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{{quote|''A short, sturdy creature fond of drink and industry.''|''[[Dwarf Fortress (Video Game)|Dwarf Fortress]]''}}
 
You know them. Gruff, [[Greed|gold-loving]], blunt-speaking, Scottish-accented, [[Horny Vikings|Viking-helmed]], [[The Alcoholic|alcohol-swilling]], [[Elves vs. Dwarves|Elf-hating]], [[An Axe to Grind|ax-swinging]], [[Stout Strength|stout]], [[Badass Beard|long-bearded]], stolid and unimaginative, [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|boastful of their battle prowess]] and their vast echoing [[Elaborate Underground Base|underground halls]] and mainly just the fact [[Have I Mentioned I Am a Dwarf Today?|that they are]] '''[[Have I Mentioned I Am a Dwarf Today?|Dwarves]]'''.
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== Card Games ==
 
* Dwarves have appeared sporadically in ''[[Magic: theThe Gathering]]'', though the game designers seem not to like them much. They live in the mountains and like to fight so they belong to the Red color/philosophy, but the stoic and orderly culture of traditional fantasy dwarves is more White, not to mention how goblins hog all the slots for person sized red creatures, so they're sort of an odd race out. ''MtG'' did shake up the usual dwarf formula in the ''Odyssey'' block, where the dwarves were portrayed as passionate artisans and warriors with a strong affinity for fire magic. Later in the game's history, the kithkin in ''Lorwyn'' were portrayed as sort of a cross between hobbits (which is what they were [[Captain Ersatz|originally intended to be called]]) and dwarves, combining the Little Folk's general smallness and pastoral living with the Stout Folk's tenacity and well-organized communal defense; the kithkin become even more dwarflike in ''Shadowmoor'', where they have abandoned their country villages for heavily fortified castles and become rabidly xenophobic.
** The ''Eventide'' expansion to the ''Shadowmoor'' block added actual dwarves known as duergar, with affinities for both white and red, and modified the design of dwarves to axe the hair and make them up more pasty. These creepy dwarves are based on the folklore of Britain.
 
== Literature ==
 
* [[JRRJ. TolkienR. (Creator)R. Tolkien|JRR Tolkien]]'s ''[[The Hobbit]]'' and ''[[Lord of the Rings]]'' is the origin of the trope. Interestingly, in an attempt to make them sound fundamentally different from other races, Tolkien's Dwarvish language is constructed along the lines of the [[wikipedia:Semitic languages|Semitic languages]]; none of them ever speak with a Scottish or Welsh accent at all. When you combine the quasi-Semitic language with their lost homeland and usual status as a minority in lands ruled by other races, many writers have compared them to [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture|analogues to the Jews]] (an allusion that also comes up in the [[Discworld]] series). Tolkien himself alluded to the idea in response to allegations that it was a negative depiction; he was particularly sympathetic [[World War Two|given the time he was alive]]. His dwarves are different from dwarfs of folklore and fairy tales primarily in that [[Proud Warrior Race|a lot of them are warriors]] in addition to being miners and craftsmen. They of course, pay tribute to their roots, being quite Nordic in culture (Rohirrim are primarily Saxon-land-Vikings, an Gondor has a Nordic vibe too), and having names stolen from the Poetic Edda. A thing that Tolkien long regretted as it forced him to come up with an explanation why a Real-world language such as Old Norse would exist in a Fantasy world.
** [[The Silmarillion|Tolkein's background notes]] reveal the reason Dwarves are so different from the other races: that they were made by Aule, one of the [[Powers That Be|Valar]] - not [[The Omnipotent|Eru Illuvatar]] himself, although after the fact Eru gave them the spark of free will that Aule couldn't provide. Since he knew that [[The Devil|Morgoth]] was loose in the world, Aule designed the Dwarves to be able to resist suffering and evil - a fact that came in handy millenia later, when Sauron offered them [[Don't Touch It, You Idiot!|seven golden Rings of Power.]]
* ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]'' features dwarfs, but depicts them as a race that is almost [[Always Chaotic Evil]]. While there are good dwarves (the [[Color Coded for Your Convenience|"red dwarfs"]]), who are grumpy but good-natured, the majority of them (the [[Colour-Coded for Your Convenience|"black" ones]]) are ruthless, greedy, traitorous bastards. The black dwarfs eventually [[Flat Earth Atheist|renounce Aslan's existence]], and are duly punished with being blind/insane and abandoned to grovel away at each other (they are, of course, Lewis's allegory for atheists).
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** Also, a nod to the 'craftsman' stereotype in that they are good at ''any'' craft. Mostly the typical metalworking and stoneworking, but they are very good at anything. In particular they are as good at ''baking'' as they are at metalwork and stonecarving. However, their bakery is mostly good for weaponry. They grind down rocks to make the flour. The best way to enjoy Dwarfbread is to keep it uneaten, so that ''any'' other food will taste good by comparison. The "Scottish" stereotype is brought up here as the Low King (low being better than high for a mining people) of the Dwarves being crowned on the Scone of Stone. In Scotland, Kings were always crowned on a giant stone called the ''Stone of Scone'' (pronnounced Skoon) because it was held in Scone Abbey, Perthshire.
*** They also practically monopolize the cosmetics industry, most likely because they have real chemistry instead of alchemy..
** Dwarf folklore is an interesting deviation; it holds that dwarfs and trolls are diametric opposites and will forever hate each other. ''[[Discworld (Literature)/Thud|Thud]]'' takes it a step further by introducing what may be the oldest of dwarf folklore, the story of the creation of dwarf, man, and troll. The story goes that Tak, a very laid-back not-quite-deity ("Tak doesn't require that we think of Him, only that we think") created a stone egg in a cave, which hatched and released two brothers; one left the cave and found the things that made him man, while the other ventured deeper within and found the things that made him dwarf. Then, unbeknownst to Tak, the stone egg came to life and became a troll, but without Tak's blessing, it was an agonized half-life, without thought, creation, or virtue, such that killing it is not murder, but mercy (the citation when this story is first told mentions that in the original document, the passage about trolls appears to have been added later by a second author). {{spoiler|Later, we're given a new version of the troll passage; Tak ''did'' notice the egg trying to come to life, and he was overjoyed by it, giving it the last little push it needed to become a troll (this one was recited by a pair of diplomats trying to establish peace between trolls and dwarfs, and insofar as either version belongs with the rest of the story, this is probably the one, considering the book's message)}}.
* Dwarves of ''[[The Inheritance Cycle]]'' are polytheistic and devotely religious people who pretty much play the trope straight in all other respects. [[Christopher Paolini (Creator)|Paolini]] makes a point of mentioning dwarf women, but doesn't detail much about how they differ from dwarf men. They have some cities underground, but also some aboveground, even with a [[Lampshade Hanging]] when Eragon is surprised to find that Dwarves have open surface cities just like everyone else, and a dwarf tells him that they like the open air as much as anyone else. They also have seven toes, and two dwarves hold a bet on whether or not humans actually have only five toes. According to history, they are the oldest of sentient races, and lived in Alagaesia before the elves or humans arrived.
* The dwarves of ''[[The Fionavar Tapestry]]'' pretty much fit the mould except for the [[One-Gender Race]], and the one dwarven main character being more of a [[The Quiet One]]. Dwarf women in Fionavar are sylph-like and graceful; as one character admits to herself, she should no more reasonably expect them to look like their men any more than she herself resembles her male companions.
* Kage Baker may have slightly different dwarves in the "[[The Company Novels|Company]]" series, although they are more a subspecies (or rare parent species??) of humans. They are partway between Tolkien-standard elves and Tolkien-standard dwarves: small, cranky, subterranean, and complete geniuses of invention; but pale, shy, and weak.
* In ''[[The Death Gate Cycle]]'', on the world of Pryan, Dwarves are played straight. On Chelestra, they're less xenophobic and more friendly, especially in regards to other races. And on Arianus, they live in devotion to something called the Kicksey-Winsey Machine, which their entire lives revolve around. They're dead on Abarrach.
* Dwarves in the ''[[Harry Potter (Literaturenovel)|Harry Potter]]'' books at least follow the blunt-speaking and stolid parts, which caused [[Hilarity Ensues|Hilarity To Ensue]] when Gilderoy Lockhart hired a bunch of surly dwarves for Valentine's Day. Lockhart dressed them up like cupids and set them up working as letter-carriers, which they did not seem to enjoy and nor did anyone else, least of all the other teachers. However, that's the only major appearance of dwarves in the entire series.
* [[Tad Williams]]' ''[[Memory, SorrowandSorrow, and Thorn]]'' trilogy features two races that could qualify as Dwarves, both of whom (intentionally) avert the typical stereotypes. The Qanuc are actually referred to as [[Our Trolls Are Different|Trolls]] and [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture|borrow many aspects]] of Inuit culture while living in snowy mountains and taming sheep for mounts. They do brew a mean liquor, though. On the other hand, the branch of the Tinukeda'ya that went underground became known as Dwarrows -- superb stonemasons and crafters, they were once the artisans of the [[The Fair Folk|Sithi]] and helped build many of their great cities, but had a falling out over their treatment as little more than slaves. They are most definitely ''not'' warlike, shrinking from any sort of combat and trying their best to [[Hidden Elf Village|stay out of]] the grand conflict with the Storm King. However, when provoked, they are fearsome fighters due to their strength and endurance from millennia of delving in the earth.
* Markus Heitz's ''[[Dwarves (Literature)|Dwarves]]'' manages to play this trope perfectly straight, yet gives each character enough [[Character Development]] to be an effective character, rather than just the trope. Not surprising, since all main characters are dwarves.
* [[Invoked]] in the [[Council Wars]] series. Dwarfs are humans who have used advanced technology to deliberately change themselves into the standard representation of Fantasy Dwarves.
* Notably averted in Terry Brooks' [[Shannara]] series. Brooks's dwarves not only live above ground, they ''hate'' being underground or in caverns, and are famous for their gardeners and foresters. Though they are also noted as the greatest builders in the world, creating intricate bridges and a massive collection of locks and dams to control the seasonal flooding of the Silver River.
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* Alexey Pehov's The Chronicles Of Siala series has bog-standard dwarves, except they wouldn't be seen dead in a beard (to avoid looking like gnomes).
* The dwarves get very little "screentime" in ''[[The Sundering]]'', but don't appear to deviate from the standard model very much, and given that the story intentionally resembles ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' a great deal...
* In Chris Evans ''Iron Elves'' trilogy Sergeant Yimt is a [[Boisterous Bruiser]] [[Sergeant Rock]]. The only other dwarf met in the series is a veteran turned unscrupulous merchant. Dwarves were once enslaved by the Empire and brought to it from across the sea, resulting in a a racial claustrophobia of being inside ships. Due to the racial habit of chewing crute, a metal infused spice, most Dawrves are literally [[Made of Iron]], or at least their bones are. While they do use axes other common weapons are the drugar, [[Call a Rabbit Aa Smeerp|whose description sounds a lot like a machete]], and the shatterbow, a cross between a crossbow and a shotgun that fires explosive bolts.
 
 
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* [[Star Trek]] has the Tellarites, one of the founding members of the Federation. They had a fierce rivalry with the [[Our Elves Are Better|Vulcans]], are stubborn, undiplomatic, and generally have the competence to back up their boasts, all dwarven hallmarks.
* The Seven Dwarves in [[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]. Grumpy gets the most screen time for some reason and fits the trope to a T.
** Later appearances of the dwarves in the series show some more unusual characteristics, one of which is the fact dwarves aren't born, they're hatched in ''eggs''.
 
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*** D&D has shown an interesting evolution in the question of Dwarven females. In the oldest editions, the race was essentially monogendered. Later on their women [[Cute Monster Girl|became more feminine]] -- but [[Subverted Trope|still had luxurious beards]]. In the latest edition they just look like very muscular [[Hobbits|Halfling]] lasses -- albeit generally [[Badass]] ones.
*** There's other differences as well. Dwarves are noted as being good with [[Religion Is Magic|Divine magic]], and they're one of the go-to races for Clerics. (see: [[Order of the Stick|Durkon]]). And players and [[Game Master|Game Masters]], of course, can play with or [[My Species Doth Protest Too Much|subvert the definition all they wish]].
*** Interestingly, the ''Races of Stone'' Supplement for 3.5 provides a special [[Prestige Class]] that allows the casting of spells in armor, providing a description that's best summed up as "Nobody thinks there's any Dwarven Wizards because they wear Armor like the rest of the Dwarves". Of course, [[Playing Withwith a Trope|this is still entirely fitting with this trope]].
** Even [[Eberron (Tabletop Game)|Eberron]] - the setting that brought you good undead, necromancer elves, intelligent giants (granted that's ancient history), removed alignment restrictions, among other things - cannot escape this. Its dwarves are pretty much the same, except that they are also bankers, and tend to be more corrupt more often.
*** Though if [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebee/20050704a this article] [[Word of God|by Keith Baker himself]] is to believe, the [[Complete Monster|Neogi]] (Who look like a cross between a wolf spider and a moray eel) were actually formerly dwarves altered by the [[Eldritch Abomination|Daelkyr]].
** [[Forgotten Realms]] with its [[Loads and Loads of Races|dazzling]] level of diversity and details [[Subverted Trope|subverts]] this trope a few times with sub-races like the wild dwarves and arctic dwarves, plus Gray Dwarves (duergar). Shield dwarves and gold dwarves are closer to the stereotype, as a beard-combing grimly determined [[Proud Warrior Race Guy]] is never too far. Gold dwarves tend to be tradition-bound, suspicious, greedy, obscenely rich and almost as haughty as elves, though trade with humans and other folk a lot. Shield dwarves are split. Some are "The Hidden", isolationist clans. Most are "The Wanderers" who got a clue from all those empty clanholds that dwarves aren't too far from extinction, and see interacting with the world proactively as they duty. These are borderline [[Boisterous Bruiser]] sort, allying with anyone up to elves and half-orcs if necessary, adventuring, working as smith in non-dwarven cities. They are fairly traditional, but marry whoever they like including humans, gnomes or halflings instead of checking exact age, social status and opinions of all elders in both clans before starting a family.
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*** Mmmmm, [[wikipedia:Bock|beerfood]].
** Interestingly, while the individual Dwarf in [[Warhammer]] is fairly slow (it's the little legs), Dwarf infantry is effectively among the fastest in the game. This is because the game mechanics say that you can't march (read: move at double your normal speed) when there are enemies within 8". Dwarfs, by virtue of being [[Determinator|Determinators]], can ignore that rule, and effectively always march. Apart from when they charge. The result is that army of short bearded guys is going to tactically outmanoeuvre you by landing their gyrocopters 7" behind your lines and so suddenly everyone but your cavalry is being ourpaced.
** ''[[Warhammer 40000]]'' once had the Squats, which, naturally, were Dwarfs [[Recycled in Space|IN SPACE]], but the designers couldn't quite decide on their overall theme. Some models were straight Dwarfs, while others were more like really short [[All Bikers Are Hells Angels|Biker Dudes]] <small>IN SPACE</small>, so they got removed from future editions -- i.e., they [[Dropped a Bridge Onon Him|Dropped A]] [[Bug War|Hive Fleet]] [[Dropped a Bridge Onon Him|On Them]]. However, the "space Dwarfs" ''concept'', if not the models, seem to be returning in the form of the Demiurg ([[Meaningful Name|Greek for "craftsman"]]), a mercenary alien race that has worked for both the Imperium and the Tau in the past.
** The Tau themselves seem to fulfill some of the functions of dwarves in the 40,000 Verse. They are shorter and stouter than humans, they have a weak presence in the Warp (meaning they're not very magical), they have a highly ordered and stratified society, and a strong warrior culture.
*** ''A strong warrior culture''? Really? They're perhaps the least war-like race in Warhammer. And it shows, heavily. Even by other standards, they'd be rather peace loving.
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* The now-defunct ''[[Mage Knight]]'' minatures game had standard Tolkieny dwarves. All male, all bearded, all craftsmen and miners (some not by choice), and their craftiness led to literal [[Steampunk|Steam Punk]] tech such as Steam (mecha)Golems and steam-powered mounts.
** There are some differences from the standard model here. They are actually '''shorter''' lived than humans, an elderly dwarf being about 30, and they play up the resistance to magic. They were actually forced by [[The Empire]] of Atlantis into slavery, mining for magic [[Phlebotinum]] because they were immune to the deadly radiation. They joined the Black Powder Rebels in order to free their comrades from this slavery.
* ''[[Changeling: The Lost (Tabletop Game)|Changeling: the Lost]]'' has the Wizened, humans who were made to work as [[The Fair Folk|the Gentry's]] craftsmen and servants. Like dwarves, there's usually something "diminished" about them (sometimes size, sometimes muscle, sometimes social presence), they tend to be cranky (see "diminished social presence"), and they're very, very good with crafts.
* [[Winterweir]]'s Bathas are evil sociopathic slavers but still live underground and have an interest in wealth. They also invent things.
* Dwarves in ''[[GURPS (Tabletop Game)|GURPS]]: Banestorm'' are a race of natural artificers and merchants. All adults have at least one point worth of [[Iconic Item|signature gear]].
** In the ''[[GURPS (Tabletop Game)|GURPS]]'' predecessor ''[[The Fantasy Trip]]'', dwarves are straight out of the Tolkienian mold. However, some details (mostly concerning dwarf women) are left unspecified, meaning that players will form [[House Rules|their own conclusions]].
* ''[[Burning Wheel (Tabletop Game)|Burning Wheel]]'' not only plays straight dwarf stereotypes but even builds upon the tale of Moria from [[Lord of the Rings]] by working an attribute called "Greed" into the rule system: all dwarves are covetous. The higher a dwarf's Greed, the more likely they are to betray others, or even go [[Ax Crazy]], in the pursuit of possessing objects of high value and/or craftsmanship. They get bonuses to rolls done in the pursuit of wealth. However, if the Greed attribute reaches its maximum through indulgence of the vice the dwarf hides himself away with his hoard of goods in paranoid seclusion never to be seen again.
* The Jotun of ''[[New Horizon]]'' were once compared to dwarves, except being huge [[Insistent Terminology|wafans]] instead of short humans. [[Refuge in Audacity|Subsequently a group of dwarves raided the forum, decapitated the person who made the claim, and told everybody never to compare them to war machines again]].
 
== Theater ==
 
* [[Richard Wagner]]'s ''[[Der Ring Des Nibelungen|Der Ring des Nibelungen]]'', epic predecessor and undoubted inspiration to Tolkien (the clue's in the title). His Nibelung dwarves are, true to their Norse roots, subterranean miners and metalcrafters. His dwarven brothers Alberich and Mime inspired the thieving dwarf Mîm who appears in ''The Silmarillion''.
** These legends of course [[Older Than You Think|all predate Wagner by a fair few centuries]].
 
== Video Games ==
 
* In ''[[Dwarf Fortress (Video Game)|Dwarf Fortress]]'', [[The Dev Team Thinks of Everything|every single dwarf]] has a description listing, amongst others, [[Description Porn|physique, hair style and colour, eye colour, facial features, interpersonal skills, age and fondness for giant toads]]. The last line of every description, however, is that they "must have alcohol to get through the day". (Or, depending on how the fortress' alcohol stocks are doing, something like "must have alcohol to get through the day, and has gone without a drink for far, far too long.") It's a biological necessity, even for babies and children; lack of alcohol causes them to work slowly and inefficiently.
* ''[[Puzzle Quest Challenge of the Warlords]]'': Khrona doesn't hide her most obvious gender identifiers, but still sports a nice, long beard.
* ''[[Guild Wars]]'' mostly follows the standard, although the dwarves come off a bit more Scandanavian than Scottish. This trope is partly averted by the Stone Summit clan, a bunch of xenophobic slavedriving hatemongers, then it gets taken to its conclusion at {{spoiler|the end of the Eye of the North expansion pack. The dwarves seek to awaken the Great Dwarf to battle the destroyers pouring out from beneath the earth. What happens is that ''they'' become the Great Dwarf, their bodies turning to solid stone and their hearts consumed with an eternal thirst for battle, so they can fight the destroyers for eternity}}.
* They have appeared sporadically in the more [[High Fantasy]] installments of the ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' series, with the only distinction being that their catchphrase is "Laliho!"
* ''[[Final Fantasy IV (Video Game)|Final Fantasy IV]]'' plays it straight, and heck, so do ''most'' dwarves in ''[[Final Fantasy IV the After Years]]''. However, Luca keeps herself clean-shaven (other female dwarves in the game have beards) and doesn't have much love for dwarven fashion. The one thing she gets right is a love of technology, with two custom-built clockwork dolls at her command, but she'd rather study under the human Cid than other dwarves.
** The Lilties of [[Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles|Crystal Chronicles]] also fit the archetype fairly well, but in appearance resemble childlike humanoids with plant features (besides Crystal Bearers, in which a wide variety of Lilty types appear). A big difference is, before they began weapon smithing, they were primarily alchemists. And while they've always been mediocre at using them, they were experts at creating the [[Green Rocks]] required for spells.
** Moogles in the [[Ivalice Alliance]] games are also fairly dwarf-like: short, mechanically inclined humanoids.
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** Since the universe of The Witcher is based on both medieval European cultures and typical fantasy and fairy tale beings, dwarves in this world are the real dark fantasy successors of Tolkien's creation and have gone from proto-semetic to the stereotypical medieval conception of the Jewish people. Which might make the concept of them classified as low-grade beings by the ruling humans much more uncomfortable.
*** Except that it's not depicted as fact, but plain, old-fashioned racism. It's supposed to make the reader or player feel uncomfortable.
* Two dwarves appear in ''[[Tales of Symphonia (Video Game)|Tales of Symphonia]]'', with one of them being the foster father of the hero, Lloyd Irving. In ''[[Tales of Phantasia (Video Game)|Tales of Phantasia]]'', which takes place about 4,000 years after ''Symphonia'', dwarves are extinct, though their ruins are intact.
** A skit in in ''[[Tales of Symphonia (Video Game)|Tales of Symphonia]]'' mentioned that the majority of the dwarves are hidden by Cruxis somewhere in Derris Kharlan as they use them for maintaining machinery, so they may have still be living on the comet.
* In ''[[Mace the Dark Age]],'' a ''[[Soul Series|Soul Edge]]'' [[Follow the Leader|style weapons-based 3D fighter]] for the Nintendo 64, the dwarves are represented by hidden character Gar Gudrunnson. His people are mountain-dwellers enslaved by despotic Lord Deimos (think [[BFS|Nightmare]] with his own kingdom) to build his weapons of war. Gar is among a handful of rebels, and his weapon is an enormous steam-powered [[Humongous Mecha|Warmech]], ironically making him the largest character in the game and one of the few who are original. He's rather overpowered though, and is more on par with [[The Dragon|sub-boss]] Grendal due to his enormous strength and the fact that he can't be thrown or Executed. {{spoiler|The mace enslaves him and the other dwarves and it motivates them to wage war on mankind}}.
* Averted in ''[[Kingdom of Loathing]]'', where dwarves are 7-foot tall miners. They are all the same, but not like dwarves in other fantasy fiction.
** The joke is more apparent when they are referred to by their proper names, [[Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (Literaturenovel)|The Seven-Foot Dwarves]].
* ''[[Golden Sun (Video Game)|Golden Sun]]'''s dwarves, in the Loho mining camp from ''The Lost Age'', probably don't have Scottish accents, since [[Funetik Aksent]] is used for the two humans with Scottish accents but not the dwarves. Additionally, some are historians, which is why the dwarves are in Loho, excavating the ruins there. However, they all have awesome facial hair and a love for digging-- "If you live in Loho and don't dig, you just don't belong"-- and the only visible female in town is the human innkeeper, so they otherwise fit this trope perfectly.
* Played mostly straight in Bungie's [[Myth]] series of fantasy games. Dwarves there are short, construct underground cities, are good with gadgets, greedy, and have chemistry far beyond that of the other races leading to them becoming explosive and demolition experts. However, instead of sounding Scottish, they are voiced to sound more like crabby old men.
* Two "Dwarven Swordsmiths" appear in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: aA Link Toto Thethe Past]]''. They are the only dwarves to appear in the entire ''[[The Legend of Zelda|Zelda]]'' series, and nothing is made of their presence in a village otherwise made up entirely of Hylians.
** However, the Gorons of later games have pretty much all of the traits of dwarves, except instead of having full beards, they have goatees.
* [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] in ''[[Lusternia]]''. The dwarven race were originally called the Clangoru (having descended from the Elder God Clangorum); when the humans arrived in Lusternia from a different dimension, they puzzled everyone by [[Insistent Terminology|calling the Clangoru dwarves]]. They did this because the Clangoru - alone of every other mortal race - were recognisable to the humans, being ''indistinguishable'' from the dwarves of their native dimension.
* Dwarves are a recurring race in the ''[[Shining Force]]'' series, at least in the older games. They follow the Tolkien/D&D model fairly closely--most dwarves are axe-wielding warriors. A notable exception, though, is that the first dwarf you meet, [[Spell My Name Withwith an "S"|Luke/Lugh]], is young, cheerful, and beardless (but still an axe-wielding warrior). They are not slowed down by hill terrain, which makes them surprisingly mobile.
** It's because Luke from Shining Force is a hobbit, Gort is a Dwarven Warrior, but Luke is a hobbit. Jaha in Shinning Force II is also a Hobbit, but Gyan and Randolph are Dwarves, funny because Randolph is beardless.
* In both ''[[Neverwinter Nights]]'' games, this is both played straight and averted. When it's played straight, it's hilarious. When it's averted, it's averted '''hard'''.
** Averted: ''Neverwinter Nights'' features the possible henchman {{spoiler|and later a boss in an expansion}} Grimgnaw. He's a Monk of the Order of the Long Death, which as you can guess from the name, isn't exactly a nice group. He's the only henchman with an Evil alignment, and has a fascination with death that is [[Nightmare Fuel|damn creepy.]] He isn't loud and boisterous, is bald and has no beard, and doesn't need a giant hammer or axe to kick some serious ass. He loves to send people to the [[Grim Reaper|Silent Lord]], often in the most violent way possible.
** ''[[Neverwinter Nights 2 (Video Game)|Neverwinter Nights 2]]'', on the other hand, features Khelgar Ironfist, who is a stereotypical dwarf to the extreme, drinking lots of ale without paying, being very loud and [[Fantastic Racism|fantastically racist]], and is easily provoked and will start a fight with a group of drunk sailors just because ''one of them agreed with him.'' Ironically enough, Khelgar also can become a monk, just like his polar opposite Grimgnaw, a possible reference to NWN1.
*** NWN2 does make one minor modification to the standard model though: all the dwarves speak using American accents instead of Scottish. Of course, so does the entire rest of the cast...
* ''[[Master of Magic]]'' has a fairly stereotypical dwarves: tough, hard-working, good at mining and climbing mountains, but not fond of ships. They also make golems and steam cannons.
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== Film ==
 
* The film version of ''[[The Hobbit (Filmfilm)|The Hobbit]]'' is taking pains to avert this trope. The dwarves are all short, hairy, and crusty, but they have great variety in their faces, beards, clothing, body types, personalities and weaponry.
 
== Literature ==
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* Dwarfs in [[Narnia]] are expert archers, a trait more commonly associated with elves. Just so happens that there aren't any elves in Narnia, or at least not the Tolkien sort, so dwarfs got to appropriate one of their talents. The dwarfs as a rule are cynical and suspicious--even the good ones--and seem to be a stand-in for skeptics, agnostics, and/or atheists.
** They also come in red-haired and black-haired models. And it's explicitly mentioned that Trumpkin (red) smokes and Nikabrik (black) doesn't, which kind of sticks out as a way of acknowledging personal preference, since pipe-smoking is usually right up there with drinking as the substance abuse of choice for dwarfs.
* Possible example: Gregory Maguire's ''[[Mirror Mirror (Literaturenovel)|Mirror Mirror]],'' in which the eight (yep) dwarves are, at least initially, shapeshifters. They're also far more, well, ''mineral'' than your typical humanoid character.
* In Adrian Tchaikovsky's ''[[Shadows of the Apt]]'' series Beetle-kinden are essentially clean shaven dwarves in a [[Clock Punk]]/[[Steampunk]] setting. Short, stocky, technological and capitalistic with the [[Proud Scholar Race|Collegium beetles]] emphasizing the tech side and [[Proud Merchant Race|the Helleron Beetles]] emphasizing the capitalist side.
 
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** There is a book which says that the Dwemer were called "dwarves" because they looked small ''next to the Giants''.
* Partially subverted in the ''Lineage'' MMORPGs: The male dwarves are about what you expect, but the female dwarves [[Cute Monster Girl|resemble cute elves, only half the size]].
* ''[[Age of Mythology (Video Game)|Age of Mythology]]'' goes back to the roots of Norse myths, making Dwarves simply good craftsmen and gold-diggers. They don't use axes, except for gathering wood or when transformed into Heroes of Ragnarok by the Ragnarok godpower.
** Eitri uses an axe to fight in the campaign, though he can use it to cut wood. His brother Brokk has a hammer instead.
* ''[[War CraftWarcraft]]'' is an interesting case. For most of the RTS games, this was played straight, but right before ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' hit, dwarven miners unearthed (no pun intended) evidence that linked them to the titans--specifically, being ''created'' by the titans. This caused a surge in the interest of science and knowledge in dwarven society; King Magni Bronzebeard even ordered that the main dwarven industry switch from mining to archeology. Now you'll find just as many explorers, scientists, archeologists and scholars among the dwarves as you will miners and blacksmiths.
** Female Dwarves are quite common in dwarf settlements and for the most part look like short, stout women of average attractiveness. However, among the player base they are quite rare (perhaps in part due to the fact they are just plain looking compared to other races). Lore mentions bearded women and are considered quite beautiful among dwarves, however, none are shown in game.
** Warcraft also features a few subraces for dwarves:
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*** Beyond this you have earthen, which are stone-flesh creations of the titans that the dwarves evolved from, but besides being made of stone pretty much fit this trope to a tee, and...
*** The frost dwarves, who are the frozen counterparts to the Wildhammers. They are descended more directly from the Earthen as indicated by their proximity to the Titan Architecture found around their homeland.
*** And then there are the iron dwarves, which serve as [[Mecha -Mooks]] for an [[Eldritch Abomination]].
** Additionally, the technology aspect of the dwarves exists in some forms, but for the most part, this is taken up by the Dwarves' roomates, Gnomes.
*** The technology basically breaks down into two categories: anything that can be made reliable, cost-effective, and useful on the battlefield will be adopted by the Dwarves, i.e. tanks, guns, gyrocopters. The Gnomes manage the overly-expensive, unreliable and quirky technology, as per their [[Mad Scientist]] hat. If it's cheap, unreliable, and ''dangerous'', that's Goblin territory.
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== Web Original ==
 
* Dwarves in ''[[Tales of MU]]'' mostly follow the model, with a few additions. Their names have a Germanic flavor, they count in [[Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (Literaturenovel)|base seven]], and while they seem like a [[One-Gender Race]], it's been explained that male and female dwarves just don't get along. The one full-blooded female dwarf who appeared was not described with a beard. MU dwarves have a strong disposition for secrecy and privacy, though the college-going ones are willing to make exceptions for attractive women of other races. One recurring minor character, Gebhard, shows a somewhat fussy and fastidious nature.
* [[LimyaaelsLimyaael's Fantasy Rants|Limyaael]] suggests that customizing the model is a [http://limyaael.livejournal.com/137511.html really good idea].
* The dwarves in ''[[Arcana Magi]]'' are techno savvy. One dwarf is on the Board of Directors for Avalon Tech Enterprises as head of the metal works division. One dwarf works there in the technology department.
 
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** And Pella is quite shapely and fan-servicey, not fat and dumpy like dwarven females are so often depicted as.
** However, they are exceptionally skilled architects, blacksmiths, and sappers.
* Although we have not actually met any dwarves in ''[[Digger (Webcomic)|Digger]]'', they seem to go at least a little off model - they apparently use large amounts of magic in the construction of their underground cities. Digger the wombat does not approve, as that magic tends to wear off after a while if not carefully maintained, leaving abandoned dwarf cities as veritable deathtraps.
** Come to think of it, the wombats seem to fit the traditional dwarf mold pretty well, themselves.
* [[Goblin Hollow]] features [http://www.rhjunior.com/GH/00059.html a girl who revolts at her dwarf character's having a beard]
* [[The PigsPig's Ear|Angus]] is a retired adventurer who now works as a pub chef, but otherwise fits the trope straight. So straight that the Scottish creator of the comic gave Angus (and Angus alone) a Scottish [[Funetik Aksent]].
* Flintlocke, of ''[[FlintlockesFlintlocke's Guide to Azeroth]]'' plays around with this one. While he adheres to several Dwarf stereotypes, including a love of combat, [[No Indoor Voice|boisterous loudness]], a strange sort of Scottish accent, a few demonstrated instances of marked greed, and some impressive facial hair, he also happens to be something of a cross between a [[Gadgeteer Genius]] and a [[Mad Bomber]], and where most of the other Dwarves are shown as sensible individuals, Flintlocke is about as dumb as a pile of hammers. On more than a few occasions he's managed to outwit ''himself.'' It gets to the point that the ''[[Our Angels Are Different|Spirit Healer]]'' had to get a word in.
{{quote| '''Spirit Healer''': Dumbass.}}
* In ''[[Vanadys Tales of a Fallen Goddess (Webcomic)|Vanadys: Tales of a Fallen Goddess]]'', dwarfs (note the plural spelling) are the second most numerous race in the world next to humans, and live and work close to humans. The stereotypical dwarf is a keen businessman with a great talent for making money, and many human businesses employ a dwarf, or several, to handle their finances. Berrok, the main dwarf character in the comic, is a trenchcoat-clad [[Deadpan Snarker]] with a shady past.
 
=== Parodies and radically different versions ===
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== Anime ==
 
* It's becoming increasingly common in anime-derived art, including some video games, for female dwarves to be portrayed as cute young girls (often straying into [[Lolicon]] territory). Ymir from ''[[QueensQueen's Blade]]'' is a prime example.
** [[Lineage II]] uses this
** The Japanese pen and paper RPG [[Sword World]] does this, with the female dwarves looking more like [[Our Gnomes Are Weirder|Gnomes]] than anything else.
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== Card Games ==
 
* Matt Cavotta, art director for "[[Magic: theThe Gathering]]", wrote a column about the lack of dwarves in Magic. He starts with the stereotypical red dwarf and changes it step by step into the ideal, red dwarf. Results are ... [http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mc14b interesting].
 
== Literature ==
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*** Carrot's making a nature/nurture point - culturally he's a dwarf. He was raised as a dwarf, by dwarvern parents and went through all the normal process of growing up as a dwarf. He may not be as hardline dwarfish as the Deep Uberwald dwarves - mainly due to coming from a surface dwarf community near Lancre - but is still more dwarfish than many an Ankhmorpork city dwarf. He questions the relevance of being (genetically) human in the light of all this.
*** It's pointed out several times that according to dwarf law and custom, Carrot actually is a dwarf. This tends to disturb other dwarfs meeting him for the first time, because they know something's not right but can't quite put their finger on specifically what it is, since their definition of "dwarf" doesn't actually say anything about height.
* And about as averted as you can get in ''[[Artemis Fowl (Literature)|Artemis Fowl]]'' where Dwarves are human/mole/earthworm hybrids with [[Prehensile Hair|Prehensile Beards]] that burrow through the dirt by eating it and then crapping it out as fast as they do. Also, they can suck in water through their skin (a dehydrated dwarf can use this to [[Wall Crawl]]!), and their saliva is a fast-hardening, glow-in-the-dark anesthetic.
** Also, far from being traditional, they tend to have a healthy disregard for the law. They also tend to [[Big Eater|eat anything]] regardless of whether it is alive or sentient. Plus, rather than fighting [[Elves vs. Dwarves|elves]], they have a long standing rivalry with [[Our Goblins Are Different|goblins]]. Who are able to [[Elemental Powers|shoot fire]]. Which dwarves [[Kill It Withwith Fire|are incredibly vulnerable to and afraid of]]. The main dwarf character, Mulch, [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshades]] how ridiculous it is [[Too Dumb to Live|to form a cultural conflict with the only beings on Earth capable of conjuring your major weakness]].
* Niven and Barnes were probably playing homage to this trope with Mary-Martha "Mary-Em" Corbett, an eccentric live-action Gamer from the Dream Park novels. Though human, she's 4'1" tall, is built like a muscular fire hydrant, wields a halberd (~battleax), is [[The Big Guy]] of her adventuring party, guzzles beer like a pro, calls a spade a spade, and sings repetatively while she's marching. Although her songs tend to be a hell of a lot raunchier than this trope usually allows.
* ''The Soddit'', being a parody of ''[[The Hobbit]]'', starts by taking the traditional portrayal of dwarves up to eleven and then some, although with ludicrously exaggerated Welsh accents, rather than Scottish ones (well, what would you expect a race of miners to sound like, look you, bach?). It's revealed early on, however, that dwarves ''hate'' having beards, it's just that they're allergic to shaving soap. Later, when Bingo Grabbins [[Fridge Logic|questions]] how they could have possibly carved the great caverns of the Mines of Black Maria with hand-axes (or, as the dwarves themselves claim, trowels), they're forced to admit that they didn't; all the mountains in Upper-Middle Earth are naturally hollow. And at the end of the book it turns out that {{spoiler|dwarves are the larval form of dragons}}.
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== Live-Action Television ==
* In ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]'', dwarves are always "male", are asexual, and are hatched in groups of 8, fully grown (and fully clothed) from ''eggs''. Their names are magically given to them by their pick-axes based on their personality, and it's their job as a species to crush diamonds into fairy dust.
 
 
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* [http://www.geneticanomaly.com/RPG-Motivational/slides/dwarf.html This motivational poster], depicting a [[Lineage]] dwarf.
* It may be difficult to find these days, but an old Gamespy comedy feature article were two writers comparing various things (like sorcerers versus warriors) and once, [[Elves vs. Dwarves]] came up. They pointed out that there are many different depictions of elves, but dwarves tend to all be the same.
* In ''[[Tales of the Questor (Webcomic)|Tales of the Questor]]'' [http://www.rhjunior.com/totq/00729.html dwarves] are practically blind, their toes are prehensile, and their beards are actually a thick coat of fur sprouting out of their chests
 
== Video Games ==
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