In Michael Crichton’s Eaters of the Dead (a retelling of the Beowulf legend) the author describes dwarves as a society of midgets living apart from the “normal” Northmen. Whenever a “dwarf” baby is born, it would be taken to the dwarf community to be raised by the other dwarves. The dwarves were respected by the Vikings as craftsmen and regarded as having mystical powers.
Is there any basis for this picture? Or is this just Crichton’s attempt at a plausible explanation for beliefs in dwarves for sake of the fictional retelling of a legend?
Norse folklore includes several groups of dwarves. The Dverge, in addition to their stature, had the feet of crows. Other groups possessed various mystical powers, including the ability to pass through solid rock.
Finally, my WAG is that medical dwarfism would not be obvious in in infants. Dwarfism is a lack of growth in the long bones of the arms and legs. All infants have arms and legs that are short in relation to their torso.
It is true that dwarves could be bought and sold as legal property in some medeival countries. Henry IV was given a dwarf as a “gift” named Sir Hercules who became, by some accounts, his closest friend. A former owner had “carved” his mouth into a permanent smile.
First, let me clarify that I am not using the term dwarf in a medical sense. I don’t know anything about classifications of those-who-are-very-short. (I did a search for midget and dwarf and it came back mostly porn. :rolleyes: )
I think that the explanation given in the book is that “dwarf” infants are spotted by their more developed sex organs. Can anyone here verify that this is true or false?
What is a “WAG”?
Mutilation and midget porn. Isn’t the human species wonderful?
I’ve been wondering if Camprachicos(professional mutilators who made and sold/exhibited freaks) were real or UL. I’m sure many Dopers are familair with The Man Who Laughs. Can you give a cite?
I can’t find it on the net, but it’s from a biography of Henry V I read. I’ll find out what the name of the book is. (IIRC, Henry IV’s face became covered with boils in middle age, which some later claimed a punishment for his sins [killiing Richard II, usurping the throne] but none mentioned to his face in his lifetime; the first time he met Hercules [who became his jester] Henry made some witless crack about dwarves and Hercules responded with a pointed barb about the boils- everybody was stunned, but Henry IV thought it was hysterical- though I’m pretty sure nobody else joked about it.)
If you know what you’re looking for, some types of dwarfism are fairly obvious in babies. As far as this community, I’ve heard that there have been such stories for hundreds of years. I don’t buy it.
One of King Henry VIII’s wives (IIRC, it was Katherine of Aragon) had a dwarf “fool” named Jane, whose job it was to entertain the king.
One of the King Louis of France, (Again, I can’t remember which, but it might have been XV) was continually amused by having his cooks prepare a pie, in which dwarves were hidden. They would pop out once the pie was presented, which would make the king crack up every time.