Editing Dwarf (folklore) (section)

===Appearance===
====Form and colour====
[[File:HeyshamHogbackFaces_1.jpg|thumbnail|350px|right|Face of the [[Heysham hogback|Heysham hogback stone]] depicting four figures with upraised arms, which have been interpreted as the dwarfs [[Norðri, Suðri, Austri and Vestri]] holding up the sky{{sfn|Mikučionis|2017|pp=82-88}}]]
Based on the etymology of dwarf, it has been proposed that the oldest conception of a dwarf was as exclusively a formless spirit, potentially as in the case of disease-causing dwarfs; however, this view is not seen in the oldest manuscript accounts.{{sfn|Mikučionis|2020|pp=143-144,147}} In the quotation of [[Völuspá]] in the Prose Edda, the dwarfs emerge as beings with human form ({{lang|non|mannlíkun}}), while in the [[Codex Regius]] manuscript the first two dwarfs created either dwarfs or people with human forms.{{sfn|Mikučionis|2017|pp=70-72}} The prose of the [[Ynglinga saga]] describes a dwarf sitting, standing, and speaking, leading to the proposal that at the time of writing, dwarfs were believed to, at least sometimes, have a human-like form. It nonetheless appears to have been recognised as a dwarf; however, that may have been due to its behaviour instead of its physical appearance.{{sfn|Mikučionis|2017|pp=63-64}} In [[skaldic]] and [[Eddic]] sources, it has been noted that their roles are what define them rather than their physical appearance, which has no significant relevance.{{sfn|Mikučionis|2017|p=64}}

Many dwarf names in Eddic sources relate to light and brightness, such as {{lang|non|Dellingr}} ('the gleaming one') and {{lang|non|Glóinn}} ('glowing'). Stories do not explain these names, but it has been theorised that they refer to the fires in the forges the dwarfs work, or to {{lang|is|haugaeldar}} ('grave mound fires') that are found in later Icelandic folklore. In contrast, Snorri describes [[dökkálfar]] (which are typically identified as dwarfs) as "blacker than pitch".{{sfn|Mikučionis|2017|pp=75-76}} [[Alvíss]] is described by [[Thor]] in [[Alvíssmál]] as being as unsuitable for wedding his daughter [[Þrúðr]] as he was "pale about the nostrils" and resembled a [[Jötunn|þurs]].{{sfn|Mikučionis|2017|pp=88-89}}

In [[Middle High German]] heroic poetry, most dwarfs have long beards, but some may appear childish.{{sfn|Lütjens|1911|pp=70-72}}

====Size====
In the early [[Old Norse]] sources, dwarfs are typically described vaguely, with no reference to them being particularly small; in the legendary sagas and later folklore, however, they are often described as short.{{sfn|Simek|2008|pp=67-68}}

[[Norðri, Suðri, Austri and Vestri]] are four dwarfs, potentially depicted as four anthropomorphic figures on the [[Hogback (sculpture)|hogback stone]] in Heysham in [[Lancashire]], that according to the [[Prose Edda]], each holds up a corner of the sky, that was fashioned from the skull of [[Ymir]]. It has been suggested that this would imply that dwarfs could be very tall; however, it has been noted that the sky could have been conceived of as being close to the earth at the horizon.{{sfn|Mikučionis|2017|pp=65-66}} [[Regin]], a figure identified as either a dwarf or resembling a dwarf, is a similar size to the hero [[Sigurd]] on both the [[Ramsund carving]] and carvings from the [[Hylestad Stave Church]].{{sfn|Mikučionis|2017|pp=82-88}} Dwarf names in Eddic sources include {{lang|non|Fullangr}} ('tall enough') and {{lang|non|Hár}} ('high'); however, the terms are ambiguous and do not necessarily mean the dwarfs were conceived of as tall relative to a human.{{sfn|Mikučionis|2017|p=73}} Some names suggest a small size, such as Nori and Nabbi, which have been translated as "tiny" and "little nub", respectively; however, it has been argued that this was not necessarily the general rule.{{sfn|Liberman|2002|p=177}}

Not all late sagas involving dwarfs describe their size, but all that do describe them as short.{{sfn|Mikučionis|2014|p=184}} In some German stories, the dwarf takes on the attributes of a knight but is most clearly separated from normal humans by his small size, in some cases only reaching up to the knees.{{sfn|Lütjens|1911|pp=69-70,74}} Despite their small size, dwarfs in these contexts typically have superhuman strength, either by nature or through magical means.{{sfn|Lütjens|1911|pp=79-80}} [[Anatoly Liberman]] suggests that dwarfs may have been initially thought of as lesser supernatural beings, which became literal smallness after Christianisation.{{sfn|Liberman|2008|p=57}}

====Shape changing====
Diversity in appearance is not only seen between dwarfs throughout time and region but also with individual dwarfs, who can be capable of changing their shape and size, such as in [[Reginsmál]], in which the dwarf [[Andvari]] lived as a pike in the water due to curse from a [[Norns|Norn]], however, could also take on a human-like shape.{{sfn|Mikučionis|2017|pp=80-81,91}} In later [[German folklore]], the Zwergkönig ('Dwarf King') is a tiny being but is capable of becoming enormously tall at will.{{sfn|Motz|1982|p=74}}