Q: How Closely Do Tolkien’s Dwarves Resemble the Dvergar of Norse Mythology?
ANSWER: I have seen some debate and disagreement on comparisons between Tolkien’s Dwarves and the Norse Dvergar, but I’m not aware of any attempts at a thorough analysis. It is generally assumed that Tolkien intended some connections between his Dwarves and the Dvergar but not a complete identification with them.
Middle-earth arose gradually as the setting for the stories that Tolkien wanted to tell. He originally set these myths in England itself, creating a pagan cycle that attempted to explain (among other things) how England and Ireland took their present shapes, how men came to live in the British Isles, and why Elves and other “fairy” creatures are remembered (in language and poetry) but no longer encountered (except in very rare circumstances).
The Dwarves of The Book of Lost Tales were more akin to the Dvergar of Norse mythology in some respects than the Dwarves of Middle-earth, but even the BOLT Dwarves had some distinguishing characteristics. One of the chief differences between The Book of Lost Tales and Norse mythology is the origin story for the world. Tolkien made up a completely different story that had nothing to do with the slaying of the primeval giant Ymir. The Earth was formed from Ymir’s body and the maggots that infested it became the Dvergar.
Tolkien’s Dwarves were given a less gruesome beginning although they retained an affinity for stone that was similar to the Dvergar’s relationship with stone. However, unlike the Dvergar Tolkien’s Dwarves do not turn to stone when exposed to sunlight (whereas his “stone” trolls do).
Scholars debate the nature and assumed appearance of the Dvergar. Some say they were small creatures; others argue that they only became diminished in size after Christianity spread through northern Europe. The reduction in size of the Dvergar seems to resemble the reduction in size of the Hobbits; but in fact The Book of Lost Tales suggests that many fairy creatures became small in stature for some reason.
Size mattered for Tolkien and he compromised on the size of his Dwarves, whom he wanted to be ugly enough to inspire various myths and traditions about them; for example, even in The Lord of the Rings he notes the Mannish concept that Dwarves were made of stone, while at the same time dismissing it. This myth-within-the-myth is one of the devices Tolkien uses to connect his Dwarves with the Dvergar.
The supposed “truth” behind The Lord of the Rings (and The Hobbit and The Silmarillion) is that J.R.R. Tolkien somehow received a copy of a very ancient book that recorded the rise and fall of several ancient civilizations. However, this book was the product of a rustic people (Hobbits) that had been edited and amended by men of High Race (the last of the Numenoreans) now long since forgotten.
The details of the source book are rarely provided in the text of The Lord of the Rings (you can only find a few translated excerpts in the appendices). Hence, the reader must ask if Tolkien intended his audience to assume that he was embellishing the tales in various ways. For example, the narrative compares the rush of Gandalf’s fireworks dragon in “A Long-expected Party” with the sound of a modern express train. This comparison can only have meaning to a modern audience and not to the supposed original audience of the Red Book of Westmarch.
Hence, Tolkien may have wanted his readers to deduce that the creatures of Middle-earth which seem to resemble the creatures of European, Greco-Roman, and other well-documented mythologies may have inspired men to devise those mythical creatures and their stories. That is, Dvergar may be supposed to have a close affinity with stone because they are really based on the Dwarves described in the Red Book — who were “masters of stone” and who chose to dwell underground.
This circular relationship between Middle-earth’s creatures and mythology is extended into the wise sayings (teaching rhymes) of various characters in the story. Hence, what modern scholarship teaches us is a medieval proverb is presumed (through this fictional history) to be derived from a much older tradition that has managed to survive the ages, albeit with some changes.
The concept is utterly logical and follows the principle assumption of linguistic analysis: that whatever we have today in the way of language, naming conventions, and stories is in fact the end result of a long process of sharing, adaptation, and change. We honestly cannot know the origins of many concepts we take for granted, and so Middle-earth proposes a realistic source for many of these ideas.
And that includes the Dwarves, who may be imagined more as the inspiration for several different types of mythical creatures than just the Dvergar of Norse mythology.
I realize my response to the question is probably not satisfactory but I think many people often overlook the subtle connections that Tolkien cultivated between his stories and their sources. He seems to “bend things back upon themselves” quite often. If we don’t take those scholarly references to heart then I think we risk losing some of the essence of Middle-earth’s myth. It comes with those special attenuations because they are part of the air of familiarity that the stories present.
See Also …
Could Tolkien Dwarves Swim? (2021 article)
Can Dwarves Swim? (2013 article)
What Is the Meaning of the Old Norse Name Durin?
Who Was Narvi, Maker of the Doors of Durin?
Them Dwarves, Them Dwarves, Part One
Them Dwarves, Them Dwarves, Part Two
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