Álfheim (Old Norse Álfheimr 'Elf-home') is the abode of the Álfar 'Elves' in Norse mythology and appears also in northern English ballads under the forms Elfhame and Elphame. It is also an ancient name for the territory between what is now the Glomma river in Norway and the Göta älv river in Sweden. Old Norse is the Germanic language once spoken by the inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until the 13th century. ... For alternate meanings, see Lightning (disambiguation). ... Norse mythology, Viking mythology or Scandinavian mythology refer to the pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian people. ... Glomma, sometimes written Glåma, is the longest river in Norway. ... Waterfalls in Trollhättan/Göta älv Göta älv is a river that drains lake Vänern into Kattegat, and the North Sea, at the city of Gothenburg on the western coast of Sweden. ...

The Elven abode

In Old Norse texts

Álfheim as an abode of the Elves is mentioned only twice in Old Norse texts. Old Norse or Danish tongue is the Germanic language once spoken by the inhabitants of the Nordic countries (for instance during the Viking Age). ...

The eddic poem Grímnismál describes twelve divine dwellings beginning in stanza 5 with: The Grimnismál, also known as The Ballad of Grimnir, is an Old Norse poem in the Codex Regius, which is part of the Elder Edda. ...

Ydalir call they     the place where Ull
A hall for himself hath set;
And Álfheim the gods     to Frey once gave
As a tooth-gift in ancient times. In Norse mythology, Ull (glory) was a son of Sif though not by her husband Thor. ... Freyr is a very important god in Old Norse religion; not so much in Norse mythology as one might suppose, for there he actually appears in only one surviving story, but very much in the cult. ...

A tooth-gift was a gift given to an infant on the cutting of the first tooth. A human infant The word Infant derives from the Latin in-fans, meaning unable to speak. ...

Snorri Sturluson in the Gylfaginning relates as the first of a series of abodes in heaven: Snorri Sturlason (1178 – September 23, 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet and politician. ... External links Original text English text Categories: Mythology stubs | Medieval literature | Sagas of Iceland | Norse mythology | Nordic folklore ...

That which is called Álfheim is one, where dwell the peoples called Light-elves [Ljósálfar]; but the Dark-elves [dökkálfar] dwell down in the earth, and they are unlike in appearance, but by far more unlike in nature. The Light-elves are fairer to look upon than the sun, but the Dark-elves are blacker than pitch. Dark elves are the (mostly) evil counterparts of the elves in many mythologies and fantasy settings. ...

The account later, in speaking of a hall called Gimlé and the southernmost end of heaven that shall survive when heaven and earth have passed away, explains: Gimli may refer to: Gimli, Manitoba, a community in the Canadian province of Manitoba Gimli, a political riding in the same province Gimli (Middle-earth) Gimli Glider This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

It is said that another heaven is to the southward and upward of this one, and it is called Andlang [Andlangr 'Endlong'] but the third heaven is yet above that, and it is called Vídbláin [Vídbláinn 'Wide-blue'] and in that heaven we think this abode is. But we believe that none but Light-Elves inhabit these mansions now.

It is not indicated whether these heavens are identical to Álfheim or distinct. Some texts read Vindbláin (Vindbláinn 'Wind-blue') instead of Vídbláin.

Modern commentators speculate (or sometimes state as fact) that Álfheim was one of the nine worlds (heima) mentioned in stanza 2 of the eddic poem Völuspá. Voluspa or Völuspá means The Prophecy of the Seeress and tells the story of the creation and coming destruction of the world related by a völva or seeress in what could be described as a shamanic trance to Odin. ...

In English text

In several Scots and English ballads about the fairies and their lore, the realm of the those folk is called Elphame or Elfhame, though at other times Elfland or 'Elfenland. The fairy queen is often called the "Queen of Elphame" in ballads such as that of Thomas the Rhymer: Scots (or Lallans, meaning Lowlands), often Lowland Scots to distinguish it from the Gaelic of the Highlands, is used in Scotland, as well as parts of Northern Ireland and border areas of the Republic of Ireland, where it is known in official circles as Ulster Scots or Ullans but by... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A ballad is a story in song, usually a narrative song or poem. ... by Sophie Anderson A fairy, or faery, is a creature from stories and mythology, often portrayed in art and literature as a minuscule humanoid with insect-like wings. ... Thomas the Rhymer (also Thomas Rhymer or Thomas Rymer) is the better-known name of Thomas of Erceldoune, a 13th Century Scottish soothsayer. ...

'I'm not the Queen of Heaven, Thomas,
That name does not belong to me;
I am but the Queen of fair Elphame
Come out to hunt in my follie.'

Elfhame, or Elfland, is protrayed in a variety of ways in these ballads and stories, most commonly as mystical and benevolent, but also at times as sinister and wicked. The mysteriousness of the land, and its otherworldly powers are a source of scepticism and distrust in many tales. Examples of journeys to the realm include "Thomas the Rhymer" and the fairy tale "Childe Rowland", the latter being a particularly negative view of the land. Childe Rowland is a fairy tale, the most popular version being by Joseph Jacobs in his English Folk and Fairy Tales, published in 1892, and written partly in verse and part in prose. ...

Used by J. R. R. Tolkien

The twentieth century fantasy writer J. R. R. Tolkien Englished the Old Norse name Álfheim as Elvenhome which is imagined in his tales as lying in a coastal region of the Undying Lands in the far west. The High King of the Elves in the west was Ingwë, an echo of the name Yngvi often found as a name for Frey, whose abode was in Álfheim according to the Grímnismál. J. R. R. Tolkien in 1916. ... In the fictional writings of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Undying Lands are a realm inhabited by immortal beings. ... The main part of this article relates to the last versions of Middle-earths history, and as such may controvert parts of The Silmarillion. ... Yngvi, Ingui or Ing appears to have been the older name for the god Freyr, which meant lord. In Scandinavian mythology, Yngvi, alternatively Yngve, was the progenitor of the Yngling lineage, a legendary dynasty of Swedish kings from whom the earliest historical Norwegian kings in turn claimed to be descended...

The region in Scandinavia

About the region and its folk

The Ynglinga saga, when relating the events of the reign of King Gudröd (Guðröðr) the Hunter relates: The Ynglinga saga or Ynglingesaga, was originally written in Old Norse by the Icelandic poet Snorri Sturluson about 1225 CE. He based it on an earlier Ynglingatal which is attributed to the Norwegian 10th century skald Tjodolf of Hvin, and which also appears in Historia Norwegiae. ...

Álfheim, at that time, was the name of the land between the Raumelfr ['Raum Elf river', the modern Glomma river] and the Gautelfr ['Gaut Elf river', the modern Göta älv].

The words "at that time" indicates the name for the region was archaic or obsolete by the 13th century. The element elfr is a common word for 'river' and appears in other river names. It is cognate with Middle Low German elve 'river' and the name of the river Elbe. The Raum Elf marked the border of the region of Raumaríki and the Gaut Elf marked the border of Gautland (modern Götaland). It corresponds closely to the historical Swedish province of Bohuslän. (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ... The Middle Low German language is an ancestor of the modern Low German language, and was spoken from about 1100 to 1500. ... The Elbe River (Czech Labe, Sorbian/Lusatian Łobjo, Polish Łaba, German Elbe) is one of the major waterways of central Europe. ... Götaland, Gothia, Gothland [1], Gotland (AHD), Gautland or Geatland, is a historical land of Sweden, and was once divided into petty kingdoms. ... Bahusia, or Bohuslän, is a historical Sweden. ...

The name Álfheim here may have nothing to do with Álfar 'Elves', but may derive from a word meaning 'gravel layer'.

However the Saga Thorsteinn Víkingsonar claims that the two rivers and the country was named from King Álf the Old (Álfr hinn gamli) who once ruled there, and that his descendants were all related to the Elves and were handsomer than any other people except for the giants, a unique and possibly corrupt reference to giants being especially good looking. The Sögubrot af Nokkrum also mentions the special good looks of the kindred of King Álf the Old.

Traditions of Álf the Old

According to Saga Thorsteinn Víkingsonar, King Álf the Old was married to Bryngerd (Bryngerðr) the daughter of King Raum of Raumaríki. Raum the Old (Old Norse Raumr inn gamli) is a legendary king in Norway in the Hversu Noregr byggdist and in Thorsteins saga Víkingssonar. ...

But according to the Hversu Noregr byggdist, Álf, also called Finnálf, was a son of King Raum who inherited from his father the land from the Gaut Elf river (the modern Göta älv river) north to the Raum Elf river (the modern Glomma river), and that the land was then called Álfheim. Hversu Noregr byggdist (Old Norse Hversu Noregr byggðist) meaning How Norway was inhabited, which survives only in the Flatey Book, is a account of the origin of various legendary Norwegian lineages. ... Waterfalls in Trollhättan/Göta älv Göta älv is a river that drains lake Vänern into Kattegat, and the North Sea, at the city of Gothenburg on the western coast of Sweden. ... Glomma, sometimes written Glåma, is the longest river in Norway. ...

Finnálf married Svanhild (Svanhildr) who was called Gold-feather (Gullfjǫðr) and was the daugher of Day (Dagr) son of Dayspring (Dellingr) by Sun (Sól) daughter of Mundilfari. Dag as a personification of day and the sun-goddess Sól are mentioned elsewhere, but only the Hversu mentions their daughter. Svandhild bore Finnálf a son named Svan the Red (Svanr inn Rauðr) who was father of Sæfari, father of Úlf (Úlfr), father of Álf, father of Ingimund (Ingimundr) and Eystein (Eysteinn). In Norse mythology, Dagr (modern Scandinavian: Dag, modern Icelandic: Dagur) was the god of the daytime, a son of Delling (god of twilight) and Nott (goddess of night). ... In Norse mythology, Delling was the god of the dawn. ... In Norse mythology, Sol was the goddess of the sun, a daughter of Mundilfari and Glaur and the wife of Glen. ... In Norse mythology, Mundilfari (or Mundilfäri) was the father of Sol and Mani by Glaur. ...

According to the eddic poem Hyndluljód (stanza 12), Óttar, whose genealogy is the subject of this poem, was son of Innstein (Innsteinn), son of Álf the Old, son of Úlf, son of Sæfari, son of Svan the Red. So the Innstein of the Hyndluljód and Eystein of the Hversu are presumably identical.

Later kings of Álfheim

Stuff of Legend

Later kings are mentioned in some sagas.

According to Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum (Book 8), the sons of King Gandálf the Old joined King Harald for the battle of Bråvalla. The Sögubrot names the sons of Gandálf as Álfar (Álfarr) and Álfarin (Álfarinn) and makes them members of King Harald's bodyguard. Presumably they died in the battle. But the kingdom of this Gandálf is not identified in these texts. Saxo, etching by the Danish-Norwegian illustrator Louis Moe (1857—1945) Saxo Grammaticus (estimated. ... Bishop Asgar, etching by the Danish-Norwegian illustrator Louis Moe (1857—1945) Gesta Danorum (Deeds of the Danes) is a work of Danish history, by 12th century author Saxo Grammaticus (Saxo the Grammarian). It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark. ... Harald Hildetand at the Battle of Bråvalla Haraldr hilditönn, Harald Wartooth or Harald Hildetand was the king of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Wendland. ...

The Sögubrot also relates that Sigurd Hring (Sigurðr Hringr), who was Harald's viceroy on the Swedish throne, married Álfhild, the daughter of King Álf the Old of Álfheim. But in a later passage she appears as a descendant of King Álf. The Hversu Novegr byggdist provides instead a lineage of King Álf the Old of Álfheim who was father of Álfgeir the father of Gandálf the father of Álfhild the mother of the famous Ragnar Lodbrok (by Sigurd Hring). That Álfhild's father was the same Gandálf whose sons were at the Battle of Bravalla makes good sense in legendary chronology. But this genealogy may have resulted from misidentification of Gandálf the Old of the battle of Bråvalla with Gandálf son of Álfgeir of the Ynglinga saga who is discussed below. Or if the two Gandálfs may be rightly identified then the chronology is badly garbled. Sigurðr hringr, Sigurd Ring (ca 750) was a Swedish king mentioned in sources such as the Heimskringla, Gesta Danorum, Hervarar Saga and Sögubrot af Nokkrum. ... Ragnar Lodbrok and King Ella Ragnarr Loðbrók or Ragnar Lodbrok was a semi-legendary King of Denmark and Sweden who reigned sometime in the eighth or ninth centuries. ... The Ynglinga saga or Ynglingesaga, was originally written in Old Norse by the Icelandic poet Snorri Sturluson about 1225 CE. He based it on an earlier Ynglingatal which is attributed to the Norwegian 10th century skald Tjodolf of Hvin, and which also appears in Historia Norwegiae. ...

In all these accounts, the son of Hring and Álfhild was supposedly the famous Ragnar Lodbrok, husband of Áslaug (Áslaugr) the mother of Sigurd Hart (Sigurðr Hjǫrt) whose daughter Ragnhild (Ragnhildr) married Halfdan the Black and bore to him Harald Fairhair, the first historic king of all Norway. Halfdan the Black Gudrødsson (820-860) was the father of the first King of Norway Harald I and of the House of Yngling. ... Harald I (b. ...

On the borders of history

The Ynglinga saga, Saga of Halfdan the Black, and Saga of Harald Fairhair, all included in the Heimskringla, tell of kings of Álfheim at the end of the legendary period: Heimskringla is the Icelandic name of a collection of sagas recorded in Iceland around 1225 by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson (1179-1242). ...

• Álf: His daughter Álfhild (Álfhildr) married King Gudröd the Hunter of Raumaríki and Westfold who brought with her half of the territory of Vingulmork as her dowry. She bore to Gudröd a son named Óláf (Óláfr) who was afterwards named Geirstada-Álf (Geirstaða-Álfr) and was the elder half-brother of Halfdan the Black.

• Álfgeir: He as son of Álf. He regained Vingulmork and placed his son Gandálf (Gandálfr) over it as king.

• Gandálf: He was son of Álfgeir. Since this Gandálf was an older contemporary of Harald Fairhair and since the historical Viking leaders identified as sons of Ragnar Lodbrok in some traditions were also contemparies of Harald Fairhair, it is not impossible that Álfhild, the supposed mother of Ragnar Lodbrok, was the daughter of this Gandálf as the Hversu Noregr byggdist states. What is told in the Heimskringla is that after many indecisive battles between Gandálf and Halfdan the Black, Vingulmork was divided between them, Halfdan regaining the portion which had been the dowry of his grandfather's first wife Álfhild. Two sons of Gandálf named Hýsing (Hýsingr) and Helsing (Helsingr) later led a force against Halfdan but fell in battle and a third son named Haki fled into Álfheim. When Halfdan's son Harald Fairhair succeeded his father, Gandálf and his son Haki were both part of an alliance of kings who attacked Harald. Haki was slain but Gandálf escaped. There was further war between Gandálf and Harald. At last Gandálf fell in battle and Harald seized all of Gandálf's land up to the Raum Elf river, at that time not taking Álfheim itself.

But later parts of his saga show Harald in full control of the land west of the Gaut Elf river showing that Álfheim did soon become part of his kingdom. From that point it ceased to be an independent region. The Saga of Harald Fairhair relates that it was first conquered by the Swedish king Eirik Eymundsson (Erik Anundsson) who lost it to Harald Fairhair. Vestfold is a county in Norway, bordering Buskerud and Telemark. ... Vingulmark was the name of a Viking Age petty kingdom around Oslofjorden. ... Halfdan the Black Gudrødsson (820-860) was the father of the first King of Norway Harald I and of the House of Yngling. ... Heimskringla is the Icelandic name of a collection of sagas recorded in Iceland around 1225 by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson (1179-1242). ... Erik Anundsson (d. ...

Variant spellings

Variant Anglicizations are: Álf: Alf ; Álfar: Alfar ; Álfarin: Alfarin ; Álfgeir: Alfgeir ; Álfheim: Alfheim ; Álfhild: Alfhild ; Áslaug: Aslaug ; Finnálf: Finnalf ; Frey: Freyr ; Gandálf: Gandalf ; Gimlé: Gimle ; Grímnismál: Grimnismal ; Gudröd: Gudrod, Guthröth ; Haki: Hake ; Halfdan the Black: Hálfdan the Black ; Raumaríki: Raumarike, Raumarik, Raum's-ric ; Sæfari: Saefari ; Sigurd Hart: Sigurd Hjort, Sigurth Hart ; Sigurd Hring: Sigurd Ring, Sigurth Hring ; Sól: Sol ; Úlf: Ulf ; Ull: Ullr ; Völuspá: Voluspá.