Amazon's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set to unveil never-before-seen Dwarven tribes from Middle Earth's Second Age lore. To date, Tolkien's Middle Earth contains seven different tribes of Dwarves, meaning both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films have only scratched the surface of the Dwarven race. As a result, it is highly likely that Amazon's The Rings of Power will explore the tribes of Dwarves that Tolkien wrote about in greater detail, with the kingdom of Khazad-dûm already confirmed in The Rings of Power's Super Bowl trailer.

The lives of the Hobbits are well documented within all of Tolkien's work, with the diminutive race featuring as the series' protagonists in both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. The worlds of Elves and Men are also relatively well recorded too in this way, with The Lord of the Rings placing heavy emphasis on kingdoms such as Gondor, Rohan, and Rivendell. Yet while Dwarven characters play big roles in both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, this race has had far exploration in cinematic Middle Earth - even considering Thorin's quest to take back Erebor.

In The Lord of the Rings lore, Dwarves were divided into seven tribes spread throughout the lands. Some of these Dwarven tribe locations are highlighted in maps of Middle Earth that feature in the few Tolkien books, while others are from the relatively unmapped North or the Far East. Here is a list of all seven Dwarven tribes in The Lord of the Rings canon, their defining historical moments within Middle Earth, and their possibility of featuring in Amazon's new series, The Rings of Power.

Longbeards (Durin's Folk)

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The first of the seven Dwarven tribes in Middle Earth is also the one that features most prominently within The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, with characters like Gimli and Thorin belonging to this group. The Longbeards are more commonly known as Durin's Folk, named after Durin I, who settled in Khazad-dum, in the Misty Mountains, during the First Age in the Years of the Trees. During the Second Age, Longbeards regularly fought against Sauron's forces and supported Elrond, who has been recast and will feature in the upcoming Rings of Power series. Their actions during the Third Age are extensively documented through the adventures of Thorin's company in The Hobbit and then Gimli's role in the fellowship during The Lord of the Rings. These dwarves were forced from their ancestral halls of Khazad-dum by orcs and found a new home in The Lonely Mountain, but with no Elven support, the well-documented mistrust between Dwarves and Elves began. The last documented member of the Longbeards was known as Durin the Last, who returned to capture Khazad-dum after Sauron was defeated and the Fourth Age began.

Firebeards

The hands of a Dwarf in Lord of the Rings Rings of Power

While all Dwarves share similar resemblance across Middle Earth, their tribes are differentiated by their chosen habitats and leaders. This said, Firebeards would commonly have red hair, reflected by their tribal name, and shared refuge in the northern Blue Mountains with Broadbeam Dwarves. During the First Age, as documented in The Silmarillion, Firebeards joined in a fight against the Elves of Ossiriand and some Ents. It is then suggested, in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, that the Firebeards left their mansions in the Blue Mountains to swell the ranks of Dwarves now living within Khazad-dum, which more commonly became known as Moria, home of the Balrog in the final years of the Third Age. The Firebeard's history then merges with that of the Longbeards.

Broadbeams

This clan of Dwarves also called the Blue Mountains of the North their home and shared the range with the Firebeard tribe. In the Third Age of Middle Earth, the Dwarven divisions were called upon by Durin's Folk to join together in an effort to defeat the orcs seeking refuge within the Misty Mountains after Orcs had killed the Longbeard leader, Thror. It is this battle that is depicted against Azog the defiler in one of the more criticized moments of The Hobbit during Thorin's flashback sequences. The history of the Broadbeams then thins after this event, as it is likely they too joined Durin's Folk in the halls of Khazad-dum after suffering losses in the War of the Dwarves and Orcs.

Ironfists

Little is known of this tribe as Tolkien kept minimal records for them. They likely lived in the far East of Middle Earth - an area that Tolkien only ever briefly touched upon despite his extensive writings. Like the other houses of Dwarves, it is believed that they too traveled to support the War of the Dwarves and Orcs, seeking revenge for Thror's defilement at the hands of Azog within the Mines of Moria.

Stiffbeards

Similar to the Ironfists, the Stiffbeards are believed to dwell in the mountains in the far East of Middle Earth, and also ventured to Khazad-dum in support of the other Dwarven houses call for aid against the orcs that dwelled there. Their history after this battle is minimal, and they likely returned East with the Ironfists to resume their residence in the mountains beyond Tolkien's explored Middle Earth maps.

Blacklocks

Also dwelling in the Eastern Mountains are the Blacklocks, who were originally paired with the Stonefoots before an expansion of their halls, mansions, and presumed empire. Upon their separation, little is known of the Blacklocks, except that they presumably were also involved in the large War between Orcs and Dwarves, being summoned by the same call for arms from the Longbeards to seek revenge for their fallen brothers.

Stonefoots

The Carpathian Mountains are a filming location for Hallmark movies.

Identical to the Blacklocks, the Stonefoots are an ancient Dwarven tribe living in the Eastern mountains. As their power and numbers grew, they split to form a second house, the Blacklocks. Stonefoots continued to live in the east, only venturing west to support the War of Dwarves and Orcs before returning East. Tolkien didn't continue to follow the adventures of this clan in his writings, and so almost nothing is known of their continued existence after the Third Age.

Petty-Dwarves

The Petty-Dwarves were among the earliest of their kind to be exiled and venture over the Blue Mountains during the First Age. Living in Middle Earth before the Elves, the Elves presumed the Petty-Dwarves to be animals when they arrived and hunted them until they realized their sentience. These Petty-Dwarves are shorter than normal Dwarves and are far more unsociable, often finding themselves venturing in solitude or pairs. They also freely spoke to other races, giving their names - a usually frowned upon by Dwarves, who protected their language across the Second and Third Ages. Being such a small exiled race, the Petty-Dwarves are believed to have perished by the end of the First Age after imprisonment in Angband.

Which Tribes could appear in The Rings Of Power?

Lord of the rings all tribes of Dwarves thorin

Many of these seven Dwarven tribes have featured minimally within the on-screen adventures of Middle Earth so far. Longbeards (Durin's Folk) are already set to feature prominently again within The Rings of Power, with Thror and his wife living within the halls of Khazad-dum. The Firebeard and Broadbeam tribes, whilst having a history in the unexplored Blue Mountains, ventured to Khazad-dum during the Second Age of Middle Earth. As a result, they might well be seen leaving their icy fortresses and taking up refuge in the Mines of Moria instead alongside Thror.

Unfortunately, it is unlikely that any of the eastern dwelling Dwarves will make it into this series, with their impact on Middle Earth instead more notable during the Third Age and the War of Dwarves and Orcs. The only other possibility, then, is the Petty-Dwarves, but they are believed to have died out by the end of the First Age, and it seems that much of The Rings of Power will be set within the ending years of the Second Age of Middle Earth.