Dwarves + axes... why?

[General Barron]

Apologies if this is the wrong place to post. And apologies if this is a totally useless question, but has been bugging me quite a bit recently:

Why the association between dwarves and axes?

Meaning, why is it assumed that dwarves fight primarily with axes, or sometimes war hammers? I would think that races used to fighting in underground caves would use small thrusting weapons, such as short swords and short spears, as opposed to weapons that are exclusively swinging weapons. Even if some tunnels were fantastically large, the majority of underground tunnels would have to be fairly small; severly restricting the amount of room one has to swing a weapon all around.

And anyways, aren't war axes derived from the woodcutting tool? A task that I would think dwarves wouldn't have much experience with...

I'm guessing that the whole thing is just some arbitrary stylistic descision that dwarves look fierce with a more 'barbarian'-like weapon. Or can someone give me a plausible reason of why the axe would be a good weapon for such a race to use?

 

[DragonSword]

Because Dwarves and Axes are just soo damn cool together! Why Dwarves and Hammers? I guess they're just fantasy cliches that have grown up over the years.

I'm thinking maybe someone should move this over to the Gen Discussion forum.

 

[Dinkeldog]

In part, it's because there are no rules for weapon size in regards to fighting space. By all means, feel free to make dwarves in your campaign specialize in short swords and spears. It can only help give your campaign a bit of its own special flavor.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

Partially it's the Tolkien influence, I suspect. But it's also a reflection that axes and hammers seem more about force than finesse, which suits the Dwarven archetype.

 

[diaglo]

and the sword and the bow were already taken by the faeries (elves)

 

[Goblyns Hoard]

There's the possible link to the use of picks as mining tools - you get good at swinging something in a specific way and transfer it to the axe as a weapon. However I reckon that's stretching it - probably goes back to Tolkien.

 

[Starman]

'Cuz dwarves have style!

 

[Steverooo]

"Baruk Khazad ai-menu!" (The Axes of the Dwarves are upon you!)

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Yeah, it's Tolkien+general coolness. I do recall, though, that the dwarves of the Iron Hills used mattocks.

 

[Ambrus]

I believe it is in part because Tolkien's and subsequently D&D's dwarves are based off of the old teutonic dwarfs (sometimes called the swartalfar). They live below the ground and are masters of forging magic weapons and rings for the gods. Hammers are used in the forging of weapons so it is natural to assume they'd also use them in battle. It's also a weapon associated with Thunor/Thor, a powerful teutonic war god, so it is likewise a cultural association.

As for the axe, I assume it is in part because dwarves are associated with the scandinavian people; the most famous of which, the vikings, often are depicted wielding battleaxes in battle. When fantasy artists started depicting dwarves they would often deck them out like miniature vikings, with round shields, horned helmets, flowing beards, and battleaxes in hand. Tolkien may also have wanted to make his dwarves seem like a natural contrast to his elves, so arming them wood-cutting axes may have been an antempt to do so. That's my two cents on it.