House of Ransom

The hilltop of Amon Rûdh had long been the home of a colony of Petty-dwarves, who lived in an underground complex originally known as Bar-en-Nibin-noeg, the 'House of the Petty-dwarves'. As the First Age wore on, these people dwindled, until at last only three survived: Mîm and his two sons Khîm and Ibun. To their misfortune, the Petty-dwarves encountered Túrin at the time he led a desperate band of outlaws. Mîm's sons fled, but Mîm himself was caught, and agreed to house the outlaws in exchange for his own life. So the Dwarf-delvings of Amon Rûdh became known as Bar-en-Danwedh, meaning 'House of Ransom'. The ransom, in fact, was a double one: when they returned to Amon Rûdh, it was learned that Khîm had been shot by an arrow as he fled, and was dead. In recompense, Túrin promised to pay Mîm a ransom of his own, if ever he was able.

Túrin and the outlaws stayed in Bar-en-Danwedh through the winter of one year and the summer of the next, and they were joined there by Beleg Strongbow out of Doriath. They defended the lands around against Melkor's forces, and became so famous in that region that they gained a following, with Túrin and Beleg coming to be known as the Two Captains. In the end, though, disaster struck: Mîm betrayed them to the Orcs, who slew the outlaws and captured Túrin in a net. Beleg survived, and Mîm fled from him, never to return to his old House of Ransom on Amon Rûdh.