Dwarves

You would be hard pressed to find someone that could not identify the folkloric entity known as the Dwarf. Whether in medieval art or Hollywood blockbusters they tend to appear in popular culture more often than one would think.

 

The concept of these short, bearded creatures has been with us for an extremely long period of time. The first mentions one can find of Dwarfs comes from Scandinavian  and Germanic folklore but the exact origins are a mystery. During this early formative period descriptions of Dwarfs vary and in some cases are not even described as being short. They also differ in attitude and action when comparing them to their modern counterparts. While some could be reluctantly helpful often times they are portrayed as dangerous and deviant. Perhaps one of the most common ideas about Dwarfs is there skill in metalworking and their lust for treasure. This seems to be one of the earliest concepts formed around them that still survives in popular culture.

In later medieval literature we begin to see a duality forming with both positive and negative aspects, often times varying by geography or circumstance. Dwarfs were sometimes thought to be the bringers of ailment and an overall bad omen. Some descriptions describe the Dwarfs themselves as being the physical embodiment of an illness within a person. In other stories they were hailed as wise men that would bestow wisdom on a protagonist. 

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Modern ideas about dwarves have have largely been influence by fantasy literature, especially J.R.R Tolkien's works. In this modern interpretation Dwarves are stoic traditionalists, master craftsmen and expert miners. They also suffer from extreme stubbornness as well as insatiable greed. Despite these flaws they are usually portrayed as light hearted and heroic, a far cry from their devious folkloric ancestors.

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One thing that must be considered when discussing Dwarves is their probable real world counterparts in people who are born with the condition of Dwarfism. One might speculate that the origin of folkloric Dwarves arose from this population in ancient times. Whether that holds truth or not the fact remains that stereotypical interpretations of Dwarves in modern media can have negative impacts on people who live with Dwarfism. One modern public figure that is outspoken on this topic is Peter Dinklage of Game of Thrones fame. Dinklage usually refrains from taking roles that portray folkloric Dwarves in stereotypical light due to the damage it causes the Dwarf community. In his own words his height is "not his dominant character trait".