Some thoughts on Dwarves

[WooHooMan]

Hey, serious question: how much of the dwarven mythos (for lack of a better term) is tied to elves?
Because, Tolkien undoubtedly was more focused on elves and I’d assume d&d started with their elves before getting to their dwarves.
And then Scandinavia dwarves were a type of elves, initially.

So I kind of wonder if the dwarves being a yang to the elves’ yin is a vital aspect of their mythology.
Like, I’m willing to bet most (though maybe not all) the writers who have dwarves in their settings also have elves. And those elves are, intentionally or not, counterparts to the dwarves.
Even the one time I used dwarves, I still had elves who acted as something of a contrast with elves acting as mountain-dwelling isolationist mystics and the dwarves acting as plain-dwelling cosmopolitan craftsmen.

 

[Rosemary Tea]

Hmm... Narnia has dwarves, but no elves. Grimms fairy tales include at least one story with dwarves in it (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) and at least one with elves (The Elves and the Shoemaker), but no story featuring both. Although it does have some stories about otherworldly little people who aren't specified to be either: Rumplestiltskin, for instance.

 

[Prince of Spires]

So I kind of wonder if the dwarves being a yang to the elves’ yin is a vital aspect of their mythology.

One of the views on races in fantasy stories is that they represent an aspect of humanity which the writer wants to explore in his writing or magnify.

If you accept that theory, then if you have two races they will represent different traits. Which will often make them appear opposite. This can very much be the case with elves and dwarves. Even more so because they are often used in that manner and shown as disliking each other. Elves represent beauty and knowledge and a love for nature as it is for instance, while dwarves represent craftmanship and industrialism and honor. They're sort of opposites, but I would more say that they represent different human ideals.

 

[Queshire]

Honestly my dwarves pair up better with my orcs than they do elves. Both were soldier races in the galaxy spanning god war known as the Heavens Burning. Dwarves are descended from cloned, power armor wearing space marines (more star wars than 40k) while Orcs and potentially all goblinoids are bioengineered super soldiers designed to be able to fight and live on even the most hostile planets. Elves extra senses and skill with magic comes from the fact that they're descended from what amounts to the scientists and technicians of that era. While they would have had a hand in making both of them it's not really a strong connection.

Of course, that war was apocalyptic enough that it knocked the setting back to medieval fantasy and they climbed back to space aged the slow way. Each of the races are fully independent despite whatever their origin.

 

[S.T. Ockenner]

Honestly my dwarves pair up better with my orcs than they do elves. Both were soldier races in the galaxy spanning god war known as the Heavens Burning. Dwarves are descended from cloned, power armor wearing space marines (more star wars than 40k) while Orcs and potentially all goblinoids are bioengineered super soldiers designed to be able to fight and live on even the most hostile planets. Elves extra senses and skill with magic comes from the fact that they're descended from what amounts to the scientists and technicians of that era. While they would have had a hand in making both of them it's not really a strong connection.

Of course, that war was apocalyptic enough that it knocked the setting back to medieval fantasy and they climbed back to space aged the slow way. Each of the races are fully independent despite whatever their origin.

Uh...dwarves were what? Did I miss something?

 

[Queshire]

In my setting. May not apply to any other setting.

 

[Patrick-Leigh]

For my Dwarves, I've decided that the reason they moved underground (and then later had large populations settle on the Plane of Earth) is because during a period known as the Divine War, their planet was affected by the distortions caused by the fighting among the gods, resulting in large portions of it turning into deserts. (This is why a lot of my Dwarves wear clothing that bears similarities to the kind worn in arid climates. It's something that's carried over into their aesthetics even in places where it's not entirely necessary to wear clothing like that.) In order to escape the heat and access more water, they had to delve further and further underground (leading to the discovery of Earth Portals that would grant them access to the Plane of Earth.) Another thing that I've decided is that they developed hydroponics using a combination of structural engineering, magic, and Alchemy, enabling them to cultivate certain crops even in subterranean locations. There are some crops, particularly grains, that aren't as easy to grow with these methods, so that is one of the primary types of food the Dwarves obtain through trade, at least the ones still living on their Homeworld.

The primary influences I'm using for my Dwarves are Babylon, the Medo-Persians, and, to some extent, Ancient Greece. I'm making a point of steering clear of Norse, Celtic, and Germanic cultures as much as possible. Not only do I feel that these are overused when it comes to Dwarves (not saying that it's wrong to use them, just that it feels a bit redundant,) but I also am trying to put my own spin on all my races by taking them in directions I don't normally see them go in other franchises. My Dwarves will still be stoneworkers and blacksmiths of immense skill, but they're not going to have the usual aesthetics that Dwarves tend to have.

I also decided that my Dwarves would be experts on matters of mathematics and geometry. Indeed, I have a thread going over in the Brainstorming forum that's focused on that, specifically how they see the Platonic solids as "divine." My Dwarves were the ones to develop systems like Algebra and Calculus as well as others. While I'm thinking there are plenty of Dwarves who are into some kind of Numerology, I'm not sure if I want to do a copy-paste of Numerology for their system. Not only does that seem lazy to me but I also want to have something that reflects other aspects of how my Dwarves tend to think. I do know that they at least employ some interesting mathematical principles in their architecture, like having the height of the walls be divisible by specific numbers, corners being a certain angles, and so forth. Geometry is a big deal for them and thus is reflected in many facets of their lives.

Finally, there's their physical appearances. I'm still working on the ideas, but I do know that the women do not grow beards... at least on their faces. That idea just does not appeal to me and I also feel like it'd be too much of a copy-paste of Tolkien's ideas for Dwarves. I know they're shorter than most Humans, standing no more than five feet at the tallest, that they have wide frames, and that even their women tend to have a lot of muscle on them and are at least as strong as the average Human male, usually a little stronger. I'm considering having their skin tones be based off of different types of metal and their eyes tend to have vibrant colors that are reminiscent of gemstones.

 

[S.T. Ockenner]

but I do know that the women do not grow beards... at least on their faces

An idea I find sacrilegious. All dwarves must have beards