In the Old Norse mythic corpus Durinn is presented as one of the primordial dwarves. In the dwarf-list of the poem Völuspá (as preserved in the Poetic Edda and repeated in the Prose Edda's Gylfaginning) dwarves are described as having been 'grown from the earth' and chosen for craft; Durinn is named there as the second-created dwarf after Mótsognir. Later sagas (variant texts of Hervarar saga) recount Durinn (sometimes Dulinn) as a skilled smith who, with the dwarf Dvalin, forged the magic sword Tyrfing. These attestations place Durinn among the foundational, earth-linked artisan-kind in Norse cosmogony.
The provided sources supply no individualized physical description of Durinn. He appears in the same literary contexts that characterize dwarves generally as earth-grown, subterranean craftsmen and master handicrafters; beyond this general dwarf typology (grown from the earth, long-lived, skilled in smithcraft) no direct description of Durinn's size, clothing, or iconography is recorded in the supplied materials.
Across the attestations Durinn's central trait is exceptional smithing and handicraft. Völuspá's placement of Durinn as second-created indicates a foundational, ancestral status among the dvergar; Hervarar saga tradition attributes the forging of the enchanted sword Tyrfing (in collaboration with Dvalin) to Durinn, marking him as a maker of powerful, magical artifacts. A later secondary source (Biblical Cyclopedia) characterizes Durinn as a famous dwarf 'whom Odin endowed with human form and powers of mind,' but this claim is not corroborated by the primary Old Norse poetic and saga summaries provided and should be treated as a late secondary interpretation.
Adils
Adils (Old Norse Aðils; also Eadgils, Adillus, Athisl, Adhel) is a semi‑legendary sixth‑century Swedish king attested in Old Norse saga material and later medieval traditions. He appears in saga episodes as a storied royal figure involved in warfare, court acts, and marriage suits rather than as a supernatural being.
Agilaz (Egil)
Agilaz (reconstructed Proto-Germanic) — commonly recorded in medieval sources as Egil or Ægil — is a legendary archer attested in Germanic heroic tradition. He appears as the brother of Völund (Wayland/Weland) in the Old Norse poem Völundarkviða and in the Thidreks saga, and his name is also inscribed on early medieval objects (Franks Casket, Pforzen buckle). The attested material presents him as a named heroic human archer within saga and inscriptional contexts rather than as a recurrent supernatural species.
Agnarr Geirröðsson
Agnarr Geirröðsson is a mortal prince attested only in the Poetic Edda poem Grímnismál; he aids Odin (disguised as Grímnir) during Geirröðr's torture and, after Odin reveals himself and King Geirröðr dies, Agnarr succeeds as king.
Agne
Agne (also attested Agni, Hogne, Agni Skjálfarbondi) is a semi-legendary king of Sweden in Old Norse saga tradition, preserved in the Ynglingatal corpus and prose expansions such as Snorri Sturluson's Ynglinga saga. He is portrayed as a mighty and famous warrior-king whose campaign in Finland, marriage to Skjalf, and death by hanging form a remembered episode connected to local place-names and a burial mound.
Alf and Alfhild
Alf and Alfhild are legendary human figures from Old Norse/early Scandinavian narrative tradition preserved principally in Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum. The tale presents Alf as a Danish prince and Alfhild as a Geatish princess who becomes a shieldmaiden and leader of a fleet of female raiders; their story includes combat, recognition, marriage, and later dynastic conflict.
Algaut
Algaut (also rendered Algöt or Algaut Gautreksson) is a semi-legendary Geatish king of West Götaland recorded in Scandinavian saga and genealogical tradition. Saga summaries (via Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla as reported in later compilations) record that he was the father of Gauthild and was burnt to death by his son-in-law, the Swedish king Ingjald Ill-ruler.
Almáttki áss
Almáttki áss is an epithet-attested divine figure invoked in an Icelandic legal oath recorded in Landnámabók (Hauksbók 268). In the sole attestation the phrase functions as an invoked áss (god) described with the adjective almáttki ('almighty') and serves as the divine guarantor or witness for an oath sworn on a temple ring. Scholarly sources debate whether the epithet refers to a named Norse god (Thor, Ullr, Odin, or Týr) or is a Christianizing formulation by a later author.
Alrek and Eirík
Alrek and Eirík (also rendered Alaric and Eric) are legendary Swedish kings from the Old Norse saga tradition who are presented as joint rulers and as members of the Ynglinga royal genealogies. They appear in saga narratives as sons and heirs of King Agni, famed for martial and athletic prowess, and as hosts who receive the hero Starkaðr after the sacrificial death of Vikar.
Alvaldi
Alvaldi (Old Norse: Alvaldi / Ölvaldi) is a jötunn in Norse mythic genealogies, attested chiefly as the father of the notable jötunn Þjazi and described in one source as exceedingly rich in gold. He survives in the record mainly as a familial antecedent and an etiological figure rather than as an active participant in preserved narratives.
Alvíss
Alvíss (Old Norse: 'All‑Wise') is a dwarf in Norse mythology who appears in the Poetic Edda poem Alvíssmál as a prospective husband for Thor's daughter Þrúðr. In the surviving narrative Thor tests Alvíss's wisdom through a lengthy question-and-answer session that lasts until sunrise, whereupon the dwarf is petrified by exposure to sunlight.
Amleth
Amleth (Old Norse: Amlóði; Latinized Amlethus) is a legendary medieval Scandinavian prince and saga-hero best known from Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum. He is a human protagonist whose story centers on feigned madness, cunning survival, exile to Britain, marriage, wealth-gathering, and eventual vengeance against his father's murderer; the tale later inspired the character of Shakespeare's Hamlet and numerous adaptations.
Ancient Kings of Finland
In early literary sources, the Ancient Kings of Finland are described as hypothetical or mythical monarchic systems associated with ancient Finland. (Note: 1. Power tier: Lower to Primordial (given the lack of specific abilities and behaviors) 2. Abilities and behaviors are described as 'generally vague', so this section should be reworded or removed 3. )
Community Record
- [1]Durinn — Wikipedia (summary of attestations). Wikipedia, 'Durinn' (summary noting Völuspá, Prose Edda, and Hervarar saga attestations)wiki
- [2]Völuspá (stanza 10) — dwarf-list context. Völuspá stanza 10 and explanatory commentary (dwarves as earth-grown craftsmen)literary
- [3]Durinn — Biblical Cyclopedia (secondary interpretation). Biblical Cyclopedia entry asserting Odin endowed Durinn with human form and powers of mind (marked as a later secondary source in notes)other
- [4]Dúrnir — Wikipedia (related name/attestation in skaldic verse). Wikipedia entry for Dúrnir (similarly named dwarf attested in skaldic contexts; relationship to Durinn uncertain)wiki
- [5]Durinn — reception in modern fiction (examples). Example modern receptions and reuses of the name Durin/Durinn in later fiction and games (treated in notes as reception, not as Old Norse attestations)other