Editing Dwarf (folklore) (section)

===Gender and family groups===
[[File:RibeSkullFragment.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The [[Ribe skull fragment]], dating to the 8th century CE, bearing a protective charm against either one or two dwarfs]]
In Eddic and skaldic sources, dwarfs are almost exclusively male; for example, in the [[Dvergatal]], every dwarf named is male. Some scholars have proposed that female dwarfs were not believed to exist; however, they are likely attested in charms dating to the early medieval period and are explicitly described in later saga material. Dwarfs are also widely referenced in these sources as having family relations with others, such as brothers and sons. Pairs or groups of brothers are seen relatively abundantly in Eddic contexts, as with the [[sons of Ívaldi]], and [[Fjalarr and Galarr]].{{sfn|Mikučionis|2020|pp=148,153-154}}

The inscription on the 8th century [[Ribe skull fragment]] has been interpreted by some scholars as explicitly referring to a {{lang|non|dvergynja}} ('female-dwarf') that may have been believed to have been causing harm to the user of the fragment. This interpretation is paralleled in Wið Dweorh XCIIIb ([[Against a Dwarf]] XCIIIb), in which a harmful dwarf's sister is called to prevent him from causing an afflicted person's illness.{{sfn|Mikučionis|2020|p=146}}{{sfn|Nordström|2021|pp=21-22}}

In [[Fáfnismál]], the [[Germanic dragon|worm]] [[Fáfnir]] refers to some [[Norns]] as "Dvalinn's daughters" ({{langx|non|Dvalins dǿtr}}),{{sfn|Bellows|2004|loc=Fáfnismál, stanza 13}} while in the Prose Edda, they are described as "of the dwarfs' kin" ({{langx|non|dverga ættar}}).{{refn|group=note|It is unclear whether "Dvalinn's daughters" means that they are literally the daughters of the dwarf [[Dvalinn]], or that the term refers more generally to descendants of dwarfs.{{sfn|Mikučionis|2020|p=158}}}}{{sfn|Mikučionis|2020|p=158}} As Norns are also female, this could mean that dwarfs were conceived of by the author of the poem as able to be female, it is not clear whether either their mother (or mothers) are dwarfs, or if they themselves are considered dwarfs just because they are descended from dwarfs.{{sfn|Mikučionis|2020|p=159}}

It has been noted that it may not be that female dwarfs did not exist in the folklore of this period, only that no explicit references to them survive in preserved narratives. It has been proposed this may be because narratives typically centre on the gods rather than dwarfs and that female dwarfs were not conceived of as of great relevance to the gods, given their primary interest in obtaining goods from dwarfs, which does not depend on their gender. Humans, being of lower power and status, cannot control dwarfs as easily and require alternative strategies to obtain treasures from them, potentially explaining why female dwarfs are more prominent in saga literature.{{sfn|Mikučionis|2020|p=159}}

Female dwarfs feature in the late [[Gibbons saga]], [[Bósa saga]] and [[Þjalar-Jóns saga]], where they are referred to by the term "{{lang|non|dyrgja}}". In these cases, female dwarfs are only mentioned alongside males and are not independently important to the plot. Beyond Svama, the named {{lang|non|dyrgja}} in Þjalar-Jóns saga, the only other explicitly named dwarf woman in saga literature is the daughter of Sindri in [[Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar]], Herríðr.{{sfn|Mikučionis|2014|pp=167-170}} In saga material, dwarf children are also seen. In Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar and [[Egils saga einhenda ok Ásmundar berserkjabana]], central characters help these children and are rewarded in return by the father with treasures. Conversely, in [[Sigurðar saga þǫgla]], the human Hálfdan is cursed after he throws a rock at a dwarf child, breaking its jaw, and is subsequently visited by the child's father in a dream who curses him. Hálfdan's brother later gives the child a gold ring to atone for the harm and is rewarded by the father, once more in a dream. Together, this suggests that dwarfs could be conceived of as loving and protective of their children by the saga authors. In Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar, this family love is extended to the human Hálfdan who develops a [[fostering]] relation with the dwarf Litr, likely with Hálfdan as the foster son.{{sfn|Mikučionis|2014|pp=167-183}}
 
In German heroic legend, male dwarfs are often portrayed as lusting after human women. In contrast, female dwarfs seek to possess the male hero in the legends.{{sfn|Lütjens|1911|p=103}}