Most Common Traits of Fantasy Dwarves

Ardent Kat · Jun 16, 2010

I'm interested in reconceptualizing dwarves from their more cliched portrayals in fantasy, but you can only strip away so many layers before they they lose fan appeal for being too un-dwarf-like or they cease to be dwarves entirely.

I'd like help brainstorming major character traits in fantasy dwarf cliches. More specifically: portrayals you tend to see over and over in modern fantasy media, not the odd exceptions or historical/mythological portrayals.

I then plan to make a poll so people can vote on which traits are immutible, which ones aren't necessary but they're fun/satisfying as a reader, which traits we're desperate to see changed, and which we have no opinion on one way or another. (Poll in a future thread, just wanted to assemble a list first)

To get us started, these are the traits that first came to mind:

short and stocky
dislike Elves, distrustful of other races
skilled at mining and metalworking
long beard (often braided)
usually male
low affinity for using magic
resistant to magic
white/Caucasian-looking
grumpy or pessimistic
Scottish or Scandinavian accent
females have beards
favor axes or hammers as weapons
greedy for gold/ treasure-hungry
longer-lived than humans
enjoy drinking and feasting
support character rather than main character
strong constitution (can drink a lot, resistant to illness and poison)
live in mountains/underground

(ETA: This list isn't to say that ALL dwarves have ALL these traits, but these are individual elements I see repeated most often)

Shadow_Ferret · Jun 16, 2010

So what's the difference between a dwarf and a troll?

Ruv Draba · Jun 16, 2010

Regardless of how they look, Tolkien's dwarf cliché only ever does two things: offer a remote mountain people to meet, and provide a dour, pragmatic perspective on events.

Which of those things do you need and why? You can do both of them without ever mentioning an axe or a beard.

sunandshadow · Jun 16, 2010

Dwarves are dignified and relatively smart, trolls are neither (and also might be green or other non-human skin color).

That list captured most of the things I would think of for dwarves. Here are a few more though: they have big noses and often have red cheeks. Their style of artwork is celtic or norse, featuring knotwork and runes. They might worship a Vulcan-like god of fire, volcanoes, and blacksmithing. They drink a lot of beer/mead and sing medieval ballads and lays (again, drawn from celtic or norse culture's role of the bard as part of what creates the pomp and dignity of a thane or clan patriarch. To go along with this, dwarves have feasting halls. They wear clothing in sober colors (white, gray, brown, maybe a little blue, red, or green). The cut of the clothing is medieval in a peasant or merchant style, not courtly/noble style. Beards are often braided or at least divided into a fork or central main part and two side locks.

Ardent Kat · Jun 16, 2010

Shadow_Ferret said:
So what's the difference between a dwarf and a troll?

Besides "usually male" and "grumpy", I don't see anything on that original list that makes me think "troll."

Ruv Draba said:
Regardless of how they look, Tolkien's dwarf cliché only ever does two things: offer a remote mountain people to meet, and provide a dour, pragmatic perspective on events.

Which of those things do you need and why?

I'm not interested in either. I'm interested in writing a race of forest-dwelling dwarves as a majority culture who have as diverse personalities as real-world humans.

I want to keep the dwarves and ditch the cliches, not keep the cliches and ditch the dwarves.

sneaky_squirrel · Jun 16, 2010

If they interact with humans, I am pretty sure every dwarf will despise short jokes ;p.

Maraxus · Jun 16, 2010

Add "traditional" or "conservative" to the list.

Often they have an ancestral cult thing ("we are the sons of Moradin, ancestor of all dwarfs" or Tolkin's seven dwarf tribes going back to seven dwarfes originally created by the the Vala Aulë) or use "Son of <father's name>" in place of the surname. But that's not on the top of the common concepts.

I think you can do quite good with stereotypical races. The important part is, that the individuals within the race are not stereotypical. They might be atypical in some aspects and even more important they see the common traits not as that but as a wide range of traits and the other races are the stereotypes (much like an average European would call US-Americans as a whole "neo-liberal" while they would difference that there are Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians all with completely different ideas - but all Europeans are Commie-Socialists.

I would remove from the list "pessimistic" - can't think of one dwarf giving up hope.
And "females have beards" is a topic of much discussion among dwarf-fans. Given the 3 options "they wear beards", "they could grow beards but keep it shaved" and "they can't grow breads (except for few exceptions that are in no way considered aesthetically pleasant, even for dwarfs), I could not name one to be accepted canon.

RemusShepherd · Jun 16, 2010

Dwarves are changing.

When I was a kid, they used to be all the things on your list. They were probably duller and more sinister well before that -- I credit both Tolkein and Snow White for making dwarves nicer in the public eye.

Today, dwarves are gaining a reputation for being humorous, due to Terry Pratchett and the LOTR movies. They're wisecracking and cranky on top of everything else on your list.

They're also getting a reputation for insanity. Pratchett is partly responsible for that, and there's some of it in new D&D source material, but the capstones are video games like Dwarf Fortress and Dragon Age, where dwarves are psychotic alcoholics who create insane machines that either awe people with their workmanship or explode, or both.

Do whatever you like. Since in another generation they're going to be something new anyway, you might as well set the trend.

sunandshadow · Jun 16, 2010

Ardent Kat said:
I'm not interested in either. I'm interested in writing a race of forest-dwelling dwarves as a majority culture who have as diverse personalities as real-world humans.

Wouldn't forest-dwelling short people be gnomes or brownies?

Nivarion · Jun 16, 2010

The only thing on the list thats important for dwarves IMO, is that they're short, and 'ave 'ose t'ck Scottish Acc'nts.

But really, just make em short can call em Dwarves.

Ruv Draba · Jun 17, 2010

Ardent Kat said:
I'm interested in writing a race of forest-dwelling dwarves as a majority culture who have as diverse personalities as real-world humans.

I want to keep the dwarves and ditch the cliches, not keep the cliches and ditch the dwarves.

There are no canonical dwarves; just Germanic/Norse mythological creatures called dvergar and creatures who either have similar characteristics or similar names or both.

Want to establish a new, credible tradition and call it dwarf? Want giant-sized, bald, female, parthenogenetic arborial poets? Create any beings you want. All you need to show is why you believe that they are dwarfs.

Maraxus · Jun 17, 2010

As far as I understand the word "canonical", it means "accepted by a strong majority". And For the term "dwarf" I think that the image of the bearded, stone-cunning, axe-swinging, tough guy is accepted like that.

Irishgirl · Jun 17, 2010

Ardent Kat said:
I'm not interested in either. I'm interested in writing a race of forest-dwelling dwarves as a majority culture who have as diverse personalities as real-world humans.

Like the little people from the movie Willow? They were similar to dwarves but had more than one personality type. They also had some fierce warriors.

eyeblink · Jun 17, 2010

I had a couple of achondroplastic dwarves in the fantasy novel I wrote - and a couple of acromegalic giants as well.

So how about a medically realistic dwarf in a fantasy novel? (ETA: Tyrion Lannister notwithstanding.)

maxmordon · Jun 17, 2010

I have noticed they are usually the race most interested on mechanics, usually in contrast of the more woodland-related elves and a side benefit from mining culture.

Ruv Draba · Jun 17, 2010

Maraxus said:
As far as I understand the word "canonical", it means "accepted by a strong majority".

That's consensus. "Canon" is an ecclesiastical term and derives from a Latin word meaning "church law". It means in essence "a rule".

Like all fictional creatures, dwarves have no rules. They are whatever you can get away with if you can believe it yourself and persuade the reader to do so too. There were no day-tolerant sparkling vampires in popular literature until Twighlight. If you want giant, bald, female dwarves then you have to believe it and sell it.

Maraxus · Jun 18, 2010

Ah, you are obviously right.

So it's canon, that Beholders fire an Anti-Magic cone from the middle eye (I'd say, as intellectual property, the owner has a right to set a "rule" here) but there can't be a canon about what a dwarf is, unless you precise "dwarfs as used by author XYZ". I've only heard that term with fictional universes like Star wars until now.

Okay, but given that, consensus is still important, you should know, how far (and in which aspects) your readers are willing to revise their idea of a given term. ... Unless of course, you are writing for people who are ignorant to the common use the term -> see Twilight. I still think something sparkling and not sucking blood is a fairy but obviously a mass of little and/or female persons who have never heard of Dracula or Nosferatu does not mind the offensive revision.
But if the same thing happens to my dwarfs, I will take out my war-bread and start guerrilla-dwarfing, that I swear!

Ruv Draba · Jun 18, 2010

This is for Maraxus and A. Kat too:

Don't let your readers tell you how to entertain them. They're not in the business of creating new entertainment; they're in the hobby of rehashing cliché.

Nor do you need reader permission to invent new entertainment. You need something new to offer, and to be enchanted and delighted with whatever it is. Then you can write with passion and conviction and share it.

Mr Flibble · Jun 18, 2010

Depending on which sources you use, dwarves don't even have to be short. That is, they were, in some mythologies, interchangeable with elves who lived underground, that is dark elves.

Mishell · Jun 18, 2010

Dwarves in fiction are usually blunt and lacking in subtlety or social grace. Even when not grumpy, they just generally don't seem to grasp the finer points of tact.

Ardent Kat · Jun 18, 2010

Thanks for the comments and feedback, all.

Irishgirl said:
Like the little people from the movie Willow? They were similar to dwarves but had more than one personality type. They also had some fierce warriors.

Nice one. The Nelwins are a great example of the sort of thing I'm going for. =D

eyeblink said:
So how about a medically realistic dwarf in a fantasy novel? (ETA: Tyrion Lannister notwithstanding.)

I've actually got one in the fantasy novel I'm writing right now. He's one of the 4 major protagonists in a pirate crew.

The Grump · Jun 18, 2010

So, you have a bunch of generalizations about what a dwarf is. Two things come to my mind:

1) Other cultures besides the Scottish/Scandinavian have underground dwellers who make things.

2) What about individuality? Can't a dwarf be a rebel?

Mr Flibble · Jun 18, 2010

The Grump said:
2) What about individuality? Can't a dwarf be a rebel?

*cough* Cheery Longbottom *cough*

maxmordon · Jun 18, 2010

IdiotsRUs said:
*cough* Cheery Longbottom *cough*

Good call!

knight_tour · Jun 18, 2010

I don't believe there is any reason dwarves must dislike elves. They certainly don't in my novel. The three dwarf characters in my book all have quite different personalities. Frankly, I would put down a book in which dwarves were written as something they are not. To me it's like saying you're tired of how humans are, so you want to write them as something else but still call them human.

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