After exploring Midgard’s origins, let’s get back to the Nine Realms of Norse cosmogony, given the imminent release of God of War Ragnarok.
This time we will go Exploring Svartalfheimhome of dark elves and some dwarven dynasties, basic characters of various Norse myths.
Svartalfheim in mythology
The “land of the dark elves” is hardly mentioned in the sources below. It is quoted in the Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson when the sons of Ivaldi, imposing master craftsmen, had to create ominous objects for the gods.
It all started when Loki deliberately cut the hair of Thor’s wife Sif. The latter rightfully wants to break his brother’s skull when he finds out, but he backs off and promises to ask her. dwarves of Svartalfheim to create gorgeous hairstyles to change his wife’s hair. Honored countless times, Loki goes to the sons of Ivaldi, who built for himself and the gods not only the canopy of Sif, but also the exciting boat, the Skíðblaðnir (large enough to hold the entire Æsir, but foldable like a cloth). and stowed in your pocket) and Odin’s famous spear, Gungnir. Unhappy Loki makes a bet with Brokkr, another dwarf of objects created by Ivaldi’s sons, that the latter’s brother, Eitri, will not be able to create something so frightening. The two brothers who accept the bet set to work.
Eitri asks Brokkr to keep moving towards the forge until he returns to retrieve what is in the forge. Three times, the more objects there are, the more Brokkr needs to hug, but to annoy him there is always an insect fluttering around and biting him stronger each time. While resisting with the first two objects, the third is forced to cut off the airflow for less than a second, but that’s enough to nearly ruin his brother’s job.
Loki and Brokkr present their gifts before the gods. The first ones are applauded by almost everyone. Loki is confident of victory, but Brokkr surprises everyone with his items: First, a ring for Odin, who drops eight rings of equal weight every nine nights; secondly, a wild boar (you read that right, a forge created by a forge) that can run day and night more than any other horse in the water and in the air. Finally, he gives Thor what will become his inseparable friend, MjollnirA faithful hammer that is unstoppably powerful and always returns to its master’s hands. The only flaw (caused by the damn fly) is that the handle is a little short. Undoubtedly, the gods vote the latter as the best item, thus causing Loki to lose the bet.
Brokkr rightfully wants to get his head back, but the god of deception flees before he’s given a chance. The dwarf politely asks Thor if he can go and pick him up from where he was hunting and bring him back for his trophy. The thunder god accepts and brings his half-brother back to him. The latter says he promised her only the head, not the neck, so he must do a good job getting it.
Tired of hearing the god’s lies at this point, Brokkr intends to prick his lips, but the knife he carries with him isn’t sharp enough. The dwarf thinks it would be better to use his brother’s awl, and perhaps by divine grace or desperation this magically appears and allows the swindler to prick the swindler’s mouth. Punishment that didn’t last long as Loki quickly freed himself from the strap that would become the Vartari.
Dwarves or dark elves?
The peculiarity of Svartalfheim is that both residents are mentioned. svartafal (literally “dark elves”) are more than dwarves. This harmony may represent the coexistence of two different peoples within the same kingdom, but some scholars have suggested that these are simply names denoting the same ethnic group. As a result, dark elves and dwarves, Svartalfheim and Nidavellir (literally “Fields of the sunset”) is mentioned in the poetic Edda as the kingdom of the dwarves. Most likely, the fault lies with Sturluson, who misinterpreted the old lines of Völuspá and thought that Sindri was the name of a place and not a personal name.
To the north, in Nidavellir, is the golden palace of Sindri’s bloodline.
In any case, this kingdom precedes the northernmost kingdom, namely Niflheim, which makes it a mostly cold and mountainous place, further confirming the existence of dwarves in the folkloristic sense of mountain dwellers.
Svartalfheim in God of War Ragnarok
In God of War Ragnarok, Santa Monica chose the logical path when there was confusion even among the scientists themselves: adapting sporadic elements to suit their needs. In his visions of the Nine Kingdoms, Svartalfheim It is the land of the dwarves, a highly developed place with large population centers and far more life than the crumbling Midgard. This is because Odin closed the passage to this kingdom during the Æsir’s war against the Vanir, fearing that the dwarves and the Vanir might become allies. As a result, their world is prosperous and vibrant, although during our adventure with Kratos and Atreus he will certainly be affected by the “forces of evil”.
The impossibility of distinguishing between dark elves and dwarves in the documents written to us is very unique and cleverly handled by the authors of the game. In fact, following the line of the Norse gods, seen as tyrants devoted to the purity of their “race” and the rejection of anything that deviates minimally from it, the Æsir does not distinguish the dwarves from the dark elves of Alfheim. They nicknamed their kingdom Svartalfheim (which, as we have seen, means “land of the dark elves”). The dwarves continue to search their homes. Nidavellir.
Also, this time we have come to the end of our adventure in the labyrinth of Norse mythology. We hope you enjoy this journey to discover Svartalfheim. While we wait to fully explore the dwarves’ lands, we point you to other insights dedicated to the exploration of Norse myths that led to the adventures of the new cycle of God of War (Thor, Mímir, Angrboda, Jormungandr, Týr, Freya, Fenrir, Odin, Sköll and Hati, as well as Valkyries and Ragnarok) And as always, we are waiting for you in the comments.
Source: Multiplayer
