Jewish Dwarves?

Midge · 08-13-2013, 11:01 PM

Rereading through the Hobbit, my husband drew the correlation between the Dwarves and the Jewish people.

They have been displaced from their home, have no specific country of their own and are scattered across Middle-Earth
They are industrious wherever they find themselves, living comfortably even as they are in exile
They have an affinity for precious metals and gems
They are generally disliked (Beorn, Elves, even the Trolls didn't want to eat them)

I know Tolkien said that his books were not an allegory, and a lot of these points are pretty stereotypical of Dwarves in general (not just Tolkien-canon).

Maybe the originator of the Dwarf-archetype had this in mind, or something. Thoughts?

08-13-2013, 11:01 PM	#1
Midge Faithful Gardener Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: I walk here and there, they say... Posts: 3,603	Jewish Dwarves? Rereading through the Hobbit, my husband drew the correlation between the Dwarves and the Jewish people. They have been displaced from their home, have no specific country of their own and are scattered across Middle-Earth They are industrious wherever they find themselves, living comfortably even as they are in exile They have an affinity for precious metals and gems They are generally disliked (Beorn, Elves, even the Trolls didn't want to eat them) I know Tolkien said that his books were not an allegory, and a lot of these points are pretty stereotypical of Dwarves in general (not just Tolkien-canon). Maybe the originator of the Dwarf-archetype had this in mind, or something. Thoughts? __________________ In God I trust, I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? Psalm 56:11 "Starbuck, what do you hear?" "Nothin' but the rain, sir!" "Then grab your gun and bring in the cat." Make sure to check out the C.S. Lewis forum. Game threads, movie and book discussions and more!

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