Álfheim
Encyclopedia
Alfheim is one of the Nine Worlds and home of the Light Elves in Norse mythology
and appears also in Anglo-Scottish ballads under the form Elfhame (Elphame, Elfame) as a fairyland
, sometimes modernized as Elfland (Elfinland, Elvenland).
texts.
The eddic poem Grímnismál
describes twelve divine dwellings beginning in stanza 5 with:
A tooth-gift was a gift given to an infant
on the cutting of the first tooth.
In the 12th century eddic prose Gylfaginning
Snorri Sturluson
relates it as the first of a series of abodes in heaven:
The account later, in speaking of a hall called Gimlé
and the southernmost end of heaven that shall survive when heaven and earth have died, explains:
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
.
and in Northern Middle English
folkoric ballad
s, Álfheim was known in as Elphame or Elfhame. In later English publications it has been called Alfheim, Elfland or Elfenland. The fairy queen is often called the "Queen of Elphame
" in ballads such as that of Thomas the Rhymer
:
Allison Peirson was burned as a witch in 1588 for conversing with the 'Queen of Elfame' and for prescribing magic charms and potions. (Byre Hills, Fife, Scotland)
On 8 November 1576, midwife Bessie Dunlop, resident in Dalry
, Scotland, was accused of sorcery and witchcraft. She answered her accusers that she received tuition from Thomas Reid, a former barony officer who had died at the Battle of Pinkie some 30 years before and also from the Queen of the Elfhame which lay nearby. It resulted in a conviction and she was burnt at the stake in 1576.
Elfhame or Elfland, is portrayed 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.
anglicized Álfheim as Elvenhome, or Eldamar in the speech of the Elves
. In his stories, Eldamar lies in a coastal region of the Undying Lands in the Uttermost 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.
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
and appears also in Anglo-Scottish ballads under the form Elfhame (Elphame, Elfame) as a fairyland
Fairyland
Fairyland commonly refers to the land of fairies, in folklore.Fairyland may also refer to:* Álfheimr, the abode of the elves in Norse mythology* Elfhame or Elfland, the abode of the elves in English and Lowland Scottish folklore...
, sometimes modernized as Elfland (Elfinland, Elvenland).
In Old Norse texts
Álfheim as an abode of the Elves is mentioned only twice in Old NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
texts.
The eddic poem Grímnismál
Grímnismál
Grímnismál is one of the mythological poems of the Poetic Edda. It is preserved in the Codex Regius manuscript and the AM 748 I 4to fragment. It is spoken through the voice of Grímnir, one of the many guises of the god Odin, who is tortured by King Geirröth...
describes twelve divine dwellings beginning in stanza 5 with:
ÝdalirYdalirIn Norse mythology, Ýdalir is a location containing a dwelling owned by the god Ullr. Ýdalir is solely attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources...
call they the place where UllUllrIn early Germanic paganism, *Wulþuz appears to have been a major god, or an epithet of an important god, in prehistoric times....
A hall for himself hath set;
And Álfheim the gods to FreyFreyrFreyr is one of the most important gods of Norse paganism. Freyr was highly associated with farming, weather and, as a phallic fertility god, Freyr "bestows peace and pleasure on mortals"...
once gave
As a tooth-gift in ancient times.
A tooth-gift was a gift given to an infant
Infant
A newborn or baby is the very young offspring of a human or other mammal. A newborn is an infant who is within hours, days, or up to a few weeks from birth. In medical contexts, newborn or neonate refers to an infant in the first 28 days after birth...
on the cutting of the first tooth.
In the 12th century eddic prose Gylfaginning
Gylfaginning
Gylfaginning, or the Tricking of Gylfi , is the first part of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda after Prologue. The Gylfaginning deals with the creation and destruction of the world of the Norse gods, and many other aspects of Norse mythology...
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
relates it as the first of a series of abodes in heaven:
That which is called Álfheim is one, where dwell the peoples called Light elves [Ljósálfar]; but the Dark-elvesDark elfDark elf may refer to:* Dökkálfar or dark elves, a type of elf in Norse mythology* Svartálfar or dark elves, a type of elf in Norse mythology* Moriquendi, a fictional race of elves in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium...
[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.
The account later, in speaking of a hall called Gimlé
Gimlé
In Norse mythology, Gimlé was a place where the survivors of Ragnarök were to live. It is mentioned in the Prose Edda and Völuspá and described as the most beautiful place on Earth, more beautiful than the Sun....
and the southernmost end of heaven that shall survive when heaven and earth have died, explains:
It is said that another heaven is to the southward and upward of this one, and it is called AndlangAndlangIn Norse mythology, Andlang is described as the second heavenly realm which stretches between the first, containing the halls of the gods, and the third, named Vídbláin...
[Andlangr 'Endlong'] but the third heaven is yet above that, and it is called VídbláinVídbláinIn Norse mythology, Víðbláinn is the third heaven in the cosmology of Snorri's Gylfaginning, located above Andlang and Asgard. It will serve as a shelter and dwelling place for the souls of the dead during and after the destruction of Ragnarök....
[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
Völuspá
Völuspá is the first and best known poem of the Poetic Edda. It tells the story of the creation of the world and its coming end related by a völva addressing Odin...
.
In English and Scots texts
In several ScotsScots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
and in Northern Middle English
Middle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
folkoric ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
s, Álfheim was known in as Elphame or Elfhame. In later English publications it has been called Alfheim, Elfland or Elfenland. The fairy queen is often called the "Queen of Elphame
Queen of Elphame
In the folklore of Lowland Scotland and Northern England, the Queen of Elphame, Elphen, Elfen or Elfan is the elfin ruler of Elphame , the usually subterranean Anglo-Scottish fairyland...
" in ballads such as that of Thomas the Rhymer
Thomas the Rhymer
Thomas Learmonth , better known as Thomas the Rhymer or True Thomas, was a 13th century Scottish laird and reputed prophet from Earlston . He is also the protagonist of the ballad "Thomas the Rhymer"...
:
'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.'
On 8 November 1576, midwife Bessie Dunlop, resident in Dalry
Dalry, North Ayrshire
Dalry is a small town in the Garnock Valley in Ayrshire, Scotland.-History:Dalry means "King's Valley" or more simply the "Rye Meadow"; indicating a small settlement on the Rye Burn. Its history has signs of early inhabitants in the area...
, Scotland, was accused of sorcery and witchcraft. She answered her accusers that she received tuition from Thomas Reid, a former barony officer who had died at the Battle of Pinkie some 30 years before and also from the Queen of the Elfhame which lay nearby. It resulted in a conviction and she was burnt at the stake in 1576.
Elfhame or Elfland, is portrayed 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
Childe Rowland
"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.-Synopsis:...
", the latter being a particularly negative view of the land.
Use by J. R. R. Tolkien
The 20th-century fantasy writer J. R. R. TolkienJ. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
anglicized Álfheim as Elvenhome, or Eldamar in the speech of the Elves
Quenya
Quenya is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Quenya is one of the many Elvish languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called Quendi in Quenya. The tongue actually called Quenya was in origin the speech of two clans of Elves...
. In his stories, Eldamar lies in a coastal region of the Undying Lands in the Uttermost West. The High King of the Elves in the West was Ingwë
Ingwe
Ingwe may be:* Ingwë - a character in the fictional universe of J.R.R. Tolkien* Ingwe - a South African anti-tank guided missile* Ingwe Coal - a division of the BHP Billiton mining company* Ingwe - the Zulu word for leopard...
, an echo of the name Yngvi
Yngvi
Yngvi, Yngvin, Ingwine, Inguin are names that relate to an older theonym Ing and which appears to have been the older name for the god Freyr ....
often found as a name for Frey, whose abode was in Álfheim according to the Grímnismál.