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Other characteristics epitomize the true hero: speaking truthfully and honestly, standing by one’s word, and treating others fairly regardless of station. Generosity is demonstrated by Theoden’s gift of Shadowfax to Gandalf in a time of need. Although the acquisition of treasure is a recurring theme in The Lord of the Rings, the heroes don’t seek wealth out of greed—a sharp contrast from the Conan series and a major diverging element from Dungeons & Dragons. Finally, the members of the Fellowship possess wisdom, understanding powers beyond their ken—the refusal by several powerful beings to use the Ring against Sauron being a prime example.

Races

Unlike its usage in modern times, the term “race” in gaming represents a species. Race is one of the most basic attributes in defining a character in fantasy literature. Andrew P. Miller and Daniel Clark (1998:155) distinguish fantasy races from fantasy creatures by the following list:

The simplification of racial archetypes in The Lord of the Rings is understandable. Identifying members of the Fellowship by race helps identify their origins, clearly delineating their political and national allegiance. The Fellowship is as much a League of Nations as it is an adventuring party, dedicated to achieving a common goal that has far-reaching political ramifications. They are not merely after loot and prestige. These adventurers are out to save the world.

Of course, the racial archetypes present in Middle-earth predate Tolkien’s works. His magnum opus provided a common framework for the races to work together. To examine the relationships of the Fellowship in modern gaming, it’s useful to explore the roots of fantasy races in fairytales, myth, and legend.

DWARVES • Dwarves are usually portrayed as short, squat, and powerfully built, with bulbous noses, bushy eyebrows, long beards, elaborate armor, and always wielding either a war hammer or battleaxe. As analogues for humanity, dwarves represent the middle-class laborer, forever toiling and drinking. They are the sooty-faced, stout men of the industrial age who work hard and play hard.

The word “dwarf” comes from “dweorh,” which in turn comes from the Germanic “dweraz” and “dhwerghwos,” meaning something tiny. “Dweorgas” became “dwarrows,” which was later changed to dwarfs. No wonder then that dwarves are always portrayed as being short (Aeon 2001).

The term “dwarves” came to prominence thanks to Tolkien’s works (Tolkien 1937:8; Ayto 1990:189), a distinction evidenced by Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Dwarves have a strong tradition in Nordic myth as forgers and warriors, but also as thieves and liars. This tradition continued in The Hobbit, where the dwarves were cast as duplicitous rogues out to abscond with Smaug’s treasure. The dwarven love of drink was also established in Nordic myth (Tolkien 1937).

Dwarves of Middle-earth are a rugged race, short of stature and long of beard, stone carvers, metalworkers, and miners. They were created by the “Seven Fathers” of dwarves (echoes of Snow White) but, due to the arrogance of their creator, were kept asleep for many ages so that the Elves could be awoken to life first. Dwarves are longer-lived than humans, and they are fallible (Day 2001:59).

At approximately the same time The Hobbit was published, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released into theaters. Both media portrayed dwarves as miners with axes, bumbling, homely, and short beings that worked in perpetuity. These characteristics are largely still in evidence in modern fantasy.

The portrayal of dwarves with accents is certainly inspired by Three Hearts and Three Lionsby Poul Anderson, a novel that strongly influenced Dungeons & Dragons (1961). Hugi the dwarf speaks with a Scottish accent. The popular Lord of the Rings movie trilogy propagates the notion of dwarven accents, which has since become a staple of modern fantasy depictions of dwarves.

While it is debatable that Tolkien ever actually visited Nepal, he certainly knew of the Gurkhas,