Admiral:
This blog post on history contains vivid descriptions of nightmarish work in Sicilian sulphur mines, the misery of the sulphur carriers (caruso) and the detrimental effects this toil had on their bodies. Good reference for converting and painting e.g. Goblin or Human mine slaves for Chaos Dwarfs, though more likely to be adults than children (the detrimental effects will still be much the same from overwork). Excerpts taken from Booker T. Washington's The Man Farthest Down.
The original imagery of Hell is in the first instance likely inspired by mines.
Here are a few bits of hobby interest. My emboldenings for modelling and painting reference:
These boy slaves were frequently beaten and pinched, in order to wring from their overburdened bodies the last drop of strength they had in them. When beatings did not suffice, it was the custom to singe the calves of their legs with lanterns to put them again on their feet. If they sought to escape from this slavery in flight, they were captured and beaten, sometimes even killed.
…
Children of six and seven years of age were employed at these crushing and terrible tasks. Under the heavy burdens (averaging about forty pounds) they were compelled to carry, they often became deformed, and the number of cases of curvature of the spine and deformations of the bones of the chest reported was very large. More than that, these children were frequently made the victims of the lust and unnatural vices of their masters. It is not surprising, therefore, that they early gained the appearance of gray old men, and that it has become a common saying that a caruso rarely reaches the age of twenty five.�?�
Noted: Deformed bodies, visible signs of early aging, burn marks.
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Dînadan:
Yikes that sounds horrible. How long was it going on for before hand? Considering the �?oearly gained the appearance of old grey men�?� I wonder if this or similar occurring in an earlier age was one of the origins/inspirations of the concept of dwarves in myths.
Admiral:
No idea. Sicily’s history is intertwined with slavery: Athenian PoWs dying as quarry slaves at Syracuse, Roman slave revolts, mediaeval slave imports and the late caruso and similar household slaves. A not unreasonable guess is “for centuries” or even “since the dawn of time”.
As to Dwarf inspiration basis: Certainly possible. Dwarves in Norse mythology were also described as often dark haired and short marvellous workers of metal objects. Sounds a little bit as a memory of Mediterranean Romans inherited through myth among ancient Germanic tribes.
Dînadan:
To add credence to it, unless I�?Tm mistaken the version of dwarves/goblins/similar known as �?~Redcaps�?T are believed to have been inspired by German miners who wore red hats.
Uther the unhinged:
I suspect the origin of dwarfs is way older than Roman. Hephaestus the greek god of smiths was hunched and deformed. As I recall Gofannon the celtic smith god was also small powerfully built and dark. If you think about iron age smiths they would be broad shouldered through the work, hunched over a lot ( see a smith or farrier work). Also they would be intimately related to the miners bringing them ore or, originally getting it themselves. Their symbolic tool is a hammer. They traditionally were regarded with awe as it was such a specialized job. Yet they were
�?~other�?T never the high status warrior/royal or priestly class. In the case of Hephaestus pitied and feared at the same time. Literally an outcast from Heaven but indispensible.