Duergar (folklore)

The Duergar are a race of ugly dwarfs, particularly associated with the Simonside Hills of Northumberland, in northern England.

In F Grice's telling of the traditional story "The Duergar" in "Folk Tales of the North Country" (1944), one of them is described as being short, wearing a lambskin coat, moleskin trousers and shoes, and a hat made of moss stuck with a feather.

The legendary dwarfs of Simonside were mentioned in the local newspaper, the "Morpeth Gazette", in 1889, and in Tyndale’s "Legends and Folklore of Northumbria", 1930. They delighted in leading travellers astray, especially after dark, often carrying lighted torches to lead them into bogs, rather like Will-o'-the-wisps. The menacing creatures would often disappear at dawn.

The word "duergar" may come from or may be influenced by the Old Norse word for dwarf or dwarfs ("dvergar"), however it is also likely to come from the Old English "dweorh" or "dweorg" or the Middle English "dwerg" [ [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=dwarf Online Etymology Dictionary ] ] [dictionary.reference.com/browse/dwarf] .

See also

* Simonside Hills
* Elf
* Dwarf
* English mythology
* Norse dwarves (Dvergar)
* Norse Mythology

References

*Grice, F, "Folk Tales of the North Country" (Thomas Nelson & Sons Ltd, London & Edinburgh, 1944) pp130–133
* [http://www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/understanding/historyarchaeology/simonsidesacredmountain/simonsidestoriesandfolklore.htm Simonside Folklore]

External links

* [http://www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/understanding/historyarchaeology/simonsidesacredmountain/simonsidetheduergar.htm Grice's version of the story of "The Duergar"]