May 29
Khuzdul, the secret language of the Dwarves, is forbidden to be taught to outsiders, and its written form is fiercely guarded. Thorin, however, finds a loophole. He cannot teach Bilbo the spoken grammar of the language, but he teaches him the specific runic spellings of certain sacred concepts. One evening, Thorin takes a small silver dagger and carves three runes onto the inside of Bilbo’s personal writing desk. He tells Bilbo it is a protective ward. It is only months later, when Bilbo compares the shapes to an ancient historical text, that he realizes the runes don't spell a ward; they spelling out Thorin's secret, intimate inner-name for Bilbo, a title meant only for a Dwarf’s true lifemate
