Norse dwarves

For the English Dwarves of Simondside, see Duergar (folklore).

Dvergar or Norse dwarves (Old Norse dvergar, sing. dvergr) are entities in Norse mythology associated with rocks, the earth, deathliness, luck, technology, craft, metal work, wisdom, and greed. They are sometimes identified with Svartálfar ("black elves"), and Dökkálfar ("dark elves"), due to their apparently interchangeable use in early texts such as the Eddas.

While the word "Dvergar" is related etymologically to "dwarves", the early Norse concept of Dvergar is unlike the concept of "dwarves" in other cultures. For instance, Norse dwarves may originally have been envisaged as being of human size. They are not described as small before the 13th century, when the later legendary sagas portrayed them as such, often as a humorous element.

In later Scandinavian folklore, other kinds of nature spirits (Vættir), like the Troll and the Nisse, take over many of the functions of the Dvergar.^{[citation needed]}

In the Dvergatal section, the Völuspá divides the dwarves into what may be three tribes, lead firstly by Mótsognir their first ruler, secondly by Durinn, and finally by Dvalinn. Hávamál mentions Dvalinn brought the rune writing to the Dvergar.

Height

Both Reginn (right) and Sigurðr (left) are same height. Norse traditions, including both Eddas, identify Reginn as a Dvergr. This scene is from the Sigurd Portal, a carved doorway in the Hylestad Stave Church, Setesdal, Norway, which dates to the late 12th-century, c 1175.[1]

In the stylized drawing from the Ramsund Runic Inscription, which dates to c 1000, near Ramsund, Sweden, both are the same size. The headless Reginn (far left) surrounded by his blacksmith equipment including a hammer and bellows, and Sigurðr (bottom right) stabbing the brother of Reginn, Fafnir, in the form of a serpent, are the same size.

Scholars dispute the size of the Norse nature spirit, the Dvergr. According to some scholars such as Antoly Lieberman, the ancient Norse conceived of the Dvergar as human-sized, but the spread of Christianity led to diminishing both their mythic and religious role as well as their stature. However, some scholars argue the name dvergr itself, understood to derive from Proto-Germanic *dwergaz from Proto-Indo-European *dhwergwhos, meaning 'something tiny'. However the name dvergr may derive the Indo-European root *dheur- (meaning "damage"), the Indo-European root *dhreugh (whence modern German Traum/English dream and trug "deception"), and comparisons have been made with Sanskrit dhvaras (a type of demonic being).

No early Norse sources describe the Dvergar as little.

"Dass man sich die Zwerge ursprünglich als besonders klein vorstellte, ist nicht belegt erst die Sagas beschreiben sie als kurz".

"There is no evidence that the dvergar were originally envisaged as particularly small, not before the [later medieval] sagas, are they described as short."

Despite numerous references to the Dvergar in the Poetic and Prose Eddas, there is no evidence of unusual size. Against this, the cognates of Dvergr, Dwarf, and Zwerg, in the Germanic languages, from the Proto-Germanic "*Dwergaz", mean "small, tiny" compared to something larger.

The Prose Edda says plainly, dvergar have a human body, apparently human size:

Gylfaginning 14

Dvergar .. höfðu manns líki ok búa þó í jörðu ok í steinum.

'Dvergar .. had the body of a human, although [they] live in earth and in stones'.

Here, the Old Norse term líki refers to the 'body'. "Dvergar are in the shape of humans. .. Dvergar look human-like. .. We know dvergar seem to have the same size men do." The Dvergar apparently have a human-sized body, and only differ from humans because they live underground.

In the Poetic Edda, the mythic poem Völuspá 12 mentions the famous Dvergr called Reginn. The heroic poem Reginsmál describes Reginn as being a Dvergr, especially with regard to his 'size' (vöxt), emphasizing his physique as a blacksmith:

Reginsmál 1

Reginn .. var hverjum manni hagari - ok dvergr of vöxt! Hann var vitr, grimmr, ok fjölkunnigr.

Reginn the son of Hreiðmarr .. was the most skillful of men - and a Dvergr of size! He was wise, cruel, and versed in magic.

Reginn is a Dvergr and exhibits a typical size for a Dvergr. The Norse traditions says Reginn is the size of a Dvergar, and the earliest Norse illustrations of Reginn depict how this size is the same size as a human.

Only in later sources, under the literary influence of Pan-European Christiandom, is there any reference to small size, often ugly. In the legendary sagas of the 13th to 15th centuries, they often play a humorous role. The earliest reference to small size occurs in the 13th-century Thidrekssaga that transmits the 'stories of German men', even incorporating German sources. It mentions the German dwarf Alberich, identified with Alfrek, introducing the German concept of dwarfs as small.

"During the Middle Ages, [the concepts of] dvergar shifted from their original greedy behavior, and became literary figures much in consonance with the 'dwarfs' of western literature. From then on, the doors to folktales including small-sized dvergar were open, while their meaning was completely different from the one presented in the older sources."

Skin color and hair color

Norse texts describe the skin color of Dvergar as 'pale' (fölr), like a corpse. The hair color is 'black' (svartr).

In the Poetic Edda, the poem Alvíssmál tells how Thor mocks the 'pale' white skin of a Dvergr. Thor was furious to discover his daughter was promised in marriage to a Dvergr named Alvís (literally 'all wise', referring to the magical knowledge of the Dvergar) and insults him.

Alvíssmál 2

Hvat er þat fira?!

Hví ertu svá fölr um nasar?

Vartu í nótt með ná?

Þursa líki / þykki mér á þér vera!

Ert-at-tu til brúðar borinn.

What [kind of] fellow is this?!

Why are you so pale about the nose?

Were you [spending time] with the dead in the night?

To me, [I] think you to be the body of an ogre (Þurs)!

You were not born for [my daughter to be your] bride.

The insult summarizes a number of concepts relating to the appearance of the Dvergar. Notably, this Dvergr has a 'pale nose'. In other words, he has black hair and a bushy black beard, and in the midst of this blackness, his white nose glares prominently. Note Norse culture values 'milk white' skin. However the complexion of the Dvergr is unhealthy, with a ghastly pallor, and Thor accuses him of being a corpse who spends time 'with the dead'. Moreover, Dvergar are pale because sunlight is lethal to them. (Alvissmal 16, 35) In the same way corpses are buried in mounds and never contact sunlight, the Dvergar too live underground and avoid all contact with the sunlight, on pain of death. This Dvergr visits Thor above ground, only during nighttime, and at the conclusion of the poem, the dawn breaks forth killing the Dvergr, thus preventing the daughter from marrying him. Thor says the Dvergr has the body of an ogre, a Þurs, because of his monstrous pigmentation. Of course, Thor is famous for killing Þursar – and calling the Dvergr such is a threat. A Dvergr is simply not fit to marry the daughter of Thor. While Thor seems cruel, his concern may be the corpse-like lifestyle is unsuitable for his daughter. Dvergar live in utter darkness, and, like stones and corpses, spend much of their life without moving. Thor saves his daughter from a nightmarish arranged marriage. That Thor could be cunning enough to outwit a Dvergr, by tricking him into staying outdoors until the sun kills him, testifies to the saving strength of Thor, even mental strength.

The Dvergar are often called 'black', especially as the 'black elves' (svartálfar). In Old Norse, this byname 'black' (svartr) refers to hair color or eye color. Heimskringla 3, 379.12 describes a king in Sweden, Eysteinn, as a 'black man and dark-colored' (svartr maðr ok døkklitaðr), meaning this particular Swede both had black hair and had a relatively darker complexion in comparison with other Swedes. This Swedish king does not have black skin.

In contrast, to describe black skin, Old Norse uses an other term 'blue' (blár), used in the sense of dark bluish blackish, 'blue-black'. A 'blue-black human' (blámaðr) refers to the peoples from various regions of Africa, that the Norse called 'Blue-black Land' (Bláland). The Old Norse word "blár was commonly used to describe the color of bruised flesh". A common expression is 'blue-black and bloodied' (blár ok blóðugr), referring to serious bruising. Likewise, 'blue-black' can describe the dark skin of a corpse. As the blood flow stops, gravity drains away the blood from the upper area and collects it at the lower area.^{[citation needed]} Thus a corpse can be described either as 'pale' referring to the upper portion or as 'blue-black' referring to the lower portion. In the Prose Edda, Gylfaginning 33 describes Hel, the deity of death, as having half her face pale 'flesh' color, and the other half 'blue-black', like the corpse. Scholars note the phrases where the term 'blue' seems to mean 'jet black': 'raven blue-black' (hrafnblár), 'blue-black as Hel' the realm of the dead (blár sem hel), 'coal blue-black' (kolblár), and so on. In Old Norse, this word 'blue' often stands for the color 'black', apparently under the influence of a medieval woad-based dark bluish fabric dye that was not quite jet black, but whose color sometimes by extension signified it.

The Dvergatal mentions the personal name of a Dvergr, 'The Blue One' (Bláinn), which is also a nickname for the primordial giant Ýmir, who Óðinn and his two brothers killed. In both cases, the black side of the corpse is called 'blue-black'. Compare other names of Dvergar whose names refer to their corpse-like appearance, like 'The Dead One' (Dáinn) and 'The Corpse' (Náinn).

Svartálfr or 'Black Elf'

The Prose Edda equates the homes of Dvergar ('dwarves') and Svartalfar ('black elves'), which terms appear to be used interchangeably, implying that they are one and the same.

Skáldskaparmál 43

Loki .. svarði þess, at hann skal fá af Svartálfum, at þeir skulu gera af gulli Sifju hadd þann, er svá skal vaxa sem annat hár. Eftir þat, fór Loki til þeira dverga, er heita Ívaldasynir, ok gerðu þeir haddinn.

Loki .. swore this, that he will travel to the Svartálfar, so that they will make Sif ladyhair of gold, which would grow as [her] other hair. After that, Loki traveled to those Dvergar who are called the Sons of Ívaldi, and they made the ladyhair.

In this passage, Loki swears an oath to visit Svartalfar with the intent of acquiring golden hair by their making, and receives this golden hair from Dvergar. This strongly implies that they are one and the same, though they can be interpreted to mean that Loki set out to receive the hair from one source and actually received it from another.

Gylfagynning 34

Þá sendi Alföðr þann, er Skírnir er nefndr, sendimaðr Freys, ofan í Svartálfaheim til dverga nökkurra ok lét gera fjötur þann, er Gleipnir heitir.

Then [Óðinn] the Allfather sent that one who is named Skírnir, the messenger of Freyr, from-above into Svartálfaheimar to some Dvergar, and caused to be made that bondage which is called Gleipnir.

Note in both occurrences, the author Snorri Sturluson, connects the term 'Svartálfar' (in Svartálfaheimar, or "Black elf-home") with the name of the place where the Dvergar live. 'Loki will travel to [the place of] the Svartálfar', and Óðinn 'sent Skírnir from above into Svartálfaheimar'.

Álfr ('elf') as an honorary title

Many names of the Dvergar contain the syllable "álf", from "Álfar" ('elves'). Though there is a distinction between the race of elves and dwarves in Norse texts, the presence of "álf" in dwarven names seemingly serves as a title, in the sense they can be understood as a source of good luck, or even as guardians or deities. Several names mentioned in the Dvergatal reflect this function: Álfr, Gandálfr, and Vindálfr. In some poems, namely Hrafnagaldur Óðins, Dvergar are referred to directly as Álfar, it serving as a stand-alone title. There may be points of contact between Dvergar and Álfar, where one Dvergr called Dáinn may be the same individual who taught runes to the family of the Álfar (Hávamál 142). Note the divine connotations of the personal names of specific Dvergar: Norðri, Suðri, Austri, and Vestri, who support the four cardinal points, which are sometimes called Nýi and Niði govern the waxing and waning lunar phase. The frequent death imagery of Dvergar connotes both the luck of sacred ancestors as well as magic trances. Finally, the Dvergar are artisans of such divine power, even the Æsir must rely on them for their magic items.

Døkkálfar or 'Dark Elves'

In one famous passage, the Prose Edda describes the Dvergar by the nickname Døkkálfar or 'dark elves', in contrast to the Álfar who are oppositely nicknamed Ljósálfar or 'light elves'. The Old Norse standardized spelling is Døkkálfar with the letter ø, but often is transliterated with a less precise alternative letter ö, Dökkálfar. The Prose Edda uses the name 'dark elves' as a nickname for the Dvergar.

Gylfaginning 17

Margir staðir eru þar göfugligir. Sá er einn staðr þar er kallaðr er Álfheimr. Þar byggir fólk þat er Ljósálfar heita, en Døkkálfar búa niðri í jörðu, ok eru þeir ólíkir þeim sýnum ok miklu ólíkari reyndum. Ljósálfar eru fegri en sól sýnum, en Døkkálfar eru svartari biki.

Many worshipful places are there [in heaven]. That one place is there which is called Álfheimr. There dwell that people which is called the Ljósálfar ('light elves'). But Døkkálfar live below in the ground, and they are unlike them [in] appearance and much more unlike [them in] experience. Ljósálfar are fairer [brighter and more beautiful] than the sun [in] appearance. But the Døkkálfar are blacker [than] pitch.

Creation of the Dvergar

In the Poetic Edda, Völuspá transmits a difficult but important passage, involving the creation of the Dvergar. But the wording is ambiguous: possibly the Dvergar are being created in human forms, but probably the Dvergar are creating human forms.

"The Völuspá tell[s] an origin of dvergar, which are created by the gods in the shape of humans. Alternatively, it might be read dvergar created the shape of humans. The text is unclear, but the confusion regarding the relationship between dvergar and humans reinforces the link between them in terms of shape. Both groups look quite similar."

The Old Norse wording of the 'creation of the Dvergar' - whether they are the ones being created or the ones creating - is as follows.

Völuspá (Ambiguous Old Norse wording)

9. Þá gengu regin öll á rökstóla, ginnheilög goð, ok um þat gættusk. Hverr skyldi dverga dróttir skepja, ór Brimis blóði ok ór Bláins leggjum?

10. Þar var Mótsognir mæztr um orðinn dverga allra, en Durinn annarr. Þeir mannlíkön mörg um gørðu, dvergar, ór jörðu, sem Durinn sagði.

See each interpretation in the two sections below.

Created in the likenesses of humans

In the sense of the Dvergar being created, the passage may translate as follows.

Völuspá

9. Then all the rulers – the awe-holy gods – went and took council on their judgment seats. [They asked], "Who should shape the troops of the Dvergar, out of the blood of Brimir and out of the legs of Bláinn?"

10. There was Mótsognir the master of the word [being most famous] of all the Dvergar. But Durinn was another. They constructed many human likenesses – the Dvergar out of the earth – as Durinn said.

The nicknames Brimir and Bláinn refer to the corpse of the cosmic giant Ymir, who Óðinn and his brothers killed and out of his body created the cosmos. Brimir ('brim') describes the watery blood that fills the ocean to the brim of the shores. Bláinn ('the blue' corpse) includes the stony legs that forms solid earth.

Snorri Sturluson in his Prose Edda (Gylfaginning 14), interprets the passage to mean the Æsir asked rhetorically, "Who should shape the Dvergar?" because the Dvergar already came into existence by themselves, by means of spontaneous generation like maggots in a corpse. However, the Æsir then 'constructed' these maggots into the bodies of humans, thus made many Dvergar. Snorri explains his interpretation.

Gylfaginning

14. Þar næst settusk guðin upp í sæti sín ok réttu dóma sína ok mintusk hvaðan dvergar höfðu kviknat í moldunni ok niðri í jörðunni svá sem maðkar í holdi. Dvergarnir höfðu skipazk fyrst ok tekit kviknun í holdi Ymis ok váru þá maðkar, en af atkvæði guðanna, urðu þeir vitandi mannvits ok höfðu manns líki, ok búa þó í jörðu ok í steinum. Mó[ðso]gnir var dvergr ok annarr Durinn.

14. There next, the gods sat themselves up in their seats and rendered their judgement, and mentioned when the Dvergar had [become] enlivened, in the ground and under in the earth, as even maggots [do] in flesh. First the Dvergar had taken shape and enlivened in the flesh of Ymir, and were as maggots. But by a decision of the gods, they acquired knowledge and human consciousness and had the likeness of a human, although [they] live in earth and in stones.

When the gods created the dome of the heavens from Ymir's skull, they placed a dwarf at each of the four points to support it and hold it high above the earth.

Created the likenesses of humans

According to some scholars, Snorri may have understood part of Völuspá. The Dvergar were not being created. Rather the Dvergar were creating the likenesses of humans. First, the Völuspá says, the Dvergar carved the shapes of the original humans, then immediately afterward the Völuspá says, the Æsir found these likenesses and brought them to life. As such the Old Norse translates as follows.

Völuspá

9. Then all the rulers – the awe-holy gods – went and took council on their judgment seats. [They asked], "Who of the Dvergar should shape the troops [of humans], out of the blood of Brimir and out of the legs of Bláinn?"

10. There was Mótsognir the master of the word [being most reputable] of all the Dvergar. But Durinn was another. They, the Dvergar, constructed many human likenesses out of the earth, as Durinn said.

17. Until therefore three Æsir came, potent and merciful, out of the generation from their house. [They] found [the likeness of the male human] Ask and [the likeness of the female human] Embla, on the land [with] little might and fateless.

18. They owned no breath [of spirit]. They had no fury [of inspiration]. [Neither] warmbloodedness nor voice nor good complexion. Óðinn gave breath [of spirit]. Hœnir gave fury [of inspiration]. Lóðurr gave warmbloodedness and good complexion.

Famous Dvergar

Andvari

Andvari is an important character in the story of Sigurd the Volsung. When Loki needs to pay a ransom to the magician Hriedmar for the killing of his son Ótr, he decides to steal Andvari's gold. Andvari is hiding in a waterfall, having taken the form of a pike.

Loki catches him and demands his gold. Andvari gives him all the gold except for one ring. Loki takes the ring as well, despite Andvari's curse upon it and all who own it. The ransom he agreed to pay is to completely cover Otr's body with gold. This takes all the gold, and to cover the final eyelash, he gives the ring also. The ring is the key to Andvari's treasure, as it continually creates more gold for its owner.

Hreidmar's oldest son, Fafnir becomes obsessed with the treasure, kills his father and turns into a dragon to guard the treasure from his brother Regin. Years later, Regin shows Sigurd how to kill Fafnir and take the treasure. He does so, and then kills Regin. The treasure eventually leads to Sigurd's own downfall.

In the German Nibelungenlied, Andvari's name is Alberich. He is likely the source of the character Oberon, Shakespeare's king of the fairies in "A Midsummernight's Dream".

Dvalinn

Dvalinn as ancestor of all Dvergar

Norse texts imply Dvalinn is the ancestor of all Dvergar. In poetry, his name may stand for any or every Dvergr. For example, the Poetic Edda calls female Dvergar the 'daughters of Dvalinn' (dœtr Dvalins) (Fáfnismál 13), and calls the sun the 'game of Dvalinn' (Dvalins leika) in the sense it is deadly to any Dvergr who must dodge it every dawn (Alvíssmál 16). The Dvergatal lists a lineage of (firstborn?) sons from Dvalinn to Lofarr (Völuspá 11–16). The Prose Edda reiterates the 'daughters of Dvalinn' (dættr Dvalins) (Gylfaginning 23), and calls the Mead of Poetry the 'drink of Dvalinn' (drekku Dvalins) because two Dvergar brewed it, Fjalarr and Galarr (Skáldskaparmál 10). As the primordeal progenitor of all Dvergar, the qualities attributed to Dvalinn may represent all Dvergar as well.

Dvalinn as discoverer of runes

In the Poetic Edda, the Rúnatal section of the poem Hávamál identifies Dvalinn as a discoverer of runic writing. The mastery of runes suggests both knowledge and magical power.

Like Óðinn discovered runes and transmitted the art of written language to the Æsir, Dvalinn discovered runes and transmitted them to the Dvergar.

Hávamál

142–143. Rúnar munt þú finna, ok ráðna stafi, mjök stóra stafi, mjök stinna stafi, er fáði fimbulþulr, ok gerðu ginnregin, ok reist Hroftr rögna. Óðinn með ásum, en fyr alfum Dáinn, Dvalinn ok dvergum fyrir, Ásviðr jötnum fyrir, ek reist sjalfr sumar.

142–143. You will find runes – and abundantly counseled letters, abundantly great letters, abundantly firm letters – which the immense-orator stained, and awe-rulers made, and Hroftr [Óðinn] of the rulers engraved: Óðinn with the Æsir (gods), Dáinn for the Álfar (elves), also Dvalinn for the Dvergar (dwarves), Ásviðr for the Jötnar (giants). I [Óðinn] myself engraved some.

Apparently, the discovery of runes by Dvalinn was independent of that from Óðinn. Elsewhere in Hávamál, Óðinn describes how he was paradoxically both the victim and the beneficiary of a human sacrifice, 'myself to myself' – in a kind of shamanic trance transcending death and life – to achieve the power of language over reality itself.

Hávamál

138–139 (139–140). Veit ek, at ek hekk vindgameiði á nætr allar níu, geiri undaðr ok gefinn Óðni, sjalfur sjalfum mér, á þeim meiði .. Nam ek upp rúnar, æpandi nam, fell ek aftr þaðan.

138–139 (139–140). I [Óðinn] grant that I hung [by the neck] on [the World Tree] Vindgameiði of all nine nights, wounded by the spear and given [as a sacrifice to] Óðinn. Myself to myself. I took up the runes. Shrieking I took them. From there, I fell back.

Óðinn achieves the power of runes through a deathlike trance. Probably Dvalinn also achieved the power of runes through a deathlike trance. Similar to the way the name Óðinn (from óðr) means 'the possessed one' and refers to an ecstatic trance, the name Dvalinn means 'the unconscious one' (compare Old Swedish dvale 'unconsciousness') also refers to a deathlike trance.

The Old Norse term runar literally means 'secrets', and by extension means runic 'alphabet' in the sense its letters transmit knowledge silently in a way that requires decoding. But runar can also mean the 'secrets' of magic in the sense of safeguarded knowledge. The poem Hávamál plays on both of these senses. While runes are the normal Norse alphabet and nonmagical in themselves, nevertheless they can mediate linguistic power over reality. The poem views the written runes as an aspect deriving from ultimate reality that transcends the temporal mundane reality of death and life. As such, Norse magic often uses mundane runes as part of its trance-inducing meditative technique. In Norse magic, verbalization or 'enchantment' (galdr) spontaneously describes the current reality that a mage intends to change. By extension, runes may record this verbalization, thus become a physical vehicle of the enchantment.

In sum, the mastery of runes by Dvalinn suggests mastery of written knowledge and magical enchantment, thus similar mastery by all of the Dvergar, being his descendants.

Dvergatal: the list of the Dvergar

Into the story of the creation of humans in Völuspá, scribes interpolated a list of Norse dwarves, usually called the Dvergatal or catalogue of the dwarves. The list below translates a reconstructed text, based on two early manuscripts which differ slightly, 13th-century Konungsbók and 14th-century Hauksbók. The Völuspá mentions the names Mótsognir and Durinn, and to these two names the Dvergatal adds the following. The Konungsbók manuscript lacks the names in accolades ({}), added later to Hauksbók.

Völuspá

11–12. Nýi and Niði, Norðri and Suðri, Austri and Vestri, Alþjófr, Dvalinn, Bífurr, Báfurr, Bömburr, Nóri, Án and Ánarr, Ái, Mjöðvitnir, Veigr and Gandalfr, Vindalfr, Þráinn, Þekkr and Þorinn, Þrór, Litr and Vitr, Nár and Nýráðr, Reginn and Ráðsviðr — now I have told the list of Dvergar right.

13–15. Fili, Kili, Fundinn, Náli, Hepti, Víli, Hanarr, Svíorr, {Nár and Náinn, Nípingr, Dáinn, Billingr, Brúni, Bíldr and Búri}, Frár, Hornbori, Frægr and Lóni, Aurvangr, Jari, Eikinskjaldi.

14–16. To tell the talk, the Dvergar in the generation of Dvalinn were [as] a race of [conquering] lions up to [the generation] of Lofarr. They sought settlements from the halls of stone [to] Aurvangr ('plot of mud') to Jöruvöllr. There was Draupnir and Dolgþrasir, Hár, Haugspori, Hlévangr, Glóinn, {Dóri, Óri, Dúfr, Andvari,} Skirvir, Virvir, Skáfiðr, Ái, Álfr and Yngvi, Eikinskjaldi, Fjalarr and Frosti, Finnr and Ginnarr. So [they will] remember while the eras [of humans] live, the list of the long descent [of the ancestors] of Lofarr.

12. Nú hefi ek dverga .. rétt um talða. .. 14. Mál er dverga í Dvalins liði ljóna kindum til Lofars telja, þeir er sóttu frá salar steini Aurvanga sjöt til Jöruvalla. .. 16. Þat mun uppi, meðan öld lifir, langniðja tal Lofars hafat.

The list of Dvergar seems to divide into three separate interpolations:

• from Nýi and Niði to Reginn and Ráðsviðr, who are perhaps involved in the creation;
• from Fili to Eikinskjaldi, comprising additional Dvergar without comment; and
• the ancestral line from Dvalinn to Lofarr.

Eikinskjaldi, who appears in the second list, also occurs in the third list as one of descendants of Dvalinn. Later scribes inserted even more names, from Nár to Dáinn, and from Billingr to Búri, into the second list, and other later manuscripts from Dóri to Andvari into the third list.

Magic and technology

Metal work

The Dvergar are skilled metal-workers and the makers of most of the artifacts of the gods, both Æsir and Vanir. Among their most famous creations are:

• The ship Skíðblaðnir of Freyr
• The golden hair of Sif
• The spear Gungnir of Odin
• The golden ring Draupnir of Odin, that self-replicates more gold rings
• The hammer Mjölnir of Thor
• Freyja's necklace Brísingamen
• The two golden boars Gullinbursti made by the dwarf Brokk, which pulled Freyr´s wagon.
• The helmet Huliðshjálmr ("concealing helmet"), or sometimes a cloak^{[citation needed]}, that enabled invisibility

Hervarar saga tells when King Svafrlami had forced the two Dvergar, Dvalinn and Durinn, to forge the magic sword Tyrfing. In retaliation for the slavery, the Dvergar cursed it so it would bring death to Svafrlami and cause three evil deeds.

Ynglingatal tells how a Dvergar lures and traps King Sveigder inside a stone.

Dweomer

Dweomer, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is the Old English word meaning 'witchcraft' that derives from the Old Norse term dvergmál literally meaning 'dwarf talk' (dvergr dwarf + mál talk), referring to the secret knowledge of magic among the Norse dwarves. See for instance the entry, dweomercræft. A related Middle English word that derives from the phrase 'dwarf talk', dwergma, means 'echo', crediting the dwarves who live in the stones with the sound.

Personality of Dvergar

Role during Ragnarök

While the Dvergar are not said to be the enemies of the Æsir, neither do they seem enthusiastic supporters. Their role during Ragnarök is not clear, Völuspá only mentions that:

How fare the gods?

how fare the elves?

All Jotunheim groans,

the gods are at council;

Loud roar the dwarfs

by the doors of stone,

The masters of the rocks;

would you know yet more?"

'Dark elves' as non-dwarves

Snorri Sturluson in his books of the Prose Edda, occasionally uses Svartálfar ('black elves') or Døkkálfar ('dark elves') as an alternate name for the Dvergar ('dwarves'). However, later, especially in modern times, a concept of 'dark elf' evolved as distinct from 'dwarves', which sometimes frames the reinterpretation of the Prose Edda and other Norse texts.

Modern 'dark elves' as anti-elves

Modern fantasy literature sometimes features a 'subspecies' of elves, known as 'dark elves'. These are often the antithesis of elves, especially under the influence of the Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game whose popular villains called dark elves or drow have black skin and white hair. This concept of dark elves was originally the intellectual property of the TSR corporation, but is now of the Hasbro corporation^{[citation needed]}. The original designers invented these dark elves while drawing on the folklore of several cultures.

• The D&D game borrows from the epic fantasy novels of J. R. R. Tolkien, who academically reconstructed the concept of elves as human-sized (drawing from the Norse Vanir and Alfar). In Tolkien's fictional setting, Middle-earth, the Elves of Darkness (the Moriquendi) are, in essence, Elves who did not join the Great Journey over the sea to behold the light of the Two Trees in Valinor. The Elves of Twilight (the Sindar) or Dark Elves who remained behind in Beleriand were not included because it was said their king Elu-Thingol already saw the light of the trees in the face of Melian. These Dark Elves are not more evil than Light Elves, but simply have less knowledge and skill and are less "noble" and potent. The most famous of the Dark Elves is Eöl who is the only character in The Silmarillion called "Dark Elf" by the other Elves, Celegorm and Curufin, the sons of Fëanor.
• Dungeons and Dragons designer Gary Gygax says that the name 'drow' in the game derives from the 19th-century book, The Fairy Mythology, which lists the Scottish drow, who is a tiny fairy that lives in caves and forges magical metal items. Generally linguists derive the etymology of Scottish drow from Old Norse troll, and thus it is cognate with a different British fairy called trow, but some caution it may derive from Old Norse dvergr and compare the Old English cognate dweorh.
• These fictional 'dark elves' named 'drow' are then blended with the Prose Edda, whose description of 'dark elves' as 'black' (svartr) was misunderstood to mean 'black-skinned' (rather than 'black-haired'). The first gamebook to list the drow, Fiend folio, presents it as a mysterious creature who is antithetical to elves.

Popular culture

Norse-style dwarves, as with Norse-style elves, are a staple part of modern fantasy, prominently portrayed in literary works such as J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, from which large swathes of modern fantasy convention are derived. Most dwarves in Tolkien's works take their names from the dwarves of Norse mythology.

Magic: The Gathering's expansion Eventide features some dwarf cards identified as duergars.

The "Dwarves" in The Elder Scrolls series are very similar in some ways to the original interpretation of Norse Dwarves, them being of an average height with dark hair and light skin. Their "proper" name is also similar to the aforementioned word "Dweomer", as in the games it appears as "Dwemer", although in TES lore it is translated to mean "short elves" or "deep elves", depending on the sources that it is from. They are also very adept at technology and crafts.

See also

• Brokkr
• Durin
• Dvalin
• Eitri
• Fafnir
• Fjalar and Galar
• Hreidmar
• Motsognir
• Ótr
• Sindri
• Dwarf (Dwarves from later folklore)
• Elf
• Jötunn (Norse giant)
• Troll
• Wight

References

• Acker, Paul (2002). "Dwarf-Lore in Alvíssmál," in The Poetic Edda: Essays on Old Norse Mythology (ed. Paul Acker & Carolyne Larrington) 213–228. Routledge: NY, ISBN 0-8153-1660-7.
• Simek, Rudolf (1984). Dictionary of Northern Mythology 67–69. D. S. Brewer: Cambridge, ISBN 0-85991-513-1.