Andvari- Norse CreatureCreature
Also known as: Andvara
Description
A dwarf dwelling as a pike beneath a waterfall, guarding a hoard bred from his ring Andvaranaut. When Loki stripped him of every last gold piece, Andvari cursed the ring to bring ruin upon all who possessed it, sealing the doom of Hreidmar, Fáfnir, Sigurd, and the Gjúkung line.
Mythology & Lore
The Dwarf Beneath the Falls
Andvari lived behind the waterfall called Andvarafors, swimming in the shape of a pike through cold water above a hoard of gold. He was a dwarf, though he kept no forge and worked no iron. His wealth came from a single ring, Andvaranaut, which bred gold the way a field breeds grain. As long as he held it, the hoard grew.
Otter's Ransom
Odin, Hœnir, and Loki were traveling when Loki killed an otter at a waterfall. The otter was Otr, son of the sorcerer Hreidmar, who had taken animal form. Hreidmar seized the three gods and demanded enough gold to fill and cover the otter skin entirely.
Loki borrowed the net of the sea goddess Rán and went to Andvarafors. He caught Andvari in his pike form. The dwarf, trapped, agreed to surrender his entire hoard to buy his freedom. But when Loki saw one small ring still on Andvari's finger, he demanded that too. Andvari begged to keep Andvaranaut, the one thing that could rebuild his fortune. Loki stripped it from him.
Left with nothing, Andvari cursed the ring. The gold would be the death of two brothers and the ruin of eight princes. The curse kept its promise. Hreidmar's own son Fáfnir murdered him for the hoard, then crawled to Gnítaheiðr and took the shape of a dragon to guard it. Sigurðr slew the dragon and claimed the gold, but the curse followed him to his death. The treasure passed to the Gjúkung dynasty, where it fueled the treachery that consumed them all.
Relationships
- Equivalent to
- Associated with