Dwarf

A Dwarf is a real description of a person, that can be used to describe someone who is abnormally short, although the people themselves often prefer to be called "little people" (or sometimes Midget).

As with giant, the definition of a dwarf varies, as it can be based on a physical measurement (e.g. shorter than 4 foot 6 inches or 4 foot) or it could be based on a general appearance. A medical condition, known as dwarfism, causes people to look in a certain way (and is also associated with shortness) which some describe as the only true dwarves.

People who are dwarves usually cannot lead normal lives, as their height leads to them being discriminated against. However, there is a big demand for dwarf actors and actresses, as many and varied roles, particularly in fantasy, require or at least prefer people who are abnormally short. Dwarves therefore have a choice to try in vain to lead a normal life or else to give into the demands and become an actor or actress. In many ways they are almost forced to go into acting of some kind. Nonetheless, they are very much in demand in the acting arena.

A dwarf is also used in a fantasy setting. According to the Lord of the Rings, dwarves were the third creation of the Gods, after Elves and humans. Dwarves are usually described as having beards (in some settings even women have beards - in other settings there are no women), of being short and extremely strong and durable. Like [[troll]s, dwarves are virtually impossible to kill. In some cases it is simply because they are so short and stocky and armour covers every part of their body. In other cases it is just because of how strong they are. In most games, a dwarf character will have abnormally high health (or constitution) and great strength.

Most fantasy settings also describe dwarves as having a love of beer and of gold, and that in fact they are obsessed with the search for gold. That they end up mining all of the time to search for gold, and make great armour and other weapons, spending their entire time mining to get better and better tools.

Whilst dwarves are generally regarded as a good race, they are not regarded as enormously good, because their entire life is dominated by greed (for gold), which in turn makes them in some ways evil. Some fantasy settings explicitly describe dwarves as evil, whilst others describe various sub-races of dwarves as being evil.

It is almost universally accepted in fantasy settings that the natural enemy of the dwarf is the elf.