#but it isnt clear how naming traditions work for dwarrowdams.. idk honestly Im of the opinion that dwarf names should be largely unisex

[pilkypills]

I was thinking about what Bofur and Bombur's mother might be like. She's the younger sister of Bifur's father.

I think she's a conscientious and considerate dam that's used to making more out of less and powering through bad circumstances with a smile. Bofur and Bombur's father died while they were still children, leaving her to raise them as a single mother (with Bifur's help, of course). She's worked for most of her life as a cook in a miner's canteen. Her late husband taught her to play the flute, a skill she's passed on to Bofur.

She's kind of thin for a dwarf, a leftover effect of being a sickly child. When Bofur and Bombur were born she was secretly terrified they wouldn't be healthy and, even though they are, she still worries from time to time. She is mostly retired by the time of the Quest, spending most of her time helping Bombur's wife look after her children.

The pet name she uses for Bofur is constructed from the Dwarrow Scholar's technique for creating diminutives, though I can't guarantee I've done it correctly. It means "tiny waterfall", referring to his chatterbox tendencies :)

Bombur's nickname (tiny sparkle) is similar, made and provided by the Dwarrow Scholar in this post here.