Dwarfs live deep under the ground in mines, or in the hearts of mountains. They dig for gold and precious stones, and some of them are very rich. They usually look like grave old men, with grey, flowing beards and hunched backs. They are much shorter than humans – some may be only 18 inches high, while the taller ones are usually the height of a two year old child.

Mountain dwarfs live in huge underground halls, full of glittering jewels and piles of gold. They have their own kings and kingdoms, chieftains and tribes. They are skilled in the working of all kinds of metals, and in the forging of magical rings and swords. J.R.R Tolkien writes about mountain dwarfs in The Hobbit and again in his trilogy The Lord of the Rings. (Tolkien spelt the plural ‘dwarves’, instead of ‘dwarfs, first by accident, then intentionally.)

Dwarfs form an important part of the folklore of Germany and Scandinavia. In these countries, they are considered friendly beings, though they sometimes steal grain and carry away children and young girls. Those who help dwarfs often get repaid with treasure from their hoard. But those who steal their treasure have bad luck, or find that the stolen gold has turned into worthless dry leaves. In Switzerland, dwarfs help farmers in their work, find lost animals, and put out firewood and fruit for poor children to find. Dwarfs are also believed to be very wise: they can foresee the future, change their shape, and make themselves invisible.

Dwarfs who live in mines are usually less friendly or helpful than mountain dwarfs. They can be mean and spiteful, and miners are always careful to keep them happy by leaving them gifts of food.

Le Naine jaune or The Yellow Dwarf is a fairy story written by Mme d’Aulnoy, first published in 1698, in French. It had been translated into English by 1721. In the story, Princess All-Fair agrees to marry the Yellow Dwarf in order to save herself from the lions guarding the Desart Fairy. But she does not intend to keep her promise, and decides to marry the King of the Golden Mines instead. At the wedding of All-Fair and the King, the Desart Fairy appears, reminding All-Fair of her promise, and declaring that such an insult to the fairies would not be tolerated. The Yellow Dwarf appears and carries off All-Fair. The King of the Golden Mines tries to rescue her with the help of a mermaid. At the very last moment, the Yellow Dwarf overpowers him, and he is killed. All-Fair dies as well. The mermaid then transforms them into a pair of palm trees growing side by side.

The well-known fairy tale, Snow White, was first collected and written down by the Brothers Grimm. In the story, Snow White, a princess, is banished to the forest by her wicked stepmother, who is jealous of Snow White’s great beauty. Alone in the forest Snow White finds the cottage of the Seven Dwarfs. She offers to keep house for them in return for shelter. But the wicked queen finds her and tries to kill her. Twice the dwarfs manage to save her. The third time the wicked queen makes Snow White bite into a poisoned apple, which sticks in her throat. Snow White falls down, apparently dead. When the Dwarfs cannot revive her, they place her in a glass coffin. A Prince comes riding by, and is so struck by her beauty that he begs the Dwarfs to let him carry her away. The Dwarfs reluctantly agree and the Prince has the coffin is carried away on the shoulders of his servants. But the servants stumble, and the piece of poisoned apple falls from her lips, and Snow White comes back to life. The Prince and Snow White live happily ever after. The wicked stepmother dies of envy.

The dwarfs in Snow White are good and helpful, but in  Snow-White and Rose-Red, another fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, dwarfs are nasty and vicious beings. The dwarf in the tale steals the prince’s treasure and turns him into a bear, and only his death breaks the evil spell.

In 1937, Walt Disney turned Snow White into an animated cartoon film of the same name; it was, in fact the first full-length animated film by Walt Disney Productions. In the film the dwarfs have been given names, and distinct personalities to match those names – Doc, Happy, Sleepy, Grumpy, Sneezy, Bashful and Dopey. The film has remained extremely popular, so much so that most people today visualise dwarfs as Disney portrayed them: round, funny little men in pointed hats.