Copyright John Howe

Life of a Dwarf

Some people say that the dwarves were born from the womb of the mountain, so numerous are their affinities with the rocks.
Short, stocky, strong, their appearance reminds of the stone; proud, hard at work, unswerving in their goals and true to their
promises (claimed or unheard), the dwarves often appear to be of the same essence as the mountains they inhabit.

Of course, these comparisons, uncontested by the dwarves themselves, do not stop to enumerating their qualities. If they are
unswerving in their believes, the dwarves are also reluctant to accept changes; hence, in many mountainous regions, the proverb
"stubborn as a dwarf" has replaced "stubborn as a mule". In those same regions, one often says of a noisy person that he or she
is "as silent as a dwarven scout", referring to their natural clumsiness and their well known tastes for heavy armors.

Living in constant contact with the mountain, the dwarves have developed the skills that relate to it farther than any other race.
The dwarven craftsmen are renowned for their prowess in the fields of mining, stone working, blacksmithing, armor and weapon
making, and, above all, gemcutting. To the dwarves, gems are among the most precious gifts of the mountains, many of them
ranking even higher than the fabled mythril. Numerous are the dwarven poets who have seen in them the very soul of the
mountain and many are the arguments that have been raised by a dwarf on the subject of an improper use for a gem (mages
have had more than their fair share of those arguments).

Contrarily to the popular belief, the dwarves do not shun water and most of them know the basics of swimming. They do,
however, have little love for the sea, but this comes more from the unobstructed view it offers than from a fear of water. This
agoraphobia, which is shared by most dwarves, manifests itself in areas where there is nothing to block the sight before it
reaches the horizon. It is less pronounced in plains than on the seas, as dwarves tend to be more secure when they can feel the
earth beneath their feet.

Mythology of the Dwarf

Throughout the Germanic countries, from Austria to Scandinavia, are found tales of the dwarven people who live underground, where they amass great treasures of old. They are a stunted people, of great strength, and most often prefer communal living to solitude.

In Germany the dwarfs are usually friendly, or at least neutral, in their dealings with man. They were interested in the work of mortals, and would often spy on them unbeknowst, wearing their fog caps which gave them invisibility. Sometimes they would help men with their labours, but they expected to be repaid in full. When in need, they would steal, and if reproached for the act, or caught and punished, they became furiously angry. Sometimes a whole kingdom of dwarfs could be roused to anger for such an act, and would move away. Today, most kingdoms are gone, and only rarely may an individual dwarf be seen.

In Scandinavian the dwarfs (duergar) were great craftsmen in legend. Some of their accomplishments included Odin's spear, Gungnir and Thor's hammer Mjollnir. They brewed the mead of poetry, and created many magical runes and songs.

Life of a Dwarf
Copyright: DragonNet Development Team

Mythology of the Dwarf
Aquired from: Earendil's Elfin Grotte

Sources:
Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology.
The Brothers Grimm, Teutonic Mythology.