Act I, Part II: In Awe of the Gonnhirrim
Aeglirion first came upon the existence of the Dwarves when they wandered from the Ered Luin into Beleriand. The Sindar of Doriath were in awe of these stunted creatures, but thought their language rough and unnatural and their appearance daunting, calling them Naugrim or 'Stunted folk'. Aeglirion took their ill-advised words to heart and instead decided to meet with the Dwarves whom he eagerly appraised and spoke to at great length. This irked some of his own kin as they had not seen such ardor from him for his own people, and one of them named Andir spoke:
'Dost thou, Aeglirion, truly think these Naugrim above thy own? With hair growing from chin and cheek, and strange speech which sounds neither friendly nor fit for song? What may betide thee to seek them thither, up yonder at those mountains cold, where trees are few and the wind howls without pause?'
Aeglirion took no liking to their words, for inclined as he was to seek solitude and to speak only with those he deemed worth speaking to, he took secret comfort in knowing that he belonged somewhere and knowing that, should the need arise within him, he could turn to them for cordial company. But his heart ached now as they blamed his affection for the Dwarves, and feeling not at ease with their eyes glaring at him he said:
'It troubles me beyond solace, that thou, my kinsman, cannot be more forgiving. Are thee truly so easily unsettled, hast thy heart yet grown cold to the wonders of this world? Naugrim, you call them, but I shall not name them thus, for they are without a seed of doubt in my mind entitled to a name devised from careful thought, and not such plain words as thou hast chosen for them.'
Heavily his words weighed upon them, and they turned from his sight, speaking in silent voices. But Aeglirion knew they could not yet see them as he could, and he knew that they blamed him for it. Yet it did not take long before they too and indeed all of the Sindar befriended the Dwarves, and Thingol, King of Doriath, learned of their craft and he bade them to come to his realm and build him such a dwelling worthy of his people, and the Dwarves abided, and they came with hammers and with chisels and with tools the like of which the Elves had never seen before. They built the halls of Menegroth, and Aeglirion thought it more fair than any of the dwellings of the Elves, and he coveted their craftsmanship and sought to learn it. The Sindar lived now in these vast halls and were in awe for the skill of the Dwarves, and they called them Gonnhirrim, 'Masters of Stone'.
Inquisitive as he was, Aeglirion sought out the Dwarves at their own dwellings and he took it upon himself to make their craft his own. For the wondrous things they made he craved almost as strongly as the stars in the sky. This interest he shared with a peculiar elf whose name was Eöl and who made the craftsmanship of the Dwarves his own more swiftly than any of the Teleri, and Aeglirion admired him greatly for it.
