Question for the scholars: Dwarf women

[mirdanis]

I have a female Dwarf character named Pira (played by a woman) in the party I'm LMing, who presents as male to the outer world. And yes, I carefully explained to the player when she created the character that female Dwarves were bearded. The rest of her party didn't know she was female until they played through The Marsh-Bell, which as I recall was actually the second adventure they played together. Gloin's secretary "accidentally" outed her to the rest of the party, mostly because I genuinely slipped up and forgot her player wanted to keep Pira's sex a secret. The player was a little peeved at the time, but it's become a bit of a party joke now, and I've gotten much better since then at having NPCs assume Pira is male. The rest of the characters quickly agreed to serve as her "beards" and it's quite amusing for them to keep her secret. It's even more amusing to the players that Pira, a Scholar, is the heaviest-hitting fighter in the party!

[Falenthal]

Just a nice picture I found about this.

[aramis]

Just a nice picture I found about this.

Only three of them are sufficiently hirsute... 2nd, 3rd and 4th from left in the top row.

[Otaku-sempai]

Peter Jackson and his team were also ignoring the custom of the Dwarf-women of Middle-earth to only appear in public while dressed and made-up identically to Dwarf-men.

[Falenthal]

In general terms I'm not a fan of PJ's The Hobbit characterization, but I think in this collection there's a nice variety to fit everybody's taste.

They are in voice and appearance, and in garb if they must go on a journey, so like to the dwarf-men that the eyes and ears of other peoples cannot tell them apart.


no Man nor Elf has ever seen a beardless Dwarf - unless he were shaven in mockery, and would then be more like to die of shame... For the Naugrim have beards from the beginning of their lives, male and female alike...

Regarding what Tolkien wrote about this, I would say that:
1) Probably a man or elf would also think that the less bearded woman are men, as for those races only men have beards.
2) While it is said that they garb as men when on a journey, this dwarf-females appear in the film only inside Erebor and when running for their lives after the attack by Smaug (so, they didn't have any time to dress for a journey).

I don't know about you, but it's been the first time I've seen a bearded dwarven female and think that, in general terms, they're pretty well made.

[Otaku-sempai]

2) While it is said that they garb as men when on a journey, this dwarf-females appear in the film only inside Erebor and when running for their lives after the attack by Smaug (so, they didn't have any time to dress for a journey).

Incorrect. Dwarf-women can be seen selling their wares in Dale before its destruction.

[Dedicemancometh]

Admittedly tangential, but ...The OP is probably unaware that the question asked was at the center of a great controversy in the early days of Dungeons and Dragons... Gygax, likely following Tolkien, asserted female dwarves had beards. It was a big kerfluffle. This is going back to the late 1970s. I'm old.

[Otaku-sempai]

Gygax, likely following Tolkien, asserted female dwarves had beards. It was a big kerfluffle. This is going back to the late 1970s. I'm old.

If Gary Gygax did assert that then someone since then may have had second thoughts. As far as I know, the official word (if there truly is one) is that female dwarves in D&D do not generally have beards.* Even so, there is room for other views. A notation in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting for D&D 3E indicates:

Some female dwarves of Faerûn can grow beards, too, often passing as males among the nondwarves of the surface lands. Dwarven women may choose to shave their beards to match human-style expectations of beauty, while others glory in luxurious plaited beards that match their hair or wear sharply cut goatees.

Of course, the game is now on it's fifth edition and I'm not up-to-date.

* On the other hand, I might be confusing my D&D lore with a bit from the gaming comic Knights of the Dinner Table!

[Falenthal]

2) While it is said that they garb as men when on a journey, this dwarf-females appear in the film only inside Erebor and when running for their lives after the attack by Smaug (so, they didn't have any time to dress for a journey).

Incorrect. Dwarf-women can be seen selling their wares in Dale before its destruction.

Didn't remember that. After all, I only saw the movie once.
I stand corrected.

[Arthadan]

This is something I've never quite understood. They may have beards, but to give birth they would need more rounded heaps than males and breasts to feed the babies. Now, how could they not be told apart?

Tolkien seems to imply they do dress in a different fashion from males when they are not in the outer world.

Would they be allowed to go outside at all? Wouldn't they have been raised to fulfill a role within Dwarven society of mothers if they are so few? Would they be at risk of being kidnapped/forced to stay "for their own security" by dwarven laws or rejected from Dwarven society if they decide to go against the norm?

I for one would not allow Dwarf females, unless the player wants to pay the price of going against the norm everytime his/her character interacts with Dwarves.