History Main / ElvesVersusDwarves

** In ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' the Vulcans and Andorians have a long-standing SpaceColdWar-style rivalry. The Vulcans of this era are a haughty ProudScholarRaceGuy, while the Andorians are a HotBlooded [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Proud Soldier Race]] with a severely regimented society and who often live underground due to the harsh conditions of their homeworld. The humans of the United Earth end up bringing them together, and together with the Tellarites they end up as founding members of the Federation.

* In ''Monster Girl Encyclopedia'', it was FantasticRacism in era of previous overlords. Elves consider humans, dwarves and any monsters to be lowly creatures and loathe to make contact with them, so they rarely get far from their HiddenElfVillage. Dwarves feel insulted by this attitude and hate them back. Today, when many of elves and dwarves are [[HornyDevils succubi]], they still tend to snipe at each other and fight over men. For some reason, succubi elves and dwarves usually target same men. Fortunatly, their "fighting" consists mostly of...[[AThreesomeIsHot snuggling up against the man, pinching him between them]].

* Elves use [[CoolSword swords]] or [[ArcherArchetype bows]] (or [[BowAndSwordInAccord both]]), weapons requiring flexibility and precision, representations of elegance. Elegance is power. Dwarves use [[AnAxeToGrind axes]], [[DropTheHammer hammers]], [[AutomaticCrossbows crossbows]] or if the setting allows for it, [[CoolGuns guns]], which are primarily about direct, mechanical (in the case of the crossbow) or chemical (for guns) application of force. Force is power.

[[folder:Web Videos])

** There is a wonderful moment in the first book where Gimli meets [[PhysicalGod Galadriel]], and Galadriel has no idea what to give Gimli as a gift for the journey. Gimli is smitten with her and Galadriel didn't want Gimli to be the only one leaving empty-handed, so he jokingly asked her for a strand of [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold her hair]] to remember her beauty by. [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments So she gives him]] ''three'' [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments strands]]. [[note]]In one other story, Fëanor ''demanded'' a strand of her hair three times and refused him each time. She saw goodness and humility in the heart of a lowborn soldier (of a race the elves have quarrelled with for a long time) that she could not see in the greatest warrior king of the elves to have ever lived, and she believed him three times more deserving. You can practically hear Fëanor reeling from the TakeThat[[/note]] That is how much Gimli is regarded as an Elf-Friend.
*** Even sweeter? At first Gimli would ask for nothing, saying the hospitality he'd been shown was enough. Galadriel is so impressed with his humility that she has a command for all of Elfkind at that point.
--> '''Galadriel''' : ''Hear ye all Elves! Let none say again that Dwarves are grasping and ungracious!''

** ''The Hobbit'' gives a short and simple backstory for the conflict, likely because Tolkien hadn't established that part of the setting properly yet, so he just needed something easy and simple. The reason is actually remarkably petty; The elves claim that the dwarves refused to part with some jewelry even after the elves had paid them to work the raw jewels. The dwarves claim that they were never paid, and kept the jewelry as compensation. The whole thing seems to be intentionally as petty as possible.

* In Katherine Kerr's ''{{Literature/Deverry}}'' novels, many of the Mountain Folk (dwarves) believe the Westfolk (elves) are all thieves, and enchant their weaponry to glow when they come into contact with elves (this is how it's revealed the main character is a HalfHumanHybrid). Any antipathy the Westfolk have to the dwarves is mostly a reaction to this attitude.

** The ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration The Next Generation]]'' ExpandedUniverse novels ''[[Literature/StarTrekATimeTo A Time To Love]]'' and ''A Time To Hate'' feature two rival alien races called the Dorset and the Bader. The Dorset are a race of tall, thin artists; the Bader are stocky builders and engineers.

* It's Eldar Vs ''Humans'' on a galactic, genocidal scale in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'', with the Imperium of Man squarely filling the dwarves' shoes. Though in this case, it's less about swords and bows vs axes and hammers than it is starcannons and hovertanks vs chainswords, battle cannons and heavy, tracked monstrosities.
** Though the 40k universe did have it's version of dwarves early on, the [[OldShame Squats]]. [[DroppedABridgeOnHim It didn't end well for them.]] Interestingly enough, Squats and Eldar repeated the dwarf-elf grudge from ''Warhammer Fantasy'', after the Eldar declined to help in the defence against an Ork invasion.
** Also, 40K is pretty much everybody VS everybody else ([[EnemyCivilWar including your own side]]) [[ForeverWar on a permament basis]].

** Since both dwarves and elves are standard hero races, they tend to be on decent terms, though usually not seeing eye to eye on much (typically more like eye to groin). The 3rd edition rulebook mentions that while dwarves and elves don't always get along, if one gets attacked the other will be the first to help them. Much like brothers. This was less the case in the 1st Edition, where the table for racial relations explicitly noted that dwarves and elves had a noted antipathy towards one another. Humans generally tended to be regarded neutrally by all the demihuman races.

** ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}'' has a really weird version of this between the halflings of the Talenta Plains and the elves of Valenar. Thing is, it's the halflings standing in for the elves in this trope - primitive, spiritual, attuned to nature, and generally cleaving to the MagicalNativeAmerican idea, only they ride [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs dinosaurs]]. The Valenar elves, in turn, stand in for the ''dwarves'', being accurately described as land-based Vikings. The actual dwarves of the setting are geographically removed from both races and thus are neutral towards both.
*** Also, the setting's largest elven culture is where it gets weird -- an even more remote, DarkIsNotEvil [[TheNecrocracy necrocracy]], former slaves to [[OurGiantsAreBigger giants]] and a rivalry with [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragons]].
* This trope was consciously averted in ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}''. Elves actually are really good neighbors with Dwarfs in this setting due to both being fairly isolationist. According to one sourcebook this is because "good fences make good neighbors". Lead designer James Jacobs explained that it's because ElvesVsDwarves is a prominent trope in ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'', and Paizo wanted to avoid comparisons between the two settings.
** Apparently played straight as of the Advanced Race Guide, which includes character options for both elves and dwarves which divide up their favored enemy bonuses between the standard orcs...and each other, thanks to the usual ancient grudge. And according to the "Ask Merisiel" thread, the Iconic Rogue, Merisiel Sillvari, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking finds Lem's jokes about dwarves]] ''hilarious''.

* The [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Jadeborn]] (with a hint of [[OurElvesAreDifferent elfish traits]]) and TheFairFolk in ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' don't exactly meet often enough to develop an attitude about it, but their very natures are inimical to each other -- the industrious, inventive Jadeborn being about as close as you can get to representations of Creation and Order without being an Earth elemental, and the alien Fair Folk being a tiny piece of PrimordialChaos that for whatever reason decided to pretend to be sentient and go around {{Mind Rap|e}}ing people.\\
\\

[[folder:Theater]]

* The people in Belle Reve (Elves) and New Orleans (Dwarves) in ''Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire''.

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''

* In ''VideoGame/{{Overlord}}'', it turns out that - a short while before your [[SealedEvilInACan Awakening]] - the Dwarves and Elves fought a war of extinction. The Dwarves won, carting away the most valued treasure of the Elves, as well as several cartloads of elven slaves to work in their mines, and leaving the Elvish forest of Evernight to the mournful whispers of the ghosts. If you are so inclined, you can help the Elves regain their freedom, and their treasure... or you could [[VillainProtagonist kill them all and keep the treasure to yourself]]. Canonically the Overlord saves the Elves from extinction since they're still around in the sequel while the Dwarves are presumably devastated by the magical Cataclysm that turned the lands of the first game into a magical wasteland. The prequel ''Overlord: Dark Legend'' has Lord Gromgard, the previous Overlord instigate a war between the Elves and Dwarves by killing their leaders and framing the other side for it.

--->'''Oghren:''' We're taking the elf?! Oh, fine, fine. I see standards are just falling down all over the place.
--->'''Zevran:''' I see. Are we now supposed to engage in some manner of archetypal dwarf-elf banter, my friend?
--->'''Oghren:''' Nah.

-->'''Dwarves:''' [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/10/25/episode-346-thief-the-genius-black-mage-the-wuss/ We're the Dwarven border guards]]. [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment We guard the Dwarven borders.]] Our orders are simple.
-->'''Black Mage:''' [[StealthInsult That must be a relief to you.]]
-->'''Dwarves:''' We're to kill any Elves on sight without question. Which is fairly redundant, since any Dwarf would do that anyway. But a paycheck's a paycheck.

* In ''AudioPlay/LeDonjonDeNaheulbeuk'' (''Dungeon of Naheulbeuk'')), a French audio AffectionateParody of tabletop [=RPGs=] and particularly ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', elves and dwarves famously can't get along. Each race takes its defining characteristics far, far beyond its limits, making the following more or less the norm:
-->'''The Elf:''' (''who has fallen down a hole'') Help me, I'm stuck!\\

* The debate continues even onto [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNrLMob39qI YouTube]] in a segment of D&D PHB PSA. Elves, for those not in the know, cause cancer, and have tiny penises. Especially the women.

* Out of Context D&D Quotes, a blog collecting, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin out of context D&D quotes,]] had [[http://outofcontextdnd.tumblr.com/post/137127190519/exchange-between-dwarf-and-elf-in-party this]] utterly hilarious dialogue between a haughty elf and a DeadpanSnarker dwarf.

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' episode "Here There Be Dwarves!", the plot revolves around a war between tree-dwelling Elves (a parody of the Keebler Elves) and Dwarves over who got what rights to sell food. The Elves, of course, got cookies, while the Dwarves get mushrooms, and have regretted it ever since. In the end, they compromise and make mushroom cookies.
** "They taste like my cat!"
* There is definitely an undercurrent of this in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', between the unicorns (tend to be educated, higher class and have telekinesis to handle delicate tasks) and the earth ponies (strong, hard-working and with a "connection to the earth"). Among the mane six characters, two of the character foil pairs follow this dynamic, with the dainty Rarity against down-to-Earth Applejack, and the logical Twilight Sparkle against the CloudCuckoolander Pinkie Pie.
** This was also the point of a stage play, which brought the pegasus class (agile, high-spirited, and able to handle high-altitude activity) into the act.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* The {{Theme Park Version}}s of the nations considered to be the principal founders of UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion: France and Germany, respectively Elves and Dwarves. France is the byword for European High Culture, ''Haute Couture'' Fashion, Aristocracy, Luxury and anything that could be crammed in the term ''Fancy'', whether it be its unrivalled fine cuisine, its Louvre museum, its many contributions to modern literary drama and the many sophisticated ''fancy'' terms in the English language, or the tropes on how EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench, and so on. However, they are also stereotyped as [[FrenchJerk annoyingly arrogant]] and [[CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkeys pathetic in physical combat]] (though [[BadassBookworm they had their own share of badasses]] e.g. the MagnificentBastard UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte). Germany, on the other hand, is the byword for Pragmatism, as exemplified by the trope: GermanicEfficiency. Whether it be the Protestant work ethic, or the military virtues of UsefulNotes/{{Prussia}}, or their relentless dedication to [[HerrDoktor science]] and the most cutting-edge of modern engineering, Germany has become the byword for Austerity, [[{{Workaholic}} industriousness]], and ''really awesome'' super-technology. Their industry, however, also resulted in their stereotype as [[GermanicDepressives stern and ruthless in their achievements]] (though examples from UsefulNotes/DichterAndDenker and [[{{Oktoberfest}} the generally fun-loving region of Bavaria]] disprove the complete perception of German ruthlessness as more of a ThemeParkVersion). Even their ''drinks and religions'' are an Elf to Dwarf contrast: France is [[ChristianityIsCatholic Catholic]], renowned for [[GratuitousLatin Latin]], [[WineIsClassy Chateau Wine]], High Art, beautiful cathedrals, fancy costumes and elaborate rites, while Germany loves the more boorish [[BestBeerEver Beer]] (the archetypal Dwarven drink) and is more Protestant, hence their down-to-earth perception and their work ethic.
* This with a touch of TechnicianVsPerformer describes the Soviet Union (Dwarves) versus the major Axis trio of Imperial Japan, Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany (Elves). The Soviets were maniacs of struggle and hard work, having won the Russian Civil War and taking over what was left of the Russian Empire, then developing it into a formidable economy with an equally formidable heavy industry by blood, sweat, tears and iron. Their doctrine (for example, in military-grade hardware) heavily favored simplicity and reliability, and they were oftentimes so determined to gain visible results that they often copied American designs wholesale- to the Soviets, it didn't matter if they didn't understand the culture behind it; if it works for the culture that made it, it should also work for them. By contrast, the entire Fascist community was one elaborate show of color, innovation, propaganda, staging, performance and generally running on RuleOfCool more often than not, looking like one giant theatrical play. While the Soviets' willingness to succeed at any cost no matter how high won them the Second World War, the Fascist states have captured the imagination of many people who continue to be impressed by many things they created, as well as impressing their opponents enough in their innovation that everyone studied and eventually adopted said innovations (such as the jerrycan, assault rifle, and guided missiles, among others).
* In UsefulNotes/AncientGreece, the rivalry between Sparta, which corresponds to Dwarves, and Athens, which corresponds to Elves. [[TheSpartanWay Spartans dedicated themselves on pragmatism, military toughness and direct application of force,]] with a SocialDarwinist culture that encouraged its citizens to be hard soldiers at the cost of discarding philosophy or open trade, and their straightforwardness was what made them distinct from the other Greeks ("[[LaconicWiki Laconic]]" was named after the home region of the Spartans). On the other hand, the Athenians were not so pragmatic. While their military power was much less famous than the Spartans ([[BadassBookworm though still formidable]]) they were a cosmopolitan diplomatic culture that specialized in the arts, debate and philosophy, which allowed their culture to be spread far and wide and retain glorious influence in the modern world. Of course, this is more like the ThemeParkVersion of Ancient Greece, since the two had more of a FriendlyRivalry than the way they're usually portrayed nowadays, and [[AFriendInNeed came to each other's aid multiple times]].
** Athens definitely had a strong military side and they had reasons to consider their military power as famous as that of the Spartans, notably through the largely Athenian victories of Marathon and Salamis in the Persian Wars. The main difference was that in the time after that Athens concentrated on the naval, diplomatic and economic sides of war. But the Athenians' growing military and economic power was what led the Spartans to decide to go to war against them in the Peloponesian War.
* The Dano-Norwegian union played the trope straight: Danes were sophisticated, urbanized, even had a university (well-educated to boot). Norwegians were {{noble savage}}s, free children of nature, and naturally without any sophistication. They could get into the upper classes if they worked hard and played nice, though. On the top of it all, the Danes actually came to admire the Norwegians for this, especially during the eighteenth century. When Norway entered a union with Sweden, Norway kept the "dwarf" role, while Sweden took over the "elf" role from Denmark.
** In modern times, Norwegians are apt to do the trick on themselves: The less urbanized you are, the more "savage" you become. And there is always another country to suck up to.
* The North/South divide in the UK between the (now) poorer industrialised [[OopNorth North]] and the richer South. With northerners seen as plain-spoken, down-to-earth and working class (or Northern Bastards) and southerners seen as posh, intelligent, educated, and generally upper or middle class (or Soft Southern Nancies). It is no coincidence that in many fantasy adaptations the Elves have posh, southern English accents, while those for Dwarves tends to be either [[OopNorth northern (usually Yorkshire)]] or Scottish. And then you have the people living in the Midlands who are often counted in both camps...
* Anglo/French relations, in a nutshell. The industrial English/British have been at odds with the artistic, sophisticated French for almost a millennium.
** During UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution, on the other hand, the colonists saw themselves as the tough, pragmatic and hardworking proletarian ones and the British as a bunch of [[UpperClassTwit posh decadent tea-drinking elitist snobs wasting their hard labor on art]], ([[QuintessentialBritishGentleman a stereotype which has never really gone away]]). Arguably, though, the American perception of the English is simply an internal British split carried over across the Atlantic--the early Americans were indeed mostly British, but they tended to come from the more provincial parts of the country (the same place where the Industrial Revolution was happening) and from [[UsefulNotes/ATouchOfClassEthnicityAndReligion Dissenting]] religious backgrounds (who were also the ones making industrialization happen): Puritans from UsefulNotes/EastAnglia settled New England, Quakers and Presbyterians from UsefulNotes/TheMidlands settled New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware; and [[OopNorth Northerners]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Scotland}} Scots]], and [[UsefulNotes/NorthernIreland Ulstermen]] settled the backcountry. The "English" of Revolutionary imagination were really Londoners and South-Eastern Anglicans--who settled the Tidewater South and were [[SouthernGentleman the most obsessed with being "courtly" and aristocratic]]. Most of Britain regarded the South-East as "where the aristocrats were" (since they all had to go up to London half the year) with ponceyness and doubletalk (Elves) and themselves as practical, hardworking, and simple (Dwarves); these translated to the Tidewater South being Elves and everywhere else being Dwarves. Things have of course changed since then.
* Cats are seen as [[CatsAreSuperior graceful, aloof, pretentious, and clever]] (Elves). Dogs are seen as strong, tough, loyal, hard-working, and finally: they dig (Dwarves).
* During the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, the [[{{Eagleland}} United States of America]] and the [[GloriousMotherRussia Union of Soviet Socialist Republics]]. The Americans won UsefulNotes/TheSpaceRace (though not by much), had [[UsefulNotes/YanksWithTanks a high-tech but expensive volunteer army]] that relied heavily on precision weaponry (smart bombs, et al.), used information technology and a freedom of speech-based consumerist culture to spread their ideals far and wide, and were stereotyped as rich but selfish and decadent (Elves). The Soviets had [[UsefulNotes/FromRussiaWithNukes more and much bigger nuclear weapons]] (to destroy more area in one blow and make up for inaccuracy) and a [[UsefulNotes/RedsWithRockets much larger standing army]] that would probably have overrun Western Europe (before the nukes came out, at least) through overwhelming force and [[ZergRush numbers]] had WorldWarIII broken out, followed an ideology that extolled the working classes, and were stereotyped as poor and oppressed, but industrialized and hard-working (Dwarves).
** Averted, however with modern Russia and the United States, which are more amicable towards each other but hardly friends. Americans still place the same priority on highly advanced technology and view themselves as Elves, while Russian society emphasizes arts, culture, and especially literature are SeriousBusiness. In this light, Russians views themselves as the sophisticated Elves versus the crass, building-obsessed American Dwarves.
* On a smaller scale, see Korea (UsefulNotes/{{North|Korea}} is Dwarves, UsefulNotes/{{South|Korea}} is Elves). South Korea has a high tech industry (with a cyberpunkish EverythingIsOnline Internet), the national sport is ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'', and their army is one of the best equipped in Asia. The Northern economy (that isn't dependent on donations) is based in coal mining, the country is filled with mountains (so does South Korea, but theirs are less elevated), they pride themselves on strength, and the army is based on [[WeHaveReserves numbers]]. North Koreans are also usually shorter due to the constant famine.
* Modern humans and Neanderthals. The modern (anatomically) humans were tall, slender, inventive beings with pointy chins and high foreheads. Compare this with the Neanderthals, who were shorter, stockier, with stronger arms and all around more masculine looking, and allegedly master craftsmen. [[{{Pun}} In short]], the Neanderthals are dwarves, while modern humans fit the role of elves.
** This also has the resultant FridgeHorror of the implication that [[TomatoInTheMirror all the tales of]] TheFairFolk, ''particularly'' the nasty ones, might just be drawn from things that humans did... [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters it's not like humanity doesn't have a knack for inventive cruelty, after all.]]
*** Especially modern humans. Archaic ones seemed to be more peaceful, though that could be due to smaller numbers only.
* Somewhat the point of the "[[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-main-difference-between-europe-and-usa The Main Difference Between Europe and the USA]]", a minor image macro meme displaying aspects of European and American cultural stereotypes, side-by-side, for comedic effect. Overlaps with SlobsVersusSnobs at times. By the way, guess which is which?
* Some 19th century pro-Confederate ("Lost Cause") authors depicted the UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar as a conflict between a rough, industrial, barely civilized North mainly populated by recent German and Irish immigrants and a [[SouthernGentleman gentlemanly]], sophisticated, agrarian South inhabited by planters of English, Scottish and French extraction. The truth was a bit more complicated. For much of its history, especially before 1860, most of America's prestigious institutes of higher education were in the North, and most of the American writers and poets who worked or achieved prominence in the antebellum United States and in the wider world (e. g. Creator/BenjaminFranklin, [[Literature/TheLegendOfSleepyHollow Washington Irving]], Creator/JamesFenimoreCooper, [[Literature/UncleTomsCabin Harriet Beecher Stowe]], Creator/NathanielHawthorne, Creator/HermanMelville), and are still remembered today, were from the North. Even Creator/EdgarAllanPoe, one of the great Southern writers of that period, was born in UsefulNotes/{{Boston}} and is most associated with a border slave state that did not secede (Maryland), while John C. Calhoun was of Irish stock and UsefulNotes/ThomasJefferson and Frederick Douglass were considered embarrassments by the propagandists of the "Lost Cause". Not that this would've been of much help for them, as they often looked down on American culture and portrayed the Southern "cavaliers" as more sophisticated because their elites were consumers of [[MadeInCountryX European (mostly British and French) culture]].\\\
The stereotype also extends to the generals who led both sides during the war. Confederate generals (at least during the first part of the war) made up for the South's material disadvantages by being better strategists, and Robert E. Lee, the most famous Confederate general, was known for being AFatherToHisMen and codified the trope of the NobleConfederateSoldier. Meanwhile, UsefulNotes/UlyssesSGrant and William Tecumseh Sherman, the late-period Union generals widely credited with winning the war, are popularly remembered for their respective ability to [[WeHaveReserves sustain huge losses]] and willingness to engage in [[SaltTheEarth scorched-earth tactics]], with Sherman's tactics now regarded as a progenitor to the brutal trench warfare of [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI the First World War]] and the strategic bombing campaigns of [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII the Second]]. At the same time, however, this also supports the image that the Southern elites' main activities were running slave plantations, politics (to further the planters' interests), and the military (the South was then and still is disproportionately represented in the US officer corps). This resembles Sparta more than Athens, especially in the South becoming politically more monolithic and intransigent before the war. It also ignores that while the Confederacy did have many skilled generals, it also had its share of notoriously incompetent ones, such as Braxton Bragg and his immediate subordinate/[[WeAreStrugglingTogether nemesis]] Leonidas Polk, who both arguably did more to secure the ''Union'' victory than many Union generals. And Nathan Bedford Forrest, best known for [[LeaveNoSurvivors massacring surrendered soldiers]] and being the first leader of the UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan.
* The aforementioned case of the American Civil War could also be ''inverted'' based on current political ideology: today, the conservative South, with its emphasis on pre-industrial traditional Christian religion and family values, tend to distrust the more liberal, secular, multicultural, and cosmopolitan North.
* Standard Apple computers are [[AsceticAesthetic simple]], [[RuleOfCool stylish]], [[EverythingIsAnIpodInTheFuture futuristic]], and [[AwesomeButImpractical are better suited to exclusive artistic and other high-specs software, but cost around $1000 at minimum]] (Elves). Standard Windows computers, meanwhile, tend to be [[BiggerIsBetter larger]], [[PragmaticAdaptation utilitarian, more cheaply designed]], [[BoringButPractical versatile and capable of performing all mainstream computing needs while costing between a third and a fourth as much as an Apple]] (Dwarves).
** Although given that mucking about with dual-booting, OS emulation, and/or hackintoshing is inherently more complicated than buying a system off the shelf, it's probably more like DifficultButAwesome.
** This in itself would be a further Elves/Dwarves dynamic: those who buy hardware and software as is, and those that mod/build/tweak to their tastes.
** The actual ''people'' who purchase these tend to be in the same box, Apples tend to be purchased by Artists, while Windows [=PC=]s tend to be the preferred brand for pragmatic, results-oriented Businessmen and gamers.
*** Though, in reality, their actual capabilities aren't that different from each other, and the fact that artists seem to buy more Apple products and everyday users go for Windows PC stems more from marketing. They're both just tools, after all.
*** The "artists prefer Apple" trend comes largely from a difference in how Apple monitors worked, showing colors much closer to the final printed product (color filters that could be attached to the screen for other brands were available but clunky). This hasn't really been relevant for some time, however.
*** One of the appeals of Apple hard- and especially software is that it simply works, without elaborate incantations or expert tinkering. Of course, reality is a bit more complicated.
** Linux combines elements of both elves and dwarves, striving for technical excellence at the expense of ease of use but running on ordinary PC hardware while being available for free.
** This dichotomy also applies to the CPU architectures of the platforms. Macs have typically run on more elegant Motorola 68000, [=PowerPC=], and ARM architectures while [=PCs=] run less elegant but more powerful Intel and AMD processors.
* In North America and Asia, a somewhat simplified contrast between big cats and bears could be applied in this style. Big cats are generally more on the "elven" side of things than bears. They are lithe, agile, fast, and stealthy. They are highly specialized predators, with pretty much all species of big cats being dedicated carnivores. Bears, on the other hand, are more "dwarven". Large and stocky, bears are omnivores that make use of physical prowess over speed and agility, though they can be faster than their sheer bulk would let on. Big cats often make homes of trees, tall rocks or alcoves with open areas, while bears--though capable of climbing trees--tend to favor enclosed dens and caves, especially in regards to bear species that hibernate. In almost all ranges where they interact, bears and big cats compete for resources and territory, occasionally leading to direct conflict.
* Israelis vs Palestinians, with the BadassIsraeli stereotype notwithstanding tho, the Israelis generally have higher education and better technology and the country has a well-known love for arts, classical music (even from people [[Music/RichardWagner not exactly known for their love to Jews]]), culture and film. Palestinians on the other hand are generally seen as more gruff, hardened and mostly from the working class even using harsher forms of fighting from stone-throwing to rocket launching. This of course can, to some degree, be expanded to the entire Jewish/Arab conflict however local variants may arise as in some places more sophisticated and luxurious Arabs (like in the Gulf monarchies) will contrast with the more toughened and rough Jews/Israelis.
* Saudi Arabians vs Yemenis, particularly in the recent Yemen conflict often called Saudi Arabia's Vietnam, with the rich and sumptuous Saudi monarchy versus the hardened Houti Yemeni guerrilla. This may also apply to the Sunni vs Shia rivalry in Islam since the Arab Caliphates times with the Sunnis holding imperial powers and the Shias as the working class guerrilla forces opposing it. Shias often condemned the Sunni Caliph's excesses and luxuries whilst they themselves deprived of, often living in the mountain areas and deserts. This rivalry can still be seen in places with large Sunni/Shia populations like Irak and Bahrain, and to some degree to the two main Islamic rival powers Saudi Arabia and Iran with, again, oil-enriched monarchic Saudi Arabia as the Elves and hardboiled revolutionary republican Iran as the Dwarves.
** This use to be the opposite tho. Persians use to see themselves as the more sophisticated and cultured civilization in comparison with the tribal nomadic Arabs. Their civilization been one of the oldest in the world, and even when they adopted Islam they adopted in a very Iranized fashion (that's why most Iranians are Shiite, as Shia Islam is strongly linked to Persia and some scholars think Shia Islam, or at least some of its many branches, has influence from Zoroastrianism and Gnosticism). And yes, there's also a racial question as Persians consider themselves to be Aryan as oppose to the Semitic Arabs (racism in Iran is still an issue).
* This duality also applies to many of Latin American historical rivalries:
** One of the oldest and most famous ones is Chile vs Bolivia. After the Pacific War when Bolivia lost its exit to the sea to Chile the issue has been a thorn in the side of Bolivia for decades and a source of grudge between the two, often used for political and irredentist purposes among the politicians of both countries, especially during elections. Chile is one the richest countries of Latin America with very high life standards, a very large well-educated middle class and very influenced by European culture (clearly the Elves) with the more working-class oriented, mostly indigenous Bolivians (the Dwarves).
** Brazil vs Argentina in football, the stereotypical Argentinean is seen as a tango-loving, wine degusting, self-proclaimed European (Elves) in contrast with the more festive, mixed, blue-collar worker Brazilian.
** Costa Rica vs Nicaragua. Whilst the international image of Costa Rica is of a peaceful armyless paradise in the middle of conflictive Central America, in reality even after the abolishing of the Army, Costa Rica’s “civil” Police Force had a bigger budget than all Central American armies combined. This, however, rarely affected any of its neighbors with the exception of Nicaragua. Historically every time Nicaragua had a dictatorship, Costa Rica helped overthrowing it disregarding whether it was right-wing or left-wing. Costa Rica helped the Sandinistas overthrow Somoza and later helped the Contras against the Sandinistas, and is currently one of the harsher critics of Ortega’s regime (Ortega actually accuses Costa Rica of financing its opposition). This obviously has caused tensions between the two and sometimes had been at the edge of war. And let’s not speak about the San Juan River dispute… Considering that Costa Rica like Chile and Argentina is one the richest Latin American countries, known for its achievements in science and culture, also historically considered one of the more “European” places in Latin America and with a large educated middle class whilst Nicaragua is the second poorest with a very toughened people after several civil wars and revolutions and made of mostly working-class is clear which are the Elves and which the Dwarves.
** Colombia vs Venezuela. For governments, populations may not be that different especially because they both face similar problems. However as governments go Colombia’s government is very right-wing with strong ties to the US and Venezuela’s is very left-wing with strong ties to Russia and China. The Colombian government mostly see itself as the guardian of freedom, order and rule of law (Elves) whilst the Venezuelan governments see itself as the fighter for the rights of the common people, workers and the poor (Dwarves). Of course their respective populations may strongly disagree.
*** It should be noticed, though, that many of these rivalries despite sometimes enflame nationalistic and chauvinistic views especially when instigated by political agendas, more often than not are seen as superficial and even sometimes just a source of humor from both sides with also a lot of people feeling mutual respect and frienship over borders and/or realizing that sometimes this is use to distract attention from their problems.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]

** Dwarf Shaman and High Elf Archer often argue with each other for trivial reasons, usually pulling the race card against each other. That doesn't stop them from working with and protecting each other.

** There is a wonderful moment in the first book where Gimli meets [[PhysicalGod Galadriel]], and Galadriel has no idea what to give Gimli as a gift for the journey. Gimli is smitten with her and Galadriel didn't want Gimli to be the only one leaving empty-handed, so he jokingly asked her for a strand of [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold her hair]] to remember her beauty by. [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments So she gives him]] ''three'' [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments strands]]. [[note]]Rewind back to ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', where Fëanor ''demanded'' a strand of her hair three times and refused him each time. She saw goodness and humility in the heart of a lowborn soldier (of a race the elves have quarrelled with for a long time) that she could not see in the greatest warrior king of the elves to have ever lived, and she believed him three times more deserving. You can practically hear Fëanor reeling from the TakeThat[[/note]] That is how much Gimli is regarded as an Elf-Friend.

* ''LightNovel/GoblinSlayer'': Dwarf Shaman and High Elf Archer often argue with each other for trivial reasons, usually pulling the race card against each other. That doesn't stop them from working with and protecting each other.

[[folder: Anime & Manga]]

[[folder: Comic Books]]

[[folder: Comic Strips]]

[[folder: Film]]

[[folder: Folklore]]

[[folder: Gamebooks]]

[[folder: Literature]]

[[folder: Live-Action TV]]

[[folder: Music]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games]]

[[folder: Theater]]

[[folder: Video Games]]

[[folder: Web Comics]]

[[folder: Web Original]]

[[folder: Western Animation]]

[[folder: Real Life]]

* Standard Apple computers are [[AsceticAesthetic simple]], [[RuleOfCool stylish]], [[EverythingIsAnIpodInTheFuture futuristic]], and [[AwesomeButImpractical are better suited to exclusive artistic and other high-specs software, but cost around $1000 at minimum]]. Standard Windows computers, meanwhile, tend to be [[BiggerIsBetter larger]], [[PragmaticAdaptation utilitarian, more cheaply designed]], [[BoringButPractical versatile and capable of performing all mainstream computing needs while costing between a third and a fourth as much as an Apple]].

* Up to eleven (or maybe more) in the Polish "ComicBook/LilIPut" ("Lil i Put") series. In this universe dwarves not only only hate elves but their first instinct when they see one is to charge and beat the crap out of him (or [[WouldHitAGirl her]]). The hate is partly sadistic as even all their songs appear to center around how much fun is for them to hurt elves.

** There is a wonderful moment in the first book where Gimli meets [[PhysicalGod Galadriel]], and Galadriel has no idea what to give Gimli as a gift for the journey. Gimli is smitten with her and Galadriel didn't want Gimli to be the only one leaving empty-handed, so he jokingly asked her for a strand of [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold her hair]] to remember her beauty by. [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments So she gives him]] ''[[UpToEleven three]]'' [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments strands]]. [[note]]Rewind back to ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', where Fëanor ''demanded'' a strand of her hair three times and refused him each time. She saw goodness and humility in the heart of a lowborn soldier (of a race the elves have quarrelled with for a long time) that she could not see in the greatest warrior king of the elves to have ever lived, and she believed him three times more deserving. You can practically hear Fëanor reeling from the TakeThat[[/note]] That is how much Gimli is regarded as an Elf-Friend.

* [[UpToEleven Played for]] [[ExaggeratedTrope all it's worth]] in ''[[Literature/TheFirstDwarfKing The First Dwarf King]]''. The elves and dwarves of Herezar would sooner kill each other than look at each other.

** Keeping with the tone of the comic, the rivalry is turned UpToEleven with both sides gladly committing genocide on the other. The two biggest SociopathicHero-protagonists [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/11/13/episode-353-last-one-i-swear/ do their part]] since Thief is an Elf and Black Mage... just enjoys destruction.

In many fantasy fictions these roles are filled by two of the StandardFantasyRaces, the [[OurElvesAreDifferent Elves]] and the [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwarves]]. Elves are tall and slender, Dwarves are short and stout. [[NatureVersusTechnology Elves live with nature, Dwarves build machines]]. Making a physical difference like this is a common way to point out that the two groups are meant as a {{foil}} of one another.

In many fantasy fictions these roles are filled by two of the StandardFantasyRaces, the [[OurElvesAreDifferent Elves]] and the [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwarves]]. Elves are tall and slender, Dwarves are short and stout. Making a physical difference like this is a common way to point out that the two groups are meant as a {{foil}} of one another.

* A variation of sorts can be found in Japanese folklore where {{Kitsune}} and {{Tanuki}} have an infamous rivalry for the position of apex trickster going on. The Tanuki commonly take the form of short, fat and jolly old monks and employ both TricksterMentor behavior, petty pranks and [[TheDon mafia-like methods]] when interacting with humans. The Kitsune, on the other hand, favor the form of lean, seductive women and prefer setting humans up for their own downfall through sinful actions with an almost divine entitlement.

* Elves are often masters of diplomacy, debate, rhetoric, PurpleProse, small talk and ''[[CantArgueWithElves doubletalk]]''. Dwarves generally prefer straightforward opinions and blunt facts, and [[BrutalHonesty aren't overly concerned when somebody's feelings get hurt]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'': Toran dwarves, while very different from the [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame standard depiction of Dwarves in media]] [[note]]They live above ground in the Great Forest, have mastered the art of {{Alchemy}} that allowed to developed electricity and artificial light and are one of the most technologically-advanced races in the setting.[[/note]], they hold elves in utter contempt (and the feeling is mutual).

* The Time War in ''Series/DoctorWho'' between the Time Lords and the Daleks. The Time Lords ruled the universe in the past and possessed the most advanced of all possible technology, but were (with the exception of the Doctor) almost always portrayed as arrogant, and abided by a strict code of non-interference and by the time of the Time War all that remains of their empire is their home planet, Gallifrey, where the Lords spent most of their time being dusty old senators in constant political Machiavellian infighting rather than, you know, using their ancient elegant supertech to actually rule all of cosmic order (Elves). On the other hand, there are the Daleks, the Dwarves to Time Lords' Elves. Previously, as any Classic who fan would attest, they are in their most basic, utilitarian, not-so-stylish, saltshakers with plunger arms, who could not even climb up stairs. But their drive to EXTERMINATE anything in their path won't let such stairs stand in their way ("Daleks don't climb stairs. They level the building"). Unlike the Time Lords' TARDIS technology which was basically flying in your own pocket universe throughout space and time, Dalek technology was always portrayed as utilitarian, metallic and bulky, yet they get the job done in combatting the Time Lords in their own turf (that is, throughout the entirety of space and time) and are extremely devastating, and despite their ugly technology, they almost ''won the Time War with sheer firepower and numbers''.

** Bajorans and Cardassians have a sort of dark elf/drow and dark dwarf enmity going on. There's also the contrast between the deeply spirtual Bajorans and the commerce-minded Ferengi.

* Modern humans and Neanderthals. The modern (anatomically) humans were tall, slender, inventive beings with pointy chins and high foreheads. Compare this with the Neanderthals, who were shorter, stockier, with stronger arms and all around more masculine looking, and allegedly master craftsmen. [[IncrediblyLamePun In short]], the Neanderthals are dwarves, while modern humans fit the role of elves.

** Bajorans and Cardassians have a sort of dark elf/drow and dark dwarf enmity going on.

*** Should be notice, though, that many of these rivalries despite sometimes enflame nationalistic and chauvinistic views especially when instigated by political agendas, more often than not are seen as superficial and even sometimes just a source of humor from both sides with also a lot of people feeling mutual respect and frienship over borders and/or realizing that sometimes this is use to distract attention from their problems.

* East Asia versus Europe in the Middle Ages. Asians are Elves, being physiologcally weaker than the Caucasians and Africans, but compensate for it by their high intelligence. Asian civilisations have developed a culture and philosophy that emphasized Collectivism and living in Harmony with Nature (e.g. {{UsefulNotes/Taoism}} and {{UsefulNotes/Buddhism}}). On the other hand, Europeans are Dwarves, who prided themselves in their strength and Industry, with their castles, fortresses, advanced (but not elegant) tech, and powerful engineering. Though disconnected with Nature, they make up for it through technological advancement. And as the opposite of Elves, Dwarves are individualistic and pride themselves in their inventions - just like how Whites are individualistic and invented democracy. Even the Architecture makes a differnece: East Asian civilisations made their megastructures primarily from natural substances such as wood, while the West forged their monuments from stone and later, metal.