character The dwarf
The spirit of gravity who sits on Zarathustra's shoulder on the mountain path and hears the riddle of the gateway.
4 passages
Upwards:—in spite of the spirit that drew it downwards, towards the abyss, the spirit of gravity, my devil and arch-enemy. Upwards:—although it sat upon me, half-dwarf, half-mole; paralysed, paralysing; dripping lead in…
Climbing upward, Zarathustra is weighed down by the dwarf, who whispers that the stone he threw so high must fall back upon himself. The silence between them is more oppressive than being alone.
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But there is something in me which I call courage: it hath hitherto slain for me every dejection. This courage at last bade me stand still and say: “Dwarf! Thou! Or I!”— For courage is the best slayer,—courage which…
Zarathustra's courage bids him stand and challenge the dwarf: 'Dwarf! Thou! Or I!' He praises courage as the best slayer, overcoming pain, abysses, pity and death.
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“Halt, dwarf!” said I. “Either I—or thou! I, however, am the stronger of the two:—thou knowest not mine abysmal thought! IT—couldst thou not endure!” Then happened that which made me lighter: for the dwarf sprang from…
Zarathustra throws down the dwarf and shows him a gateway called 'This Moment', where two eternal lanes meet. He reasons that all things, including the spider, the moonlight, and the two of them, must eternally return.
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The name of the gateway is inscribed above: ‘This Moment.’
Zarathustra names the gateway where the two opposite lanes of eternity abut.
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