In the fantasy of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Dwarves are a race inhabiting Middle-earth, the central continent of Arda in an imagined mythological past. They are based on the dwarfs of Germanic myths who were small humanoids that lived in mountains, practising mining, metallurgy, blacksmithing and jewellery. Tolkien described them as tough, warlike, and lovers of stone and craftsmanship.
Tolkien found dwarves in Norse mythology. Here the god Thor talks to the dwarf Alviss to prevent him from marrying his daughter Þrúðr; at dawn Alviss turns to stone. Drawing by W. G. Collingwood, 1908
The petty-dwarf Mîm may derive from the shrunken figure of Mime, here shown cowering behind the celebrating Siegfried in Wagner's opera Der Ring des Nibelungen. Illustration by Arthur Rackham, 1911
Gimli in Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings (1978) voiced by David Buck
Dwarves at the Council of Elrond in Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring
In the fictional world of J. R. R. Tolkien, Moria, also named Khazad-dûm, is an ancient subterranean complex in Middle-earth, comprising a vast labyrinthine network of tunnels, chambers, mines and halls under the Misty Mountains, with doors on both the western and the eastern sides of the mountain range. Moria is introduced in Tolkien's novel The Hobbit, and is a major scene of action in The Lord of the Rings.
Mist on the Alps: Tolkien's experiences on his 1911 visit gave him the idea for difficulties crossing the Misty Mountains.
The Fellowship of the Ring in Moria. Scraperboard illustration by Alexander Korotich, 1981
Tolkien's illustration of the Doors of Durin, with Sindarin inscription in Tengwar script.
Tolkien visited the temple of Nodens at a place called "Dwarf's Hill" and translated an inscription with a curse upon a ring. It may have inspired his dwarves, mines, rings, and Celebrimbor "Silver-Hand", an Elven-smith who contributed to Moria's building.