Although the identifying feature of fairy tale Dwarfs is height, these magical creatures of Faerie were not always short. Common in Norse mythology, Dwarfs (aka dwarves) were the size of an average human until about the 9th century in Europe.
As nixies in German folklore are water spirits, Dwarfs are spirits of the Earth, and also strongly connected with Fire as they typically work with metals and the ancient art of metallurgy. In the Lora Ley fantasy fiction series Caspar (Kaspar), who appears in the first two books, is a gemologist and warrior of the Dwarf realm.
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Dwarfs can be any gender. Early sources refer to some Dwarfs as beautiful people. They are fierce and strong. Because of their association with metal, fire and forging weapons they are known as skilled warriors and workers of ancient magic.
Nibelung - Book 2 of the Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series
Dwarf realms are separate from those of mortals and may overlap. Like humans, Dwarfs live in social habitations with spouses and children.
In Germany, the Loreley (Lorelei Rock) means "murmuring place". A waterfall and echoes of waves around the rocks caused the murmuring but in folklore it was said to be inhabited by Dwarfs, who lived behind the waterfall. In the 19th century, industry boomed and the waterfall vanished.
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Of the various reasons Dwarfs, like elves, became short, a big one is fear. In myth and superstition, Dwarfs had potent mystic abilities. They were elemental sorcerers who used the crystals, gems and metals of the earth in magic.
As Christianity crept through the land, the changing dominant ideology had to strip nature spirits and entities of their pagan powers. Portrayed as short, Dwarfs lost much of their commanding status and became objects of humor.
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The Butzemann in German mythology is similar to the English Bogeyman. He hides in dark corners or shadows of the night to snatch small children who aren't in bed on time. His very name once instilled terror.
Nibelung - Book 2 of the Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series
He's one of the Kinderschrecken of German folklore. Today he's a hunchbacked dwarf who gives apples to good children, and who's afraid of the Butzemann? The harvest spirit, Hafermann, takes on similar meaning, but as a demon he's still big and scary.
By the time the gnome lit the literary fires in 16th century Switzerland, the Dwarf was already stereotyped into the comic or little evil. Credit for invention of the gnome goes to Swiss writer and philosopher Paracelsus.
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He describes gnomes as living in the mountains and caverns much like the north German Dwarfs. In the fertile environment of the Swiss Renaissance, Paracelsus found a receptive audience. Soon gnomes entered the cultures of other countries. Unlike Dwarfs, gnomes have always been short. Gradually, many left their alpine homes and moved into gardens across the globe.
Because of their link to metals and gems, in mythology and superstition Dwarfs make a transition from workers of magic to hoarders of treasure. They enter the depths of the Earth in caverns and caves not to seek wisdom but to plunder or work witchcraft. They connect to life and death - the fertile womb and the subterranean realm of evil spirits and the Undead.
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Apart from the one-eyed view of the northern contingent in Norse myth, the Germanic tribes didn't believe in an afterlife. Afterlife was one of the attractions of Christianity during its early spread through Rome and later the barbarian tribes. The Norse culture itself arose in the eighth century, and became Christianized in the 10th. This caused some conflict at Yule but has nothing to do with Dwarfs.
Nibelung - Book 2 of the Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series
Or does it? In the ancient German mentality, fate was predestined, part of the reason some Germanic tribes were tough to beat. Warriors went into battle with legendary ferocity, because if it was their time to die, so be it. Otherwise, battle on. Nature worship in the present was the predominant philosophy, and Dwarfs are an integral part of nature magic.
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In the mortal world, the blacksmith and farrier, who work with metals and the powers of creation, are also attributed supernatural powers. Metallurgy as an art and skill passed down by word of mouth, as did all language and folklore in early Germania. Metallurgy is also a primary focus in alchemy.
Alchemy emerged from ancient Egypt and Arabia, spread to Greece and Rome and finally to western and central Europe in the early centuries AD. The word is from Arabian "al-kimia," referring to preparation of the Philosopher's Stone or Elixir of Life by Egyptians. Alchemists sought to turn base metals like lead into noble metals like gold, discover the elixir of life and find a miracle cure for all illness.
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In history, gold is the first metal known to be gathered or mined. Small objects of natural gold were found in Spanish caves dating back to the Paleolithic, or late Stone Age, of 40,000 BC. As the Earth brought forth natural treasures, the Dwarfs became their custodians, guarding well the secrets of nature magic from those who would exploit the Earth for their own gains.
Before long Dwarfs get a dose of trickster energy as mythology evolves. They're blamed for hoarding and hiding treasure, casting evil spells or curses, commanding the evil eye, causing natural disasters like rockslides, conversing with devils. Shape-shifting is also a Dwarfish talent.
In tales the Dwarf temperament alters. Dwarfs become nasty little scoundrels, treacherous thieves lurking in dark places, not to be trusted.
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In some antisemitic cultures, Dwarfs were equated with wealthy Jews and became objects of revile or persecution. The myths about Jews and Dwarfs gave substance to the stereotypes of each other.
As nature spirits of Earth, Dwarfs are one of the first races created when the formation of the Earth was young. Likewise, Nyx or nixies were created with the water, and solar spirits with the ancient Sun (Ger. Sonne).
Nibelung - Book 2 of the Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series
Dwarfs in nature myth predate the creation of mortals. In early lore Dwarfs were benevolent to humans. By the time of the Crusades Dwarfs were sneaky, dark and dangerous, much like the Western perception of Seljuk Turks, target of the Crusades in the early twelfth century. Coincidentally the first mention of Dwarfs as unfriendly and mean to humans appears in Arthurian legend about the same time.
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Dwarf became the name for all people of short stature. Between 1500 - 1700 it was chic to have a Court Dwarf or two. Philip IV of France had about 110. Many also performed as jugglers and comic characters in traveling shows.
Philip IV is the same king who started mass persecution of the Knights Templar, a monastic military order, largely because he owed them money. Without trial he had hundreds burned at the stake for heresy, from the first arrests in 1307 down to the final Grand Master in 1314.
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At this point the myth and magic of legendary Dwarfs has gone completely down the privy hole and the Dwarf of folklore is stuffed into a category of clown, trickster and object of ridicule. Dwarfs now embodied negative traits such as greed and treachery thus in the eyes of the people brought shame and punishment upon themselves.
Nibelung - Book 2 of the Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series
In Germany, Richard Wagner continued to solidify the stereotype of Dwarfs in the nineteenth century Ring of the Nibelungs character Alberich, a mountain dwarf. Wagner's gigantic opera is based on the 12th century epic work Nibelungenlied.
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Nibelungenlied tells the story of Germanic hero Siegfried, set in the 6th century during the period of Late Antiquity. In the tale the Dwarf Alberich is a sorcerer, equivalent to the elf Oberon in English and French lore, and King of the Mountain Dwarfs (or Elves depending on the teller). By the time of Wagner's opera in the mid-1800s he's just a noxious little guy. In some stories he oppresses the other Mountain Dwarfs. Either way he's tricked by Siegfried.
Maybe someday, the ancient Dwarfs will rise again to their former glory. Up until then, they remain in their glittering realms of nature, far beyond the ken of mortal men.
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