Cult of Mahal

## The Religion

The Dwarves revered Eru, the '*Allfather'* whom they called by a name

kept secret among themselves. They revered the Valar as angelic powers, estimating Mahal, the Maker, highest. The Dwarves also saw their Work and Art as a dedication to the World itself and its maker. The non-official semi-divinity of the Valar had often been a matter of criticism by devout Dwarves who rejected all sorts of official priests, cults and clergy. However there was some degree of occult reverence and sanctuaries, as the famous Khalarazûm existed. Also famous ancestors were revered in Song and art. The Khazâd believed that after their dead their souls would travel to the Halls of Waiting and would be revived to fight in the Last Battle and help to rebuild the world after it.

## Mahal

Aulë ("Invention"), know by dwarves as Mahal ("The Maker"), was the master of crafts and material things and the closest in mind and character to Morgoth. He was the **Lord of the Earth** and understood and manipulated its substances. Thus, he built the mountains and carved the valleys, molding the surface of Arda according to Eru's vision.

When Morgoth remade or unmade Aule's works in the struggles before the Battle of the Powers, the Smith toded to restore the results of his labor; but in the end this proved impossible, and Arda's image ultimately lost its symmetry. Aule's creations are legion. Aside from the adornment, weapons, and trappings required by his fellow Ainur, his forges produced the Two Lamps, Illuin and Ormal. They illuminated the World in the early Elder Days. Erecting peerless peaks to hold them, he crafted each to hold the enchanted aura devised by Varda. Following their destruction and the subsequent death of the Two Trees, the Valar again called upon him to fashion vessels for the Great Light, so he produced the Sun and the Moon. The greatest of the Smith's works, however, is the race of Dwarves ("Khazad"). Although burdened by his conscience, Aule secredy molded the Seven Fathersof the Dwarves beneath the mountains of Middle-earth, hoping that they might install special life into Arda. This conception was his own and was against Eru's thought, but it was not the work of malice and did not lead to his downfall. Confronted by his Lord, Aule submitted and almost destroyed his seven offspring, but Eru permitted them to sleep until an appointed time for their birth (after the awakening of Elves and Men). The One pardoned the Lord of the Earth, who remains loyal to the Balance of Things. The transgression that led to the birth of the Dwarven race was in keeping with Aule's character. Like Morgoth, the Smith enjoys making physical objects and longs to create life. His greatest joy is in the fruition of his heartfelt labor. Unlike the Black Enemy, Aule's works embody love, and their intended purpose is to augment creation not to replace or be apart from it. Unfortunately, while Aule's servants share his drive to create, many lack his love and wisdom. His first high servant, Sauron, was seduced by the Black Enemy even before entering Ea. Saruman, Sauron's successor, suffers from a similar flaw (and faces a parallel, albeit less epic, fate). Both fed prey to the desire to be the master of the material world and, like Morgoth, both rebelled. Aule's love can also be attributed to his spouse, Yavanna. She provides the Smith with affection, tempering his materially-oriented spirit with her knowledge and empathy for living things, to-gether, they preside over the caretaking of earth.

## Know servants

* All the dwarves worship Mahal
* Official Cult in Durin's Folk, Blue Mountains and Red Mountains.