Editing Dwarf (folklore) (section)

====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}}