A Writers Guide to Dwarvish Courting
Dwarves are private, very secretive, but caring folk. Courting is serious business to this race, and if you’re given the opportunity to court one, you shouldn’t take it likely.
To start the courting, everyone must know of your affection.
The courting bead is a declaration of affection and their courtship. It declares that the courtee is off limits to any other male or female trying to get close to them. Typically this courting bead is put into the courtee’s hair by the older of the two or the one who began the courtship. If it mutually began instead of one pursuing another, by default the older of the two will give the courting bead. It isn’t put into the hair until a few days later.
Courting beads are typically worn in the beard holding a courting braid, against the sides of the jaw. If one of the courted doesn’t have a beard, the beads are placed in the hair on the side of the face in braids.
Giving a courting braid is a very intimate act, the couple typically goes alone to a secluded place like a cabin or outside in a secret location. This is similar to the human ‘honeymoon,’ except they aren’t married. The couple will spend one day prepping the hair, using oils and mixtures of honey and vanilla to prepare it for easier braiding.
The next day, the couple will brush each others hair a total of one hundred strokes. This is not only intimate but gives one of the others to think about the commitment they’re about to make. Once the courting braid is in, the courting is official and all have to respect it. It is severely frowned upon to flirt or try to interrupt a courtship when the courting braid and bead are in place.
After the courting is established to the community, the second step is the gifting. Handmade gifts are bests, such as small figurines, a love poem, or even a song. Any gift will do, but the more personalized it is, the more it shows how you feel about the person. Dwarves are commonly craftsmen specializing in weaponry, jewelry, and other things that can be made out of metal and iron. Most common gifts are daggers with intricate detail work on the hilts and in the blade itself.
Alongside the gifting, is the strength rituals. Whoever began the courtship will try to impress their beloved, hunting the biggest animals they can find, public brawls, and overall showing of their strength. Example: Seeing your beloved shirtless to show their muscles while they chop wood for the winter, this is an example of strength for they wish to show off their muscles and their ability with an ax in hope to impress you.
This form of courtship is similar to that of an orc, however, towards the end of it, Dwarves take a different approach. While orcs get married within six months of the beginning on a courtship, Dwarvish courtship can go on for years. The key component to ending the courtship and officially began preparations for marriage is when the courtee announces to the courter that they wish to spend the rest of their life with them. This will tell the dwarf in question that their efforts have been successful.
To end a courtship, the courtee must announce that they are unhappy with their courtship and it will end without question. No courtship is forced or forced to continue after one of the two is unhappy, although unhappy couplings are rare. The courtship is all about the couple, so while a parent can strongly disagree, by Dwarvish law they cannot oppose or stop the courtship without the consent of the courtees. This is to prevent parents from arranging marriages and keeping One’s apart.
While affection is common through the courting, being sexually intimate is typically saved for after the marriage. This is to hold a final vow, “I give my all to you, and only you” between the couple. This is one thing that only One’s are to share. Sex outside of courtships is common, but is frowned upon and typically not spoken of in public.
The One is the dwarvish equivalent to Soulmates. How they meet depends simply on fate, but one thing is for certain, every dwarf has a One. Gender doesn’t matter to the dwarves since male dwarves out-populate the females by 2 to 1. They simply believe love is love, regardless of any gender or sexual identity.
Dwarves are secretive folk. They do not open up about their traditions or rituals very easily. If you find yourself lucky to be one of those individuals that do know the information directly from the mouth, cherish it closely, for you are special to a certain dwarf.
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