InGermanic mythology, adwarf(Old Englishdweorg,Old Norsedvergr,Old High Germanzwercandgitwerc) is a being that dwells in mountains and in the earth, and is associated with wisdom, smithing, mining, and crafting. Dwarfs are also sometimes described as short and ugly, although some scholars have questioned whether this is a later development stemming from comical portrayals of the beings.[1]The etymology of the worddwarfis contested, and scholars have proposed varying theories about the origins of the being, including that dwarfs may have originated as nature spirits or beings associated with death, or as a mixture of concepts. Competing etymologies include a basis in theIndo-Europeanroot*dheur-(meaning 'damage'), the Indo-European root*dhreugh(whence modern GermanTraum/Englishdreamandtrug'deception'), and comparisons have been made with theOld Indiandhvaras(a type of demonic being).[1]Norse mythology, as recorded in thePoetic Edda(compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources) and theProse Edda(written bySnorri Sturlusonin the 13th century) provide different mythical origins for the beings; thePoetic EddapoemVöluspádetails that the dwarfs were the product of the primordial blood of the beingBrimirand the bones ofBláinn, whereas theProse Eddadescribes dwarfs as beings similar tomaggotsthat festered in the flesh of the primal beingYmirbefore being gifted with reason by the gods. ThePoetic EddaandProse Eddacontain over 100 dwarf names, while theProse Eddagives the four dwarfsNorðri, Suðri, Austri and Vestria cosmological role–they hold up the sky.[1]In addition, scholars have noted that theSvartálfar, who, like dwarfs, are said in theProse Eddato dwell inSvartálfaheimr, appear to be the same beings as dwarfs.[2]Some scholars have proposed that thePoetic EddapoemVöluspámay contain an account of the first human beings,Ask and Embla, as having been the created by dwarfs. A preceding stanza to the account of the creation of Ask and Embla inVöluspáprovides a catalog of dwarf names, and stanza 10 has been read as describing the creation of human forms from the earth. This may potentially mean that dwarfs formed humans, and that the three gods gave them life.[3]After theChristianization of the Germanic peoples, tales of dwarfs continued to be told in the folklore of areas of Europe where Germanic languages were (and are) spoken. Today dwarfs appear commonly in modern popular culture.