Bearded Female Dwarves: The Latest Word

[Col_Pladoh]

...The dwarves guard their females jealously from the eyes of other races, because they are so darned pretty.

Pure flummery!

If one finds tree stumps pretty, then I am sure female dwarves, with their beards, are gorgeous. Otherwise, they look so much like male dwarves that only the latter gender is able to distinguish them from his fellow males.

In certainty,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Dwarven (and other short Demi-human) Nicknames

Males:
Crouch
Half-pint
Knee-high
Runty
Sawed-off
Shorty
Stubby
Stumpy
Whiskers (Dwarves only)

Females:
Bitsy
Low Pockets
Midge
Mite
Whiskers (Dwarves only)

 

[Mystery Man]

No wonder they are a dying race...

Is it really any surprise there are no half-dwarves?

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Agreed. It could be said that parts of the books plot are driven by dwarven gender dynamics. Which is pretty darn unique in fantasy literature.

As for Tolkien, I'm not so sure his dwarven women had beards. He definitely says that dwarven women conceal themselves, looking like dwarven men, when they travel. But does he ever definitively say that all dwarven men have beards?

The Auld Grump, who outright stole Pratchett's dwarfs... Fifth Elephant was such a wondrful look into their culture.

 

[radferth]

I think the eroneous view of beardless female dwarves come when the 3rd ed. folks decided that the females of all races had to be appealing to human males. Thus female dwarves were shaved and female gnomes and halflings slimmed down quite a bit. It's sad to see demi-humans sell out like that, but we see what the authorities have to say on the matter.

 

[Savage Wombat]

WAIT A MINUTE!

There's an important issue here - does this mean that the famed Col. Pladoh is only now just getting around to reading The Fifth Elephant? Has he really been missing out on the Discworld up until recently?

I demand an investigation!

 

[Col_Pladoh]

WAIT A MINUTE!

There's an important issue here - does this mean that the famed Col. Pladoh is only now just getting around to reading The Fifth Elephant? Has he really been missing out on the Discworld up until recently?

I demand an investigation!

Nay!

I have been a fan of Rincewind the Wizzard for many years. There is even magical baggage added in the LA game's Extraordinary Items lists in the upermost Grades. I am just re-reading the book as a break from crime fiction. (Nero Wolfe is my role model...)

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Wystan]

How do you feel about Piers Anthony? I think Zanth could be a wonderful adventure for unprepared characters.

Sort of like Alice in Dungeonland sort of thing.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

How do you feel about Piers Anthony? I think Zanth could be a wonderful adventure for unprepared characters.

Sort of like Alice in Dungeonland sort of thing.

Well...

I am not a big fan of the Zanth novels, but I really enjoyed the first four of the Split Infinity books.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Savage Wombat]

Whew. My world was in danger of being turned upside down for a minute there.

Incidentally, I hear "Science of Discworld III" will be out in the US this Monday.