Dwarfs in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels are similar to the Dwarves of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, which they largely started out as a homage to, and dwarfs/dwarves in other fantasy novels. In other words; short, stocky, bearded metal-workers, generally seen wearing armour and brandishing axes. However, they have many unique qualities. Terence David John Pratchett OBE (born April 28, 1948, in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England[1]) is an English fantasy author, best known for his Discworld series. ... // This article is about the novels. ... In J. R. R. Tolkiens fictional universe of Middle-earth, Dwarves are beings of short stature who all possess beards and are often friendly with Hobbits, although long suspicious of Elves. ... J. R. R. Tolkien in 1916. ... A map of the Northwestern part of Middle-earth at the end of the Third Age, courtesy of the Encyclopedia of Arda. ... Men hur kommer man in i berget, frågade tomtepojken (But how do I get into the mountain? the young dwarf asked. ...

(As the above indicates, incidentally, Pratchett uses the plural "dwarfs", not Tolkien's "dwarves", and "dwarfish" instead of "dwarven".)

Dwarfs originate from the Ramtops and Überwald, but many have moved down to the Sto Plains (Ankh-Morpork is now the largest dwarfish colony on the Disc outside of Überwald). The Ramtops are a fictional mountain range appearing in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. ... In Terry Pratchetts fictional Discworld universe, Ãœberwald is a region located in near the foot of the Ramtops, farther from Ankh-Morpork than Lancre is. ... In Terry Pratchetts Discworld, Sto Plains is a rich country, full of silt and cabbage fields. ... Ankh-Morpork is a fictional city-state which prominently features in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series of fantasy novels. ...

Biology and psychology

Dwarfs are shorter and wider than humans, nearly always bearded (with the exception of Count Casanunda and Mad in XXXX), and live to about 300. Despite this, the dividing line between dwarfs and humans seems somewhat blurred, and Pratchett has hinted that humans and dwarfs can interbreed; for example, Nanny Ogg's thick skull is put down to dwarfish ancestry. Dwarfs see their dwarfishness as a matter of culture, rather than genetics or height. Hence, Captain Carrot Ironfoundersson is accepted as a dwarf, despite being a six-foot tall human. This article contains brief biographies for characters from Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. ... Gytha Ogg (usually called Nanny Ogg) is a character from Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. ... Carrot Ironfoundersson is a corporal in, and later captain of, the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, of Terry Pratchetts Discworld novels. ...

As Tolkien implied of his dwarves, Discworld dwarfs of both sexes have beards. However, while Tolkien stated that female dwarves are rare, and disguise themselves as male when they must travel, female Discworld dwarfs are common, but are traditionally indistinguishable from males at all times. Dwarfs prefer not to spend much time on the subject; the dwarfish language has a gender neutral pronoun, usually rendered as "he" when speaking human languages. Dwarfish courtship is an incredibly tactful affair, primarily concerned with finding out which gender the other dwarf is. Despite the awkwardness that comes of this, it is traditionally considered rude to discuss female dwarfs (let alone the possibility of female dwarfs!) in conversation. This article or section may need to be cleaned up and rewritten because it describes a work of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. ...

Most dwarfs are intensely literal-minded, even by Discworld standards, and have absolutely no sense of metaphor or allusion. There are exceptions; the greatest playwright on the Discworld is a dwarf named Hwel. Despite their mistrust of outright metaphor, the dwarfs do have a deep love of word association, as long as such associations are direct. For instance, their word for "smelter" is also their word for a police investigator, since the two are said to be performing the same task, separating out the dross to uncover the pure truth beneath. The senior advisor to the Low King is called an "ideas taster," and in their language, if someone "sees the light", he has been blinded by the morals of surface society. In language, a metaphor (from the Greek: metapherin rhetorical trope) is defined as a direct comparison between two or more seemingly unrelated subjects. ... Allusion is a stylistic device or trope, in which one refers covertly or indirectly Hollys Face. ...

Their scientific or species name (in Latatian) is Hortus decorus (i.e. "Lawn ornament"). This article details minor Discworld concepts: concepts and ideas from the fictional Discworld series by Terry Pratchett which only appear in the background, or are not well fleshed out. ...

Culture and society

Dwarfs tend to be miners. They have a natural fascination with minerals (especially iron and gold) and feel more comfortable underground. Their mining has led to a longstanding enmity with trolls, who are made of rock, and have a tendency to remain motionless for long periods. The most famous troll/dwarf fight was the Battle of Koom Valley, in which both sides are traditionally said to have ambushed the other, on several occasions. Each time shouting "Remember Koom Valley!". The dwarfish board game of Thud commemorates this/these battle(s). The full history of the battle is revealed in Thud!. This article is about mineral extraction. ... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Atomic mass 55. ... General Name, Symbol, Number gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 6, d Appearance metallic yellow Atomic mass 196. ... Trolls in Terry Pratchetts Discworld novels, unlike the monstrous trolls of folklore and J.R.R. Tolkien, have been subverted into a moderately civilised race. ... This article details minor Discworld concepts: concepts and ideas from the Discworld of novels by Terry Pratchett which only appear in the background, or are not well fleshed out. ... A board game is a game played with counters or pieces that are placed on, removed from, or moved across a board (a premarked surface, usually specific to that game). ... Thud is a board game devised by Trevor Truran and first published in 2002, inspired by the Discworld novels of Terry Pratchett. ... Thud! is Terry Pratchetts 34th Discworld novel, released in the United States of America and the United Kingdom on September 13, and it may have been released already in other countries, such as Norway [1] and Denmark. ...

A dwarfish community is run by a dezka-knik or chief mining engineer, a title usually loosely translated into Morporkian as "king". All dwarfs owe allegiance to the Low King, (a parody of High King) who is selected by council in the Überwald dwarf city of Schmaltzberg. The current Low King is Rhys Rhysson, son of a small coal-mining clan in Llamedos. He got the job largely because he wasn't from a significant Ramtop or Überwald family (see below). The Low King acts as a final court of appeal in disputes. A high king is a king who holds a position of seniority over a group of other kings. ... Llamedos is a fictitious country in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series, mentioned most prominently in Soul Music. ...

The primary weapon other than bread products (see below) in dwarf culture is the axe, which is often used even when the frequently confined spaces of underground tunnels make them impractical. A traditional dwarfish axe is multifunctional; one side is a pickaxe used for prospecting, and the other side is a battleaxe used if anyone tries to stop you. Axes are so important culturally that dwarfish Ankh-Morpork City Watch members are allowed to use them instead of the regulation swords, and both male and female dwarfs typically carry a (decorative) axe to social functions. Cheery Littlebottom's attempts to feminise this tradition have not been met with great success, at least by human standards. Axe The axe[1] is an ancient and ubiquitous tool that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, harvest timber, as a weapon and a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. ... Pickaxe on the ground A pickaxe is a tool with a hard head attached perpendicular to the handle, similar to a pick. ... For other uses, see Axe (disambiguation). ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... This article details minor Discworld characters; characters from the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett who only appear in the background, or who have only had a brief starring role. ...

There is a tendency among dwarfs, who in their native mines are often soft-spoken, filial and respectful, to suddenly transform into beer-swilling, brawling, axe-waving cliches when they go abroad. Some dwarfs attempt to project greater machismo by carrying more and larger axes, and wearing heavier and more elaborate armour than standard. This is known as "clang" (a play on bling). Bling Bling is a 1999 hit hip-hop song by The B.G., featuring his Cash Money labelmates Juvenile, Lil Wayne, Turk, Baby, and Mannie Fresh. ...

When dwarfs are married, it is customary for the debts to their parents (consisting of all the money spent on them before they married, such as for food and lodgings) to be paid off by their partner. However, it is then common for the new couple's parents to turn around and present them with a wedding gift even larger than the debt, so this may be seen as ceremonial.

Religion

Dwarfish society has no religion, but does have gods "just in case". Their creator god, called Tak, is believed by the dwarfs to have fashioned the three races of the Discworld, Dwarf, Human and Troll, from a geode. Tak is said to have "written the Laws," and "written the world", in that order (in a similar vein to Jewish theology). For this reason Dwarfs place a very high value on words and writing, and the destruction of a word (such as say, erasing a blackboard) is seen as a reprehensible crime by more conservative dwarfs. Despite this, Tak is not worshipped; he left after creating the world and demands little from his believers. As Grag Bashfullsson says in Thud!, "Tak does not require that we think of Him, only that we think." Further details of these gods are not known, with the exception of the trickster, Agi Hammerthief. Dwarfs do not believe in demons or similar either, but traditionally bury their dead with good weapons in case the demons don't know about the fact. Tak may refer to: Tak Province, a northern province in Thailand Tak (town), the capital of Tak Province in Thailand Tak district, the district around the town Tak (rapper), a rapper and member of Styles of Beyond Tak (function), a recursive mathematical function Tak and the Power of Juju, Tak... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... Thud! is Terry Pratchetts 34th Discworld novel, released in the United States of America and the United Kingdom on September 13, and it may have been released already in other countries, such as Norway [1] and Denmark. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section can be improved by converting lengthy lists to text. ...

In place of demons, they do have several dozen different words for "dark", many of which are highly mystical and dangerous, such as the "closing dark," the "calling dark" and the "waiting dark" (the dark that waits to fill new holes). Worst of all is the "Summoning dark", which is said to have a mind of its own and to seek out and corrupt certain victims susceptible to it.

In the past, a significant part of dwarfish culture was the "Knockerman", who went into mines ahead of the other dwarfs to check for firedamp. The Knockermen wore leather armour, designed to be shock-absorbing, and conical leather hats. The ones who returned were respected for their bravery, and told stories of hearing the hammering of dead dwarfs trying to tunnel back into the world and Great A'Tuin's heartbeat. They became advisors and lawmakers. If dwarfs had a religion they would have been considered priests. It is possible that these are the "grags" (renowned masters of Dwarvish lore) mentioned in Thud!, though they would be more akin to rabbis or imams than priests. Firedamp is a flammable gas found in coal mines. ... Thud! is Terry Pratchetts 34th Discworld novel, released in the United States of America and the United Kingdom on September 13, and it may have been released already in other countries, such as Norway [1] and Denmark. ... For the town in Italy, see Rabbi, Italy Rabbi (Sephardic Hebrew רִבִּי ribbī; Ashkenazi Hebrew רֶבִּי rebbī or rebbə; and modern Israeli רַבִּי rabbī) in Judaism, means teacher, or more literally great one. The word Rabbi is derived from the Hebrew root-word RaV, which in biblical Hebrew means great or distinguished (in... Imam (Arabic: إمام ,Persian: امام ) is an Arabic word meaning leader. ...

This fell out of practice in the Ramtops when a dwarf in Ankh-Morpork invented the Davy lamp. The Überwald dwarfs, however, felt the Knockermen were too important to be replaced by a device, and this caused something of a rift between the two groups. Many traditionalist Überwald dwarfs now refuse to come to the surface at all and, if they must, wear the Knockerman's outfit to protect themselves from the sun. They are called drudak'ak, which translates as "they don't get out in the fresh air enough". In Morporkian they are called "deep-downers" Davy lamp The Davy lamp is a candle containing safety lamp devised in 1815 by Humphry Davy. ...

Feminisation

Another recent development is the trend for young dwarfs in Ankh-Morpork and elsewhere to be openly female. This trend seems to have been started by Cheery Littlebottom, a member of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, who was surprised at the way human females distinguished themselves from males. The trend seems to have been picked up in the Ramtops (where some dwarfs already had names like Gloria Thogsdaughter), but is something else found offensive by Überwald traditionalists. Since, historically, the "typical" dwarf was not actually assumed to be male (it was more the question being deemed irrelevant) this is a curious reaction, except inasmuch as the disapproval is of dwarfs not (in the drudak'ak's opinion) acting like dwarfs. This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...

It is not yet known what the effect has been on dwarfish society of certain strong hints by Low King Rhys that he is, in fact, Low Queen Rhys, and may be getting a dressmaker.

Cuisine

Bread is also a significant part of dwarf culture throughout the Disc. Dwarf bread is like hardtack, only more so. It will enable you to survive for days (by making you realise you are surrounded by things that look more edible) and never goes stale, possibly because it was always stale. Its primary use is as a weapon (although it is also used as a kind of currency), and it is made in many different types. These include boomerang biscuits, drop scones and close-combat crumpets. Reportedly the process of "forging" a loaf of dwarf bread includes gravel as part of the recipe, and kitty litter is apparently a preferred seasoning. (It is a parody of cram and waybread.) The Low King sits on an (apparently) ancient loaf of dwarf bread called the Scone of Stone (a parody of the Stone of Scone). Hardtack (also hard tack) is a simple type of cracker or biscuit, made from flour, water, and salt. ... Categories: Animal stubs | Cats as pets ... Parody of Back to the Future In contemporary usage, a parody is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke some affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ... In J. R. R. Tolkiens Middle-earth legendarium, Cram was a biscuit-like food made by the Men of Esgaroth and Dale, which they shared with the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain. ... In J. R. R. Tolkiens fictional world, Middle-earth, lembas, also called waybread in the Common Speech, is a special food made by the Elves. ... Parody of Back to the Future In contemporary usage, a parody is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke some affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ... The Stone of Scone, (pronounced scoon) also commonly known as the Stone of Destiny or the Coronation Stone (though the former name sometimes refers to Lia Fáil) is a block of sandstone historically kept at the now-ruined abbey in Scone, near Perth, Scotland. ...

Besides dwarf bread, dwarfish cuisine consists largely of things found underground, such as fungi, rodents and bits of rock. Rat is a staple of the dwarf diet, provided it's completely covered in ketchup or a similar sauce to hide the taste. Ankh-Morpork's rich abundance of rats is one of its main selling points to potential dwarf immigrants. Divisions Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota The Fungi (singular: fungus) are a large group of organisms ranked as a kingdom within the Domain Eukaryota. ... Suborders Sciuromorpha Castorimorpha Myomorpha Anomaluromorpha Hystricomorpha Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents. ... Species 50 species; see text *Several subfamilies of Muroids include animals called rats. ... A bottle of Heinz Organic Ketchup Ketchup (or less commonly catsup) also known as Red Sauce or Tomato Sauce is a popular condiment, usually made with ripened tomatoes. ... Ankh-Morpork is a fictional city-state which prominently features in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series of fantasy novels. ...

Language

The language of Discworld Dwarfs (Kad'k) bears a superficial resemblance to Khuzdul, in that it has a lot of guttural k's and z's. It is not spoken much in front of humans (the drudak'ak often speak nothing else, but avoid speaking to humans). Dwarfs who speak Morporkian invariably translate any meaningful parts of their name when doing so. Khuzdul is the fictional language of the Dwarves in J. R. R. Tolkiens Middle-earth, written with Cirth script. ...

Kad'k is famed for having no words for rock. It has hundreds of words describing different kinds of rock, but not a single word that simply means "rock", much like the Inuit language supposedly has many words for different kinds of snow (in fact a fallacy, see here). "Show a dwarf a rock and he sees, for example, an inferior piece of crystalline sulphite of barytes." (Witches Abroad) The rocky side of a mountain creek near Orosí, Costa Rica. ... The language of the Inuit people is traditionally spoken across the North American Arctic and to some extent in the subarctic in Labrador. ... It is a popular urban legend that the Inuit or Eskimo have an unusually high number of words for snow. ... Quartz crystal In chemistry and mineralogy, a crystal is a solid in which the constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are packed in a regularly ordered, repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. ... Sulfites are sulfur-based compounds often used as preservatives in wines (to prevent spoilage and oxidation,) dried fruits, and dried potato products. ... Baryte with Cerussite from Morocco Baryte with Galena and Hematite from Poland Barite (BaSO4) is a mineral consisting of barium sulfate. ... Witches Abroad is a Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, originally published in 1991. ...

Known words and phrases, besides those mentioned above, include:

• AaDb'thuk - "Okay" (literally, "All correctly beamed and propped")

• Bura'zak-ka- "Town hall"

• 'Bad'dhakz- "Yeast bowl"

• B'tduz - A game in which two dwarfs stand a few feet apart and throw rocks at each others' heads.

• B'zugda-hiara- "lawn ornament"; a deadly insult, unless used by a very close friend (Wyrd Sisters).

• D'hrarak- "Not dwarfs", refers to dwarfs who have been cast out of dwarfish culture

• Dr'zka - "Not really a dwarf", refers to dwarfs who do not obey all dwarfish traditions, but are not quite d'hrarak.

• G'daraka- "Fresh" is a loose translation. Dwarfs who have just married and have had their debts paid off are said to be in a state of G'daraka. This means they are "free, unencumbered, new dwarfs."

• Gr'duzk- "Good day"

• Ha'ak- Exact translation unknown, but it is an offensive term for an openly female dwarf.

• Jar'ahk'haga- Literally "ideas taster", the senior advisor to the Low King

• K'ez'rek d'b'duz'- "Go around the other side of the mountain", according to Nanny Ogg. A name for Granny Weatherwax.

• Kruk- "Law". The kruk is mostly about mining rights, but covers all aspects of dwarfish culture.

• Kzad-bhat - "Headbanger"; Carrot's dwarfish name.

• Sh'rt'azs- A family name, translated as "Littlebottom".

• T'dr'duzk b'hzg t't- "Today is a good day for someone else to die." The famous well-thought-out dwarfish battle-cry. After being declared somebody HAS to die.

• Zadkrdga - "Smelter". Also, as explained above, "investigator".

The (admittedly small) lexicon of Dwarfish words reveals only 15 letters: a, b, d, e, g, h, i, j, k, n, r, s, t, u, and z. The capital "D" in AaDb'thuk may be a separate letter, or it may simply be a differently inflected "d." It has been suggested that Yeast (baking) be merged into this article or section. ... Wyrd Sisters is Terry Pratchetts sixth Discworld novel, published in 1988, and re-introduces Granny Weatherwax of Equal Rites. ... Gytha Ogg (usually called Nanny Ogg) is a character from Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. ... Esmerelda Esme Weatherwax (usually called Granny Weatherwax) is a character from Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. ... Carrot Ironfoundersson is a corporal in, and later captain of, the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, of Terry Pratchetts Discworld novels. ...

The word Hnaflbaflwhiflsnifltafl (a predecessor to the game of Thud) could be a Dwarfish word, but since it is obviously derived from the Scandinavian "Hnefatafl", and since it contains a number of letters (f, l, w) not found in any Dwarfish words and lacks any of the diacritics one would expect in a Dwarfish word that long, it is probably of human, rather than Dwarfish origin. Thud is a board game devised by Trevor Truran and first published in 2002, inspired by the Discworld novels of Terry Pratchett. ... Scandinavian can mean: a resident of, or anything relating to Scandinavia any North Germanic language a chess opening, Scandinavian Defense the aviation corpotation Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Tafl games are a family of ancient Germanic board games played on a checkered board with two teams of uneven strength. ... A diacritical mark or diacritic, sometimes called an accent mark, is a mark added to a letter to alter a words pronunciation (i. ...

The enclitic -ak or -'ak appears to mean "not," and generally to indicate the opposite of something. In linguistics, a clitic is a morpheme that functions syntactically like a word, but does not appear as an independent phonological word; instead it is always attached to a following or preceding word. ...

Names

Dwarfish last names are, as mentioned above, usually translated into when speaking other languages. Knowing what the name means is part of knowing who the dwarf is. They can be descriptive clan-names (Littlebottom, Rocksmacker) or patronymics (Albrechtson), although these can be based on relations other than the father (Snoriscousin) and even get recursive (Glodssonssonsson). A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the name of ones father. ... A Sierpinski triangle —a confined recursion of triangles to form a geometric lattice. ...

Dwarfish first names are usually either the same as humans of the region (Rhys, Bjorn, Gloria), mono- or duo-syllables reminiscent (to a greater or lesser extent) of Tolkien's dwarf names (Glod, Gimlet, Timkin, Hwel), or emotional descriptors (which, like the surnames, are translated) (Cheery, Nosy, Dozy). (The last is based on the dwarf names in Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs). Glod may refer to: Another name for Fornjót, a giant in Norse myth. ... Walter Elias Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966), was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, visionary, and philanthropist. ... Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the first animated feature in the Disney animated features canon. ...

Minesign

While dwarfs are noted for gossip, they can also be taciturn even amongst themselves. "Minesign" is how they convey their feelings to other dwarfs. Minesigns can be scratched or drawn on any available surface, and generally refer to the different kinds of dark referred to above.

The basic minesign is the Long Dark, which merely announces the presence of a mine. It is a circle with a single horizontal line through it. (This resembles the logo of London Transport, which was originally the symbol for the London Underground.) Founded in 1933 by an act of Parliament under Transport Minister Herbert Stanley Morrison, The London Passenger Transport Board generally known London Transport was A public authority appointed under act of Parliament, charged with responsibility for providing an adequate and properly co-ordinated system of passenger transport (Buses including Green... The London Underground is an all electric railway system that covers much of the conurbation of Greater London and some neighbouring areas. ...

The minesign for the Summoning Dark is one small circle enclosed by a larger circle with a tail - or an "eyeball with a tail". Enscribing it is a curse that brings the Summoning Dark down on the area. Once it is awakened, the minesign reccurs in its surroundings, seemingly by coincidence. It is very dangerous to leave any of these in the dark.