The Indrafangs

[O03]

This is an issue that arose while reading The Book of Lost Tales (2), and then while developing my characters background.

In The Nauglafring, there arises the term Inrafang/Indravang, from the Gnomish/Noldorian Dictionary. According to the commentary and the appendix, this is a term for the Dwarves of Belegost, or more specifically, the Longbeards. It does not refer to Nogrod Dwarves, "it is made quite plain that the Longbeards were on the contrary the Dwarves of Belegost; the Dwarves of Nogrod were the Nauglath," and this I can understand. Where I am having difficulty is in that I can find no other usage of the term. All I find now is that the Dwarves of Belegost were Broadbeams, not Longbeards, nor Indrafangs.

Has this term fallen into uncanonical language, or are the 'Longbeards of Belegost' the Broadbeams, while the more common longbeards are the 'Longbeards of Durin's Folk'? It might be nothing more than an issue of semantics, but it has been bugging me for a time (especially since my character would like to know his ancestory: Is he a Broadbeam or a Longbeard?). I know there is not much chronicled of Belegost, other than Azaghal and their refusal to aid Nogrod in the Sack of Doriath, so this may be part of the problem.

Thank you for any clarification you may be able to give!

[tuor66]

Keep in mind that The Book of Lost Tales are very early ideas. Some were abandoned, most were changed in varying degrees. It's not unusual to find multiple versions of the same stories in Tolkien's unfinished writings. My guess is the idea of who the Longbeards were changed over time. The Indrafangs were abandoned or overlooked in later writings.