Why are Dwarves Scottish?

[TheAuldGrump]

In my game they're German if anything. Das Ring des Niebelungen and all that.

For me they are mountain people, and so are the types of people that you find in hill and mountain. In the Great Britain analog they are Scots, in the Germanies they are German and Swiss (closer to the French analog), and if it was a later period than in the US they would be Dutch in the Catskills, Scots in Appalachian. The gnomes are the same race, with different diet and culture, and tend to be lowlanders - a lot of Dutch analogs, some Greeks.

So I guess I have a mix of dwarfs, yet somehow in my head they are all stored under the heading 'dwarfs', not ther borrowed cultures. Perhaps because no matter where they come from they share certain cultural traits. But only the ones from Great Britain will touch a haggis!

The Auld Grump - Ogres share a lot of these territories, and get along just fine with the dwarfs... Humans on the other hand...

 

[reveal]

Why are Dwarves Scottish?

'Cause they're dead sexay!

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

I dunno why. Over 15 years ago my brother played a dwarf with a Scottish accent. Maybe he set the trend?

 

[Jupp]

For me they are mountain people, and so are the types of people that you find in hill and mountain. In the Great Britain analog they are Scots, in the Germanies they are German and Swiss (closer to the French analog), ...*snippety*

Gnomes are Swiss, as per:

http://www.ifi.unizh.ch/CL/rinaldi/gnomes.html

and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnomes_of_Zurich

or even

http://www.sjgames.com/illuminati/art.html

So...Fear us!

 

[StupidSmurf]

Hmmm...a race of hard-drinking, clannish, dour, crazy-arse warrior types who are also characterised as being thrifty and good engineers??? Sounds to me that dwarves and Scots would be interchangeable.

 

[punkorange]

I guess I'm out of the loop, but I always kind of pictured dwarves as Irish. The bright red beards, the ability to drink any man under the table and then some, ready to fight at the drop of a hat.

Sounds like an Dubbliner.

 

[diaglo]

dwarves are indian. it is the ruddy skin.

 

[Zander]

I dunno why. Over 15 years ago my brother played a dwarf with a Scottish accent. Maybe he set the trend?

Twenty years ago, Games Workshop had already come up with the idea. Check out these pics from the Dwarf Lords of Legend set:

http://www.solegends.com/citboxes/bc3dwflords/img_00074-01.htm

http://www.solegends.com/citboxes/bc3dwflords/img_00075-01.htm

 

[Nuclear Platypus]

My guess is after watching years of Star Trek reruns, the Scottish accent is really easy to copy thus really easy to make dwarves less "humans in funny suits". They fit: dwarves are known for their engineering talents and so was Scotty (may he rest in peace). Seriously now, how many can point to Mr Scott as the source of their Scottish accent?

However I cannot explain why someone dresses up in a Federation uniform at a Renaissance Festival. Wouldn't that be a violation of the Prime Directive?

 

[Wombat]

It's odd. I have Scots ancestory (grandfather came over) and I love dwarves...

...yet all the dwarves in my games have had vaguely Scandinavian accents...

Dunno. I am amused that for most folks dwarves are Scottish, but I don't understand why that would necessarily be the case.