A Who's Who of World Mythology : Alfar


In Nordic myth, there were several groups of fae races called the Alfar or Alfr. This is the equivalent of our word, Elf. The Alfar are divided into three races Ljosalfar (Light Elves), Dokkalfar (Dark Elves), and Svartalfar (Black Elves) or Dwarves. The names Light and Dark refer to the dwellings of the elves in question, not to their temperament. Though all Alfar are considered wise magicians, they are also unpredictable, taking pleasure in or offense at the slightest things, especially manners. None of the Alfar of any race feared iron. The Ljosalfar are beings of great beauty that often associate with the gods. They are quite powerful, aiding men and gods alike. They live in Alfheimr, which is ruled over by the god Freyr who received their kingdom as a gift for his first tooth. While they live above ground, their cousin Alfar burrow below the ground. This is not surprising as the gods transformed them to people from maggots that crawled out of the giant Ymir's corpse. The Svartalfar dwell in Svartalfarheimr and are ruled by Dvalin, who gave them the runes. Though not a handsome race (usually misshapen and generally ugly), their skill at the smithy was unmatched. Svartalfar are commonly thought to cause sickness with their arrows (Elf-shot), causing stroke and paralysis. Elf shot was essentially a dart shot into a person by the elves to cause illness, presumably for some affront the human had made to the elves. The Dokkalfar are dark Alfar that dwell in the mounds. If they are not the souls of the dead, as has been suggested in a few sources, then they are a race of Svartalfar who spend their time mining in the deep parts of the earth with little to no contact with other races.