A Renaissance of Stone - Why I Love Fantasy Dwarves

As anyone reading my Last Spell DLC review can surmise, I have a special fondness for Dwarves, often picking up games, books, and even bands simply because they're related to the folk of the mountain. However, for the majority of my youth, few people or forms of media seemed to agree with this view, with many preferring the aethereal and mysterious Elves or relatable humans. It's only in the last five years we've started seeing these barrel-chested buddies in a kinder light.

So, what do I mean when I say Dwarf? There are, naturally, many iterations on what kind of creature this may reference, with each franchise trying to put its own spin on the stubborn race. However, there are some traits one can consider to be universal: somewhat shorter and stockier than the average human, Dwarves are usually barrel-chested and muscular humanoids with small eyes, prominent noses, and often thick hair. Depending on the source, their skin may be tan, dark, or very pale, and their hair runs the gamut of colour — though mostly dark or red.

Almost always these creatures live underground in massive networks of caves and caverns they have moulded, living within the stone while also working the materials they found in exceptional metalwork. Conservative — and stubborn to a fault — the Dwarven people hold their values in high regard, placing a lot of emphasis on family or clan. Though often described as severe, Dwarves are also pictured as jolly revellers with a taste for strong ale, stories, and a good fight.

One of the biggest flaws of these subterranean crafters is their legendary greed, driving them to dig deeper, expand further, and hoard items of value — be they monetary, arcane, or simply containing secret knowledge. This greed has often driven Dwarves to ruin, war, and worse, driving wedges between clans and races alike. However, regardless of this, Dwarves are commonly depicted as honourable, remembering favours and slights for generations. Finally, their stubborn nature, excellent metalwork, and oft-violent history make them renowned warriors, with the classic raging berserker and unmovable defender being common archetypes. It's a rare story where these cave-bound combatants don't have a long-standing feud with one humanoid race or another.

An oft-argued facet of the delvers of the deep is, funnily enough, the facial hair, or lack thereof, in regards to the females of the race. A drunken Gimli described them as hairy, while others replaced the iconic braided beard with equally intricate hair. One of my favourite descriptions is from Dakota Krout's The Completionist series of books, where the males had full beards, but the females preferred long and well-kept moustaches. Regardless of the preferred facial-fuzz dynamic, hair is oft a very important subject in Dwarven society, with the number of braids, decorative jewellery, or lack of facial hair altogether carrying social weight.

I’d go into further detail on the history of the beardily-beautiful people in various forms of media, but this article is long as is. If you’re interested, there is a companion article to this one detailing what I like to refer to as the “dark years” of Dwarven representation.

So, after going through this exhaustive list of Dwarves, their origins and their sordid history in books and gaming, or skipping the lecture as any hardheaded Khazâd would, why do I like them so much? The reasons we like things are, to put it mildly, complex and often nonsensical to anyone else but ourselves. I will, however, try to convey in words why I’ve decided to die on this thickly bearded hill.

I think one of the major factors that make me enjoy the dwarves is their status as a constant “second best”, especially in literature such as Lord of the Rings. Time and time again it seems the poor race has something that they excel at until someone else, usually Elves, just do it better. Mithril and its forging are pretty cool, right? Nah, Elves do it much better. OK, but what they lack in elegance they make up for in battle prowess, yes? Nope, Orcs drove them from their homes and they’re slowly dying out. Maybe it’s because I’m a younger brother or because I’ve often been on the less-skilled side of things, but the constant perseverance and honour of the Dwarves even in the face of constant adversity is inspiring to me. To constantly be losing but still standing tall is an achievement in itself. Especially if you’re short.

In addition to rooting for the underdog, I also find a kind of beauty in the quiet, melancholic dignity often associated with the race. They toil in the dark, give their all to their craft and often end up dying in either someone else’s battle or due to their own arrogance and greed. I know other fantasy races are depicted as equally flawed, but the plight of these little guys just resonates within me the strongest. If nothing else, a Dwarf is dependable and trustworthy. If they give you their word, they’ll bloody keep it even if it’s to your great-great-grandson. They also seem more approachable than the aetherial Elves. At least I’d hang out with a Dwarf any day of the week!

A final note on what I like about what I see as peak Dwarf: protection. As they’ve got their ample behinds kicked in many of the different settings, the iron-blooded folk have learned a thing or two about taking blows and protecting themselves from more. The idea of prioritising defence over attack, of protecting rather than attacking, resonates with me a lot more than I first expected. Though it may sound corny, it’s something I try to keep in mind in life. As a person with a tendency to get riled up about stupid things, focusing less on attacking and more on patient defence has got me out of a few arguments so far… though like any good Dwarf, I am beyond stubborn.

And there we have it, after two articles of rambling, the reason why I love fantasy Dwarves! They are dependable but flawed. Jolly, but set in their archaic ways. While I completely understand this surly folk not being everyone's cup of tea, I do wish creators would either give the poor guys a break or do something interesting with them. If nothing else, don’t bring the bloody Elves into it.