Dwarf

In fantasy traditions dating back to Germanic mythology, a dwarf (plural dwarfs, dwarves, or more rarely dwarrow) is a human-shaped entity that dwells in mountains and in the earth, and is variously associated with wisdom, smithing, mining, and crafting. Dwarfs are sometimes described as short and ugly, although some scholars have questioned whether this is a later development stemming from comical portrayals of the beings. In real life, a dwarf is a human that has a condition (usually a birth defect) causing extreme shortness, and the fantasy portrayal is derived from the convenient custom of hiring such people for mining work in ancient times. However, within the stories they are usually considered a separate species from humans. Fantasy dwarfs are depicted in modern popular culture in a variety of media.

Dwarf in "The Old Grind"
Dwarves, along with giants and trolls, were among the indigenous people of Orkney. Among giants, dwarves had an imperfect reputation for respectability.