Dwarves

This article is about the fantasy race. For human dwarfs, see Dwarfism and Fandom.

Tropes and genres
Synonym(s)	Dwarf
Related tropes/genres	Hobbit
See also	Interspecies
Related articles on Fanlore.

Dwarves are mythological creatures from Germanic and Norse mythology.

In fandom, Dwarves gained popularity mostly through the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, and derived sources such as Dungeons and Dragons RPGs, making them a common element in fantasy works. These fantastical and mythological dwarves are not the same as humans who have dwarfism (a condition caused by medical or genetic factors), as fantasy dwarves are not human but a separate race of beings.

Tolkien's Dwarves

In The Hobbit, thirteen Dwarves bring Bilbo to help them reclaim their kingdom of Erebor from the dragon Smaug.

In The Lord of the Rings, the Dwarf Gimli is one of the nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring.

Dwarves also appear in The Silmarillion and The Book of Lost Tales.

Hobbit and LOTR films

The 2012 launch of the Hobbit film series has ignited fandom interest in Dwarves, especially the ones considered "hot", such as their leader Thorin Oakenshield (played by Richard Armitage), and his young nephews, Fili (played by Dean O'Gorman) and Kili (played by Aidan Turner), and also Bofur (played by James Nesbitt).

The fan site Heirs of Durin | ThorinOakenshield.net provides in-depth articles about Tolkien's Dwarven culture.

Other Fandoms with Dwarves

• Artemis Fowl
• The Chronicles of Narnia
• Discworld
  • Discworld has many prominent dwarf characters (for example Carrot Ironfounderson and Cheri Littlebottom). Many Discworld books explore dwarven culture particularly dwarven gender roles and gender expression.
• Dragon Age
  • A Paragon of Their Kind - a dwarves-focused challenge
• Dungeons and Dragons
• The Elder Scrolls
• Norse Mythology including in e.g. Marvel Comics
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
• Time Bandits
• Warcraft
• Warhammer