Dwarf (folklore)
Dwarfs, as mythological characters, are typically depicted as small, human-shaped beings, often around three feet tall, with stocky builds and exaggerated features. Originating primarily from Germanic and Norse mythology, dwarf folklore spans various cultures, suggesting a rich tapestry of stories and traits associated with these beings. Dwarfs are traditionally seen as skilled miners, engineers, and craftsmen, credited with forging remarkable items like weapons for gods and treasures of gold and silver. Their reclusive nature leads them to reside in underground settings or mountain caves, where they hoard wealth in seclusion.
In many stories, dwarfs are portrayed as industrious and cunning yet possess a complex personality—often depicting qualities of greed, tenacity, and a desire for acceptance. While they may appear surly and mischievous, dwarfs are generally friendly towards humans, forming bonds with those they trust. Across different cultures, the characteristics of dwarfs can vary; for instance, in Central America, they are associated with fertility, while in Native American lore, they serve as helpful spirits. The enduring popularity of dwarf characters is reflected in literature and media, with notable representations in works by authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien and Disney adaptations, making them a significant part of contemporary fantasy narratives.
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Dwarf (folklore)
The dwarf is a mythological character, human shaped but small. The dwarf is thought to have originated in Germanic mythology, but stories about dwarves appear in the traditions of many cultures especially Scandinavian, or Norse mythology and folklore. The dwarf in pre-Christian belief connects the spiritual world with Earth. Dwarves are miners, engineers, and craftsmen. They are regaled in odes, sagas, and fairy tales. They live in the physical world but transcend it, sharing in some existence with the world beyond. Perhaps their most important contribution is to expand the imagination. A mythological dwarf is human looking but misshaped, much shorter than the average human (about three feet tall), stocky in body shape, ugly, with an oversized head and long, unkempt hair and beard. Dwarves fiercely defend their homes despite being slow runners and poor horsemen. This is a character trait to which every man can relate. The dwarf is a recluse, living underground or in mountain caves. The dwarf is a hermit, stashing fortunes of gold, silver, and precious stones in remote places and seclusion.
Background
The dwarf in Norse and German cultures appears as the alter ego of humans. Alternatively, the dwarf feels no need to be a braggart for keeping up appearances. Dwarves and humans seek fortune, are selfish, tenacious, greedy, and cunning. Spinners of fantasy-world tales may have modeled the dwarf after southern European tin miners. They were shorter than northern European counterparts, darker in skin tone, sporting heavy growths of hair and beards. Tin masters knew metallurgy; dwarves were gold and silver craftsmen. Neither the tin masters nor the dwarves were warriors, but both forged and cast weapons and armor. Dwarves are credited as craftsmen for the gods, building a mighty spear, golden ring, the hammer of Thor, and a cape or helmet that could make the wearer invisible. The dwarf is seen as industrious and enchanting, much like tin masters were to northern Europeans in the Bronze Age. According to folklore, dwarves spontaneously generated when Odin, the Norseman god of wisdom, death, and victory in war, created the world with his brothers. Though ugly, mischievous, and surly, dwarves—seeking acceptance for who they were and what they had to offer—were friendly to humans. Humans thought dwarves were rich, and German dwarves were thought to share their treasure with humans they liked and grew to trust.
The dwarf is but one character in the oeuvre of mythology and folklore; the other beings include elves, fairies, banshees, brownies, nymphs, dullahans, gnomes, pixies, leprechauns, and trolls. In the mythology and folklore of other cultures, dwarves are ascribed similar characteristics and personality traits to Norse and German dwarves; however, there is a dearth of information about dwarves in other cultures. In Central America, dwarves live in forests and have powers of fertility. Bushpeople of South Africa tell of dwarves able to kill and restore life, while West Africans believe dwarves can cure sickness with herbal medicines. Dwarves in Native American folklore are helpful spirits to the Crow Nation, river dwellers to the Penobscot Indians while the Seneca talk about little people living in caves, ditches, and near streams warning people about approaching danger or bringing good fortune.
Dwarf Today
The dwarf is an iconic subject in literature and paintings. The mythology and folklore of the dwarf is the subject of best-selling books and movies. There is a painting from 1878 of the god Thor chasing dwarves from the sea cliffs — perhaps in Iceland. Dwarf Alvis, a goldsmith and wisest of dwarves, sought the hand of Thor’s daughter in marriage, but Thor was not pleased.
In the 1930s, Walt Disney Studios brought Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to movie theaters; the original fairy tale was written by the Brothers Grimm and first published in 1812. In a 1912 Broadway play, the dwarves each had a name, in the tradition of Norse mythology. In the Disney movie, the heroine is lost in the forest. Snow White happens upon the home of dwarves. They take pity on her and let her stay, but they demand payment in the form of housekeeping in keeping with the lore of dwarf characters. The dwarves warn Snow White not to open the door for anyone, while they prance off secreting themselves in the forest. The evil queen arrives at the home and tries to kill Snow White, but the dwarves return home just in time to save her. They chase the queen through the forest until she dies falling down a cliff. Again, the dwarves protect the weak and innocent humans in the traditional fantasy conception of the dwarf. Educators use the story as an approach in teaching character education. Disney dwarves are also named as in traditional dwarf lore. Those names are known worldwide to all lovers of Snow White, and the numerous remakes of Snow White books, movies, toys, and games keep alive the mythology and folklore of the dwarf.
J.R.R. Tolkien was an English novelist, who wrote classic fantasies including The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion. Tolkien weaves folklore dwarves throughout his literature. They have names and languages, as did Norse and German dwarves. His are blacksmiths and stonework artisans. In The Silmarillion, dwarves are stubborn, but friendly, and suffer from toil, hunger, and bodily hurt more than others; they live long, way beyond the human lifespan, but not forever. Tolkien’s dwarves and elves are among the good races. Tolkien has been accused of anti-Semitic stereotyping in depictions of dwarves in The Hobbit. He later altered their image in The Lord of the Rings. In 1964, Tolkien commented on the comparisons of his dwarves to Jews because the language of dwarves leans to phonetic similarities to Hebrew. Tolkien, a former British soldier fighting Nazis, loved and respected the Jewish people and their military prowess (Vink). Dwarves continue playing an important role in the Age of Science and Rational Thought for their contributions to human imagination and the fantasy world.
Bibliography
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"Norse Mythology." New World Encyclopedia. New World Encyclopedia, 23 Jan. 2015. Web. 7 June 2016.
Vink, Renée. "‘Jewish’ Dwarves: Tolkien and Anti-Semitic Stereotyping." Project Muse. Tolkien Studies: West Virginia University. 10: (2013)123-45. Web. 7 June 2016.
Zipes, Jack, ed. and translator. The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of BrothersGrimm. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2014. Print.the