Alvíssmál

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Thor converses with Alvíss while protecting his daughter. Illustration by W. G. Collingwood.

"Sun Shines in the Hall" (1908) by W. G. Collingwood.

Alvíssmál ("Talk of Alvíss") is poem collected in the Poetic Edda probably dating to the 11th century at the end of the Viking Age, that relates a conversation between Thor and a Dvergr (dwarf) called Alvíss ("All-Wise").

[edit] Plot

Alvíss comes to Thor to claim Thor's daughter as his bride. The daughter had apparently been promised to him earlier. Thor refuses, since he wasn't home when the deal was done. He says Alvíss must answer any question Thor poses to win his daughter. The rest of the poem is mainly a list of comparative names for different entities among men, Æsir, Vanir, giants, dwarves and elves, which Alvíss dashes off in reply to Thor's questions. These terms presumably describes the character of their users, although a common denominator cannot easily be discerned. For example, the sky has the following names, according to Alvíss:

Alvíss has the answer to every single one of Thor's questions, but he is nevertheless outwitted. When the sun finally rises at the end of the poem, Alvíss, being a dwarf, turns to stone as its rays strike him. It is the only episode on record where Thor outthinks his adversary. He usually relied on brute force.

There is no action in the poem, and it stands entirely on its own, but it does contain words not found elsewhere, some doubtless the creation of its poet.

[edit] External links

[edit] English translations

• Alvissmol Translation and commentary by Henry A. Bellows
• Alvíssmál Bellows' translation with clickable names
• Alvíssmál Translation by Benjamin Thorpe
• Alvísmál Translation by P. B. Taylor and W. H. Auden
• Alvísmál Translation by Lee M. Hollander
• The Wisdom of Alviss Translation by A. S. Cottle

[edit] Old Norse editions

• Alvíssmál Sophus Bugge's edition of the manuscript text
• Alvíssmál Guðni Jónsson's edition with normalized spelling