Svartálfar

2008/9 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Ancient History, Classical History and Mythology

In Norse mythology, the Svartálfar ("black elves") or Dökkálfar (" Dark elves") are supernatural beings (Old Norse " vættir," wights) that are said to reside in the underground world of Svartálfaheim. They, like the trolls, are often correlated with the dvergar (" dwarves") and their home is often considered to be the same as Niðavellir, an underground area beneath Midgard.

Dwarves as black elves

Svartálfar acquired their name because they were seen as the light-avoiding counterparts to the common elf, living in Álfheim. Snorri Sturluson, author of among other things the Prose Edda, at times refer to the light elves as Ljósálfar.

The term black or dark elf might rather be suggestive of their place of residence than of their presumed nature, although they are described as greedy and troublesome for humans, in comparison to the prestigious (light) elves. Besides their underground lives, Svartálfar had many of the same traits attributed to them as the dwarves. These include growing from the maggots of Ymir's flesh, turning to stone when exposed to daylight, and being human-like, but ugly and misshapen.

Kevin Crossley-Holland states that:

"No valid distinction though can be drawn between the dwarfs and the dark elves; they appear to have been interchangeable." Confusion between unrelated, mythologic entities does arise over time, for example in the stories of the trolls (ogre-like beings that are also confused with dwarves).

Later influences

The Nightmare, by Swiss-English artist Henry Fuseli (1781) is probably influenced by the German idea of a wicked Alb (elf) sitting on a dreamer's chest during sleep paralysis.

Like many mythologic elves, regardless of morality (though much closer to the dire varieties in particular), dark elves are often said to be responsible for many of the maladies befalling humanity. In particular, bad dreams are said to be within the domain of the Dökkálfar, as indicated by the German word for nightmare, Albtraum ("Elf-dream"). It is said that the dark elves will sit upon the dreamer's chest and/or whisper the bad dreams into the sleeper's ears. In Scandinavia, the creature responsible for this is known as the Mara.