I've been an active user of your website for many years, but this is my first time really looking into your blog so apologies if you've already answered something like this.
In my most recent writings I'm finding the need for some threats translates into Khuzdul. We have been given a few, namely the ones used by Thorin and Dwalin in the Hobbit films. While these are lovely, they are very over used and I want something... More. So, I wanted to know if it was possible to get a translation for a few different types of threats or challenges.
One that I really need help with is translating a way for one party to condemn another to death. Imagine a scene where character A is being beat to death and character B needs to have something they can spit at their enemy-- Kind of like a "Let the mountains hear me and bear witness to this oath, I will kill you for what you've done" type of vibe, but any and all translations/suggestions are welcome and I'd love to see what you can come up with!
Thank you for all that you do for the LoTR community.
You certainly may, and thank you for the very interesting question indeed!
While the films provide a few memorable Dwarven threats, insults, and battle-cries, most elaborate Dwarven vows must ultimately be reconstructed from broader Dwarven culture rather than direct textual evidence.
That said, vengeance itself is very much part of the Dwarven cultural picture. In Unfinished Tales, Gandalf describes Thorin as having his heart “hot with brooding on his wrongs” and as being “burdened too with the duty of revenge upon Smaug that he had inherited.” Gandalf then adds that “Dwarves take such duties very seriously.”
That wording is important. Revenge is not presented merely as a personal feeling. It can be a solemn duty, and even an inherited one.
Personally, I suspect a Dwarf would therefore often favour an oath, vow, or declaration of repayment over a simple “I will kill you.”
Dwarves remember. Dwarves keep accounts. Dwarves settle debts.
Thus, where a Man might cry, “I’ll kill you for this!”, a Dwarf might instead say:
'Ala huhdu zamatabkimruki!
"This wrong will be repaid!"
ma- = passive marker, “be”
tabkimruki = it repays, (using allied verb element "ruk", often use to indicate "beyond the ordinary measure")
This expression reminds me somewhat of the idea behind a Great Book of Grudges from the Warhammer Fantasy universe. The wrong has been recorded. The account is open. Settlement will come.
And, if we are honest, Dwarves are not always entirely reasonable about what enters such a book. Yes, I have one of those and use it on occasions too - image below :
The Great Book of Grudges as show some years ago on one of my Twitch streams.
A few select examples from my own pocket-sized Great Book of Grudges include:
One-entry fellon
Andang: For stating the Balrog was only social distancing.
Firesmith: For being over-eager to go into the Great Book of Grudges.
Firesmith: For stating Dwarves are short-legged, while clearly we are stout-legged.
Darnulf: For calling Moria a pit of filth. The outrage! A pox on his beard! - Thought it must be said, it has seen better days.
Darnulf: For insulting the Great Book of Grudges twice.
Darnulf: For creating an Elf character in ESO and calling it cute.
Anyhow... where were we... ah yes, threats and oaths...
So more serious examples might include:
'Abbad zatasnasabîn kulhu zâmhili dumê!
"The mountains shall witness what I do to you!"
zatasnasabîn = they shall witness
dumê = to you, using the contemptuous form
This feels less like a threat and more like a formal oath. The mountains themselves are called as witnesses.
Lu zâdkhiti la' sastafmî ni Mahitdendûm!
"I will not rest until you step into the Halls of Waiting!"
sastafmî = you step, again using a contemptuous form
Mahitdendûm = the Halls of Waiting
I rather like this one because it never explicitly says, “I will kill you.” Instead, it vows that the speaker will know no rest until the other party has gone to the halls of the dead.
A brief grammatical note on the above examples: although these statements describe outcomes the speaker considers certain, I have deliberately used Imperfect forms rather than Perfect forms. The speaker is reacting to events unfolding before them and expressing an active vow in the moment. The Imperfect therefore better conveys the sense of immediate and ongoing vivid determination.
Hoping the above was of some help.
Ever at your service,
The Dwarrow Scholar
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