The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Made during the reign of Durin III in Khazad-dûm, at some point between about II 1500 and II 16001
Race
Division
Culture
Settlements
Pronunciation
na'rvi
Meaning
Uncertain2

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About this entry:

  • Updated 26 October 2021
  • Updates planned: 1

Narvi

Maker of the Doors of Durin

A great craftsman of the Dwarves, who lived and worked at the height of the power of Khazad-dûm. He formed a friendship with Celebrimbor, the master artificer of neighbouring Eregion. Together these two made their most famous achievement for King Durin III, the Doors of Durin that guarded the West-gate of Moria.


Notes

1

We have no specific dates for Narvi, but we know that he was a close friend of Celebrimbor, and made the West-gate of Moria during the reign of Durin III in Khazad-dûm. We know that Durin III ruled during the time when the Rings of Power were forged in Eregion (because Celebrimbor gifted one of them to him). So, to make the Doors of Durin, Narvi must have been extant during approximately the same period in the middle years of the Second Age.

2

The derivation of the name Narvi is not specifically described, but Tolkien seems to have adapted it from Old Norse Narfi. That name appears several times in Norse mythology (in one case as the name of a son of Loki). Its etymological origins are a matter of debate; some sources connect with a root-word for 'night', while others interpret it as 'narrow' or 'confined'. If Tolkien was concerned with a particular relevance for the name (which is far from certain) then the latter origin would perhaps marginally more applicable to the creator of the West-gate of Moria.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 26 October 2021
  • Updates planned: 1

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