Song of Durin

Growing up immersed in Fantasy books and role playing, I was always far more enamored of elves than I was of dwarves.  I do not know that it was anything personal per say - Tolkien's Elves are not our later Western models of small, wispy creatures that dwell in forests, but strong, powerful warriors, craftsmen and sages - and, handily, immortal.  Even in early Dungeons and Dragons editions, Elves were some of the most powerful and magical beings.

Dwarves, by extension, were not.  They were, to be fair, good at craftsmanship in metal and fighters, but that was about it.  They were not inherently magical.  They were mortal, although their lives ran to 200+ years.  They seemed to pale in comparison to elves.  Back in the day, I almost never played a dwarf.  They were "boring".

But over the years as I have grown, I have come to appreciate the qualities that are supposed to belong to dwarves:  Loyalty.  Stubbornness.  Courage.  Dedication to a particular idea or craft, perhaps for one's life.  A long and burning sense of justice.  And, if needed, savage bravery.  Qualities that I have found I need in life.

It is not that I love the elves the less.  I just now love dwarves the more.

The song below is taken from Tolkien's work (again).  The run time is 5 minutes or so.  Another largely vocal number, it is delightful.  The fact that it seems to involve a number of voices from different parts of the United Kingdom (you can hear it in the accents) makes it all the better.