Dwarves still in the Ered Mithrin?

[goldfinger]

I have found two things that are rather interesting about the Ered Mithrin. In Appendix A I found that in the chapter about Durin's folk, it states that Most, not all of Durin's folk left the Ered Mithrin. And I also found that in the Hobbit Thorin sent messengers to the Ered Luin "the mountains in the North". So I'm lead to believe as a Dwarf scholar that their were still at least one or two small colonies of Dwarves living in the Ered Mithrin. So what do my fellow scholars think?

[Kuruharan]

You are correct sir.

There are a couple of references to their continued presence in the Grey Mts. Unfortunately, I don't remember them at the moment...

I'll have to check later.

[Meneltarmacil]

Well, I'm no expert, but in TH, Thorin was at the Lonely Mountain when he was speaking, and the only nearby mountains to the north were the Ered Mithrin, so he was probably referring to them.

However, Gandalf had cautioned the group to avoid the Ered Mithrin earlier on, as they were full of Orcs.

The only conclusion I can draw would be that Dwarves did inhabit certain areas of the Ered Mithrin, but not in particularly significant numbers as to retake the entire mountain range from Orcs. The ones living there most likely had very efficient defenses.

With that said, the only other areas inhabited by large numbers Dwarves at that point were the Iron Hills (which had been mentioned separately by Thorin, if I remember correctly), and the Ered Luin (too far away, and definitely not to the north).

[Thinlómien]

If the dwarves still dwelt in Ered Mithrin, were they still living in their ancient cities, or had those been long abandoned? Just if they lived, why are they in no ME third/fourth age map?

[Kuruharan]

were they still living in their ancient cities

I'd assume so. The populations in them were probably very small. Emptiness would probably be the most noticeable trait of these places.

Just if they lived, why are they in no ME third/fourth age map?

Probably because the maps tend to focus only on the places Our Heroes travel.

[goldfinger]

Actually I think they may have tried to live secretly in lesser mines and mansions at the southern feet of the mountains away from the dragons who inhabited the Withered Heath, probably some of the mountains in the Northern fork, and I would assume some of the halls and mansions of the dwarves, because the dwarves were forced from their cities by the dragons. And their's also the goblins who invaded the mountains later on. They probably lived in the Western parts and possibly the central, and some may have been ruled by dragons for all we know.
Anyway, I think they lived rather secretly because if the dragons and goblins got wind of them they would have been all over the dwarves like flies on a animal carcass. Although the danger changed after the Battle of Five Armies, because over 3/4 of the Goblin warriors of the North were killed in the battle and there was peace for many years.

I do believe personally though that during the Fourth Age the dwarves drove away the dragons, and destroyed the goblins and took back their ancient homes in the Ered Mithrin. Because you see the mountains, I would think, still would have been rich with whatever was mined there back in the beginning when the dwarves first came there.

[Kuruharan]

Actually I think they may have tried to live secretly in lesser mines and mansions at the southern feet of the mountains away from the dragons who inhabited the Withered Heath

-and-

I think they lived rather secretly because if the dragons and goblins got wind of them they would have been all over the dwarves like flies on a animal carcass.

I can't say that I disagree with you, but since Thorin sent messages to them they must have been able to field forces of some military significance. Of course, Thorin might have been grasping at straws.

I think there might be some indication given about where Dwarves in the Grey Mountains may have lived. The Dwarves of the Iron Hills are the closest to the Lonely Mountain, which may rule out the possibility that significant numbers of dwarves lived in the southeastern spur of the Grey Mountains. It might be more likely that the Dwarves would live nearer the source of the Great River to be in the area where Men might still live so they could trade. Of course, that would get them close to the orc center of Gundabad, but this might make some sort of sense because the orc center of Gundabad was formerly a dwarf center of Gundabad until around TA 1300-1409 (to the best of my guesstimation).