# Attila the Hun was a dwarf? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 2, 2002, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attila-the-hun-was-a-dwarf/101385 "2002-04-02T14:34:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attila-the-hun-was-a-dwarf/101385/1 "2002-04-02T14:34:56Z")
The trivia question of the day asked who of the following was a dwarf: - Napoleon - Attila the Hun - Alexander the Great - Julius Ceasar Tha answer was “Attila”. Huh?! How tall was he? How did he become leader of the Huns, anyway… Primogeniture? Acording to [this site](http://www.angelfire.com/ca6/uselessfacts/celeb/005.html), he’s not the only famous dwarf, either. > [@](#): > > Pepin the Short, Aesop, Gregory the Tours, Charles 3 of Naples, and the Pasha Hussein were all less than 3.5 feet tall. How many leaders and bright lights of the ancient world were dwarves, anyway…? ---
**Author:** ![SavageNarce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@SavageNarce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SavageNarce)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attila-the-hun-was-a-dwarf/101385/2 "2002-04-02T15:45:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tranquilis \* > \*\*How did he become leader of the Huns, anyway… \*\* You assume too much. Atilla got his name from his wife, as in “Hun, would you run to the corner cow and bring me back a quart of milk?” In some parts of the world, he was known as Atilla the Wuss. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attila-the-hun-was-a-dwarf/101385/3 "2002-04-02T16:00:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tranquilis \* > \*\*Tha answer was “Attila”. Huh?! How tall was he? How did he become leader of the Huns, anyway… Primogeniture? > \*\* When his uncle died, he and his brother Bleda became co-rulers. He then killed Bleda and became sole king himself. I don’t know how tall he was, though. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attila-the-hun-was-a-dwarf/101385/4 "2002-04-02T16:13:32Z")
Hmmm… OK, thanks. Was Bleda normal-sized? How did did he kill his brother? ---
**Author:** ![muttrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@muttrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muttrox)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attila-the-hun-was-a-dwarf/101385/5 "2002-04-02T16:16:59Z")
I’m probably way off base – but are they defining dwarf purely in terms of height? Humans have gotten taller and taller through the centuries. The average height way back may have been 4’2", in which case these folks would certainly be outliers, but not incredibly amazing. Just a thought. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attila-the-hun-was-a-dwarf/101385/6 "2002-04-02T16:37:35Z")
Dwarves today are generally defined as people shorter than 4’ 10" due to a medical or genetic condition. Who knew that book I picked up in the library last week would come in handy for a GQ thread? I just read “In the Little World: A True Story of Dwarves, Love and Trouble” ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attila-the-hun-was-a-dwarf/101385/7 "2002-04-02T16:41:30Z")
Hmmm… well, according to this [page](http://www.natmus.dk/saer/middelalder/Engelsk/introduction.htm) and [url=“[http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/ancient/trails\_ancient\_tombs2.shtml](http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/ancient/trails_ancient_tombs2.shtml)”]this[/ur] page, people weren’t all that short back then: > [@](#): > > In one section of the Exhibition, “Man, Nutrition and Medicine”, it is demonstrated that medieval man was in fact rather tall, which shows us that the general state of health in the population was quite good. I’d think that \>4’10" tall would be significantly below average, even if median height was 5’6". ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attila-the-hun-was-a-dwarf/101385/8 "2002-04-02T16:46:32Z")
Let’s try that link again, shall we…? …[this](http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/ancient/trails_ancient_tombs2.shtml) page… Also, this: “_…\>4’10" tall…_” should be this: “…\*\*\<\*\*4’10” tall…" Ah, that’s better… ---
**Author:** ![muttrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@muttrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muttrox)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attila-the-hun-was-a-dwarf/101385/9 "2002-04-02T17:00:34Z")
I withdraw my own dumb idea. A bit of net research shows that differences in height over time are mostly due to nutrition, not evolution, and the difference isn’t all that big anyhow.