jedellion
Dreamer
Note: Grammatically, the correct plural has always been Dwarfs however, in the twentieth century, Tolkien deliberately changed it to Dwarves, preferring the softer ‘v’ sound.
Dwarfs evolved from the mythos of northern Europe. Some scholars think the word Dwarf derives from terms for delving, darkness. With links to mountain spirits associated with stone and metalwork. Some link them to fey spirits more akin to elves, playing tricks, deceiving and plaguing humans with dark dreams.
In the Scandinavian folklore Dwarves are associated with the Svartalfar (Black Elves) and are, ironically the basis for the concept of ‘dark elves’ which in modern fantasy are seen more as a subset of the Elven races, and nothing to do with Dwarves. Scandinavian dwarfs are short and stocky mountain folk who craft magical weapons and armour and help or hinder heroes on quests. Females are rarely mentioned, but when they are mentioned they are considered beautiful enough to seduce warriors. It was Tolkien that first stated that Dwarven females have beards and look much the same as males.
Tolkein constructed a race of mountain dwelling folk, cunning in stone craft, metalwork and crafting. They are long lived, lives spanning hundreds of years. Crafty and clever, slow to trust but fierce in friendship. Fantasy games such as DnD adopted the race and, over time, the nature of Dwarfs has distilled into certain stereotypical behaviours. This makes dwarves very easy to role play as we can fall back on solid, easy to understand patterns of behaviour. The problem with such simple attributes is that it makes it challenging to differentiate between dwarven characters.
Dwarves are long lived. In DnD they live for 400 years or so, Tolkien merely says they don't live forever, but 'far longer than any man'. Thus to paint dwarves as impatient and hasty folk is odd. When live so long, you would develop patience. Mining is not a hasty business. Care must be taken to make sure mineshafts are safe, not to mention the perils of exploring deep caverns which may harbour ancient evils or monsters.
This implies that dwarves might be careful thinkers, who look at problems in the long term. Crafting weapons is not a quick business. The great Japanese smiths took a year or more to craft a Katana.
Another stereotypical aspect is that they are hearty folk, quick to hoy and anger. But how does this tally with patient craft and hard work. One might suppose that in close confines and challenging environments arguments would break out. How would such conflicts be resolved? It may be quite normal for dwarves to express their feelings to each other to avoid conflict building up. Perhaps conflicts are fought physically to let off steam and develop martial prowess. It could explain why Dwarves see combat as a natural and right thing to do to let loose all those negativity.
In such dangerous conditions trust would be essential. To break a promise, to let attention wander, to slack off would endanger others. Oathbreakers would be a danger to all around them. Plain speaking and honesty would be the cornerstone of hard labour. No wonder they would distrust those with slippery tongues.
Most dwarves are portrayed as greedy, but why? On what would such wealth be spent? Indeed why would dwarves need of currency apart from being able to shop between themselves or to trade with others. Perhaps we could take the love of gold, mithril, precious stones etc. as being linked to that careful craft and aspirations to perfection. Mithril is intrinsically superior to other metals for manufacturing weapons and armour, naturally dwarves would seek out this metal as being very useful. Gold is useless for most things, but it is pretty, regardless of its value. So it’s not at all impossible that gold is seen by dwarves as something beautiful to create with.
There is very little practical use for a gemstone. Their value is in their rarity and their beauty. But in many mythologies gemstones hold magical powers and benefits. Perhaps you as a storyweaver, could weave that into your dwarven lore, perhaps gemstones become intrinsic in how dwarves make magical items while seemingly having few mages. Imagine a culture where the finding of a rare sapphire is a cause for joy as now this can be used to make a circlet that, when worn, would cure diseases, or relieve the suffering of a dying soul allowing them to transition to the next life in painless peace. Imagine the anticipation of crafting a weapon imbued with the ability to deliver fire damage thanks to the fire opal embedded within.
Now we see that covetousness in a new light. Not the acquisition of wealth, but the ability to create something beautiful, or useful. The fact humans and others will accept gold in return for other things is a useful side effect.
Which brings us to something important. Where do Dwarves get all their food and ale from?
Dwarves eat well and drink a lot. But that requires substantial investment in land and personnel. Ale is made with grain, water and yeast. For beer you also need hops, All those big feasts need animals. All of that requires lots of land for cattle and farming as well as hunting grounds.So who is doing all this farming if all the dwarves are underground? In fact how did they even survive as a race underground at all?
Option 1 - It makes more sense that Dwarves must have a wider culture. They can’t have relied on external sources for food and drink when they were a young race, so they must have had the ability to do all these things themselves. This denies the concept of a ‘city entirely underground’. Unless there are vast acres of underground tilled fields and cattle pastures. So some dwarves live above ground, and always have as farmers, herdsmen and hunters. It might be they only come out to do these things, and go back underground a lot. Or it could be that there are different classes of dwarves, and and only some are the underground dwellers.
This gives many more options for character development. We can legitimately and logically have dwarven rangers, scouts etc. This could also form class divides and grudges between those below and those above. And remember, the larger the underground realm, the more land is needed above to supply food.
This option would also mean more regular interaction with other races, and potential clashes over land and borders.
Option 2 – Or it could be something entirely different. It could be that Dwarves subsist on a very different diet. Lace your caverns with creatures, deep lakes with eyeless fish. Vast caverns of fungi and strange creatures that have adapted to the dark. You would need complex ecosystems to have an entirely subterranean habitat. Perhaps dwarven ale is not ale at all, it’s more like fermented mushroom juice! Or perhaps there is some limited hunting above, with foraging for food as well. That plus trade would open up their diet.
This would mean Dwarves could be more reclusive, relying on themselves alone. But it could also mean that any disruption to the balance of the ecosystem would be disastrous. Growth in population would be very challenging without new chambers to explore and exploit. In times like that, they would have to be more tolerant of trade and relationships with others to get what they needed.
So we now need to consider perspective. How do dwarves see the wider world? And their place in it? It would seem that dwarves would have a very unique perspective. On the one hand they take their time with craft and labour, doing a job right, doing it safely and with all angles considered. But once they choose to act, they work hard, diligently and with determination. Once they say they will do a thing it will be done. They will be quick to vent negative emotions to prevent a further conflict further down the line, better to be angry now and be honest then spare feelings and risk a worse situation. They will prize fine craftsmanship and fine materials. Not for the money they can make, but for the beauty of a thing, or the potential in making things of beauty. For the joy of craft and well made things.
They will have culture, society, class and echelons of status. Some will be simple folk, farmers, hunters, crafters and crofters. But the high status folk are the ones who dwell below, who hew at stone, who refine the metals, cut and polish the jewels, harness the precious materials into things of beauty and power. They revere hard work and dedication to skill and craft.
Why scottish?
The source material for Dwarves draws heavily on Norse mythology, naming structures, physical attributes, architecture and speech patterns would all indicate a more Viking theme than Scottish highlands. That said, having your mighty dwarven fighter running around sounding like the Swedish chef might be challenging and a good Scandinavian accent isn’t easy to pull off for many people. But at the end of the day, Scottish accents can be easier to copy and can be a lot of fun to play with. But if so why not dive full into it, embrace it, and change your naming conventions to fit. Instead of Khazran and Edda, why not Hamish and Baltair, Connor and Domhnall? Bring plaid and clan colours into the mix.
Or if you want to really shake things up, take that patience and dedication to craft and think of similar cultures. Imagine a race of introspective dwarves modelled on Japanese culture, where dwarven leaders are like the Samurai, where crafters seek perfection on all things as they spend years working on a single might war axe.
As the great mystical and sage Bob Ross once said, “This is your world You’re the creator.”
Dwarfs evolved from the mythos of northern Europe. Some scholars think the word Dwarf derives from terms for delving, darkness. With links to mountain spirits associated with stone and metalwork. Some link them to fey spirits more akin to elves, playing tricks, deceiving and plaguing humans with dark dreams.
In the Scandinavian folklore Dwarves are associated with the Svartalfar (Black Elves) and are, ironically the basis for the concept of ‘dark elves’ which in modern fantasy are seen more as a subset of the Elven races, and nothing to do with Dwarves. Scandinavian dwarfs are short and stocky mountain folk who craft magical weapons and armour and help or hinder heroes on quests. Females are rarely mentioned, but when they are mentioned they are considered beautiful enough to seduce warriors. It was Tolkien that first stated that Dwarven females have beards and look much the same as males.
Tolkein constructed a race of mountain dwelling folk, cunning in stone craft, metalwork and crafting. They are long lived, lives spanning hundreds of years. Crafty and clever, slow to trust but fierce in friendship. Fantasy games such as DnD adopted the race and, over time, the nature of Dwarfs has distilled into certain stereotypical behaviours. This makes dwarves very easy to role play as we can fall back on solid, easy to understand patterns of behaviour. The problem with such simple attributes is that it makes it challenging to differentiate between dwarven characters.
Dwarves are long lived. In DnD they live for 400 years or so, Tolkien merely says they don't live forever, but 'far longer than any man'. Thus to paint dwarves as impatient and hasty folk is odd. When live so long, you would develop patience. Mining is not a hasty business. Care must be taken to make sure mineshafts are safe, not to mention the perils of exploring deep caverns which may harbour ancient evils or monsters.
This implies that dwarves might be careful thinkers, who look at problems in the long term. Crafting weapons is not a quick business. The great Japanese smiths took a year or more to craft a Katana.
Another stereotypical aspect is that they are hearty folk, quick to hoy and anger. But how does this tally with patient craft and hard work. One might suppose that in close confines and challenging environments arguments would break out. How would such conflicts be resolved? It may be quite normal for dwarves to express their feelings to each other to avoid conflict building up. Perhaps conflicts are fought physically to let off steam and develop martial prowess. It could explain why Dwarves see combat as a natural and right thing to do to let loose all those negativity.
In such dangerous conditions trust would be essential. To break a promise, to let attention wander, to slack off would endanger others. Oathbreakers would be a danger to all around them. Plain speaking and honesty would be the cornerstone of hard labour. No wonder they would distrust those with slippery tongues.
Most dwarves are portrayed as greedy, but why? On what would such wealth be spent? Indeed why would dwarves need of currency apart from being able to shop between themselves or to trade with others. Perhaps we could take the love of gold, mithril, precious stones etc. as being linked to that careful craft and aspirations to perfection. Mithril is intrinsically superior to other metals for manufacturing weapons and armour, naturally dwarves would seek out this metal as being very useful. Gold is useless for most things, but it is pretty, regardless of its value. So it’s not at all impossible that gold is seen by dwarves as something beautiful to create with.
There is very little practical use for a gemstone. Their value is in their rarity and their beauty. But in many mythologies gemstones hold magical powers and benefits. Perhaps you as a storyweaver, could weave that into your dwarven lore, perhaps gemstones become intrinsic in how dwarves make magical items while seemingly having few mages. Imagine a culture where the finding of a rare sapphire is a cause for joy as now this can be used to make a circlet that, when worn, would cure diseases, or relieve the suffering of a dying soul allowing them to transition to the next life in painless peace. Imagine the anticipation of crafting a weapon imbued with the ability to deliver fire damage thanks to the fire opal embedded within.
Now we see that covetousness in a new light. Not the acquisition of wealth, but the ability to create something beautiful, or useful. The fact humans and others will accept gold in return for other things is a useful side effect.
Which brings us to something important. Where do Dwarves get all their food and ale from?
Dwarves eat well and drink a lot. But that requires substantial investment in land and personnel. Ale is made with grain, water and yeast. For beer you also need hops, All those big feasts need animals. All of that requires lots of land for cattle and farming as well as hunting grounds.So who is doing all this farming if all the dwarves are underground? In fact how did they even survive as a race underground at all?
Option 1 - It makes more sense that Dwarves must have a wider culture. They can’t have relied on external sources for food and drink when they were a young race, so they must have had the ability to do all these things themselves. This denies the concept of a ‘city entirely underground’. Unless there are vast acres of underground tilled fields and cattle pastures. So some dwarves live above ground, and always have as farmers, herdsmen and hunters. It might be they only come out to do these things, and go back underground a lot. Or it could be that there are different classes of dwarves, and and only some are the underground dwellers.
This gives many more options for character development. We can legitimately and logically have dwarven rangers, scouts etc. This could also form class divides and grudges between those below and those above. And remember, the larger the underground realm, the more land is needed above to supply food.
This option would also mean more regular interaction with other races, and potential clashes over land and borders.
Option 2 – Or it could be something entirely different. It could be that Dwarves subsist on a very different diet. Lace your caverns with creatures, deep lakes with eyeless fish. Vast caverns of fungi and strange creatures that have adapted to the dark. You would need complex ecosystems to have an entirely subterranean habitat. Perhaps dwarven ale is not ale at all, it’s more like fermented mushroom juice! Or perhaps there is some limited hunting above, with foraging for food as well. That plus trade would open up their diet.
This would mean Dwarves could be more reclusive, relying on themselves alone. But it could also mean that any disruption to the balance of the ecosystem would be disastrous. Growth in population would be very challenging without new chambers to explore and exploit. In times like that, they would have to be more tolerant of trade and relationships with others to get what they needed.
So we now need to consider perspective. How do dwarves see the wider world? And their place in it? It would seem that dwarves would have a very unique perspective. On the one hand they take their time with craft and labour, doing a job right, doing it safely and with all angles considered. But once they choose to act, they work hard, diligently and with determination. Once they say they will do a thing it will be done. They will be quick to vent negative emotions to prevent a further conflict further down the line, better to be angry now and be honest then spare feelings and risk a worse situation. They will prize fine craftsmanship and fine materials. Not for the money they can make, but for the beauty of a thing, or the potential in making things of beauty. For the joy of craft and well made things.
They will have culture, society, class and echelons of status. Some will be simple folk, farmers, hunters, crafters and crofters. But the high status folk are the ones who dwell below, who hew at stone, who refine the metals, cut and polish the jewels, harness the precious materials into things of beauty and power. They revere hard work and dedication to skill and craft.
Why scottish?
The source material for Dwarves draws heavily on Norse mythology, naming structures, physical attributes, architecture and speech patterns would all indicate a more Viking theme than Scottish highlands. That said, having your mighty dwarven fighter running around sounding like the Swedish chef might be challenging and a good Scandinavian accent isn’t easy to pull off for many people. But at the end of the day, Scottish accents can be easier to copy and can be a lot of fun to play with. But if so why not dive full into it, embrace it, and change your naming conventions to fit. Instead of Khazran and Edda, why not Hamish and Baltair, Connor and Domhnall? Bring plaid and clan colours into the mix.
Or if you want to really shake things up, take that patience and dedication to craft and think of similar cultures. Imagine a race of introspective dwarves modelled on Japanese culture, where dwarven leaders are like the Samurai, where crafters seek perfection on all things as they spend years working on a single might war axe.
As the great mystical and sage Bob Ross once said, “This is your world You’re the creator.”
Auror
Myth Weaver
Troubadour
