Songs of the Dwarves

Dwarves are a race apart: tough as stone; skilled in mining, building, and smithing; eager for gold and gems; intensely tribal; and always ready to fight to protect their own. They are taciturn and secretive race, with little disposition to love the race of men, and contented for the most part to confine themselves to trade and otherwise keeping themselves to themselves. In western literature, the histories of the dwarves are rooted in the old Germanic tales and epic poems: especially the Eddas and the Nibelungenlied. What details are provided are always somewhat sparse and fragmentary, yet it from such wonderful narratives as these that our present-day fantasy stories of the dwarves and dwarven-culture spring from. This collection of verse celebrates the dwarves themselves: their arts, culture, and way of life. It owes much to the many authors of modern fantasy who have taken upon themselves to flesh out descriptions of dwarf society from its medieval beginnings. But all stories must begin somewhere: and the dwarves have come a long way since the creation myths of the Eddas. Enjoy!