In Norse mythology, the svartálfar ("black elves") or dökkálfar ("dark elves"), are synonymous with duergar ("dwarves") or vættir ("wights"). They and are said to reside in Svartálfheim, which is synonymous to Nidavellir, the underground of Midgard, but separated from Helheim. They have accuired this 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 Younger Edda, at times refer to these elves as ljósálfar ("light elves"). Norse mythology, Viking mythology or Scandinavian mythology refer to the pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian people. ... Dark elves is the name for the (mostly) evil counterparts of the elves in many mythologies and fantasy settings. ... The Norse dwarves or Duergar (ON Dvergar) are highly significant entities within Norse mythology. ... DWARF (short for Debug With Arbitrary Record Format although rarely seen that way) is a widely used, standardized debugging data format. ... Wight is an obsolete word for a human or other intelligent being (cognate to modern German Wicht, meaning small person, dwarf, and also unpleasant guy). It is used now only to give an impression of archaism and mystery, for example in the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. ... Nidavellir is the land of the dwarves in Norse mythology. ... For other things of this name, see Midgard (disambiguation). ... Helgardh, also known as Hel (house of mists), shares a name with the goddess who rules it. ... The term elf may refer to: Elf, a mythical creature, or a subtype, the dark elf Elves, a form of upper atmospheric lightning TotalFinaElf, a French oil company Elf (band), a rock group founded by Ronnie James Dio Elf (movie), a 2003 film starring Will Ferrell ELF (company), a Japanese... Snorri Sturlason (1178 – September 23, 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet and politician. ... The Younger Edda, known also as the Prose Edda or Snorris Edda is an Icelandic manual of poetics which also contains many mythological stories. ...

According to Kevin Crossley-Holland: "No valid distinction though can be drawn between the dwarfs and the dark elves; they appear to have been interchangeable." It should be noted that confusion between unrelated, mythologic entities often arises with the passing of time, as can be found in the stories of the trolls (ogre-like beings that are also confused with dwarves). A few trolls, chilling by the campfire. ...

The term black/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 angelic (light) elves. The daylight turns them to stone. They grew from the maggots of Ymir's flesh, and while similar to men, they are ugly and misshapen. Greed is a desire to obtain more money or material possessions or bodily satisfaction than one is considered to need. ... In Norse mythology, Ymir was the founder of the race of frost giants and an important figure in Norse cosmology. ...

Like many mythologic elves regardless of morality (though much closer to the malgined variaties 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, "alptraum" (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. This page is about a type of dream. ... Scandinavia is the cultural and historic region of the Scandinavian Peninsula. ... A mara or mare is a kind of malignant female wraith in Scandinavian folklore believed to cause nightmares. ...

A horde of svártálfar appears in Alan Garner's The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, and are contrasted with liósálfar (Light Elves). In this story, they dissolve under contact with iron weapons. Alan Garner (born October 17, 1934) is a British writer whose work is firmly rooted in his local Cheshire culture, both linguistically and thematically. ... The Weirdstone of Brisingamen is a fantasy story for children (but also enjoyed by adults) by the author Alan Garner, first published in 1960. ...

The word álf (pl. álfar) derives from the same Indo-European root word from which the Latin albus (white) and Hebrew El (god, light) derive. The original meaning of the word is significant to the character of the álfar of Norse mythology, who retained their light-derived, divine status. Often related or compared to the Vanir (fertility gods) in nature, the elves can be found in association with divinities throughout the Eddas. Proto-Indo-European Indo-European studies Indo-European is originally a linguistic term, referring to the Indo-European language family. ... Norse mythology, Viking mythology or Scandinavian mythology refer to the pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian people. ... Vanir is the name of what is usually considered one of the two pantheons of gods in Norse mythology. ... For Edda great-grandmother as the ancestress of serfs see Ríg. ...

The álfar are divided, as are faerie beings in many mythologies, between "Light" and "Darkness," which are often related to the dualistic principle "Good" vs. "Evil," though that is a leap of logic. From the parallelism, though, we derive the two forms of álf: Light (or High) Elves and the Black (or Dark) Elves (compare the Seelie and Unseelie Courts of the Sidhe in Celtic mythology, the Angels and Demons of Christianity, and the Devas and Asuras of Hinduism). Do note that Dark Elves, for being dark and/or light avoiding, are sometimes characterized as evil and so are sometimes maligned, though it is sometimes said that both Light and Dark Elves will aid the Æsir at Ragnarök. The fey of the British Isles are commonly divided into a number of types. ... In Irish mythology, the sídhe (pronounced shee) are a supernatural race, quite distinct from humankind. ... A Celtic cross Like other Iron Age Europeans, the Celts were a polytheistic people prior to their conversion to (Celtic) Christianity. ...

Further, it should be noted that the dualism of Light/Darkness correllates to the "struggle between Good and Evil," the Light Elves are often made into the "good guys," while the Dark Elves (and even Dwarves) are the "bad guys." Such a simplistic view, however, fails to evaluate the Eddas correctly, for the Elves (both Light and Dark), Dwarves, Æsir, Vanir, and Jotuns are capable of "good" and "evil." The only truly "evil" beings in the Norse Mythos (if evil can be applied to a near elemental force) are the Fire Giants (who are sometimes called demons), who are responsible for the destruction of the old, imperfect world at Ragnarök and the birth of the much better world in the space remaining (an ultimately good function).