Is it really that bad being Short?

Is it Really That Bad Being Short?

Dwarves in medieval fantasy literature and media have a variety of portrayals. Many can be related back to actual medieval races or stereotypes. For instance many dwarves, like those in Tolkien’s novel The Hobbit, have been called a direct representation of the Jews. The comparison can be seen in direct references to the bible, the dwarves are forced to wonder after losing their home like ancient Hebrew people in the Old Testament, and in racial stereotypes of Jews. The stereotype that is most prevalent in The Hobbit is the desire for money, which is represented in the dwarves’ lust for gold. Some even develop a mental illness towards gold. The idea of dwarves being affected by illness is not uncommon in fantasy literature and media. In the video game, Dragon Age, Dwarves live underground in a place called the deep roads. At one point these dwarves controlled a mighty underground kingdom, much like the dwarves in Tolkien’s novel, but the kingdom became overrun with darkspawn, which are creatures that spread a dieses that is transferred by blood. This disease turns the victim into a horrible monster. Only two Dwarven cities survived this plague. So just like the dwarves in The Hobbit, the dwarves in Dragon Age also lose their homes. The relationship to living near, or being associated with a plague also fits a standard for a medieval Jewish stereotype. The Jewish slums in the middle ages where often dirty, and disease ridden. Also, when the Black Death came to Europe many people of the time blamed the Jews for this. While the dwarves in Dragon Age are not ever blamed for the outbreak they do live near it, and their cities are typically avoided by travelers.

                Dwarves are not always presented as Jewish in medieval literature and media. In the novel The Dwarves by Markus Heitz, Dwarves are presented as the protectors of Girdligard. They guard the gateway into Girdligard from all sorts of monsters. In this way these dwarves do not seem to represent Jews, but are more akin to a hero in medieval literature. This is interesting because it presents a race that is usually associated with Jews as heroes of a world where every other race respects and trusts them. In conclusion dwarves in medieval fantasy are presented in several different ways, but most of them represent a Medieval race or stereotype in one way or the other.