Abstract
THE legendary figure of the dwarf hardly ever is the hero of the work of Old Icelandic literature in which he is encountered, but the fact that in texts of varied origin and form his features have retained their constancy shows him as clearly established and well defined a being of the universe transmitted by these texts. Appearing fleetingly in the poems of the Elder Edda, somewhat more markedly in the treatise of Snorri Sturluson (Prose Edda) and still more importantly in the heroic and romantic sagas (Fornaldar spgur and Riddara sogur) dwarfs live, invariably, far from men and gods and usually in earth and stone. They are gifted with great skills of craftsmanship and great wisdom and employ these talents to the inestimable benefit of those they serve.' I have investigated elsewhere (Friimittelalterliche Studien 1973, Arv 197374) the significance of the dwarfs' creativity; in this paper I shall deal with the nature of the dwelling places of the dwarfs and with their relation towards those of other races. Understanding legend and myth to be composed of many strands, those of universal human experience as well as those of local history, I have here attempted to relate the figure to a certain time and place and have availed myself in this task of the help of local history and of local lore. Let us now look to the contours of the dwarf.
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