Alviss- Norse CreatureCreature"All-Wise"
Also known as: Alvíss
Titles & Epithets
Domains
Description
A dwarf who knew the secret names that gods, elves, giants, and the dead give to every thing in creation. Lured into proving his wisdom through the night, the sun's first rays turned him to stone.
Mythology & Lore
The All-Wise Dwarf
Alvíss came to Ásgarðr while Thor was away and claimed Þrúðr, Thor's daughter, as his bride. Someone had promised her to him. When Thor returned and found a pale dwarf standing in his hall demanding his daughter, he did not reach for his hammer. He told the dwarf to prove himself. If Alvíss truly knew everything, let him answer: what do the gods and the dead call each thing in creation?
The Wisdom Contest
Thirteen questions Thor put to Alvíss across the night, and Alvíss answered every one. What the gods call "earth," the elves call "the growing" and the dead call "the dust." What the gods call "sky," the giants call "the wind-weaver." On and on, from moon to fire to ale, the dwarf named the secret words of every race in every world. He knew them all.
Turned to Stone
But Thor had never cared about the answers. He had been watching the windows. Dawn came while Alvíss was still talking, and sunlight struck the dwarf where he stood. He turned to stone. Thor told him so: all that wisdom, and he had not noticed the sky growing pale.