Why are Dwarves Scottish?

[Wombat]

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

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

B'gaw, a dwarf wi' ma vary oon name!

 

[radferth]

Poul Anderson had a dwarf (probably more of a gnome in D&D terms) in Three Hearts and Three Lions with a Scottish accent so strong (written phonetically) I had to read it aloud to understand what he was saying most of the time. A lot of other D&D conventions come from this book, so why not Scottish dwarves.

I see dwarves run as Scottish or Norse about 50/50. The DM once made the mistake of letting me play a dwarf in a game in which he had already established the precident of dwaves having a very strong Lake Wobegone accent.

 

[Hand of Evil]

It's the Haggis.

 

[diaglo]

It's the Haggis.

bah... it's the bearded women.

 

[reveal]

bah... it's the bearded women.

Aye. Gives ya sometin' ta hold on to!

IYKWIMAITYD

 

[Oryan77]

Not only have I wondered why dwarves have a scottish accent also, but I've also wondered why my fellow americans think using bad scottish/english/irish accents means they are roleplaying their fantasy character more like a fantasy character. With that logic, do Europeans roleplay their D&D characters with American accents so they can get more into the role?

 

[Riggs]

I figure it's for most of the reasons above that they are used as Scots a lot, but I wanted to point out that I was quite pleasantly surprised that the Deldrimor Dwarves in Guild Wars speak in Russian-type accents. Those in the know might laugh at their attempts and all, but I was just glad they didn't do the usual Scottish bit. I'm fine with whatever accents for them, but it was nice to see something different.

 

[I'm A Banana]

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.

The Gnomes have been more Irish IMC. What with the leprechauns and all...

Not only have I wondered why dwarves have a scottish accent also, but I've also wondered why my fellow americans think using bad scottish/english/irish accents means they are roleplaying their fantasy character more like a fantasy character. With that logic, do Europeans roleplay their D&D characters with American accents so they can get more into the role?

Sure, pilgrim, if'n tha varmit likes his hospitality an' his guns.

Once I made some Lizardfolk with a bad Aulstralian accent cribbed from Steve Irwin. My halflings have been Indian, though that I attribute to their pseudo-gypsy take in 3e. Elves are *definately* French. Goblins might be a little Latin-American flavored.

My dwarves are probably Scottish, but only mildly.

 

[haakon1]

I've always used a Scottish accent for dwarves, but not really the cultural elements. That's just always the accent that seemed like it would work the best for how I've always thought of their language. Lots of hard sounds - k, j, ch, z, v, etc. The Scottish accent lets you sound like that, so it's what I use.

Culturally, they're... hm. Not really analagous to any Earth culture. Angry, insular, clannish socialists.

Angry, insular, clannish, socialist . . . sounds like the Scottish wing of the Labour party.

It is VERY odd that in American RPG groups, dwarves always become Scottish. Does this happen in British RPG groups?

I remember Roger Moore (the American one who writes D&D stuff, not the British one who played James Bond) said he thought dwarves had many stereotypically Jewish characteristics (which he said was OK to say, since he's Jewish; in America, that makes it automatically OK to talk about otherwise hands-off topics) -- like being in exile (at least in Middle Earth) and dealing in gold.

So in my campaign, dwarves have Scottish accents (required for DMing license), but they sometimes through in Yiddish phrases. It's so weird, it seems to make sense as -- this is not our world, it's different-ish.

My PC dwarf (in somebody else's campaign) supposedly has a Canadian accent, but I slip up and go Scottish once in a while.

 

[haakon1]

the dreaded war-yodel

ROFL!