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This article is about the mythical creature. For the medical condition, see Dwarfism. Dwarfism ( is a medical condition in humans characterized by extreme small size For other uses, see Dwarf (disambiguation).
Men hur kommer man in i berget, frågade tomtepojken ("But how do I get into the mountain?" the young dwarf asked.) by John Bauer
Men hur kommer man in i berget, frågade tomtepojken ("But how do I get into the mountain?" the young dwarf asked. ) by John Bauer

A dwarf is a creature from Germanic mythologies, fairy tales, fantasy fiction, and role-playing games. John Bauer ( June 4, 1882 – November 20, 1918) was a Swedish painter and illustrator Continental Germanic mythology is a subset of Germanic mythology, going back to South Germanic polytheism as practiced in parts of Central Europe before A fairy tale or fairy story is a fictional Story that may feature folkloric characters (such as fairies, enchantments]] often involving Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting A role-playing game ( RPG; often roleplaying game) is a Game in which the participants assume the roles of Fictional characters. It usually has magical talents, often involving metallurgy.

The original concept of dwarves is very difficult to determine. The sources closest to the original Germanic mythology come from Norse Mythology, but even these are scarce and very varied. Sources have gradually given dwarves more comical and superstitious roles. [1] Dwarves were certainly humanoid, but sources differ over their height, their lifestyles, and their similarity to elves. Dvergar or Norse dwarves ( Old Norse dvergar, sing dvergr) are highly significant entities in Norse mythology, who associate Dark elves (Old Norse Dökkálfar, usually called the Svartálfar "black elves" are known as a class of elves living underground in Old Considering early sources, and considering the dwarves' nature, original dwarves seem fully human height. They had strong associations with death[2][3]: paled skin; dark hair; connections with the earth; their role in mythology. They followed animistic traditions, showing similarities to such concepts of the dead. Animism (from Latin anima ( Soul, Life) commonly refers to a religious belief that Souls or Spirits exist in Animals They were similar to others from the 'Vættir' family, such as elves. Vættir or wights are nature spirits in the Norse religion. These nature spirits divide up into 'families' including the Álfar (elves Dvergar (dwarves An elf is a creature of Norse mythology. The elves were originally imagined as a race of minor nature and fertility gods, who are often pictured as youthful-seeming [2]

As their mythology evolved, the most notable changes have had them become more comical and more mysterious. They adopted the modern image of short height and ugliness. Their associations with the underground became more predominant. Dwarves were magical creatures with huge skill at metallurgy, taking fame for making great artifacts of legend. Late Norse concepts of dwarves were becoming quite different from the early ones. The Legendary saga shows the new trend. A Legendary saga or Fornaldarsaga (literally a tale of times past) is a Norse saga that unlike the Icelanders' sagas, takes place The remnants of the original dwarf formed later fairy tales and folklore (see German folklore, and Dutch folklore). A fairy tale or fairy story is a fictional Story that may feature folkloric characters (such as fairies, enchantments]] often involving History The concept of folklore developed as part of the 19th century ideology of Romantic nationalism, leading to the reshaping of oral traditions to serve modern ideological German folklore shares many characteristics with Scandinavian folklore and English folklore due to their origins in a common Germanic mythology. Folklore of the Low Countries, often just referred to as Dutch folklore, includes the epics Legends Fairy tales and oral traditions of the They had become unseen magical creatures like fairies; users of charms, curses, and deceit.

Modern fantasy and literature has formed an intriguing weave of concepts, from the original dwarf, later Norse mythology, the dwarf of folk-tales, and other mythology. The modern stereotypical dwarf has distinctive features, such as short stature, excessive hair, and skill at mining and metallurgy. However, modern literature draws from a wide range, and dwarves vary their proximity to each of their historical counterparts. Many fantasists devise new powers or images for dwarves. Modern dwarves have no strict definition.

The concept of short dwarves is probably the most tenacious, and the term 'dwarf' can now describe short humans, regardless of its mythical origins. Dwarfism ( is a medical condition in humans characterized by extreme small size The universal modern description of a dwarf is something short, usually associated with magic, fantasy, and fairy tales.

Contents

Etymology

The plural form dwarfs has been traced to the 17th century. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar The alternative plural dwarves has been recorded in the early 18th century, but was not generally accepted until used by philologist J. R. R. Tolkien in his fantasy novel The Hobbit. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system See Comparative linguistics for the narrower field of "comparative philology" The Hobbit or There and Back Again is an award-winning fantasy Neither spelling represents the regular phonetic development of the Old English plural dweorgas, namely dwarrows; rather, they descend from a new plural formed in Middle English from the singular stem. Middle English is the name given by Historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman invasion of Similarly, the old inherited plural dwarrows acquired a singular dwarrow. [4] Although dwarrow has passed from the language, both dwarfs and dwarves are in current use. Many grammarians prefer dwarfs, many fantasist prefer dwarves. The form dwarfs is generally used for real people affected by dwarfism; the form dwarves is used for the mythical people described by Tolkien and others. Dwarfism ( is a medical condition in humans characterized by extreme small size

Dwarves of Germanic Paganism

Further information: Norse dwarves; Continental Germanic mythology; Animism

Early Dwarves

Both the Norse dwarf (right) and the human (left) are same height. Figure of a scene from 12th-century Norway, on the Sigurd Portal.
Both the Norse dwarf (right) and the human (left) are same height. Dvergar or Norse dwarves ( Old Norse dvergar, sing dvergr) are highly significant entities in Norse mythology, who associate Continental Germanic mythology is a subset of Germanic mythology, going back to South Germanic polytheism as practiced in parts of Central Europe before Animism (from Latin anima ( Soul, Life) commonly refers to a religious belief that Souls or Spirits exist in Animals
Figure of a scene from 12th-century Norway, on the Sigurd Portal.

Sources for the earliest concepts of dwarves are essentially non-existent. Norse dwarves (dvergar) are the earliest source for our understanding of original dwarves. However, the concept of Dvergar mutates rapidly, even during our records of Norse Mythology. This makes it hard to draw a uniform concept of early dwarves, and questionable whether there actually was one.

For most of Norse mythology, the skin color of Dvergar was 'pale' (fölr), like a corpse. The hair color is 'black' (svartr). The Norse depiction of the deathly complexion of Dvergar resembles the modern depiction of vampires, with early dwarves fatally susceptible to sunlight[3]. Dvergar are skilled craftsmen, and most of their magic involves labour, craftsmanship, and metallurgy. They are a family of Vættir, or nature spirits. Vættir or wights are nature spirits in the Norse religion. These nature spirits divide up into 'families' including the Álfar (elves Dvergar (dwarves From the later information on dwarves, from similar mythical creatures, and from the nature of Germanic mythology and its roots, we can get a good idea of early dwarves. Elves are a race with very close associations to dwarves. [2] 'Alf' often appears as part of dwarf names (eg. : Álfr, Gandálfr, and Vindálfr), and dark elves have deep parallels with dwarves. Dark elves (Old Norse Dökkálfar, usually called the Svartálfar "black elves" are known as a class of elves living underground in Old Elves are often described as humans elevated after death, and descriptions of them often have them passing through physical objects. Other Norse creatures and Vættir have similar connotations of death. Vættir or wights are nature spirits in the Norse religion. These nature spirits divide up into 'families' including the Álfar (elves Dvergar (dwarves Trolls are deathly creatures who rise from beneath the earth and often require to be put back to rest. A troll is a fearsome member of a race of creatures from Norse mythology. Nisse have the same labourer image as dwarves, and they lived in burial mounds. This article is about the mythical creature tomte For the band see Tomte (band. Death is a recurring motif in Norse Mythology, and ancestor worship is a prevalent practice in animistic religions. 'Dvergr' is very similar to 'draugr' (a spirit of the dead in Norse Mythology). A draugr or draug (original Old Norse plural draugar, as used here not draugrs) or draugen ( nor. Norse mythology has images such as the dwarves growing from maggots from Ymir's flesh and the inevitable murder that comes from a dwarf weapon. [5] All of this suggests dwarves were a form of spirits of the dead.

Dwarves seem to be associated with age and wisdom. [2] They are consistently pictured with beards, and have great knowledge, particularly of craftsmanship (a major occupation in Norse society). The connection between the elderly and death helps strengthen the link between dwarves and spirits of the dead.

It's worth noting that nothing points to early dwarves' short height. [6] Short dwarves only appeared around the 13th century, in sources such as the legendary saga, and it became a trend for mythical creatures (see: fairies; elves; gnomes) to be small, such that they gained a mischievous and comical nature. A Legendary saga or Fornaldarsaga (literally a tale of times past) is a Norse saga that unlike the Icelanders' sagas, takes place A fairy (also fay, fey, fae, faerie; collectively wee folk, good folk, people of peace, fair An elf is a creature of Norse mythology. The elves were originally imagined as a race of minor nature and fertility gods, who are often pictured as youthful-seeming Given the dwarf's association with dead humans, it seems unlikely for them to have been anything but human height, and any shortness they have would be a characteristic of old age. With the oldest sources depicting dwarves as human height (see Norse dwarves), early dwarves most likely were. Dvergar or Norse dwarves ( Old Norse dvergar, sing dvergr) are highly significant entities in Norse mythology, who associate

Late Norse Dwarves

Norse Dwarves vary throughout our sources of them. Dvergar or Norse dwarves ( Old Norse dvergar, sing dvergr) are highly significant entities in Norse mythology, who associate The differences between early and late Norse Dwarves are surprisingly large; outside influences, such as the onset of Christianity, acted as a catalyst for these changes. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings

Late Norse Dwarves (around the 13th to 15th centuries) became more comical. Various old concepts were exaggerated, and dwarves became stunted, small, and ugly. Along with being physically deformed, they became excellent craftsmen, whose ability is partially god-like (they can create humans[7]); this has parallels with stunted and ugly craftsmen and wise people (witch and oracles) from other mythologies. Dvergar are famous for having created Skíðblaðnir, Gungnir, Draupnir, Mjolnir, etc. In Norse mythology, Skíðblaðnir (the name can be anglicized as Skídbladnir, Skídhbladhnir or Skíthblathnir) is the ship of In Draupnir is a golden Arm ring possessed by Odin, the highest god in Norse mythology.

These dwarves of later Norse Mythology have left a heavy influence on modern fantasy. Concepts such as dwarven short height, ugly features, and exceptional craftsmanship are commonplace in modern literature.

Dwarves in later mythology and folklore

Later dwarves took on a more comical nature. [1] They adopted the modern image of short height and ugliness. Their associations with the underground strengthened. Dwarves were magical creatures with huge skill at metallurgy, taking fame for making great artifacts of legend. Late Norse concepts of dwarves were becoming quite different from the early ones. [8] The Legendary saga shows the new trend. A Legendary saga or Fornaldarsaga (literally a tale of times past) is a Norse saga that unlike the Icelanders' sagas, takes place The remnants of the original dwarf formed later fairy tales and folklore (see English folklore, German folklore, and Dutch folklore). They had become unseen magical creatures like fairies; users of charms, curses, and deceit. This trend is partly explained by their smaller place in common beliefs: God and Christianity were the main focuses of worship. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings

Dwarf concepts also appeared in creatures such as Trolls (association with death and the earth), and Nisse. A troll is a fearsome member of a race of creatures from Norse mythology. This article is about the mythical creature tomte For the band see Tomte (band.

Dwarves in folklore, fairy tales, and romances

Dwarves are generally described as being about 3 to 4 feet tall, big-headed, and bearded. Nidavellir is the land of the dwarves in Norse mythology. In Norse mythology, Niðavellir ( Dark fields) is a land inhabited by the dwarves. Some dwarves of mythology and fairy tales include: Rumpelstiltskin, the dwarves from Snow White, Dvalin, Lit, Fjalar and Galar, Alvis, Eitri, Brokkr, Hreidmar, Alfrik, Berling, Grer, Fafnir, Otr, Regin (rarely given as Mimir), Andvari (or Alberich). Rumpelstiltskin is a character in a Fairy tale of the same name that originated in Germany (where he is known as Rumpelstilzchen) Snow White (in Low German Sneewittchen; in High German Schneeweißchen) is the title character of a Fairy tale known from many countries in In Norse mythology, Dvalin is a dwarf who appears in several Old Norse tales and Kennings The name translates as "the dormant one" In Norse mythology, Fjalar and his brother Galar, were dwarves who killed Kvasir and turned his blood into the Mead of poetry, which Alvíss ("All-Wise" was a dwarf in Norse mythology. Thor 's daughter Þrúðr, was promised to Alvíss In Norse mythology, Eitri (or Sindri) is a dwarf and the brother of Brokkr. Brokkr is a dwarf from Norse mythology, brother of Eitri (or Sindri) In Norse mythology, Dvalin is a dwarf who appears in several Old Norse tales and Kennings The name translates as "the dormant one" In Norse mythology, Fáfnir ( Old Norse and Icelandic) or Frænir was a son of the dwarf king Hreidmar and brother In Norse mythology, Ótr (alternately Ott, Oter, Otr, Ottar, Ottarr, Otter) is a dwarf. Reginn, often Anglicized as Regin, in Norse mythology, was the son of Hreiðmarr and foster father of Sigurd. In Norse mythology, Andvari ( Old Norse "careful one" is a dwarf who lives underneath a Waterfall and has the power to change himself Alberich was a legendary sorcerer who originated in the mythology or epic sagas of the Frankish Merovingian Dynasty of the 5th to 8th century AD and whose

Though most dwarves in the Arthurian romances of Chrétien de Troyes seem to be short humans, there is a reference to a kingdom or kingdoms of dwarves (suggesting a non-human race) in "Erec and Enide." The following passage is from Carleton W. Chrétien de Troyes was a French poet and Trouvère who flourished in the late 12th century. Erec and Enide ( Érec et Énide) is Chrétien de Troyes ' first romance, completed around 1170. Carroll's translation.

"The lord of the dwarves came next, Bilis, king of the Antipodes. The man of whom I'm speaking was indeed a dwarf and full brother of Bliant. Bilis was the smallest of all the dwarves, and Bliant his brother the largest of all the knights in the kingdom by half a foot or a full hands'-breadth. To display his power and authority Bilis brought in his company two kings who were dwarves, who held their land by his consent, Gribalo and Glodoalan, people looked at them with wonder. When they arrived at court, they were very cordially welcomed; at court all three were honoured and served like kings, for they were very noble men. "

More ambiguous are the dwarfs found in attendance on ladies in romances. As a Literary genre of High culture, romance or chivalric romance refers to a style of heroic Prose and verse Narrative Although these might be humans afflicted with dwarfism, who were often kept as curiosities by courts and nobles of the era, the ladies are often of uncertain origin themselves; many enchantresses were in original stories fairies, and their attendants might likewise be nonhuman. A fairy (also fay, fey, fae, faerie; collectively wee folk, good folk, people of peace, fair [9]

Folktales featuring dwarves include: The Adventures of Billy McDaniel, Aid & Punishment, Bottile Hill, Chamois-Hunter, The Cobbler and the Dwarfs, Curiosity Punished, Dwarf in Search of Lodging, Dwarf-Husband, Dwarf's Banquet, Dwarves Borrowing Bread, Dwarf's Feast, Dwarves on the Tree, Dwarves Stealing Corn, Dwarf-Sword Tirfing, The Field of Ragwort, Fir Cones, Freddy and his Fiddle, Friendly Dwarves, Gertrude and Rosy, The Girl Who Picked Strawberries, The Hazel-nut Child, The Hill-Man at the Dance, History of Dwarf Long Nose, Journey of Dwarves Over the Mountain, Knurremurre, Laird O' Co', Little Mukra, Loki & the Dwarf, Lost Bell, Nihancan & Dwarf's Arrow, Nutcracker Dwarf, Rejected Gift, Snow-White and Rose-Red, Rumpelstiltskin, The Silver Bell, Sir Thynnè, The Skipper and the Dwarfs, Smith Riechert, Snow White, The Story of Maia, Thorston & the Dwarf, The Three Little Men in the Wood, Thumbkin, Timimoto, Wonderful Little Pouch, The Yellow Dwarf

Chamorro people believe in tales of taotaomonas, duendes and other spirits. For other uses see Tyrfing (disambiguation Tyrfing or Tirfing was a Magic sword which figures in a poem from the The Hazel-nut Child is a Bukowinaer Fairy tale collected by Dr Heinrich von Wlislocki in Märchen Und Sagen Der Bukowinaer Und Siebenbûrger Armenier. Snow-White and Rose-Red ( German: Schneeweißchen und Rosenrot) is a German Fairy tale. Rumpelstiltskin is a character in a Fairy tale of the same name that originated in Germany (where he is known as Rumpelstilzchen) Snow White (in Low German Sneewittchen; in High German Schneeweißchen) is the title character of a Fairy tale known from many countries in The Three Little Men in the Wood or The Three Dwarfs is a German Fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, number 13 The Yellow Dwarf is a French literary Fairy tale by Madame d'Aulnoy. Duende (mythology), according to the "Chamorro-English Dictionary" by Donald Topping, Pedro Ogo and Bernadita Dungca, is a goblin, elf, ghost or spook in the form of a dwarf, a mischievous spirit which hide or take small kids. A goblin is an evil crabby or Mischievous Creature of Folklore, often described as a grotesquely disfigured or Gnome -like phantom An elf is a creature of Norse mythology. The elves were originally imagined as a race of minor nature and fertility gods, who are often pictured as youthful-seeming A ghost is said to be the apparition of a Deceased person frequently similar in appearance to that person and usually encountered in places she or he frequented Taotaomona are spirits of the ancient Chamorro that act as guardians to banyan trees. A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an Epiphyte when its Seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host Tree (or on structures like [10]

Places connected with dwarves include:

Other mythological beings characterised by shortness

Other creatures followed the same process of becoming short and mysterious. These include:

Dwarves in modern fantasy fiction

A modern depiction of a dwarf
A modern depiction of a dwarf

Modern fantasy and literature has formed an intriguing weave of concepts, from the original dwarf, later Norse mythology, the dwarf of folk-tales, and other mythology. The modern stereotypical dwarf has distinctive features, such as short stature, excessive hair, and skill at mining and metallurgy. After Tolkien, the standard dwarf has become similar to those of later Norse Mythology. It has none of the associations with death and the afterlife, and the late association with shortness has stuck. It continues the image of old-age (through appearance), if not explicitly. Other characteristics of dwarves include long (but mortal) life, antipathy to elves and distrust to other races. Many but not all are portrayed as having Scottish accents. However, many fantasists devise new powers or images for dwarves, and modern dwarves have no strict definition. The Elder Scrolls series explicitly shows the similarity between elves and dwarves, with the latter a sub-race of the former. The Elder Scrolls (also known as Elder Scrolls or abbreviated as TES) is a Computer role-playing game series developed In Runescape, the dwarves have an advanced economy, with a major trading culture and great wealth. RuneScape is a Java -based MMORPG ( Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) operated by Jagex Ltd The dwarves of the Artemis Fowl series act as a sort of earthworm: they tunnel through soil and loose rocks and get nutrition thereby, and they excrete the earth as fast as they eat it. There is a draft page for this article here. Artemis Fowl is a series of Fantasy novels written by Irish author Eoin Colfer

Tolkien's dwarves

See Dwarf (Middle-earth)

Traditionally, the plural of dwarf was "dwarfs", especially when referring to actual humans with dwarfism, but ever since J. R. R. Tolkien used dwarves in his fantasy novel The Hobbit, the subsequent The Lord of the Rings (often published in three volumes), and the posthumously published The Silmarillion, the plural forms "dwarfs" has been replaced by "dwarves". Dwarfism ( is a medical condition in humans characterized by extreme small size The Lord of the Rings is an epic The Silmarillion is a collection of J R R Tolkien 's mythopoeic works edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in (When discussing Tolkien's universe, though, only the latter should be used. ) Tolkien, who was fond of low philological jests, also suggested two other plural forms, dwarrows and dwerrows; but he never used them in his writings, apart from the name 'Dwarrowdelf', the Western name for Khazad-dûm or Moria, which was, inside his fiction, a calque of the Westron name Phurunargian. See Comparative linguistics for the narrower field of "comparative philology" In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, Moria was the name given by the Eldar to what had once been an enormous underground complex in north-western Middle-earth In Linguistics, a calque (kælk or loan translation is a Word or Phrase borrowed from another Language by Literal, word-for-word Westron, or the Common Speech, is an Artificial language developed by J His Dwarves' name for themselves was Khazâd, singular probably Khuzd. 'Dwarrows' is the Middle English plural of 'Dwerg' or 'Dwerf' ('Dwarf'), and derives from the Old English 'Dweorgas', plural of 'Dweorh' or 'Dweorg'. Middle English is the name given by Historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman invasion of

The Dwarves were created by Aulë, one of the Valar, when he grew impatient waiting for the coming of Children of Ilúvatar. Aulë is a fictional character from J R R Tolkien 's Legendarium. The Valar (singular Vala) are characters in J R R Tolkien 's legendarium. In the fictional works of J R R Tolkien, the Children of Ilúvatar are Elves and Men who were created by Ilúvatar, the supreme God in Tolkien's Ilúvatar gave them life after rebuking Aulë for what he had done and seeing that he was both humble and repentant. Eru as Creator The Quendi (ie Elves) and the Atani (ie Men) were created by Eru

Dwarves in Tolkien are long-lived, living nearly four times the age of man (about 250 years), but are not prolific breeders, having children rarely and spaced far apart, and having few women among them. Dwarvish children are cherished by their parents, and are defended at all costs from their traditional enemies, such as Orcs. In J R R Tolkien 's Fantasy writings Orcs or Orks are a race of creatures who are used as soldiers and henchmen by both the greater and lesser villains A longstanding enmity between Dwarves and Elves is also a staple of the racial conception. In J R R Tolkien 's Legendarium, an Elf is an individual member of one of the races that inhabit the lands of Arda.

Tolkien's immense popularity led to numerous imitators, and rewrites and reworkings of his plots were extremely common, as a bit of reading through the advertisements in the back of paperback fantasy books printed in around 1960–1980 will show. Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) The Dwarves from the book The Hobbit became the fathers to hordes of dwarves that would follow, with their surly, somewhat suspicious demeanour passing to an entire race. Still, re-envisionings and creative reuses of the concept exist.

Female dwarves

A long standing source of interest (and humour) comes from the allusion of Tolkien to female dwarves having beards, which was borrowed by other writers. A bearded lady or bearded woman is a woman who has a visible Beard. Essentially, Tolkien developed a rational explanation for why female Dwarves are never encountered in the story, by elaborating that female Dwarves never travel abroad, and look so much like Dwarf men that visitors to Dwarf cities cannot immediately spot them. In addition to being rare creatures they are perhaps not often featured in many fantasy milieu for this reason. A more cynical, and perhaps more realistic, suspicion is that female dwarves (unlike, say, female humans or elves) lack sex appeal and consequently are of little interest to fantasy fans. An elf is a creature of Norse mythology. The elves were originally imagined as a race of minor nature and fertility gods, who are often pictured as youthful-seeming NOTICE TO WOULD-BE-ROMEOS***************

Tolkien writes his Dwarf-women are "in voice and appearance, and in garb if they must go on a journey, so like to dwarf-men that the eyes and ears of the other peoples cannot tell them apart. " This, he writes, leads to the belief that dwarves grow out of stone. [11] In The Chronicles of Narnia, in fact, C. S. Lewis, who was a friend of Tolkien, describes his Dwarfs [sic] as doing just this, and it is possible that Tolkien was ribbing Lewis in making this point. Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963 Interestingly, though, Lewis' all-male Dwarfs are capable of mixing with humans to make half-Dwarfs, such as Doctor Cornelius, the tutor of Prince Caspian (In the 2008 adaption of Prince Caspian, female dwarfs are shown as archer along with the males, though these female dwarfs are shown to be beardless. Prince Caspian The Return to Narnia is a Novel for children by C For the book see Prince Caspian. For the video game see The Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian (video game. ). (In later writings, Tolkien directly states that his female Dwarves have beards "from the beginning of their lives", as do the males. [12])

In the MMORPG RuneScape, female dwarves are as present in the game as the females of other races. A massively multiplayer online role-playing game ( MMORPG) is a genre of Computer role-playing games (CRPGs in which a large number of players interact with RuneScape is a Java -based MMORPG ( Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) operated by Jagex Ltd Also another notable MMORPG, the once popular Dark Age of Camelot featured female dwarves as a selectable race. Dark Age of Camelot is a 3D Medieval Fantasy MMORPG that revolves around the war between three realms at the end of

In Dungeons & Dragons the status of beards on dwarven women varies by setting and editions: In Greyhawk, dwarven women grow beards but generally shave; in Forgotten Realms they grow sideburns but not beards or mustaches in AD&D, but full beards in 3rd edition; and in Eberron they do not grow beards at all. Greyhawk, also known as the World The Forgotten Realms is a Campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D Fantasy Role-playing game, created by For the Swedish heavy metal band see Mustasch. A moustache (or mustache) is Facial hair grown on the upper Lip. Eberron is a Campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game, set in a period after a vast destructive war on the continent of

In the Discworld novels, Terry Pratchett notes that bearded dwarven females pose a major problem for their race, and states that the point of dwarven courtships is to 'tactfully find out which sex the other one is'. Discworld is a comedic Fantasy Book series by the British author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat Terence David John Pratchett, OBE (born 28 April 1948 is an English fantasy, Science fiction, and children's author.

Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura features only male dwarves, and asking one about dwarven women is taboo, tantamount to insulting him. For the Computer role-playing game, see Arcanum Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura. The game's manual hints that the reason for this is that the birth of a female dwarf is a rare event, with dwarven men outnumbering the women 2-to-1, and dwarven women are pregnant with their children for up to ten years, during which time their health is greatly at risk. Dwarven culture, therefore, requires that female dwarves spend almost all of their lives concealed from the outside world, for their own safety.

In the RPG Castle Falkenstein, all dwarves are male. Castle Falkenstein (abbreviated CF) is a Steampunk -themed Fantasy Role-playing game (RPG designed by Mike Pondsmith They marry with women from other Faerie races, such as Naiads or Selkies; their daughters are all members of their mother's race, and their sons are all dwarves. Given that the Naiads and Selkies are all female, this would appear to suggest that this is simply a marked example of sexual dimorphism. Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different Sex in the same Species.

In a notable departure from convention, dwarven females in the Korea-produced Lineage II MMORPG are very comely, young-looking women (almost girls, actually), a shocking contrast to the grizzled, old look of male dwarves. Lineage II The Chaotic Throne (리니지 2 is a Fantasy Massive multiplayer online role-playing game ( MMORPG) for the PC and a A massively multiplayer online role-playing game ( MMORPG) is a genre of Computer role-playing games (CRPGs in which a large number of players interact with Female dwarves, however, are taller than males, and look more like young human girls, with larger heads and stomachs.

In the Warhammer world, dwarfs are depicted as having female members of the race. Female members are rarely seen, however, as most dwarven warriors are male. From what evidence can be gathered, female dwarfs of the Warhammer kind look like female equivalents of their male counterparts, possessing long, platted hair instead of beards.

Modern fantasy with major roles for Dwarves

Books

Video games

See also

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ a b 'Zwerge' in Rudolf Simek, Lexikon der germanischen Mythologie, (Stuttgart, 1984)
  2. ^ a b c d Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs, p.100
  3. ^ a b Poetic Edda: Essays on Old Norse Mythology, p.213
  4. ^ Carpenter, Humphrey (ed. Codex Regius (which is Latin for "King's Book" in Icelandic Konungsbók) (GKS 2365 4to is an Icelandic Manuscript ( The Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda ( Snorra Edda) or simply Edda, is an The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval Manuscript Codex Regius. The Hauksbók ( Book of Haukr) is one of the few medieval Norse manuscripts of which we know the author Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks is a Legendary saga from the 13th century combining matter from several older sagas Controversy The historicity of the matter in Ynglingatal has been a contention among scholars since the 19th century ), 1981, The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, p. 23
  5. ^ List of Medieval and Ancient Monsters
  6. ^ 'Dwarves' in Cassell Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend, ed. (Andy Orchard 1997, ISBN 0-30434-520-2).
  7. ^ Voluspo
  8. ^ Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs, p.101
  9. ^ Katharine Briggs, "Dwarfs", An Encyclopedia of Fairies, Hobgoblins, Brownies, Boogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures (Pantheon Books, 1976), p. 115. ISBN 0-394-73467-X
  10. ^ Guampdn.com, Ghost stories: Taotaomona, duendes and other spirits inhabit Guam
  11. ^ J. R. R. Tolkien (April 1, 1987), The Return of the King, vol. Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) The Return of the King is the third and final volume of J R R 3, The Lord of the Rings, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, Appendix A, "Part III: Durin's Folk", ISBN 0-395-08256-0 
  12. ^ J. R. R. Tolkien (1994), Christopher Tolkien, ed. The Lord of the Rings is an epic Houghton Mifflin Company is a leading educational Publisher in the United States. Christopher Reuel Tolkien (born 21 November 1924 is the youngest son of the Author J , The War of the Jewels, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, The Later Quenta Silmarillion, "Of the Naugrim and the Edain", ISBN 0-395-71041-3 

External links


The War of the Jewels is the 11th volume of Christopher Tolkien's series The History of Middle-earth, analyzing the unpublished manuscripts of Houghton Mifflin Company is a leading educational Publisher in the United States.

Dictionary

dwarf

-noun

  1. A person with short stature, often one whose limbs are disproportionately small in relation to the body as compared with normal adults, usually as the result of a genetic condition.
  2. An animal, plant or other thing much smaller than the usual of its sort.
  3. A creature from folklore, usually depicted as having mystical powers and being skilled at crafts such as woodwork and metalworking. Especially often found in Scandinavian folklore. Sometimes pluralized dwarves, especially in modern fantasy literature.
  4. (astronomy) A star of relatively small size.
  5. (paganism) An underground dwelling nature spirit famed for metalcraft in Heathenry.

-adjective

  1. miniature

-verb

  1. (transitive) To make (to appear) much smaller; to render puny or tiny
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