#dvergr

September Workshop -Digging the Dvergar: Developing Relationships with Dwarves

"That mythological craftsmen were viewed as manipulators of the potent forces which existed in distant space is self-evident in the magical potency of the items that they produced. Descriptions of such items are also often accompanied by acknowledgments of the arcane nature of their construction. It is worth providing several examples of the exceptionality of such items, and of the manner of their creation. One of the speakers in Gylfaginning, Hár, mentions the ship Skíðblaðnir which was crafted by the earth-dwelling sons of the dvergr Ívaldi. He suggests that it is með mestum hagleik gerr [made with the greatest skill] and further that ‘er hann gǫrr af svá mǫrgum hlutum ok með svá mikilli list at hann má vefja saman sem dúk ok hafa í pung sínum’.* On hearing these remarkable facts, the listener Gangleri remarks ‘allmikil fjǫlkyngi mun við vera hǫfð áðr svá fái gert’.** Two further dvergar named Brokkr and Eitri, who also live beneath the earth, craft Þórr’s hammer Mjǫllnir, which returns to Þórr when cast, can be shrunk in size like Skíðblaðnir, and even has the power to resurrect the dead. These dvergar also craft the ring Draupnir which produces eight identical gold rings every ninth night, and the golden boar Gullinbursti, which can run faster than a horse both on water and in the air. After relating how Skírnir had travelled down to Svartálfheimr to procure the fetter Gleipnir, Hár relates that ‘hann var gjǫrr af sex hlutum: af dyn kattarins ok af skeggi konunnar ok af rótum bjargsins ok af sinum bjarnarins ok af anda fisksins ok af fogls hráka’.*** The materials which make up Gleipnir are considered so incredible that Hár needs to stress the truthfulness of his account. He then informs Gangleri that ‘fjǫturrinn varð sléttr ok blautr sem silkiroema, en…traustr ok sterkr’.**** Hár substantiates the purported strength of Gleipnir by telling Gangleri of its wondrous ability to bind the wolf Fenrir. Although dvergar make up the majority of distant craftsmen who are able to imbue objects with special power, this ability does not fall to them alone. Vǫlundr likely crafts a means of flight by which he makes his escape from his human captor. The one thing which all of these craftsmen who produce magical items share is their remove from the societies of men and æsir, and their association with the potency and special knowledge inherent in such places. Dvergar in the fornaldarsögur continue their role of channeling the energies latent in distant and hostile spaces into their work. In this corpus, however, objects which derive from distant space often carry with them the more negative qualities inherent in such spaces. Perhaps the most famous case is the ring Andvaranautr, which Loki extracts from the stone- and water-dwelling dvergr Andvari. In chapter 14 of Vǫlsunga saga Andvari curses the ring, declaring that it will cause the death of whoever owns it. In Ásmundar saga kappabana, the dvergr Olíus smiths a sword for the Swedish king Buðli, but also curses the weapon. Olíus declares ‘þat mun verða at bana inum göfgustum bræðrum, dóttursonum þínum’.***** In the U redaction of Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, Svafrlami prevents the dvergar Durinn and Dvalinn from returning to their subterranean home and threatens them with death, unless they can produce for him a gold-encrusted sword which does not rust, cuts into iron, and brings victory to its user. They create the sword Tyrfingr, but in revenge they lay a potent curse on it: ‘sverð þitt, Svafrlami, verði manns bani hvárt sinn er brugðit er, ok með því sé unnin þrjú níðingsverk in mestu; þat verði ok þinn bani’.****** In the above sources, then, craftsmen who inhabit distant spaces are seen to produce the most expert objects, and this is because they imbue them with the kind of energies which exist in these spaces."