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T C >O N >D

D
Runes Old Norse English

Þar var Mótsognir There was Mótsognir

mæztr um orðinn the mightiest made
dverga allra, of all the dwarfs,
en Durinn annarr. and Durinn next;
Þeir mannlíkǫn many a likeness
mǫrg um gørðu, of men they made,
dvergar, ór jǫrðu, the dwarfs in the earth,
sem Durinn sagði. as Durinn said.

Nýi ok Niði, Nýi and Niði,

Norðri ok Suðri, Norðri and Suðri,
Austri ok Vestri, Austri and Vestri,
Alþjófr, Dvalinn, Alþjófr, Dvalinn,
Nár ok Náinn, Nár and Náinn,
Nípingr, Dáinn, Nípingr, Dáinn,
Bífurr, Báfurr, Bífurr, Báfurr,
Bǫmburr, Nóri, Bǫmburr, Nóri,
Án ok Ánarr, Án and Ánarr,
Ái, Mjǫðvitnir. Ái, Mjöðvitnir.

Veigr ok Gandalfr, Veigr and Gandalfr,

Vindalfr, Þráinn, Vindalfr, Þráinn,
Þekkr ok Þorinn, Þekkr and Þorinn,
Þrór, Litr ok Vitr, Þrór, Litr and Vitr,
Nár ok Nýráðr, Nár and Nýráðr,
nú hefi ek dverga, now have I told -
Reginn ok Ráðsviðr, Reginn and Ráðsviðr -
rétt um talða. the list aright.

Fíli, Kíli, Fíli, Kíli,

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Fundinn, Náli, Fundinn, Náli,

Hepti, Víli, Hepti, Víli,
Hanarr, Svíorr, Hanarr, Svíorr,
Nár ok Náinn, Nár and Náinn,
Nípingr, Dáinn, Nípingr, Dáinn,
Billingr, Brúni, Billingr, Brúni,
Bíldr ok Búri, Bíldr and Búri,
Frár, Hornbori, Frár, Hornbori,
Frægr ok Lóni, Frægr and Lóni,
Aurvangr, Jari, Aurvangr, Jari,
Eikinskjaldi. Eikinskjaldi.

Mál er dverga The race of the dwarfs

í Dvalins liði in Dvalinn’s throng
ljóna kindum down to Lofarr
til Lofars telja, the list must I tell;
þeir er sóttu the rocks they left,
frá salar steini and through wet lands
Aurvanga sjǫt They sought a home
til Jǫruvalla. in the fields of sand.

Þar var Draupnir There were Draupnir

ok Dolgþrasir, and Dolgþrasir,
Hár, Haugspori, Hár, Haugspori,
Hlévangr, Glóinn, Hlévangr, Glóinn,
Dóri, Óri, Dóri, Óri,
Dúfr, Andvari, Dúfr, Andvari,
Skirvir, Virvir, Skirvir, Virvir,
Skáfiðr, Ái. Skáfiðr, Ái.
Álfr ok Yngvi, Álfr and Yngvi,
Eikinskjaldi, Eikinskjaldi,
Fjalarr ok Frosti, Fjalarr and Frosti,
Finnr ok Ginnarr. Finnr and Ginnarr.

Þat mun uppi, So for all time

meðan ǫld lifir, shall the tale be known,
langniðja tal the list of all
Lofars hafat. the forbears of Lofarr.

C
The Dvergatal (“Reckoning of dwarfs”) is a list of dwarf names of Northern mythology, in
which Tolkien picked up the names of the members of Thorin’s company. The Dvergatal is a
part of the Vǫluspá (“Prophecy of the Seeress”), a most important poem from the Poetic Edda or
Elder Edda, an anonymous collection of verse related to the ancient Scandinavian heathenry,
gathered and preserved in the Codex Regius, an Icelandic manuscript from the 13th century. The
Vǫluspá tells through the mouth of a wise-woman the fate of the world in a set of great and wild

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visions; it is both a cosmogony and a eschatology. Snorri Sturluson, the great Icelandic writer of
the 13th century, copiously quotes from it in his own digest of Northern mythology, the Prose
Edda or Younger Edda.

We know of the Vǫluspá from the Codex Regius (Konungsbók), the book of Haukr (Hauksbók)
and the quotes in the Prose Edda ; the versions are slightly different, for instance regarding the
name of some dwarfs. The text given here was reconstituted in the standardised spelling of Old
Norse by superposing versions. The English text follows the 1936 translation by Henry Adam
Bellows, modified so as to achieve a correspondence with the Norse text given beside.

The text is transcribed in Gemanic runes or futhark, from the series called Younger Futhark, used
th th
in Scandinavia from the 9 to the 12 century. The runes are of the “long-branch” variety, also
(rather improperly) called “Danish runes”. We made use of Robert Pfeffer’s typeface Pfeffer
Mediæval.

R
The Poetic Edda. Translated by Henry Adams Bellows. Internet Sacred Text
Archive.
Jörmungrund. Háskóli Íslands, Reykjavík.

The works of John Ronald Reuel and Christopher Tolkien are under the copyright of their authors and/or rights holders, including their publishers and the
Tolkien Estate.
Quotations from other authors, editors and translators mentioned in the bibliography are under the copyright of their publishers, except for those whose
copyright term has ended.

th
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Last update of the site: March 25 2017. Contact us: glaemscrafu@jrrvf.com

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