Norse mythology depicts the dwarves as skilled arts men, smiths, and craftsmen; and further describes them as knowledgeable and (Sindri is a dwarf mentioned elsewhere in Old Norse literature.). [2], For forms earlier than the Proto-Germanic reconstruction, the etymology of the word dwarf is highly contested. The Prose Edda describes how the dwarves first appeared from Ymirs flesh like maggots but were granted sentience by the gods. [61], In German legends, they also possess other magical objects and often appear as master smiths. Alfrigg, Berling, Dvalin, and Grerr are the four dwarves, who made the Brisingamen for the Goddess Freya. [1] A different etymology of dwarf traces it to Proto-Germanic *dwezgaz, with the r sound being the product of Verner's Law. According to Norse mythology, all the gods and goddesses originated from the giant Ymir, who emerged from primordial swamp. Looking for more great information on Norse mythology and religion? Some scholars have proposed that female dwarfs were not believed to exist, however they are likely attested in charms dating to the early medieval period and are explicitly described in later saga material. During the Middle Ages, exorcisms were commonplace to rid individuals of supposed demonic possession. [55] They further created the Mead of Poetry from the blood of Kvasir, which grants skill in poetry to those who drink from it. In Norse mythology, humans and elves were able to interbreed and produce hybrid offspring. Accounts of dwarfs vary significantly throughout history; however, they are commonly, but not exclusively, presented as living in mountains or stones and being skilled craftsmen. Im a graduate of History and Literature from The University of Manchester in England and a total history geek. Stories say that an ancient Roman glassmaker had the technology to create a flexible glass, vitrium flexile, but a certain emperor decided the invention should not be. 1922 illustration of the sons of Ivaldi crafting gifts for the gods ( Public Domain ). Thor, as he was prone to do, reacted by forcing Loki to go to the dark elves and making him ask them to craft her new hair made from gold. [citation needed], The hero Dietrich von Bern is portrayed in adventures involving dwarfs. Snorris descriptions of Svartalfheim, however, are much more confused. In the Lokasenna of the Poetic Edda, it was explained that the elves were so divine they often accompanied the gods as both drinking companions and lovers. The dwarfs Eggerich and Baldung play a role in aiding Dietrich in the poem Sigenot: Baldung gives Dietrich a magical gem that prevents him from being bitten when thrown into a snake pit, whereas Eggerich helps Dietrich and Hildebrand escape. Apparently based on a misunderstanding of the stanza in Vlusp, Snorri says that Sindri is the name of the dwarves hall. A similar plot occurs in the fragmentary poem Goldemar. Norse mythology depicts the dwarves as skilled arts men, smiths, and craftsmen; and further describes them as knowledgeable and "The third gift an enormous hammer" by Elmer Boyd Smith. The dwarves got the last laugh; Brokks other brother, Alr, sealed Lokis lips shut. p. 231. However, it was later popularized by the fiction of philologist and legendarium author J. R. R. Tolkien, originating as a hypercorrective mistake. Nodri (North), Austri (East), Vestri (West), and Sudri (South) are the four dwarves that hold aloft the four corners of the sky. Hildebrand, K. 2022. At the same time, the villains in Hellboy II: The Golden Army are clearly representations of dark elves. [2] While the boundaries between the different kinds of demigod-like beings were quite blurry in the Viking Age, Snorris terminology just introduces an additional and unnecessary layer of complication. Dwarfs remains the most commonly employed plural. It will also touch on what dwarves were like in Norse mythology and the difference between Dkklfar and Ljslfar Elves. Some stories describe dwarves emerging from Ymirs dead body like maggots. [32] In skaldic and Eddic sources, it has been noted that their roles are what define them rather than their physical appearance, which has no great relevance. While the elves were tall and beautiful, the dwarves were almost grotesque. Image: 'Freyja and the Necklace' by James Doyle Penrose, 1890 | Wikimedia | Public Domain, The most powerful goddesses in Norse mythology, Seven of the most important gods and goddesses in Norse mythology, The legendary adventures of Thor in Norse mythology, Lokis most mischievous tricks in Norse mythology, sgard and the nine worlds of Norse mythology, Josephine Baker: The iconic performer turned WWII hero, 11 facts about Viking leader Rollo, the first Duke of Normandy, 11 facts about fearsome Viking 'Ivar the Boneless', 11 facts about legendary viking warrior Ragnar Lothbrok. Accordingly, Nidavellir or Svartalfheim was probably thought of as a labyrinthine, subterranean complex of mines and forges. We know that the elves were divided into two separate groups: the light elves, and dark elves, who are probably also the dwarves. The giant was later killed, while youth was restored to the gods. Thanks to him, fantasy fiction goes hand in hand with elves and dwarves. The original Vlusp poem from the Poetic Edda never mentions Svartalfheim. It does, however, talk about Nidavellir, saying simply that it was in the North and that Sindris family lived there in a golden hall. This has led some scholars to conclude that dwarves and dark-elves are either the same or closely related. The name Svartalfheim translates to Homeland of the Black Elves, while Nidavellir means Dark Fields or Low Fields.. In addition to being great craftsmen, they are also magical creatures, and many of the old tales portray them as shape-shifters. However, the general consensus is that the inhabitants of Svartalfheim are dwarves. Things went awry when she was kidnapped by a giant, who forced Loki into helping him plot her abduction. Frigg The goddess of fertility, motherhood and prophecy, Frigg was the wife of Odin, and therefore the loftiest of all the female deities. Receiving help from a dwarf, however, such as being healed or given a treasure, was not seen as problematic; it has been proposed that the worldview of the saga writers was that a hero is not defined by achieving deeds alone, but by being able to both give and accept help. For more articles about the history and culture of the Vikings, check out our Viking history hub. These dark elves (Dkklfar) played less of a role in Norse mythology. According to the legend, Loki decided to play a trick on Sif by cutting off her trademark golden hair. Dark elves live underground or within the earth and are sometimes considered malevolent. And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there existcountless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts thathave yet to be discovered and explained. In the story of Wayland the Smith, we see a common motif that persists even today: Dont anger an elf. The Vlusp has this (and only this) to say about Nidavellir: There stood in the north It explains that they can live in soils or rocks. link to Norse Gods vs Greek Gods: Similarities and Differences, link to Norse Mythology vs. Christianity: Comparison. The Ffnisml section of the Poetic Edda tells the story of how the Norse hero Sigurd killed a dragon. In Sturlusons Prose Edda, he also describes the dwarves as being inky black. to learn more. Associated with love and battle, Freya was also a master of a form of magic known as seidr. Dwarfs continue to feature in modern popular culture such as in the works of J.R.R. Their children were said to have the appearance of a normal human but had the magical powers and intuition of an elf. And, of course, there are a whole host of supporting characters, including trolls, dwarves, an eight-legged horse and the draugrs, which were corpses that housed the spirits of dead soldiers! Here are four that played an integral role in Norse mythology. They were the opposites of the elves, who were creatures of light and grace. Dwarfs were of various types, all of small stature, some being no more than 18 inches (45 cm) high and others about the height of a two-year-old child. Two dwarves as depicted in a 19th-century edition of the Poetic Edda poem Vlusp (1895) by Lorenz Frlich. It was also commonly thought that bad luck in general was the work of malevolent elves. All Rights Reserved. ( Public Domain ). It has been proposed this may be because narratives typically centre on the gods rather than dwarfs and that female dwarfs were not conceived of as of great relevance to the gods, given their primary interest in obtaining goods from dwarfs, which does not depend on their gender. Dwarfs were of various types, all of small stature, some being no more than 18 inches (45 cm) high and others about the height of a two-year-old child. In fantasy fiction, dwarves are predominantly associated with craftsmanship and smithing, as well as dwelling deep beneath the earth under mountains. In Nidavellir Norimitsu Odachi: Who Could Have Possibly Wielded This Enormous 15th Century Japanese Sword? Before the gods, there was a giant called Ymir, from whom the gods created the Earth. Elves were most closely associated with the Aesir god Freyr, who was said to rule over Alfheim. These names are not explained by stories but it has been theorised that they refer to the fires in the forges the dwarfs work, or to haugaeldarcode: isl promoted to code: is ('grave mound fires') that are found in later Icelandic folklore. The weirder the better. They arent beings of pure light, but nor are they evil creatures of darkness. He landed on Brokks eyelid and bit it, causing him to make a mistake as he added the finishing touches to Mjolnir, Thors hammer. Some legendary and romance sagas diverge from this, with dwarfs acting friendlily and helpfully, however, this is attributed to their lateness and likely do not represent perceptions that predate Christianisation. [39], Not all late sagas involving dwarfs describe their size but all that do describe them as short. Light elves live in Alfheim, are beautiful and radiant, and inspire musicians and help things grow. Some scholars, such as Rudolf Simek, propose that the folk beliefs remained essentially intact in the transitional period, making later sources greatly informative on pre-Christian Germanic religion, while others such as Schfke on the other hand arguing that there is no resemblance between Eddic and skaldic dwarfs and those in later sources. The original Old Norse lines read: St fyr noran Horrified by a prophecy that her beloved son Baldr was soon to die, Frigg sought out almost everything in creation, from fire and water to animals, trees and even diseases, to secure their promise not to harm Baldr. Snorri also includes Sindri and Nidavellir in his Christian-influenced descriptions of the Norse afterlife and the apocalypse, adding yet another layer of unnecessary confusion. WebFamous Viking dwarf characters. Not much is known about them, however. Fjalar and Galar. Source: Public Domain, Manea, I. The giant Ymir predated the elves and dwarves in the Poetic Edda. Here is everything you need to know about the elves and dwarves of Norse myth. They appeared in plenty of myths and throughout the poems of the Poetic Edda, but the literature devoted very little space to describing them. [3], Modern English has two plurals for the word dwarf: dwarfs and dwarves. The dwarves Sons of Ivaldi forge the hammer Mjolnir for the god Thor while Loki watches on. Dwarves in Norse Cosmology. Nodri (North), Austri (East), Vestri (West), and Sudri (South) are the four dwarves that hold aloft the four corners of the sky. For one thing, he and only he calls the dwarves black elves (svartlfar or dkklfar). [5][6] Another potential synonym is dkklfar ('dark elves'); however, it is unclear whether svartlfar and dkklfar were considered the same at the time of the writing of the Prose Edda. [56][57] John Lindow noted that stanza 10 of the Poetic Edda poem Vlusp can be read as describing the creation of human forms from the earth and follows a catalogue of dwarf names; he suggests that the poem may present Ask and Embla as having been created by dwarfs, with the three gods then giving them life. In contrast, female dwarfs seek to possess the male hero in the legends. [70], The term 'dweorg' can be used in Old English texts to describe an illness; it is commonly used in medical texts derived from Greek or Latin sources, where it is used to gloss symptoms such as fever. In the universe of The Elder Scrolls, "dwarves" (or Dwemer) are presented as a race of subterranean elves, whose culture was centred around science and engineering, that differs from Tolkiens conceptualisation, in that they are not particularly short, and are extinct. [75] A similar inscription dating between the 8th and 11th century is found on a lead plaque discovered near Fakenham in Norfolk, which reads "dead is dwarf" (Old English: dead is dwerg), and has been interpreted as another example of a written charm aiming to rid the ill person of the disease, identified as a dwarf. dwarfs or dwarves) is a type of supernatural being in Germanic folklore, including mythology. Alongside the likes of Odin, Thor and Loki, the powerful female deities in the Norse pantheon were also venerated by the Vikings. We seek to retell the story of our beginnings. However, in popular culture, it doesnt get as much attention as Asgard or Midgard. [18][19] In Hervarar saga ok Heireks, the sword Tyrfing is forged, and subsequently cursed, by a dwarf named Dvalinn, and another named Dulin in the Hauksbk manuscript. This article will shed some light on Svartalfheim and the creatures who live there. [51], It has been noted that it may not be that female dwarfs did not exist in the folklore of this period, only that no explicit references to them survive in preserved narratives. [CDATA[// >