Occupation: Inventor, Craftsman, Weapon Maker

Legal Status: Citizen of Nidavellir

Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of Iwaldi except as a mythological character.

Other Aliases: None known

Place of Birth: possibly Nidavellir

Marital Status: possibly Widowed

Known Relatives: Ymir, Vaftthrudnir, Blaenn (possible ancestors), Daenn, Nabbi (sons), Uller (possible son by Sif), Sjofn, Sigyn, Idunn, Lofn, Snotra, Hnossa (possible daughters by Freia), Brokk, Sindri (possible nephews)

Group Affiliations: ally of the Gods of Asgard

Base of Operations: Asgard

First Appearance: Iwaldi has yet to be revealed in the Marvel or DC Universe

History: Iwaldi is a member of an extra-dimensional race of beings known as the Dwarves, an extra-dimensional race of beings who preside in Nidavellir, one of the nine realms in the dimension of Asgard. According to Norse mythology, a primeval being named Ymir appeared in Jotunheim from Ginnungagap, the region of sea that existed between Niffleheim and Muspelheim. Ymir was nourished to health by the milk from the enchanted cow Audhumla and grew to great size. He sired the first Giants, but they were often at war with the Asgardian gods who finally slew Ymir. The gods, Odin, Ve and Vili, created the Earth and sky from his remains and transformed the grubs in his corpse into the first dwarves. Just how many of these incidents are true or apocryphal is uncertain. Ymir's skull was reportedly lifted into place by the gods to be the heavens and placed there by four dwarves named Nordi, Sudri, Austri and Westri.

According to German myth, Ymir had two sons named Bergelmir and Vaftthrudnir. Bergelmir was the father of Hrimthurs and became ancestor of the Giants of Jotunheim. Vaftthrudnir had two sons named Brimir, father of Motsognir, ancestor of the Trolls of Asgard, and Blaenn, father of Durin, ancestor of the Dwarves of Asgard, and possibly father of Nordi, Sudri, Austri and Westri, but this is unconfirmed. Odin granted the Dwarves the land of Nidavellir where they created and built the weapons and treasures of the gods. Dwarves are almost indistinguishable from the gods except for their size and could be related to the elves which Odin separated as the light elves of Alfheim and the dark elves of Svartalheim. In later folklore, Dwarves were known by other names on Earth, such as gnomes, goblins, pucks, bogies, spriggans, kobolds and brownies and even became part of the pantheons of rival gods, most notably the Celtic and Slavic gods. In Asgard, the Dwarves recruited Trolls to mine the gold which they themselves crafted into the treasures of the Norse Gods. Among these objects are Gungnir, the spear of Odin, Draupnir, Odin's sword, Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor and Skidbladnir, Frey's ship. When Loki, the god of mischief, cut off the hair of Sif, Thor requested they created her new golden strands of hair, but Loki bewitched them to turn solid black.  

Of the Dwarves, Iwaldi and his sons were known for creating the most favored treasures of Asgard. Loki, the god of mischief, exploited this jealousy to get the Dwarves, Brokk and Sindri, to get them to create treasures that ensured his place among the Asgardian gods. Among the Asgardians, Freia, the goddess of fertility, had a particular fondness for gold and kept Iwaldi and his sons busy creating riches for her. Several myths identify Iwaldi as the father of the Asynjur, Freia's daughters who served as attendants to Frigga, the wife of Odin. The Asynjur were born entirely godlike without any dwarf-like characteristics. When Odin learned of her obsession, her ordered Freia to become of the Valkyrior or Choosers of the Slain. Iwaldi is also identified as the father of Uller, the son of Sif, but the details behind this relationship are unrevealed.

It is known that the Gods of Asgard have been through several cycles of rebirth and destruction. Several of the Asgardians have been reborn as adults anew virtually unchanged from their previous incarnations like Heimdall, or have been reborn through circumstance reliving their childhoods, such as Thor, Balder, Sif and Loki. Iwaldi has not been seen in any current event involving the Dwarves who are sometimes called as a race the Sons of Iwaldi. It would seem in the current incarnation of Asgard that Iwaldi has become the ancestor of the current Dwarves of Asgard, but whether this is the case or not is unrevealed.

Height: 2' 10"
Weight: 225 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black

Strength Level: Iwaldi possesses superhuman strength enabling him to lift (press) 1500 pounds under optimal conditions.

Known Superhuman Powers: Iwaldi possesses the conventional physical attributes of the Dwarves of Asgard. Like the Asgardian gods, he is exceptionally long-lived, but he is not immortal like the Gods of Olympus. He has aged at an extremely slow rate since reaching adulthood and cannot die by any conventional means. He is immune to all Earthly diseases and is resistant to conventional injury. If he were somehow wounded, his godly life force would enable him to recover with superhuman speed. It would take an injury of such magnitude that it dispersed a major portion of his bodily molecules to cause him a physical death. Even then, it might be possible for a god of significant power, such as Odin or for a number of Asgardian gods of equal power working together to revive him. Iwaldi also possesses superhuman strength and his Asgardian metabolism provides him with far greater than human endurance in all physical activities. (Asgardian flesh and bone is about three times as dense as similar human tissue, contributing to the superhuman strength and weight of the Gods of Asgard.)

Iwaldi possibly has some mystical potential to an unknown degree allowing him better control the metals he works with and to create the proper enchantments required of them. It is unknown if he can utilize magic in any other way than in his creations.

Abilities: Iwaldi is an expert craftsman, inventor and designer nearly on par with Hephaestus of Olympus. He has designed everything from weapons to jewelry for the Asgardians. He is best known for creating Frey's ship, Skidbladnir, Odin's spear, Gungnir and the golden hair of Sif. He is also a capable fighter in unarmed combat, able to create weapons from tools in his shop or the hot coals of his blast furnace.

Comments: Iwaldi has yet to appear in the Marvel or DC Universe.

Last updated: 10/02/11