alvissmal
A lvissmal (The
Lay of Alvis; The Words of the
All-Wise) A skaldic poem from Iceland, probably
written in the late 1100s and most likely written
by a trained and talented poet. Alvissmal tells of
the contests of words between Thor and the dwarf
Alvis, who is seeking the god’s daughter’s hand in
marriage.
Alvissmal provides a significant amount of mytho-
logical information, presenting poetic names for
common aspects of life, such as the Sun and Moon,
Heaven and Earth, and even ale and grain. Some
scholars suggest that it was a learning poem for
young skalds. Others argue that it is an unreliable
source in some aspects—in particular the comparison
of names Alvis gives the god Thor in answer to his
questions.
The poem is included in the C odex R egius of the
P oetic E dda .
The ring had the power to both create more
golden rings and to attract gold as a magnet attracts
iron.
The story of Andvaranaut and Andvari’s gold are
part of the poem R eginsmal , which is in the P oetic
E dda , and part of the story of the V olsunga S aga .
The Drap Niflunga (The Slaying of the Niflungs), a
short narrative section found in the C odex R egius ,
tells of the fate of the ring. (See “Otr’s Ransom”
under Otr.)
A ndvari
The dwarf whom Loki, the trickster
god, robs of his hoard of gold. Andvari had put a
curse upon his treasure, including the ring, which
A msvartnir ( A msvartner ; Red-black )
The
lake that surrounded the island of Lyngvi, the place
where the Aesir bound the wolf Fenrir with the
silken ribbon that held him captive until Ragnarok.
The lake and the island are named by Snorri Stur-
luson in G ylfaginning .
A ndhrimnir (Sooty Faced; Sooty in Front) The
gods’ chef at Valhalla. Each day Andhrimnir roasted
the magical boar Saehrimnir in the magical kettle
Eldhrimnir, and each night he fed the meat to the
Einherjar, the eternally fighting human warriors.
Andhrimnir, along with the boar and the kettle, are
named in G rimnismal . Snorri Sturluson quotes
this poem in G ylfaginning but adds no further
details about the chef.
A ndlang One of the heavens that is located
directly above and slightly south of the highest level
to which the world tree, Yggdrasil, reaches. It is
above Asgard, the realm of the gods, and below a
higher Heaven, Vidblain.
Snorri Sturluson describes this realm in G yl -
faginning when he explains what protects the Asgard
from the destruction of Ragnarok to Gylfi.
A ndvaranaut (Andvari’s Gem) A magical
ring. The god Loki stole Andvaranaut from the dwarf
Andvari. Loki, Odin, and Hoenir used the ring to
cover the final whisker of the otter they had killed,
who was actually the dwarf Otr in disguise.
Depiction of Andvari the dwarf (upper right) on a
runestone (Photo by Berig/Used under a Creative Com-
mons license)