I'm going to make a Dwarf epic

[Kittywithpen]

Dwarves. I mean a story largely written from their perspective, through their culture, with their own unique traits. I want to make a civilization grow. And I want to break away from the cliche standard dwarves have been assigned in Post-Tolkien fantasy. By this cliche i mean that the dwarves that are only a mirror for humans (and this applies to other "races" too), with two-dimensional gruffness and greed and digging too deep. I'll still be adopting some of these traits, but I'll be expanding on Why they're this way and expanding on them as a whole. I plan on combining traits of past cultures in our world with my own ideas, and creating something new.

First, these dwarves are not going to sit in their holes until a needy hero begs their help or a terrible villain destroys them all. They're going to build an empire. They're going to expand, like any living being seeks to expand, and by diplomacy and trade and conquest build a civilization. They're going to wage war with dire villains and foreign neighbors and each other alike, for they are not a united culture. They're going to make trade, make love, make the artifacts they're so well known for, as much for their own personal passion as for gaining wealth.

These are an imperfect people. They struggle, they strive, and over time, they overcome. The result is an empire that shapes even mountains to it's will, that forges grand aqueducts and fortresses and roads by nothing but their own sweat and ingenuity. But before they can leave their lasting mark upon the world, they must unite themselves.

In my next post, I will aspire to expand on their culture, and the individual dwarves within that sweat to build their own lives.

 

[ThinkerX]

I seem to recollect at least two series along these lines already.

But I am interested in reading more.

 

[The Unseemly]

I'll be interested to see what you can make of dwarf women. All of the aforementioned stories by ThinkerX (if we're thinking about the same thing) make dwarf women seem awfully Post-Tolkienised.

 

[teacup]

I've come across a series that might be similar. I haven't read it and know nothing about it, but here it is. It might prove helpful to read, since the theme and story (might be) similar to yours.
The Dwarves (eBook): Dwarves Series, Book 1 by Markus Heitz (2010): Waterstones.com

Best of luck with your writing.

 

[Kittywithpen]

^^^ ThinkerX, those stories sound quite interesting. What are they called?

^ teacup, I will definitely look into the Dwarves Series. Thank you.

I've put thought into dwarven women, because I see potential in them to be more then their stereotype. I think part of the problem here is in the gender role post-Tolkien writers assign to non-humans. Just as you heard stories of the effeminate elven male, I suspect dwarven females are expected to conform to the same hypermasculine stereotype, and in the process lose much of their identity. I'm not talking about putting makeup on the dwarven females (although Terry Pratchett pulled just that off with aplomb) or making them into damsels in distress or hyperactive Xena ripoffs. I want to keep the strength and endurance core to the Dwarven race, but I'm going to develop that in a different direction.

Dwarven culture in general, and especially in the mountainous citadel-states, expect both genders to work heavily and struggle equally. But this is not 21st century equality; women are forbidden from most aspects of mining and open warfare. Males and females are expected to take on different but complementary roles, in economic, military, and political affairs, and this is also reflected in the home. In particular, women are expected to tend the fortresses, bring the supplies, cook the meals, and in desperate times organize the defense of their cities and homes. While the dwarven men are fighting the battles in rival territory and mining for resources, their women are charged with protecting those resources and making sure they get to both the cities and armies safely. In peacetime, their home life is similarly segregated - the dwarven male is expected to bring resources and train his children in craft, appraisal, and warfare, and the female is expected to feed, nurture, discipline her children, and teach etiquette and norms. Of course individual families show a lot of different sides to them, and they are as capable of love as any human, halfling, or orc.

One other cliche I wish to break away from is their low population. Tolkien had a good excuse; there were few females born, and those often did not marry. Ofttimes they come across dire, gruff, incapable of having fun - when with people they don't trust (usually other races and sometimes dwarves from other clans or cities as well). Most dwarves once they let their guard down reveal a raunchy and raucous side, drinking, partying, and adventuring hard. They put the same passion into building a family as into their construction and craft - indeed prosperous dwarven families often have half a dozen children or more! Their downfall is in their lack of unity, for most towns and cities are formed from splitting clans or as fortifications against rival groups. Warfare is constant, whatever it's between city-states, "barbarian" tribes, or neighboring countries, and casualties are high.

Unification would come from an unexpected place. There are two things, well three, that every dwarf enjoys. Here they would find a common purpose.

Next on the Dwarf epic: Beer, Trade and Games

 

[ThinkerX]

^^^ ThinkerX, those stories sound quite interesting. What are they called?

Teacup linked to the one series. I've yet to give it more than a superficial glance, though.

The other was what I think of as the 'Thorbardin' set from TSR's 'Dragonlance'.

Now that I think about it, dwarves played a significant role in the last few books of Katherine Kerr's 'Devery' series (though elves got a lot more pages overall).

I suspect dwarven females are expected to conform to the same hypermasculine stereotype, and in the process lose much of their identity. I'm not talking about putting makeup on the dwarven females (although Terry Pratchett pulled just that off with aplomb) or making them into damsels in distress or hyperactive Xena ripoffs. I want to keep the strength and endurance core to the Dwarven race, but I'm going to develop that in a different direction.

...'isolated' about sums up the status of the dwarven female in most of the books I've read. Utterly dedicated to hearth and home and family. There are exceptions, of course.

I would also suggest keeping in mind the real world mythology mentioning dwarves. In europe, they come across almost as a sort of faerie creature; in India they have blue skins and ride horses.

 

[Saigonnus]

There was a novel; Thornhold by Elaine Cunningham (forgotten realms) that briefly touched on the dwarven culture, and hers showed the dwarvish females as equally tough as the male dwarves, but without the tolkien-esque beard... They drank just as much as males, could face nearly anything in a fight and win. They also had a feminine sensitivity despite that, making them fairly realistic.

 

[SilentNight]

Sounds excellent. I really think aside from Bruenor Battlehammer and Gimli dwarves are often overlooked in the fantasy genre.