Dwarves in Norse Folktales during the Late Middle Ages

Document Type : Academic scientific reviews of any other material related to the main domains of this Journal.

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Faculty of Arts, Aswan University

Abstract

Dwarves played a crucial role in determining the course of events in Norse mythology, which is considered the basis of the beliefs of the North Germanic tribes. They were so skillful in magic and forging. They lived in remote areas in forests, caves, basements, mountains and lakes. Thus, they are named according to the place in which they live, so they can be called as forest dwarves, cave dwarves, mountain dwarves, or lake dwarves. During the Late Middle Ages, people believed that dwarves had a special magical power and that they were not friendly social creatures. Furthermore, dwarves shared certain traits such as their tendency to live in darkness, because they transformed into stone when they exposed to sunlight. The epics depict them in various ways, sometimes invisible and other times transformed, which means they are all supernatural beings. Moreover, they were in an unstable relationship with the gods; sometimes they gave them a helping hand, and at other times they came into conflicts with them, but they were skillfully able to win over the gods.

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