Editing Dwarf (folklore) (section)

====Middle High German====
In German literature, many dwarfs can make themselves invisible, typically via a "Tarnkappe" ([[cloak of invisibility]]), which has been suggested to be an ancient attribute of dwarfs.{{sfn|Lütjens|1911|pp=80-86}} Depending on the story, they may be hostile or friendly to humans.{{sfn|Lütjens|1911|pp=94-98}}

The dwarf [[Alberich]] plays a vital role in the ''[[Nibelungenlied]]'', where he guards the Nibelung's treasure and has the strength of twelve men. He is defeated by [[Sigurd|Siegfried]] and afterwards serves the hero. In ''[[Ortnit]]'', Alberich seduces the Lombardy queen, spawning the hero Ortnit. The dwarf then aids Ortnit in his adventures after revealing to the hero that he is his father. In ''[[Das Lied vom Hürnen Seyfrid]]'', Siegfried is aided by the dwarf Eugel, who is the son of the dwarf king [[Nibelung]], originator of the Nibelung's treasure.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}

The hero [[Dietrich von Bern]] is portrayed in adventures involving dwarfs. In [[Laurin (poem)|''Laurin'']], he fights against the dwarf [[King Laurin]] at the dwarf's magical rose garden. He later rescues a woman whom Laurin had kidnapped. A similar plot occurs in the fragmentary poem ''[[Goldemar]]''. In [[Virginal (poem)|''Virginal'']], Dietrich rescues the dwarf queen Virginal from a force of invading [[Paganism|heathens]]. The dwarfs Eggerich and Baldung play a role in aiding Dietrich in the poem ''[[Sigenot]]'': Baldung gives Dietrich a magical gem that prevents him from being bitten when thrown into a [[snake pit]], whereas Eggerich helps Dietrich and [[Hildebrand]] escape. In the [[Heldenbuch#The "Heldenbuch-Prosa"|Heldenbuch-Prosa]], a dwarf takes Dietrich out of this world after the death of all the other heroes, a role given to Laurin in some different versions of Dietrich's end.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}