J.R.R. Tolkien portrays Dwarves as skilled smiths and miners in Middle-earth.
The Dwarves are one of Tolkien’s major peoples and are strongly associated with underground cities, precious metals, stonework, weapons, armor, and craftsmanship. Their creator is described in Tolkien’s mythology as the Vala Aulë, who made them before the awakening of the Elves.
Important Dwarven realms include Khazad-dûm, later called Moria, and Erebor, the Lonely Mountain. Thorin Oakenshield leads the company that seeks to reclaim Erebor in The Hobbit. The Dwarves’ most famous metalworking achievement is the forging of the Rings of Power, although the Seven Rings given to Dwarf-lords had consequences unlike those affecting the Elves or Men.
Tolkien’s Dwarves are sometimes confused with generic fantasy dwarfs, but his version has a distinctive language, history, naming customs, and relationship with other peoples. In Tolkien’s preferred spelling, the plural is “Dwarves,” not the traditional English plural “dwarfs.”