Dwarf: An abnormally small, often atypically proportioned person, animal, or plant. A small creature appearing in fairytales. To check the growth of; stunt. To cause to appear small by comparison.
In the great myths and tales of the Nordic races, the origins of the dwarves have been revealed. Their coming into being, and their formation into the characterized creatures they are typically known to be, is one that is highly unflattering and parasitic in nature. However, their emergence does have a significant bearing upon the way the creatures have been shaped and how they have come to be understood today. H.A. Guerber writes of the dwarves in repeated passages throughout his work Norsemen from the Eddas and Sagas;
"While the gods were occupied in creating the earth and providing for its illumination, a whole host of maggot-like creatures had been breeding in Ymir's flesh. These uncouth beings now attracted divine attention. Summoning them into their presence, the gods first gave them forms and endowed them with superhuman intelligence, and then divided them into two large classes. Those, which were dark, treacherous, and cunning by nature were banished to Svart-alfa-heim, the home of the black dwarves, situated underground, whence they were never allowed to come forth during the day, under penalty of being turned into stone. They were called Dwarfs, Trolls, Gnomes, or Kobolds, and spent their time and energy into exploring the secret recesses of the earth. They collected gold, silver, and precious stones, which they stowed away in secret crevices, whence they could withdraw them at will. The remainder of these small creatures, including all that were fair, good, and useful, the gods called Fairies and Elves, and they sent them to dwell in the airy realm of Alf-heim (home of the light elves), situated between heaven and earth, whence they could flit downward whenever they pleased, to attend to the plants and flowers, sport with the birds and butterflies, or dance in the silvery moonlight on the green."
In the story of The Stolen Gold, Gueber tells of Odin's wife, Frigga who went to great lengths to garner the affection and continued love of Odin, to such an extent, she stole gold from a beloved statue that had been placed in one of his temples. The dwarves were the jewellers she entrusted the gold to, and they crafted for her an exquisite and incomparable necklace, and even after Odin became suspicious of the theft, the dwarves remained mum, and never betrayed their secret with her;
"Frigga's love of adornment once led her sadly astray, for, in her longing to possess some new ornament, she secretly purloined a piece gold from a statue representing her husband, which had been placed in his temple. The stolen metal was entrusted to the dwarfs, with instructions to fashion a marvellous necklace for her use. This, when, finished, was so resplendent that it greatly enhanced her charms, and even increased Odin's love for her. But when he discovered the theft of the gold he angrily summoned the dwarfs and bade them reveal who had dared to touch his statue. Unwilling to betray the queen of the Gods, the dwarfs remained obstinately silent, and, seeing that no information could be elicited from them, Odin commanded that the statue should be placed above the temple gate, and set to work to devise runes which should endow it with the power of speech and enable it to denounce the thief. When Frigga heard these tidings she trembled with fear and implored her favourite attendant, Fulla, to invent some means of protecting her from Allfather's wrath. Fulla, who was always ready to serve her mistress, immediately departed, and soon returned, accompanied by a hideous dwarf, who promised to prevent the statue from speaking if Frigga would only deign to smile graciously upon him. This boom having been granted, the dwarf hastened off to the temple, caused a deep sleep to fall upon the guards, and while they were thus unconscious, pulled the statue down from its pedestal and broke it to pieces, so that it could never betray Frigga's theft, in spite of all Odin's efforts to give it the power of speech."
In a detailed account of Thor's family tree, Guerber mentions that Thor had two sons (Modi and Magni) from his first wife (Iarnsaxa). And he also possessed a second wife, (Sif) who also bore him two children, (Lorride and Thrud). His daughter Thrud was a magnificent Giantess, who was wooed by a dwarf named Alvis. Thor did not approve of his daughter's union with the puny dwarf. And when Alvis appeared before the rest of the Gods demanding her hand in marriage, Thor appeared and declared he would be put through many rigorous mental tests which would determine his level of mental acuity, so as to account for his diminutive stature. Guerber writes of this incident;
"Thor then questioned him in the language of the gods, Vanas, elves, and dwarfs, artfully prolonging his examination, until sunrise, when the first beam of light, falling upon the unhappy dwarf, petrified him. There he stood, an enduring example of the gods' power, to serve as a warning to all other dwarfs who might dare to test it."
The dwarves were known for their illustrious gifts, which were crafted in care and without equal. Such gifts as the magical golden harp were given to Bragi, a beautiful young god, who when sang and strummed on the harp was said to have been heard in the highest peak of the heavens, and in the lowest recesses of hell. The dwarves also created the boar Gullinbursti who was given to the God Frey, and drove at the head of his chariot. Guerber writes of this animal gift;
"The dwarves from Svart-alfa-heim gave Frey the golden-bristled boar Gullinbursti, a personification of the sun. The radiant bristles of this animal were considered symbolical either of the solar rays, of the golden grain, which at his bidding waved over the harvest fields of Midgard, or of agriculture, for the boar; (by tearing up the ground with his sharp tusk) was supposed to have first taught mankind how to plough."
Much of the creations made by the dwarves were crafted in service to the dwarf and elf king known as Andvari, they mined precious gems to adorn his palace with, and they forged magical weapons for him as their ruler. Andvari gave to the mortal race, his favourite among them, some of his magical weapons and jewels. Guerber goes on to tell of some of the other notable magical contrivances the dwarves were responsible for crafting;
"..The dwarves fashioned Sif's golden hair, the skip Skidbladnir, the point of Odin's spear Gungnir, the ring Draupnir..the hammer Miolnir, and Freya's golden necklace Brisinga-men. They are also said to have made the magic girdle which Spenser describes in his poem the 'Faerie Queene,' -a girdle which was said to have the power of revealing whether its wearer were virtuous or a hypocrite."
For all their magic and skill as artisans, the dwarves were not every one of them, honourable and obedient servants to the Gods. There were many instances when they behaved quite wickedly. At the sight of a sleeping and unattended giant, they gathered together and rolled the poor creature into the water, where he drowned and perished. And when the wife of the dead giant came running, they very cruelly bashed her over the head with a rock, and so the grieving giantess also, died. Such violent acts of treachery, all in the name of acquiring the abode of the giants so that they may further go exploring. Guerber writes of the dwarves and their discovery of the sleeping giant;
"They had not gone very far ere they found the giant Gilling also soung asleep, lying on a steep bank, and they maliciously rolled him into the water, where he perished. Then hastening to his dwelling, some climbed on the roof, carrying a huge millstone, while the others, entering, told the giantess that her husband was dead. This news caused the poor creature great grief, and she rushed out of the house to view Gilling's remains. As she passed through the door, the wicked dwarves rolled the millstone down upon her head and killed her. According to another account, the dwarves invited the giant to go fishing with them, and succeeded in slaying him by sending him out in a leaky vessel, which sank beneath his weight."
It is surprising to know that he dwarves, of all creatures, happened to be the ones that were responsible for the creation of poetry in the Nordic tales. Poetry did not arise from beauty and flowery verses, or from a delicate nymph, it was not bestowed upon mankind by a beautiful and glorious god, but arose from the greediness of the dwarves. It was through their plots of thievery and murder, that poetry sprang from blood. Guerber detailed the dark chain of events that led to its existence, in his passage of The Origin of Poetry;
"At the time of the dispute between the Aesir and Vanas, when peace had been agreed upon, a vase was brought into the assembly into which both parties solemnly spat. From this saliva, the gods created Kvasir, a being renowned for his wisdom and goodness, who went about the world answering all the questions asked him, thus teaching and benefiting mankind. The dwarfs, hearing about Kvasir's great wisdom, coveted it, and finding him asleep one day, two of their number, Fialar and Galar, treacherously slew him, and drained every drop of his blood into three vessels-the kettle Od-hroerir (inspiration) and the bowls Son (expiation) and Boden (offering). After duly mixing his blood with honey, they manufactured from it a sort of beverage so inspiring that any one who tasted it immediately became a poet, and could sing with a charm which was certain to win all hearts."
When disbelief set into the people, and the old gods fell out of favour, the dwarves were said to have disappeared during this time also. Guerber writes of The Passing of the Dwarves;
"When the old gods ceased to be worshipped in the Northlands, the dwarves withdrew entirely from the country, and a ferryman related how he had been hired by a mysterious personage to ply his boat back and forth across the river one night, and at every trip his vessel was so heavily laden with invisible passengers that it nearly sank. When his night's work was over, he received a rich reward, and his employer informed him that he had carried the dwarves across the river, as they were leaving the country forever in consequence of the unbelief of the people."