Scholars’ Guild offer basic literacy for Dwarrow younglings, advanced certifications in various aspects of Dwarrow History, the study of other lands and races, and advanced programs for accounting and finance (with the Goldsmiths’ Guild). Map-making adventures in all regions help all interested Dwarrow develop the mapping skills helpful for trading, mining and military campaigns.
“Lore” is also our law. Most Dwarrow only encounter trained Scholars when they file legal documents: mining claims, charters, oaths, trade contracts, legal agreements or complaints, judgments, certificates of birth, adoption, death, or marriage. Our traditions and laws stretch back millenia, across three full Ages of Middle-earth, providing order and structure to the chaos of life (and helping to keep the feuds from getting out of hand).
Finally, or perhaps firstly, “Lore” is Khuzdul - the language given to us by our Maker, Mahal. Preserving that gift and keeping it pure and unsullied by all the other languages of Middle-earth is Mahal’s command, which we follow faithfully. Every Dwarrow Clan, family and craft has its own version of iglishmek, the language of gestures, but we are all united in the unique spoken language Khuzdul,which we must protect at all costs.
The origins of the Scholars’ Guild stretch back to what the Elves refer to as the First Age of Middle-earth, when we developed the crafts that Mahal gave us and discovered that the other Free Peoples were willing to trade their products for what we made. Trade necessitated record-keeping and those early record-keepers evolved into the Scholars’ Guild we have now.
But the Scholars’ Guild is far from the only way of participating in the Pillar of Lore. There are many Dwarrow - both groups and individuals who seek specialized knowledge and have valuable information to share with all of us through a report to the Scholars’ Guild, or at the regular moot, or at the Dwarrow Ting. During our regular travels for trade, for mining, or any reason at all, we encounter vital information that could benefit Thorin’s Hall or the Longbeards, or the Seven Clans as a whole.
As one of our Wise elders has said: “Those who cannot remember their past are doomed to repeat it.” Knowing our history allows us to keep our traditions, laws, and Khuzdul language pure and protected, as Mahal gave them to us. It allows us to conquer in every field of our endeavor, to learn from our errors (and make fewer of them), to improve our sciences, arts, and crafts, and to build our future on firm foundations, until Mahal calls us to the Halls of Waiting to prepare for the Dagor Dagorath and the renewal of Middle-earth..
Whatever your adventure, you have something to offer the Pillar of Lore and the Pillar of Lore has something to offer you!
Ever at your service and your family’s,
Rakul Ravenbeard, Grand Master Scholar
Durin’s Folk
