Brokkr And Eitri – Norse Dwarves Who Fashioned Magical Artifacts For The Gods

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Brokkr and Eitri were Norse dwarves who fashioned magical artifacts for the gods, making them powerful and invincible.

In Norse mythology many stories tell how gods relied on magical weapons and other curious objects to become rich, invisible, shape-shift, conquer the enemy, or strike fear into the hearts of individuals.

Norse dwarves were skilled magicians who produced remarkable objects. Illustration by Credit: Keith Parkinson Image source

Living in the deep and dark forests, the world of the dwarves was utterly different from Asgard, the realm of the Norse gods, but these tiny little creatures were intelligent, skilled, and sometimes very cunning. The dwarves could occasionally be dangerous and a threat to the mighty Norse deities.

The gods and goddesses knew that conflicts with the dwarves could be troublesome.

In the beginning, there was nothing, only an empty void without any existence. It was the Ginnungagap. According to Norse beliefs, Ymir, was a primordial giant whose body parts formed the world. The first dwarves were born from Ymir’s maggots. They resided beneath the Earth’s surface and under the rocks. They were also on better terms with the Jotuns, who were fearful giants living in Jötunheimr, than with the Aesir gods.

Both giants and dwarves were skilled magicians and possessed excellent knowledge.

Brokkr And Eitri Compete Against The Sons Of Ivaldi

Dwarf Brokkr, whose name in Old Norse means the one who works with metal fragments; blacksmith, and his brother Eitri often competed with other dwarfs known as the Sons of Ivaldi.

Snorre Sturlosons tells that on one occasion, God Loki made a bet, saying that the Sons of Ivaldi fashioned much better objects than Brokkr and Etri.

When Brokkr visited Asgard, he accepted the bet and said that he and his brother could produce more powerful magical artifacts than those created by the Sons of Ivaldi.

Left: Drawing of Thor, dated to 18th century, Iceland, Right: Statue of Thor In Stockholm, Sweden

The Sons of Ivaldi had previously made Gungnir, Odin’s magical weapon that never missed its target, and Skidbladnir, a magic ship capable of sailing on the sea, traveling across the land, and flying in the air and always quickly reaching its place of destination.

Brokkr and Eitri had to think. What could they fashion that was more powerful and impressive than the astonishing objects of the Sons of Ivaldi?

Brokkr and his brother Eitri started working. The results of the competition and bet were remarkable. Determined to show that he and his brother could make three equally unique objects, Brokkr created the Draupnir ring, Mjölnir hammer, and Gullinbursti.

All three objects are mentioned in Norse myths.

Gullinborsti (“Golden Bristles”) was the wild boar of god Frey. Capable of running much faster than any horse, it pulled Freyr’s chariot and raced through the air and over the waters day and night by the glow of his golden bristles.

Made in honor of God Odin, Draupnir was a magical ring that could multiply itself. The most impressive of the three objects was Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir. God Thor is depicted in much ancient art with Mjölnir in his hand. The hammer’s only flaw was its short handle. Loki was responsible for the mischief, who disturbed the dwarf working on Thor’s hammer. Loki turned himself into a fly and bit Brokkr’s eyelid, causing it to bleed into the dwarf’s eye. Brokkr stopped working the bellows, and the fire cooled. For this reason, Thor’s famous hammer, Mjölnir, had a short handle.

Nevertheless, Brokkr and Eitri won the contest and the bet. They traveled to Asgard and presented the three objects that the gods judged.

Brokkr and his brother Etri presented their gifts at Asgard. 

Thor’s hammer Mjölnir, was so impressive that no one could doubt the skills of the dwarf brothers Brokkr and Ertri. The magical hammer was the most potent treasure, for it could guard the gods against the fearsome giants.

See also: More Myths And Legends

Brokkr claimed that he was the winner of the bet and that Loki owed him his head, but as usual, God Loki used cunning tricks and escaped with nothing worse than sore lips when Brokkr tried to sew up his wicked mouth.

Updated on September 26, 2023

Written by Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com

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