An Unexpected Party - Thror's map and Dwarf Runes.

Loving maps as I do, I couldn't resist posting Thror's map here. As explained earlier, Gandalf, while on a reconnoitre in Dol Guldur, came across a dying dwarf in the dungeons. The dwarf placed a map and a key into Gandalf's safekeeping asking him to hand them to his son. It was many years later that Gandalf realised that he had been speaking to Thrain II and that Thorin was his son.

J.R.R. Tolkien used a variant of anglo saxon runes to compose the Dwarf Runes. The Tolkien Society has an excellent study pack related to runes here.

The company were able to ascertain that this map had directions to a secret entrance into Erebor. The instructions were in Dwarf runes at the side where the hand is.

 These runes stand for "Th" "Th" and are Thror and Thrain's initials. 

"Five feet high the door and three may walk abreast"

In Chapter 3, as the company stays in Rivendell, Elrond is able to discover that the map contained moon letters which were rune letters that were only visible on the evening when there was  a moon of the same shape and in the same season as the evening they were written. The runes on the map therefore were written on a midsummer's eve when a crescent moon shone behind them. They were written in silver pen using ithildin which was a derivative of Mithril and was used by the dwarves to decorate gateways, pathways and portals. The moon letters on Thror's map are written as follows:

"Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun with the last light will shine on Durin's Day will shine upon the key-hole"  Written by Thrain.

if you enjoy cracking codes, here is the key to the runes from Tolkien Gateway.

 

There is a Runic translator here if you don't feel like translating a passage letter for letter. 

Comments

[Mary Lindley]

I see a couple of places on that map where the runes are switch around or there are different ones in place of those that should be there.

[...]

The "N" of the word "Stand" is missing in the first word of the second runic paragraph.

[Kelsey]

Is it possible that the "d" in "stand" is supposed to be "nd". The rest of the occurrences of the letter "d" in the passage are the other form of the letter (without the "box" around it).

[A.]

There is a Dwarven rune for d, which is missing from the second passage.
Also, the translation later on in the second passage should read, "..and the setting sun with the last light OF Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole."

[Luthien]

can anyone tell me what the runes on thorins key says?

[mulubinba]

Luthien - I'm sorry for not replying earlier. I will have to check out the runes and get back to you :)

[Safic]

Luthien - They read Durins Heir

[mulubinba]

Thanks Safic :). Forgot all about looking into this for Luthien.

[grubbit]

"when" is misspelt. On all copies I've read. The runes translate to, "hwen". Not sure if the Thrain had dyslexia ;)

[E]

If you look at the runes on the side of the map under the hand, the word "walk" is spelled with the runes "W" "OO/O"(not "A" tho the runes are similar, and transcribed as "A" in the text of the post) "L" "K". Maybe Thror put a bit too much flourish on his A? ;-)

Grubbit: maybe "hwen" is the archaic spelling?

[John cena]

I love this book please send me emails to [email protected] (download links for viruses welcome)

[A Hobbit fan]

There are loads of errors in your translation plus your Thorins map has incorrect inscription, the "f" rune in the word "of" is the rune for "a" it reads "oa" not "of". Also your link for the rune translater is invalid.

[KittyBalboa]

A Hobbit fan, your translation is incorrect as well, the misspelling is actually oae, but you are correct about the misspelling.

the key provided on this page is also incorrect, as the "z" is actually a "k" and the "x" is a "z", not to mention that the first two runes of "a/ae" stand for "ae" and the third rune is the only one used for "a", another thing is that the previously mentioned "z" rune is a "k" and the rune used in this key for "k" is incorrect, the actual rune for "k" is the rune used for "c" in this key, and the rune used for "k" is the rune for "c".

While the rune for "i/j" may be correct in Tolkien's version, a separate rune also exists solely for "j"

if all of this were to be corrected then the first ruunic passage would read: "fiue foet high the dor aend throe maey waelc aebreaest. .TH.TH."

to also consider is that the second passage should read: "staend by the grey stone hwen the thrush cnokcs aend the setting sun with the last light of durins daey will shine upon the ceyhole. .TH.

(and yes the old english version of when is hwen.)