„Stand
by the grey stone when the thrush knocks,“ read Elrond, „and the setting sun
with the last light of Durin‘s Day will shine upon the key-hole.“
„Durin,
Durin!“ said Thorin. „He was the father of the fathers of the eldest race of
Dwarves, the Longbeards, and my first ancestor: I am his heir.“
„Then
what is Durin‘s Day?“ asked Elrond.
„The
first day of the dwarves. New Year,“ said Thorin, „is as all should know the
first, day of the last moon of Autumn on the threshold of Winter. We still call
it Durin‘s Day when the last moon of Autumn and the sun are in the sky
together. But this will not help us much, I fear, for it passes our skill in
these days to guess when such a time will come again.“
J.
R. R. Tolken, The Hobbit- CHAPTER 3. A SHORT REST