What did Gimli say when he insulted Lothlorien’s elves?
At the end of Peter Jackson’s 2001 film adaptation of The fellowship of the ring, the nine companions departing from Rivendell are torn to pieces when they are forced to abandon Bill The Pony and enter the Mines of Moria, a once illustrious settlement of the Dwarves that has been taken over by Orcs.
When the eight remaining members of the guild, who barely survived in the mines, reached the boundary of Lothlorien, the ancient forest where Lady Galadriel and her husband Celeborn, they were ambushed in the trees by a warehouse goblin archer. They are brought to meet the rulers, who are interested in news of the quest to destroy the ring of power and defeat the evil Lord Sauron who is connected with it.
This is a challenging time for the group, as they have just suffered the devastating loss of Gandalf the Grey, the wizard of their company who fell from the Khazad-Dum Bridge in an attempt to stop his fiery wrath. a Balrog. Goblin later composed a lament to Gandalf, sing from words taken out of chapters in the book ‘Galadriel’s Mirror’, for none of them knew that Gandalf would return to Middle-earth as Gandalf the White. He still has an important part and tools to play in the upcoming battles and ultimately defeat the dark lord. However, despite the fact that the group was mourning, and had just come out of the terrible experience of fighting the flying orcs and their roaring cave troll, which does not excuse the behavior of a particular member: Dwarf Gimli.
It has long been known that an enmity exists between dwarves and elves, a rivalry that has existed since before the days of the Misty Mountains, described in Hobbit movie. Although The presentation of the elves in the movie is different from that in the book, this is a thing that has remained the same, and is made clear when the elves who grasp the company say “The Dwarf breathes so loudly we could have shot him in the dark.”
This contemptuous and unnecessary remark is a prime example of the sourness that exists between the two races, and in some ways explains Gimli’s rudeness towards his host. Haldir, one of the high-ranking elves of the kingdom, welcomes to Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood, to the north of Fangorn Forest, and to Aragorn, whom he said ‘we knew.’ This may have been a member of the Dunedain rangers who traveled many kingdoms and seen many, or it may have been through his connection with Arwen of Rivendell, whose mother is the daughter of Galadriel.
But when greeting Gimli, Haldir taunts “We have not had any dealings with the Dwarves since the Dark Ages”, which may suggest that the Dwarves are a dark and primitive species, somehow inferior more than a race of elves, or possibly a reference to the time when Dale, the kingdom of Erebor on the Lonely Mountain burned down and was taken over by Smaug, and the dwarves were driven from their homeland.
Either way, Gimli would of course take offense at this and reply with “Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul” which means “I have spit on your grave” in common language. It is said to be an old form of the Dwarf, known as Khuzdul. There are very few references to the language in any of Tolkien’s works, but it is thought to closely resemble German. Although the language was no longer in common use, both Haldir and Aragorn understood that well and were struck by the insult to the person who was providing them with sanctuary and rest, despite the rudeness of the people. him to the dwarves. However, the insult becomes particularly malicious in retrospect, as Haldir was in fact dead, and he died fighting alongside members of the council. protection of Helm’s Deep, keep Rohan, including Gimli.
It could be argued that Gimli later regretted his insult, after being presented with three strands of blond hair by Lady Galadriel, a rare gift, and especially after he learned Legolas was a friend. The two continued to be friendly throughout their battles for the rest of the game the War of the Rings, counting how many enemies they’ve killed and teasing each other about details like Gimli being too low to see through the prison’s walls, but in the end they achieve mutual respect and love for each other after all. whatever they have to face. In this way, they gradually overcome the ancient antagonisms and conflicts between their bloodlines, and change the perception of future generations who hear tales of elves and dwarves. fight together.
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