Mysterious World Of Ancient Dwarves

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com -The idea that dwarves walked the Earth in ancient times should not be surprising. There is a lot of evidence that beings of very short stature were present in various parts of the ancient world.

Left: Menehune with Fish by , 1933, 12 x 16 inches. Image credit: D. Howard Hitchcock - Public Domain; Right: Menehune bank from 1946. Made for Bank of Hawaii as a promotional giveaway to encourage island children to save their pennies. Imager credit: Laudowicz - CC BY-SA 3.0

For example, we encounter them in America and know that many ancient Native American legends tell of a group of beings commonly referred to as the Little People. These tiny beings are sometimes said to be spirits, magicians, ferocious dwarves, fairies, or devils, depending on the tribe's original folklore.

The physical remains of tiny people have been reported to be found in various locations in the western United States, particularly Montana and Wyoming.

In most cases, these tiny beings were discovered in caves. Examination of the small bodies has been conducted, but the results of the studies have only sometimes been revealed to the public.

Polonnaruwa dwarf. Credit: Adobe Stock - Sergii Figurnyi

One of the most mysterious cases concerns the remarkable Pedro Mummy. To this day, some ask whether the Pedro Mummy was really lost or is deliberately being hidden from the public.

As previously said, stories of the Little People have been part of the folklore of many cultures in human history. Physical remains of tiny people have been reported to be found in various locations. Makhunik - known as a 5,000-year-old city of the dwarfs, is a fascinating place that requires more scientific investigation.

This ancient city is still shrouded in mystery. After 5,000 years since the departure of dwarfs from the city, a large swathe of this prehistoric region lies buried in soil, and the migration of Shahdad's dwarves remains clouded in mystery.

Many would like to know why Shahdad's dwarves covered the doors of their homes with mud and never returned.

Following the traces of the ancient dwarves, we end up in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, where dwarves guarded vast palaces and temples. Locals believe that these tiny beings were sinful souls punished for their evil deeds. However, traces indicate that dwarfs were the last descendants of the tribe of little people inhabiting the jungles of Sri Lanka.

Their likenesses, with grotesquely large bellies, are depicted on old sculptures and carvings in the region.

Tahiti's mythological race of dwarf people was the so-called Menehune, according to Hawaiian tradition. They are said to live in the deep forests and hidden remote valleys of the Hawaiian Islands, far away from human settlements.

The Menehune were solid and intelligent craftspeople who built temples (heiau), houses, fishponds, roads, and canoes. Some of these structures that Hawaiian folklore attributed to the Menehune still exist.

Pedro Mummy - Public Domain

They are said to have lived in Hawaii long before settlers arrived from Polynesia many centuries ago. Even though the Menehune small people were said to be displaced to other places, some people still believe that the Menehune are roaming the islands, carrying out tricks on people.

A few decades ago, the Menehunes were accused of undoing work the men were doing at Diamond Head, near Honolulu, every night.

There are beautiful legends about Menehune. One of them says that the Menehune have been known to use magic arrows to pierce angry people's hearts, helping them obtain beautiful feelings of love instead. They were also small creatures who enjoyed cliff diving. Tradition shows that the Menehune were innovative, robust, and outstanding artisans.

However, they were rarely seen by human eyes.

Ancient people credited them with extraordinary feats of engineering and overnight construction.

In Borneo, there are stories of dwarves who are said to have muscular, stocky bodies covered with hair. These curious beings avoided daylight and could only be spotted in the evening or at dawn.

Left: God Bes. Credit: Rama - CC BY-SA 2.0 FR - Middle: God Bes at the Hathor - Credit: Hajor - CC BY-SA 3.0 Right: Statuette of the god Bes holding an ointment vessel in front of him. Credit: ArchaiOptix - CC BY-SA 4.0

Locals tell the dwarves seemed frightened at the sight of other people. When they saw a human, they fled, spreading their hands like wings, perhaps for balance.

The Cliff of Bandiagara (Land of the Dogons) is located in a remote part of rural Mali, about 80 km east of Mopti. It is a dramatic sandstone cliff, up to 500 meters high, that stretches for about 150 km, with a high plateau above and sandy semi-desert plains below.

The cliffs have been settled for at least 2,000 years, although the Dogon people who occupied the area arrived in the 15th century.

According to the Dogon people, whose ancestors came from the Sirius star system, there are curious tales of small red-skinned people. They called themselves Adambulu. They were noisy, loved to play, danced, and wore masks and reddish-colored clothes.

It is said that these mysterious beings had otherworldly powers. Unfortunately, they were regarded as a threat and were chased by locals eager to learn more about their secrets and knowledge of magic. The dwarves were forced to build houses very high up on the cliff. These were their homes where they felt safe, and members of the tall tribes could not reach them.

Even modern climbers failed to reach the caves where the dwarves lived. To this date, many of the mysterious caves have never been examined by archaeologists.

There is no doubt that dwarves existed in the ancient world. Sometimes, they were treated with respect and admiration, but in most cases, they were unfortunately persecuted due to their different appearance.

Written by – A. Sutherland  - AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer

Updated on December 16, 2023

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