Dwarven Demographics - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Andsigil · 01-06-2013, 12:04 PM

Lately I've been seeing some articles on China's demographics as they relate to gender and war. After 4 decades of a one-child only policy, there is now a surplus of males in the country, since parents are more likely to abort females than males. The articles I've seen mention that societies in which there is a surplus of males have a tendency to be more aggressively warlike/conquest-minded.

And this brings me around to Middle Earth's dwarves, of whom only a third were female.

What are your thoughts on the noticeable lack of dwarven "imperialism", then:

a panda-like lack of fecundity tends to cancel out the drive for conquest?
Overriding cultural insularity?
It's magic and not biology? I wouldn't say that there is a lack of aggressive-inducing testosterone among dwarven males, given their hirsute appearances and bulky muscles, so perhaps one should simply assume that, yes, dwarves have the physiques of pocket strongmen, but it's not because of hormones.

(BTW, if anyone is interested in the China articles I mentioned, a few of them are here, here, and here.)

01-06-2013, 12:04 PM	#1
Andsigil Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: The Deepest Forges of Ered Luin Posts: 733	Dwarven Demographics Lately I've been seeing some articles on China's demographics as they relate to gender and war. After 4 decades of a one-child only policy, there is now a surplus of males in the country, since parents are more likely to abort females than males. The articles I've seen mention that societies in which there is a surplus of males have a tendency to be more aggressively warlike/conquest-minded. And this brings me around to Middle Earth's dwarves, of whom only a third were female. What are your thoughts on the noticeable lack of dwarven "imperialism", then: a panda-like lack of fecundity tends to cancel out the drive for conquest? Overriding cultural insularity? It's magic and not biology? I wouldn't say that there is a lack of aggressive-inducing testosterone among dwarven males, given their hirsute appearances and bulky muscles, so perhaps one should simply assume that, yes, dwarves have the physiques of pocket strongmen, but it's not because of hormones. (BTW, if anyone is interested in the China articles I mentioned, a few of them are here, here, and here.) __________________ Even as fog continues to lie in the valleys, so does ancient sin cling to the low places, the depression in the world consciousness.