A dwarf ( pl. dwarfs or dwarves ) is a type of supernatural being in Germanic folklore . Accounts of dwarfs vary significantly throughout history; however, they are commonly, but not exclusively, presented as living in mountains or stones and being skilled craftsmen. In early literary sources, only males are explicitly referred to as dwarfs. However, they are described as having sisters and daughters, while male and female dwarfs feature in later saga literature and folklore. Dwarfs are sometimes described as short; however, scholars have noted that this is neither explicit nor relevant to their roles in the earliest sources.
83-998: For the Middle High German poem about Theodoric the Great, see Laurin (poem) . Laurin is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname [ edit ] Anna-Lena Laurin (born 1962), Swedish composer Camille Laurin (1922–1999), psychiatrist and politician in Quebec, Canada Dan Laurin (born 1960), Swedish recorder player Georges-Philippe Laurin (1892–1964), Quebec politician Joseph Laurin (1811–1888), Quebec author and politician Lucien Laurin (1912–2000), French-Canadian jockey and horse trainer Maria Laurin (1858–1920), Swedish opera singer Rachel Laurin (1961–2023), Canadian organist, composer and music educator René Laurin (born 1940), Quebec politician Rene-Georges Laurin (died 2006), member of
166-417: A courtly romance than a heroic epic . It likely originates from the region of South Tyrol , possibly as early as 1230, though all manuscripts are later. The poem has five extant versions. In each, it concerns Dietrich's fight against the dwarf King Laurin , which takes place when Dietrich and Witege destroy Laurin's magical rose garden. The heroes are subsequently invited into Laurin's kingdom inside
249-432: A || do sprach die kongein gemait: b 'vil edler konick, ich wille a || gewynen euch ein gelait, b so komen wir hin ausse. c || sol wir gefangen sein? d wir habent nimant dausse, c || weder zwerg noch zwergellein.' d The stanza can also be understood to be made up of eight short verses, taking the caesuras as line endings. A connection exists between this story and a Tyrolian Ladino folk-story in which
332-461: A corner of the sky, that was fashioned from the skull of Ymir . It has been suggested that this would imply that dwarfs could be very tall; however, it has been noted that the sky could have been conceived of as being close to the earth at the horizon. Regin , a figure identified as either a dwarf or resembling a dwarf, is a similar size to the hero Sigurd on both the Ramsund carving and carvings from
415-453: A dwarf lures King Sveigðir into an open stone which closes behind them, whereupon he is never seen again. Ynglingasaga also describes this dwarf as being afraid of the sun ( Old Norse : dagskjarr ), akin to in Alvíssmál , where the poem's eponymous dwarf is turned to stone by sunlight. In German legends, they typically live inside of hollow mountains; in some cases, they may live above
498-512: A dwarf. In Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks , the sword Tyrfing is forged, and subsequently cursed, by a dwarf named Dvalinn, and another named Dulin in the Hauksbók manuscript. In German literature, many dwarfs can make themselves invisible, typically via a "Tarnkappe" ( cloak of invisibility ), which has been suggested to be an ancient attribute of dwarfs. Depending on the story, they may be hostile or friendly to humans. The dwarf Alberich plays
581-485: A hero is not defined by achieving deeds alone but by being able to both give and accept help. In German legends, they also possess other magical objects and often appear as master smiths. The Codex Regius version of Völuspá records that dwarfs were produced out of the earth, while in the Prose Edda, they form like maggots in the flesh of Ymir , which became the earth. Beyond this, in early Old Norse sources, there
664-541: A mid-line caesura. Each line consists of three metrical feet, a caesura, then three additional feet. Due to the survival of late medieval melodies among the Meistersingers , it is possible to sing these stanzas in the traditional manner of German heroic poetry. This creates the following rhyme scheme: a||ba||bc||dc||d . Heinzle prints the following example from the Dresdner Laurin: Laurein der sweig stille;
747-402: A mountain when it is discovered that Laurin has kidnapped and married the sister of Dietleib, one of Dietrich's heroes. Laurin betrays the heroes and imprisons them, but they are able to defeat him and save Dietleib's sister. The different versions depict Laurin's fate differently: in some, he becomes a jester at Dietrich's court, in others the two are reconciled and become friends. The Laurin
830-405: A thousand years. Dietrich and Laurin then jump into a fiery mountain (i.e. volcano ) in order to reach Sinnels. The tale is reminiscent of a story told of the historical Theoderic the Great by Pope Gregory the Great : Gregory reports that the soul of Theoderic was dropped into Mount Etna for his sins. An unnamed dwarf is also responsible for taking Dietrich away after the final battle at Bern in
913-522: A version within these overarching five. The five overarching versions are: the so-called "older Vulgate version" ( ältere Vulgatversion ); the "younger Vulgate version" ( jüngere Vulgatversion ), which can be further split into versions a and b ; the "Walberan" version; the Dresdner Laurin; and the Pressburger Laurin. The poem was also translated into Czech and Danish . Manuscripts with
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#1732854799961996-566: A vital role in the Nibelungenlied , where he guards the Nibelung's treasure and has the strength of twelve men. He is defeated by Siegfried and afterwards serves the hero. In Ortnit , Alberich seduces the Lombardy queen, spawning the hero Ortnit. The dwarf then aids Ortnit in his adventures after revealing to the hero that he is his father. In Das Lied vom Hürnen Seyfrid , Siegfried is aided by
1079-567: A written charm aiming to rid the ill person of the disease, identified as a dwarf. The Lacnunga contains the Anglo-Saxon charm Wið Dweorh XCIIIb ( Against a Dwarf XCIIIb ) that refers to a sickness as a dweorg that is riding the afflicted person like a horse, similar to the harmful mare in the later folklore of the Germanic-speaking peoples . Despite the Christian elements in
1162-461: Is ambiguity between whether dwarfs live within stones or whether they are themselves stones. In Völuspá they are referred to as 'masters of the rocks' ( Old Norse : veggbergs vísir ) and skaldic kennings for 'stone' include 'dvergrann' ('house of the dwarf') and 'Durnis niðja salr' ('the hall of Durnir 's kinsman'). In Ynglingatal stanza 2 and the accompanying prose in the Ynglinga saga ,
1245-406: Is attributed to their lateness and likely do not represent perceptions that predate Christianisation. Typically, in these later sagas, fighting dwarfs is considered dishonourable, in contrast to other beings such as dragons . Receiving help from a dwarf, however, such as being healed or given a treasure, was not seen as problematic; it has been proposed that the worldview of the saga writers was that
1328-415: Is being treated well and begs Walberan not to damage Dietrich's lands. Walberan does as he is asked, but marches to Bern. Laurin attempts to negotiate with Walberan on Dietrich's behalf, and Walberan announces he and select warriors will fight Dietrich and his heroes in single combat. When Walberan fights Dietrich, Walberan is about to defeat Dietrich when Laurin and Laurin intervene—they reconcile Dietrich and
1411-421: Is being treated well and that Laurin has only one fault: he is not Christian. She wants to leave. Meanwhile, Laurin, after a feast, confides to Dietleib's sister that he wishes to avenge himself on the heroes. She advises him to do so. He drugs Witige, Hildebrand, and Dietrich and throws them into a dungeon. He tries to commit Dietleib to join his side, but locks him in a chamber when the hero refuses. Künhilt steals
1494-416: Is called to prevent him from causing an afflicted person's illness. In Fáfnismál , the worm Fáfnir refers to some Norns as "Dvalinn's daughters" ( Old Norse : Dvalins dǿtr ), while in the Prose Edda, they are described as "of the dwarfs' kin" ( Old Norse : dverga ættar ). As Norns are also female, this could mean that dwarfs were conceived of by the author of the poem as able to be female, it
1577-508: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles Laurin (poem) Laurin or Der kleine Rosengarten ( The Small Rose Garden ) is an anonymous Middle High German poem about the legendary hero Dietrich von Bern , the counterpart of the historical Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great in Germanic heroic legend . It is one of the so-called fantastical ( aventiurehaft ) Dietrich poems, so called because it more closely resembles
1660-543: Is just a piece of private bad grammar, rather shocking in a philologist; but I shall have to go with it." Scholars have noted that the Svartálfar ('black elves') appear to be the same beings as dwarfs, given that both are described in the Prose Edda as the residents of Svartálfaheimr . Another potential synonym is dökkálfar ('dark elves'); however, it is unclear whether svartálfar and dökkálfar were considered
1743-424: Is losing, but Hildebrand arrives and tells Dietrich to steal the dwarf's cloak of invisibility ( helkeplein ) and strength-granting belt then fight him on foot (the dwarf had been riding a deer-sized horse) wrestling him to the ground. Laurin, now defeated, pleads for mercy, but Dietrich has become enraged and vows to kill the dwarf. Finally, Laurin turns to Dietleib, informing him he had kidnapped and married
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#17328547999611826-406: Is no resemblance between Eddic and skaldic dwarfs and those in later sources. Dwarfs feature throughout both fornaldarsögur and riddarasögur . In Völsunga saga , which details the events that unfold after Loki extorts treasure out of the dwarf Andvari , to pay the wergild for his killing of Ótr , a being whose brother Regin is also described in some sources as either resembling or being
1909-405: Is not clear whether either their mother (or mothers) are dwarfs, or if they themselves are considered dwarfs just because they are descended from dwarfs. It has been noted that it may not be that female dwarfs did not exist in the folklore of this period, only that no explicit references to them survive in preserved narratives. It has been proposed this may be because narratives typically centre on
1992-618: Is not only seen between dwarfs throughout time and region but also with individual dwarfs, who can be capable of changing their shape and size, such as in Reginsmál , in which the dwarf Andvari lived as a pike in the water due to curse from a Norn , however, could also take on a human-like shape. In later German folklore , the Zwergkönig ('Dwarf King') is a tiny being but is capable of becoming enormously tall at will. In Eddic and skaldic sources, dwarfs are almost exclusively male; for example, in
2075-457: Is possible to say when in the twelfth century and where the poem was composed. Like almost all German heroic poems, it is anonymous, but the "younger Vulgate version" claims the fictional poet Heinrich von Ofterdingen —who sings about Dietrich in a continuation to the poem Wartburgkrieg —as its author. There are five overarching versions, but due to the immense variability of the fantastical Dietrich poems, each manuscript can also be considered
2158-740: Is used to gloss symptoms such as fever. The "Dictionary of Old English" divides the definition of Old English : dweorg into either "a dwarf or pygmy" or "a fever"; however, it has been argued that the distinction between the two meanings may not have been prevalent among Germanic peoples in the Early Middle Ages , due to the close association between the beings and sickness in medicinal charms. The 8th century Ribe skull fragment , found in Jutland , bears an inscription that calls for help from three beings, including Odin , against either one or two harmful dwarfs. The item's function has been compared to
2241-598: The Dvergasteinn in Seyðisfjörður . It has been proposed by Lotte Motz that the inhabitation of mountains, stones, and mounds by dwarfs may be derived from their earlier association with the dead who were frequently buried in mounds and around megaliths . The term ' dweorg ' can be used in Old English texts to describe an illness; it is commonly used in medical texts derived from Greek or Latin sources, where it
2324-662: The Wið Dweorh charms, such as the saints called upon for help, their foundations likely lie in a shared North-Sea Germanic tradition that includes inscribed runic charms such as those found in Ribe and Norfolk. The conception of diseases as being caused by projectiles from supernatural beings is widespread in Germanic folklore through time, such as in the phenomenon of elfshot , in Wið færstice , where they are thrown by elves , Ēse and witches, and in
2407-592: The Christianisation of the Germanic peoples , dwarfs continued in the folklore of Germanic-speaking areas of Europe and the literary works produced there. Opinions on the degree of continuity in beliefs on dwarfs before and after Christianisation differ significantly. Some scholars, such as Rudolf Simek , propose that the folk beliefs remained essentially intact in the transitional period, making later sources exceedingly informative on pre-Christian Germanic religion . In contrast, others, such as Schäfke, argue that there
2490-554: The Dvergatal , every dwarf named is male. Some scholars have proposed that female dwarfs were not believed to exist; however, they are likely attested in charms dating to the early medieval period and are explicitly described in later saga material. Dwarfs are also widely referenced in these sources as having family relations with others, such as brothers and sons. Pairs or groups of brothers are seen relatively abundantly in Eddic contexts, as with
2573-454: The Eddas and the section of Ynglinga saga regarding Sveigðir lack prominence in their narratives and cohesive identity. Based on this, he puts forward the idea that dwarfs in these sources are set apart from other beings by their difficulty to be defined and generalised, ultimately stemming from their intrinsic nature to be hidden and as the "Other" that stands in contrast with humans. Based on
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2656-527: The Grinkenschmied . These craftsmen can be referred to explicitly as dwarfs or terms that describe their roles such as Swedish : bergsmed ('mountain smith'). Mounds in Denmark can also be referred to by names derived from their inhabitants, such as 'smedsberg' or 'smedshoie' ('smith's hill' or 'smith's mound'). Anglian folklore tells that one can hear a forge from within a mound and feel furnace fires under
2739-738: The Heldenbuch-Prosa , telling him "his kingdom is no longer in this world." Laurin was a very popular text in the Middle Ages. Liechtenstein Castle in South Tyrol was decorated with frescoes based on the poem around 1400. Laurin's influence also extended beyond the German-speaking area. The Walberan manuscript L 1 , for instance, was likely produced by the German colony of merchants at Venice . The poem
2822-466: The Hylestad Stave Church . Dwarf names in Eddic sources include Fullangr ('tall enough') and Hár ('high'); however, the terms are ambiguous and do not necessarily mean the dwarfs were conceived of as tall relative to a human. Some names suggest a small size, such as Nori and Nabbi, which have been translated as "tiny" and "little nub", respectively; however, it has been argued that this
2905-587: The Laurin in the nineteenth century, the story of Dietrich and the dwarf king came to have a special meaning in the then Austrian region of South Tyrol , especially due to the works of travel journalist and saga-researcher Karl Felix Wolff . In 1907, a Laurin fountain was erected in Bozen , showing Dietrich wrestling Laurin to the ground. After South Tyrol became part of Italy, the fountain survived in its original form until 1934, when unidentified persons likely acting under
2988-517: The Laurin is written in the form typical of courtly romance . The manner in which Dietrich sets out to fight Laurin is also very reminiscent of that genre, while the destruction of the garden has parallels to Chrétien de Troyes 's Yvain and Hartmann von Aue 's Iwein . In this context, Dietrich's near refusal to spare Laurin must appear very negative, as must Dietrich and his heroes' newfound respect for Laurin once they discover he has kidnapped Künhilt. Laurin himself indicates that he considers
3071-746: The Rosengarten zu Worms , which may have been inspired by Laurin . The first element of Laurin's name ( Laur ) may be derived from Middle High German lûren , meaning to deceive. Alternatively, it may derive from a root *lawa- or *lauwa- meaning stone, also found in the name Loreley . Laurin is also connected to a legend about Dietrich's death. In the continuation to the Wartburgkrieg known as "Zebulons Buch," Wolfram von Eschenbach sings that Laurin told Dietrich that he only had fifty years to live. Laurin's cousin Sinnels, however, could allow Dietrich to live
3154-504: The Sigtuna amulet I and Canterbury charm that seek to drive away a "lord of þursar " that is causing an infection, the latter explicitly with the help of Thor. A similar inscription dating between the 8th and 11th century is found on a lead plaque discovered near Fakenham in Norfolk , which reads "dead is dwarf" ( Old English : dead is dwerg ), and has been interpreted as another example of
3237-724: The Ynglinga saga describes a dwarf sitting, standing, and speaking, leading to the proposal that at the time of writing, dwarfs were believed to, at least sometimes, have a human-like form. It nonetheless appears to have been recognised as a dwarf; however, that may have been due to its behaviour instead of its physical appearance. In skaldic and Eddic sources, it has been noted that their roles are what define them rather than their physical appearance, which has no significant relevance. Many dwarf names in Eddic sources relate to light and brightness, such as Dellingr ('the gleaming one') and Glóinn ('glowing'). Stories do not explain these names, but it has been theorised that they refer to
3320-545: The folktale retold by the Brothers Grimm . Most dwarfs in modern fantasy fiction closely follow those of J. R. R. Tolkien 's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings , where the dwarves (Tolkien's spelling) were distinguished from elves : most modern fantasy has continued this distinction. Dwarfs are also present in other fantasy literature such as C. S. Lewis 's Narnia stories, Terry Pratchett 's Discworld and
3403-512: The r sound being the product of Verner's Law . Anatoly Liberman connects the Germanic word with Modern English dizzy , suggesting a link between the etymology and their role in inflicting mental diseases on humans, similar to some other supernatural beings in Germanic folklore such as elves . For forms earlier than the Proto-Germanic reconstruction, the etymology of the word dwarf is highly contested. Scholars have proposed theories about
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3486-466: The sons of Ívaldi , and Fjalarr and Galarr . The inscription on the 8th century Ribe skull fragment has been interpreted by some scholars as explicitly referring to a dvergynja ('female-dwarf') that may have been believed to have been causing harm to the user of the fragment. This interpretation is paralleled in Wið Dweorh XCIIIb ( Against a Dwarf XCIIIb), in which a harmful dwarf's sister
3569-619: The Canterbury charm in which an infection is caused by the 'wound-spear' ( Old Norse : sár-þvara ) used by the "lord of þursar". In the case of dwarfs, this association has continued in places into the modern period, such as in the Norwegian words dvergskot or dvergskott which refer to an 'animal disease' and translate literally as 'dwarfshot'. Placenames derived from dwarf or cognate: England Dwarfs feature in modern tellings of folklore such as Walt Disney 's 1937 film based on
3652-657: The Dwarf-Crag", "Thought's Drink of the Rock-Folk", "the Drink of Dvalinn", "the Dwarves' ship" and the "Ale of the Dwarves". John Lindow noted that stanza 10 of the Poetic Edda poem Völuspá can be read as describing the creation of human forms from the earth and follows a catalogue of dwarf names; he suggests that the poem may present Ask and Embla as having been created by dwarfs, with
3735-766: The World War II French Resistance and politician Václav Laurin (1865–1930), Czech engineer, entrepreneur and industrialist Given name [ edit ] Laurin Pepper (born 1931), former Major League Baseball pitcher Laurin Lyman Williams (1895–1975), US Army Lieutenant General Laurin D. Woodworth (1837–1897), American politician Laurin Böhler (born 1995), Austrian Judoka See also [ edit ] Lauren Lauryn [REDACTED] Name list This page or section lists people that share
3818-575: The beginning; in the Walberan version, the humanity and dignity of the dwarf is instead placed in the foreground, causing Dietrich to spare him and suggesting that Dietrich was wrong to attack the rose garden. Except for the Dresdner Laurin, all versions of Laurin are composed in rhyming couplets . The "Dresdner Laurin" is composed in a variation of the "Hildebrandston" known as the "Heunenweise" or "Hunnenweise" (the Hunnish melody), in which there are rhymes at
3901-493: The destruction of his rose garden a breech of law, by which Witege especially is placed in a bad light. The poem can be seen to deal with the senselessness of such knightly adventure. Nevertheless, Laurin's characterization becomes increasingly negative as the poem progresses, although he is never shown to be entirely evil. The various reworkings try to solve some of these ambiguities: in the Dresdner version, Laurin appears evil from
3984-505: The dwarf king Laurin has a rose-garden in the Tyrolian forest. He will fight any challenger who breaks the thread surrounding his rose garden . Dietrich and Witige immediately set off to challenge Laurin; Hildebrand and Dietleib follow secretly behind. Upon seeing the beautiful rose-garden, Dietrich relents and decides that he does not want to harm anything so lovely. Witige, however, says that Laurin's pride must be punished, and not only breaks
4067-416: The dwarf Eugel, who is the son of the dwarf king Nibelung , originator of the Nibelung's treasure. The hero Dietrich von Bern is portrayed in adventures involving dwarfs. In Laurin , he fights against the dwarf King Laurin at the dwarf's magical rose garden. He later rescues a woman whom Laurin had kidnapped. A similar plot occurs in the fragmentary poem Goldemar . In Virginal , Dietrich rescues
4150-402: The dwarf queen Virginal from a force of invading heathens . The dwarfs Eggerich and Baldung play a role in aiding Dietrich in the poem Sigenot : Baldung gives Dietrich a magical gem that prevents him from being bitten when thrown into a snake pit , whereas Eggerich helps Dietrich and Hildebrand escape. In the Heldenbuch-Prosa , a dwarf takes Dietrich out of this world after the death of all
4233-405: The dwarf, and the poem ends with a courtly feast. The " Pressburg version " appears to parody Laurin: Hildebrand tells Dietrich about Laurin during a feast at carnival . Dietrich sets out with Hildebrand, Dietleib, Witege, Siegfried , and Wolfhart, before the text breaks off. The Laurin is transmitted in at least eighteen manuscripts, dating from the fourteenth century until the beginning of
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#17328547999614316-572: The early Old Norse sources, dwarfs are typically described vaguely, with no reference to them being particularly small; in the legendary sagas and later folklore, however, they are often described as short. Norðri, Suðri, Austri and Vestri are four dwarfs, potentially depicted as four anthropomorphic figures on the hogback stone in Heysham in Lancashire , that according to the Prose Edda , each holds up
4399-586: The early 11th century in Sweden . Dwarfs, on the other hand, according to these sources, are asocial, and there are no records of them receiving blóts or other gifts in this period. Dwarfs maintain their roles as reluctant donors of their possessions in some later Old Norse legends such as Volsunga saga and Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks , where they are forced to give up Andvaranaut and Tyrfing respectively. Some legendary and romance sagas diverge from this, with dwarfs acting friendlily and helpfully; however, this
4482-528: The earth, while in Switzerland, the heat can be attributed to the underground kitchens of dwarfs. In one example, the furnace's heat is believed to increase soil fertility. Rather than existing a "true" single nature of a dwarf, they vary in their characteristics, not only across regions and time but also between one another in the same cultural context. Some are capable of changing their form entirely. The scholar Ármann Jakobsson notes that accounts of dwarfs in
4565-530: The etymology of dwarf, it has been proposed that the oldest conception of a dwarf was as exclusively a formless spirit, potentially as in the case of disease-causing dwarfs; however, this view is not seen in the oldest manuscript accounts. In the quotation of Völuspá in the Prose Edda, the dwarfs emerge as beings with human form ( mannlíkun ), while in the Codex Regius manuscript the first two dwarfs created either dwarfs or people with human forms. The prose of
4648-509: The father with treasures. Conversely, in Sigurðar saga þǫgla , the human Hálfdan is cursed after he throws a rock at a dwarf child, breaking its jaw, and is subsequently visited by the child's father in a dream who curses him. Hálfdan's brother later gives the child a gold ring to atone for the harm and is rewarded by the father, once more in a dream. Together, this suggests that dwarfs could be conceived of as loving and protective of their children by
4731-510: The fires in the forges the dwarfs work, or to haugaeldar ('grave mound fires') that are found in later Icelandic folklore. In contrast, Snorri describes dökkálfar (which are typically identified as dwarfs) as "blacker than pitch". Alvíss is described by Thor in Alvíssmál as being as unsuitable for wedding his daughter Þrúðr as he was "pale about the nostrils" and resembled a þurs . In Middle High German heroic poetry, most dwarfs have long beards, but some may appear childish. In
4814-454: The gods rather than dwarfs and that female dwarfs were not conceived of as of great relevance to the gods, given their primary interest in obtaining goods from dwarfs, which does not depend on their gender. Humans, being of lower power and status, cannot control dwarfs as easily and require alternative strategies to obtain treasures from them, potentially explaining why female dwarfs are more prominent in saga literature. Female dwarfs feature in
4897-582: The gods such as Mjölnir , Sif 's hair, Draupnir , Gullinbursti , Skíðblaðnir , Gleipnir and Gungnir , while in Sörla þáttr they craft Brísingamen for Freyja. They further created the Mead of Poetry from the blood of Kvasir , which grants skill in poetry to those who drink from it. According to Skáldskaparmál , due to the role of dwarfs in crafting the drink, poetry can be referred to by kennings such as "the Billow of
4980-468: The ground, while in saga literature, such as Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar they commonly live in individual stones, which could also serve as workshops, such as in the forging of Brísingamen in Sörla þáttr . The presentation of dwarfs living within stones continued into modern folklore surrounding specific landscape features such as the Dwarfie Stane , a chambered tomb located on the island of Hoy , and
5063-419: The hero's sister Künhilt, so that he was now Dietleib's brother-in-law. Dietleib hides the dwarf and prepares to fight Dietrich, but Hildebrand makes peace between them. Dietrich and Laurin are reconciled, and Laurin invites the heroes to his kingdom under the mountain. All are enthusiastic except Witige, who senses treachery. In the mountain they are well received, and Dietleib meets Künhilt. She tells him she
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#17328547999615146-482: The inspiration of the Italian Fascist government, destroyed the fountain as a symbol of German supremacy over Italy. When the fountain was finally rebuilt, conflict ignited over the fountain as a supposed symbol of the Germanic conquest of the original Ladin speaking inhabitants of the area. Into German: Into English: Dwarf (mythology) Dwarfs continue to feature in modern popular culture, such as in
5229-402: The kidnapping. The two heroes set off, encountering a wild man who has been banished by Laurin. The wild man tells Hildebrand about Laurin and his rose garden, after which the heroes go to Bern. There follows the story as told in the older version. At the end, however, it is added that Dietrich accompanies Dietleib and his sister to Styria , where they stay with Dietleib's father Biterolf. In
5312-619: The late Gibbons saga , Bósa saga and Þjalar-Jóns saga , where they are referred to by the term " dyrgja ". In these cases, female dwarfs are only mentioned alongside males and are not independently important to the plot. Beyond Svama, the named dyrgja in Þjalar-Jóns saga, the only other explicitly named dwarf woman in saga literature is the daughter of Sindri in Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar , Herríðr. In saga material, dwarf children are also seen. In Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar and Egils saga einhenda ok Ásmundar berserkjabana , central characters help these children and are rewarded in return by
5395-418: The mountain. Once the heroes have returned to Bern, Künhilt begs Dietrich to treat Laurin well, as he has treated her well, and to convert him to Christianity. She is married to an unnamed noble and disappears from the story. Sintram, however, is disloyal, and sends for help from other dwarfs. Laurin's relative Walberan assembles a large army and declares war on Dietrich. Laurin tells Walberan's messengers that he
5478-415: The older Vulgate version : Younger vulgate version : It is also found in several printings. The Younger vulgate version b (a metrical and stylistic reworking) is found in various printings after 1555. The "Walberan" version : The Dresdner Laurin : The Pressburger Laurin : The choice to compose the poem in rhyming couplets rather than the stanzaic form typical for German heroic poetry means that
5561-688: The origins of the being by way of historical linguistics and comparative mythology , including the idea that dwarfs may have originated as nature spirits, as beings associated with death, or as a mixture of concepts. Competing etymologies include a basis in the Indo-European root * dheur- (meaning "damage"), the Indo-European root * dhreugh (whence, for example, modern English "dream" and German Trug "deception"), and scholars have made comparisons with Sanskrit dhvaras (a type of "demonic being"). Modern English has two plurals for
5644-578: The other heroes, a role given to Laurin in some different versions of Dietrich's end. Dwarfs feature in the modern folklore of Germanic-speaking regions of Europe, such as the Simonside Dwarfs in Northumberland , who are sometimes believed to use lights to lure people off paths, akin to a will-o'-the-wisp . Some dwarfs in modern folklore have been argued to belong to a broader group of smith-beings living within hollow mountains or in caves such as
5727-548: The rose garden is the source of the morning-glow on the Alps, localized at the Rosengarten group . Heinzle, however, while not dismissing this theory entirely, believes that, since this story is only attested from the 17th century onward, it is more likely to have been influenced by the text than the other way around. Others have attempted to connect the rose garden to a cult of the dead , which Heinzle dismisses entirely. A rose garden also plays an important role in another Dietrich poem,
5810-438: The saga authors. In Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar, this family love is extended to the human Hálfdan who develops a fostering relation with the dwarf Litr, likely with Hálfdan as the foster son. In German heroic legend, male dwarfs are often portrayed as lusting after human women. In contrast, female dwarfs seek to possess the male hero in the legends. In Eddic sources dwarfs are attributed with creating magical treasures for
5893-421: The same given name or the same family name . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Laurin&oldid=1204665535 " Categories : Given names Surnames Masculine given names Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description
5976-426: The same at the time of the writing of the Prose Edda. The partial overlap of dwarfs in Eddic sources with elves is supported by the names of dwarfs recorded in the Dvergatal section of Völuspá , which include Álfr ('Elf'), Gandálfr ('Wand-elf'), Vindálf ('Wind-elf'). Dvergatal further lists Yngvi – a name of the god Freyr who was given Álfheimr , the home of the elves, to rule according to Grímnismál . After
6059-447: The sixteenth century, and in eleven printings dating from 1479 to 1590. The text was first composed some time before 1300; Heinzle suggests it may have been composed before 1230, as it appears that Albrecht von Kemenaten may have known it when he composed his own poem about Dietrich and a dwarf king, Goldemar. The poem may have been composed in Tyrol . Victor Millet does not believe that it
6142-409: The so-called "Walberan" version , Laurin surrenders to Dietrich during their battle in the mountain. As Wolfhart and Witege prepare to slaughter all the inhabitants of the mountain, Laurin begs for mercy. Dietrich initially refuses, but Künhilt, Hildebrand, and Dietleib convince him to stop the killing. Laurin is taken as a prisoner to Bern, while the dwarf Sintram becomes Dietrich's vassal in command of
6225-411: The stones that light the mountain and releases Dietleib. They then deliver weapons to the other heroes, and they begin a slaughter of all the dwarves in the mountain. In the end Laurin is taken as a jester back to Bern ( Verona ). In the " younger Vulgate version ", the story of how Laurin kidnapped Dietleib's sister is told: he used a cloak of invisibility. Dietleib then goes to Hildebrand and reports
6308-490: The tale (the so-called elder Vulgate version ( ältere Vulgatversion ), which the "Dresdner version" follows closely, begins with a conversation between Witige and Hildebrand . Witige says that Dietrich is the greatest hero of all time; Hildebrand objects that Dietrich has never experienced a twergenâventiure ( dwarf -adventure). At that point Dietrich walks in and is very angered by Hildebrand's private criticism. Hildebrand tells Dietrich where he can find such an adventure:
6391-475: The thread, but tramples the entire rose garden. Almost immediately the dwarf Laurin, armed so wonderfully that Witige mistakes him for Michael the Archangel , appears, and demands the left foot and right hand of Witige as punishment for the destruction of the garden. He fights and defeats Witige, but Dietrich then decides that he cannot allow his vassal to lose his limbs, and fights Laurin himself. Initially, Dietrich
6474-502: The three gods then giving them life. In Eddic and some saga sources, rather than being exchanged, items of value move from dwarfs to others, often through extortion. This has been suggested to be a critical differentiator between dwarfs and elves in pre-Christian Germanic religion , who maintain reciprocal and positive relationships with gods and humans; Kormaks saga describes how food was to be shared with elves to heal sickness and Austrfararvísur records an álfablót being held around
6557-437: The word dwarf : dwarfs and dwarves . Dwarfs remains the most commonly employed plural. The minority plural dwarves was recorded as early as 1818. However, it was later popularized by the fiction of philologist and legendarium author J. R. R. Tolkien , originating as a hypercorrective mistake. It was employed by Tolkien for some time before 1917. Regarding his use of this plural, Tolkien wrote in 1937, "I am afraid it
6640-598: The works of J. R. R. Tolkien and Terry Pratchett , where they are often, but not exclusively, presented as distinct from elves . The modern English noun dwarf descends from Old English : dweorg . It has a variety of cognates in other Germanic languages , including Old Norse : dvergr and Old High German : twerg . According to Vladimir Orel , the English noun and its cognates ultimately descend from Proto-Germanic * dwergaz . A different etymology of dwarf traces it to Proto-Germanic * dwezgaz , with
6723-641: Was not necessarily the general rule. Not all late sagas involving dwarfs describe their size, but all that do describe them as short. In some German stories, the dwarf takes on the attributes of a knight but is most clearly separated from normal humans by his small size, in some cases only reaching up to the knees. Despite their small size, dwarfs in these contexts typically have superhuman strength, either by nature or through magical means. Anatoly Liberman suggests that dwarfs may have been initially thought of as lesser supernatural beings, which became literal smallness after Christianisation. Diversity in appearance
6806-555: Was one of the most popular legends about Dietrich. Beginning in the fifteenth century, it was printed both as part of the compendium of heroic poems known as the Heldenbuch and independently, and continued to be printed until around 1600. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, a variant of the poem was reimagined as a folk saga and became part of South Tyrolean popular folklore. The Laurin exists in several versions (see "Transmission, versions, and dating" below). The oldest version of
6889-517: Was translated into Czech in 1472, Danish around 1500, and printed in Middle Low German in 1560. The parallels to Walberan in Zebulons Buch discussed above also show an earlier reception of the poem in the thirteenth century. The Jüngere Vulgatfassung continued to be printed in the early modern period, both as part of the printed Heldenbuch and separately. Through the rediscovery of
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