Mîms Klage / The Complaint of Mim the Dwarf

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Arvegil145

I'd just like to point out that according to 'The Making of Appendix A', 'Durin's Folk' in The Peoples of Middle-earth (p. 284), the Dwarves originally lived longer than in the later ages:

Of course, this passage is talking about the Longbeards, but I think it's a reasonable assumption that the trend of reduced longevity is found in other clans as well, even if originally they weren't as long lived as Durin's Folk.

I like this explanation; it's tidy, makes all the "Mim" references refer to Mim himself, and best of all, uses actual Tolkien text.

There's two tentative bits of evidence to support it. First, Azaghâl of Belegost rules for over 200 years - the Dragon-Helm was forged for him as Lord of Belegost after Glaurung's first appearance, and he dies in the Nirnaeth, still fighting fit. Allowing for a childhood (in which he was not king) and old age (in which he couldn't have led them to battle), that gives him a minimum natural lifespan of 350 years, possibly much longer. That would support long-lived Beleriandic dwarves.

Secondly, and even more tentative... the poem "The Hoard" is said to be inspired by the tales of Mim and company. The dwarf in it is described like this:

But his eyes grew dim and his ears dull
and the skin yellow on his old skull;
through his bony claw with a pale sheen
the stony jewels slipped unseen.

That sounds properly ancient, not just "normal lifespan of a dwarf" ancient. If it can be applied to Mim (a big 'if'!), then he seems to have lived past his natural end.

Actually, he also calls himself "old" in Mim's Klage. We still don't know when that is: Findegil makes a good point that it doesn't fit with the attack on Amon Rudh, Val Balmer suggests the expulsion from Nargothrond, and I'm now thinking it could be the Beorians arriving in Dorthonion, driving him out to the south. In any case, it seems to be quite some time before his death, so he would be very old by the time Hurin encountered him in Nargothrond.

hS

PS: re the English title - this thread says it's probably Tolkien's own title.

EDIT: this thread discusses the source of the (German) title, in "Mimes Klage(ge)sang", from Wagner's Ring cycle. It appears (untitled) in the early part of the Siegfried libretto, in which Mime complains a lot. The way he speaks resonates strongly with Tolkien's Complaint:

Zwangvolle Plage! Müh’ ohne Zweck!
Heart-breaking bondage! Toil without end!

hS