Norse cosmology Norse cosmology is the study of the cosmos (cosmology) as perceived by the ancient North Germanic peoples. The topic encompasses concepts from Norse mythology, such as notions of time and space, cosmogony, personifications, anthropogeny, and e ...

, svartálfar ( O.N. "black elves", "swarthy elves", sing. svartálfr), also called myrkálfar ("dark elves", "dusky elves", "murky elves", sing. myrkálfr), are beings who dwell in Svartalfheim (''Svartálf eimr'', "home of the black-elves"). Both the svartálfar and Svartálfaheimr are primarily attested in the ''

Prose Edda The ''Prose Edda'', also known as the ''Younger Edda'', ''Snorri's Edda'' ( is, Snorra Edda) or, historically, simply as ''Edda'', is an Old Norse textbook written in Iceland during the early 13th century. The work is often assumed to have been t ...

'', written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. Scholars have noted that the svartálfar appear to be synonymous with the

dwarf Dwarf or dwarves may refer to: Common uses *Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore * Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...

s and potentially also the dökkálfar ("dark elves"). As dwarfs, the home of the svartálfar could possibly be another description for ''

Niðavellir In Norse cosmology, Niðavellir (anglic. as Nidavellir; probable compound of O.N. ''Nið'' - "new moon", "the wane of the moon" (perhaps related to ''niðr'' - "down") + ''Vellir'' (pl. of ''völlr'') - "fields": ''Dark Fields'', ''Downward Field ...

'' ("dark fields").

Attestations

The ''svartálfar'' are almost only attested in the ''

'' (the word does appear in ''Ektors saga ok kappa hans'', but is presumably borrowed from the ''Prose Edda''). The ''svartálfar'' mentioned in ''

Skáldskaparmál ''Skáldskaparmál'' (Old Norse: 'The Language of Poetry'; c. 50,000 words; ; ) is the second part of the ''Prose Edda''. The section consists of a dialogue between Ægir, the divine personification of the sea, and Bragi, the god of poetry, ...

'' 35 are the

Sons of Ivaldi In Norse mythology, the Sons of Ivaldi are a group of dwarfs who fashion Skíðblaðnir, the flying ship of Freyr, Gungnir, the spear belonging to Odin, along with the golden hair for Sif to replace what Loki had cut off. According to ''Skál ...

, whom Loki engages to craft replacement hair for

Sif In Norse mythology, Sif (Old Norse: ) is a golden-haired goddess associated with earth. Sif is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the ''Prose Edda'', written in the 13th century ...

, wife of the god

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...

, after Loki mischievously sheared off her golden

tresses Tresses is a Communes of France, commune in the Gironde Departments of France, department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Population See also *Communes of the Gironde department References External links Web site
Commun ...

. Ivaldi is often glossed as being a

. ''Svartálfaheimr'' ("world of black-elves") appears in the ''Prose Edda'' twice, in each case as the place where certain dwarfs can be found to be living: In ''

Gylfaginning ''Gylfaginning'' (Old Norse: 'The Beguiling of Gylfi' or 'The Deluding of Gylfi'; c. 20,000 words; 13th century Old Norse pronunciation ) is the first part of the 13th century ''Prose Edda'' after the Prologue. The ''Gylfaginning'' deals with t ...

'' 33, the "world of black-elves" is where the dwarfs are sought by the

gods A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greater ...

to craft the fetter

Gleipnir In Norse mythology, Gleipnir (Old Norse "open one")Orchard (1997:58). is the binding that holds the mighty wolf Fenrir (as attested in chapter 34 of the ''Prose Edda'' book ''Gylfaginning''). The Gods had attempted to bind Fenrir twice before wit ...

to bind the wolf

Fenrir Fenrir (Old Norse: ; "fen-dweller")Orchard (1997:42). or Fenrisúlfr (O.N.: ; "Fenrir's wolf", often translated "Fenris-wolf"),Simek (2007:81). also referred to as Hróðvitnir (O.N.: ; "fame-wolf")Simek (2007:160). and Vánagandr (O.N.: ; " ...

. And in ''Skáldskaparmál,'' 39, the "world of black-elves" is where Loki encounters the dwarf

Andvari In Norse mythology, Andvari ( 12th c. Old Norse: ; "careful one") is a dwarf who lives underneath a waterfall and has the power to change himself into a pike (gedda) at will. Andvari had a magical ring Andvaranaut, which helped him become w ...

Theories and interpretations

Scholars have commented that, as both attestations mentioning the beings and location appear to refer to dwarfs, ''svartálfr'' and ''dwarf'' may simply be synonyms for the same concept.Lindow (2001:110), Orchard (1997:20), and Simek (2007:305). Scholar

John Lindow John Frederick Lindow (born July 23, 1946) is an American philologist who is Professor Emeritus of Old Norse and Folklore at University of California, Berkeley. He is a well known authority on Old Norse religion and literature. Biography John Lin ...

comments that whether the dökkálfar and the svartálfar were considered the same at the time of the writing of the ''Prose Edda'' is also unclear.Lindow (2001:110).

Notes

References

* * * * ** {{DEFAULTSORT:Svartalfar Locations in Norse mythology Norse dwarves