Usually, when we think about the dwarfs of folklore and myth,

we tend to see them much as they appear in Disney`s Snow-

White rude yet charming little forest creatures working in
metal and mining. Of course, the image of the dwarf is taken
from ancient sources and draws heavily on very ancient
mythical themes. The metal-working dwarf living underground
is akin to the dark-elf [dkkalfr] who lives below ground,
forging metals. They are associated with the souls of the dead,
haunting the burial mounds.
The dwarves appearing in the Vlusp are quite different
beings. Their importance is testified by the number of stanzas
that they occupy nine stanzas, which is a lot, beginning with
stanza 9. Most of these stanzas only render the many names of
the dwarfs.
The only way to possibly understand what the dwarfs
represent in the poetical allegory of the Edda poem, is to
interpret their names. This is easier said than done, since there
are often many different possible translations, and few are
absolutely certain. Most translations of the poem into modern
languages simply let the Norse names stand as they are, often
even changing the spelling so as to appear smoother on a
modern tongue. It thus appears that most translators assume
that the dwarf`s names are meaningless gibberish intended to
create rhythm and sounds rather than convey meaning. Even
those translators who do attempt to make translations, make
only a few, the ones that they can be most sure of. This is
understandable.
I am, however, completely convinced that the names are
meaningful, as is every line and verse of the Poetic Edda. I have
tried to offer a possible way of translating and understanding
what the dwarfs mean. Some of my translations may be faulty
or questionable, but as a whole, I believe that my
interpretation of the dwarf lore in the Vlusp makes sense.
Snorri explained that the dwarfs originated like germs in the
flesh of Ymir the world giant, whom I have before interpreted
as primeval sound on the basis of his name, which I am
convinced is derived from the word ymr (m.sg.), sound.
According to Snorri, the dwarfs were given consciousness and
shape from the power words of gods.
In the Poetic Edda, dwarfs appear on the cosmic scene after
three giantesses, much knowing, have arrived at the court of
the Aesir. The three giantesses probably represent fate, being
the same as the much-knowing norns that appear after
human beings were created after the dwarfs. So it is fate that
demands that the gods must create the dwarfs. The entry of the
giantesses leads to all the powers meeting to a first cosmic
parliament:
9.! gengu regin ll 9. Then all the powers
went
rkstla, to the high chairs of fate
ginnheilug go", the sacrosanct gods
ok um #at gttusk: to discuss this:
hverr skyldi Dverga Who owed the King of
Dwarfs
Drtt um skepja to be shaped
r Brimi bl"gu from the blood of
Fire ok r Blins
leggjum and the limbs of the Dead[1]?
The fifth and sixth line in the verse forms a question: Who
owes The King of Dwarfs to be shaped? What is to be shaped is
the King of Dwarfs, and the question is, who is to shape him?
The riddle can only be answered if we understand who or
what the King of Dwarfs is. The King of Dwarfs is a kenning
for something else, something that we have yet to identify. The
clues to understand who this dwarf is, comes when we hear the
ingredients that make up the king: the blood of Fire [Brimir
[2]] and the limbs of the Dead [Blinn].
It is interesting to note that the two names are typical dwarf
names. But setting aside the charming forest creature concept
and trying to see the underlying meaning here is necessary if
the riddle is to be deciphered. It is necessary here to look at
Snorri`s description of the creation of the world.[3]
Wandering Learner [Gangleri] asked: What was the origin?
How did it all start? What was before? () Equally High
[Jafnhr] replied: It was many ages before the Earth was
created that Misty World [Niflheimr] emerged. In the middle
of that world lies a well (water-source) called Resounding Mill,
from it runs the rivers [of the universe]
In Snorri`s account, the first world cosmic realm is
actually Misty World, the world of the dead. This is the land of
the frost giants [hrm!rsar] with whom Snorri a few lines
before declared that the creator god had lived among before
time itself. That was when he was known as !un" Thin
Mist[4].
The world giant Ymir was created as icy rivers from this realm
of the dead entered the Ginnungagp where they met with and
melted by hot streams from a flaming realm in the south, as
Snorri describes:
Third [!ri"i]said: But first it was that world in the south of
the world that is called Muspell, it is bright and hot, that sky is
flaming and burning and impossible to traverse for those who
are not natives. Acid [Surtr] he is called, who guards that land;
he has a flaming sword ()
We know from the Vlusp st.2 that other worlds had existed
before the present world, so that the existence of a realm of
the dead even before this world was created makes sense: It is
the frosty remnants of previous worlds, the dead worlds, that
provides substance and matter in the shape of streams to the
great zero point of creation.
Moreover, from the same realm emerges the frost giant Bri
[Encaged One] who has been laying dormant beneath the ice of
death, we must assume since the death of the previous world.
As the hot tongue of the great cow Au"humbla [Abundant
Brew Ingredient] from the fiery south licks the ice of death in
order to nurture herself, so that she may nurture the world
giant created by melting ice, he reemerges from the death-ice
and becomes the grandfather of the Aesir. The limbs of the
frost giant make up the world.
What we are seeing here is a mythical formula for creation. Ice
and fire, which could be translated to cold still death and fiery
moving life-force, come together at the very beginning. The
fire of life, represented by the cosmic cow, melts the cold of
death and nurtures new life. This is the same formula applied
in the creation of the King of Dwarfs. One would almost
assume that the King of Dwarfs either refers to Ymir or to Bri
or to both, as they could very well be identical to each other.
Let us move to the next stanza about the dwarfs. It begins by
declaring that:
10.!ar var M"sognir Then was
M"sognir
mztr um or"inn the greatest and the highest
dverga allra, of all dwarfs
Now we must try to identify M"sognir. Since we are used to
think of names as merely sounds, we will easily assume
beforehand that this dwarf is a different one from that King of
the Dwarfs we just heard about. However, it should be clear
by now that a number of names may very well be referring to
only one being, since names are merely metaphors describing
the character, and to apply a new metaphor each time one
character is referred to was a basic rule of Norse poetry. The
name is difficult to interpret though.
The first part of the word could either be m"r [a.:
exhausted, m.sg: mind/ intent, m.sg.: courage, m.sg.
mental turmoil], or mt [n.sg: mark/stamp/ image,
shape/form/type or n.sg.: assembling/meeting/ counsel/
fusion or adv.: against].
The second part of the name is sognir, which could be derived
from the neutral noun sog which means sucking and refers
specifically to the suction force of a submerged wave, an
inverted vortex. It could also just refer to the ocean, which was
in itself perceived as a potential sucker for drowned people.
It is also possible that the word is really sknir, which could be
derived from the feminine word skn (f.pl.: sknir), which
means application or seeking/ searching/praying/accusing.
This is a good example explaining why translators are cautious
about presenting a name in translation. It is hard to see what
is the most plausible interpretation if none of the options
make any sense from the standpoint of our modern worldview
and without any certain knowledge about the ancient
worldview. We need to look to the poem again and see if there
are any clues as to which translation is the best. Further down
in the same stanza, we read:
en Durinn annarr; and Sleeper was the second (in
rank);
#eir mannlkun images of humans
mrg um gr"u they made many of
dvergar jr"u, from earth, these dwarfs
sem Durinn sag"i. As the Sleeper spoke it.
The sentence building is a bit archaic, so I will render a more
modern sentence: These dwarfs made many human images
from earth, as the Sleeper (who was second to Mtsognir)
spoke it.
The human image theme is crucial, because we realize that one
of the possible meanings of the name of the first dwarf refers
to images, stamps, marks. The proper interpretation of
his name should in my opinion be image/marker-suction-
vortexes or image/mark-searchers. Vortexes or
searchers are rendered in plural because of the word sgnir
or sknir being the plural form of the nouns. The plural within
the one being is significant. This dwarf represents the greatest
of all dwarfs, probably the King of Dwarfs himself, from which
others seem to emerge. Another interesting thing is that it is
almost impossible to distinguish the dwarfs from the human
images. As we shall see, the dwarfs are in fact connected to
the creation of human beings.
It is tempting to ask the question: How would you have
presented knowledge of genetic markers to a mythological
minded audience? But then, despite many interesting
speculations about previous civilizations with a high level of
technology, we must also consider the equally probable
situation: That no such knowledge existed. However, we
should not underestimate the intellectual capacities of human
beings no matter what time they lived in. It is perfectly
possible that some people without any technology other than
their brain capacity, simply figured out that the creatures of
the world emerged from basic markers, basic images created
by the gods, a basic image multiplying into countless
variations.
A third important aspect of this stanza is the dwarf Drinn
Sleeper who is second to the first being. This reminds me
of how Bri grandfather to the gods, came second after Ymir,
grandfather/mother to the giants, being, in fact, sleeping
beneath the ice of death. The two might be one, but the second
is an aspect that serves a particular purpose: He tells the
images of humans as they are created from the Earth. In
chapter II.9 we saw how the world seems to have been told
into being as a huge optical illusion based on speech or
story-telling. We recall how Snorri claimed that the dwarfs
were given form by the power words of the gods.
The speech of creation follows by a long listing of dwarf`s
names, which I now assume represent the images of humans,
forms, ideas or models for different basic potentials in human
beings. They are:
Waxing and Waning, Northern and Southern, Easterly,
Westerly, Ale-Thief, Hibernation, Death and Dying, Cousin and
dead, Shaking, Vibration, Bm-Tree and Ship, Hope, Out-of,
Without Beginning, Great Grandfather, Witness to Courage,
Battle and Wand-Elf, Partly and Sharpener, Quarrel and
Inventor, Choice and Vessel, Missed One, Beloved, and Strange
New Counsel.
Color and Wisdom, Renewal and Warrior, Council-Tree,
Dripper, Enemy Spear and Linen, Soul-Strife, Famous Thief,
Glow and Old Age, Swaying, Give Away, Fetter, Gray and
Spark, Faulty and Cage, Famous and Wind-Protected
(=Immortal), Spiritless, Stiff Figure and Crazy Shields.[5]
After this impressive list of subtle, cryptic names, the vlva
continues:
14. Ml er dverga I Dvalins li"i It is time to count the
dwarfs of Hibernation ljna kindum i
Lofars telja to count the people of the
Laws #eir er sttu fr salar steini
They set out from the rocky halls
Aurvanga sjt til Jruvalla. From Out-of-Falseness
to the Fields of Earth.
A new list of names follow, meaning:
That was the Dripper and Battle-Spear, Life and Soul-Strife,
Swaying and Handgrip, Glow and Age, Give-Away, Elf (=Soul),
Fruit of Youth, Fine and Trickster and Famous Thief. As long
as humankind exist, this long row of Law`s [Lofar] shall be
remembered.[6]
Something interesting has happened. Out of the great mass of
almost incomprehensible dwarfs come a special kind: The
Dwarfs of Hibernation, who are also the people of Laws. We
remember that the images were spoken by the Sleeper,
whom I identified as Bri, who slept or indeed hibernated
beneath the ice of death, and who became the grandfather of
the Aesir. It turns out that the Aesir indeed belong to the
people of Laws, as the next stanza reads:
17.Unz #rrkvmu r #v li"i 17. 17. Until Three came
out of that flock flgir ok stkir sir hsi
powerful and loving Aesir to the
homes fundu landi ltt
megandi They found on the shore, of little
power Ask ok Emblu, rlgslausa.
Ask and Embla, without destiny.
It has become clear that the Aesir indeed emerged from the
flock of dwarfs that, supposedly, the Aesir shaped. It is only
through the flock of dwarfs that the Aesir could enter the
human world and offer them the gift of spirit, thought and
vitality, as they proceed to do in the next stanza.
It all starts to make sense. Both Hibernation and Sleeper
are good metaphors for the sleeping frost giant otherwise
known as Bri, whose name means Cage and refers to him
being encaged in the ice of the world of the dead the frozen
remains of the previous worlds. His descendants are the Aesir,
who rightly could be called the people of laws, as they were
the first to give order and laws to a chaotic universe. Like
every other force of the cosmos, they all came from that one
first universal being, the primeval Sound, born by the Wave
(or the nine waves). But they were different from the first
being because they emerged from the encaged dream-speech
that contained the memory of previous world.
Finally, the question is: Why are giants and gods suddenly
veiled and described as dwarfs? As long as we insist on reading
the myths as literal renderings of childish fairy-tales, this
poses a problem. We have gods there, giants here, and dwarfs
are supposed to be different creatures entirely. When we
integrate the fact that the ancient poets applied folklore to
serve their own end: to use them as metaphors for deeper
meaning, it is easier to see that these racial distinctions are
of no importance or consequence, and serves only one
purpose: to reveal what kind of force works in what kind of
way under what kind of conditions.
According to Lotte von Motz, the Norse word for dwarf,
dvergr (m.sg.), actually means mutilated, as in someone who
has had a limb or part of himself chopped off, severed[7]. Motz
uses this to illustrate how the dwarfs in the myths seem to
play the role of priests, as do their mythical relatives, the
smith and the dark elf. There is some evidence that priests had
a part of their body mutilated during initiation, something
which may have been reflected in the myth of Odin sacrificing
his eye for the mead of wisdom, or in the sorcerers who seem
to have suffered castration as part of their profession.
I wholeheartedly agree that dwarfs in other settings, together
with smiths and dark elves, seem to represent typical pagan
priests in many myths, but this is not the only way that they
appear. In the Vlusp, I believe they represent the original
images of human beings emerging from the one to the many. I
believe that the term dwarf is used by the poets both because
the concept dwarf brings to mind something that is smaller,
and because the word itself means mutilated and indicates
something that is not whole.
What we are probably seeing here is a version of an ancient
and widespread philosophy, recognizable in the Indian poet
Kamalakanta`s Syama Sangit (Songs to Kali), in which he
describes the creator goddess in action, applying an age-old
concept of creation: limiting the Limitless.
[1] Blinn = The Blue a poetical way of describing a rotting
corpse, the dead
[2] From brmi (m.sg.) fire
[3] Gylfaginning, Prose Edda
[4] Odin I am now, Terrifying One I was called before, Thin
Mist before that, Grmnisml st.54, poetic Edda
[5] Vlusp st. 11-13. May be seen in Old Norse form on this
website: http://etext.old.no/Bugge/voluspa/voluspa1.html
[6] Vlusp st.15 and 16
[7]