Dvergar- Norse RaceRace

Born from Dead Flesh

Two stories, and the Norse tradition never chose between them. In Snorri's telling, dwarves first appeared as maggots writhing in the flesh of the slain giant Ymir. The gods looked at them and granted them consciousness and the shape of men, though they went on living in earth and stone. The Völuspá tells it differently: the gods sat in council and decided to create a race of craftsmen, with Mótsognir as the first among them and Durinn the second.

Four of their number the gods posted at the corners of the world. Nordri, Sudri, Austri, and Vestri held up the sky the gods had fashioned from Ymir's skull. The rest went underground, to the forges.

The Wager

Loki cut Sif's golden hair while she slept, and to save himself from Thor's fury he went to the sons of Ívaldi, who forged replacement hair of real gold along with treasures for the other gods. Then Loki, never satisfied with escaping one disaster, wagered his own head that the brothers Brokkr and Eitri could not do better.

Eitri set gold in the forge and told Brokkr to work the bellows without stopping. Loki turned himself into a fly and stung Brokkr's hand. Brokkr kept pumping. Eitri drew out a golden boar with bristles that glowed in the dark. He set iron in the forge next, and the fly stung Brokkr's neck. Brokkr kept pumping. Out came the ring Draupnir, which dropped eight equal rings every ninth night. For the third forging, the fly stung Brokkr between the eyes until blood ran into them. Brokkr's hand faltered at the bellows for one instant. When Eitri drew the hammer Mjölnir from the fire, its handle was too short. The gods judged it the greatest of all treasures regardless, for it could shatter mountains and always returned to the thrower's hand. Loki kept his head only because Brokkr could not claim it without cutting his neck, and the wager had not included his neck.