austri
Aurora borealis in Norway (Photo by Rafal Konieczny/Used under a Creative Commons license)
Aurvandil’s Toe. The story is in Snorri Sturluson’s
S kaldskaparmal .
A ustri (East) One of the four dwarfs named
after the cardinal compass directions. The others
are Vestri (West), Nordi (North), and Sudri
(South). Though these four dwarfs are mentioned
in early Norse poetry, it was Icelandic poet Snorri
Sturluson who gave Austri and his three com-
panions the job of holding up the four corners of
the sky.
Austri is a name used often in Norse poetry. In
some cases the name refers to a person involved in a
conflict who is smaller and weaker than his opponent.
In another use, Austri refers to the dwarf who steered
a ship filled with dwarfs.