Dwarves are a race of short-heighted humanoids native of Svartalfheim. Two of their members, Brok and Sindri, appears in God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök as allies to Kratos and Atreus.
Quick Answers
What roles do Brok and Sindri play in God of War Ragnarök?
What are the common characteristics associated with Dwarves in mythology?
How are Dwarves portrayed in the God of War series?
What is the native land of Dwarves in the God of War universe?
What are Dwarves in God of War known for in terms of skills and professions?
God of War (2018)
The Dwarves are well known for their ingenuity and creativity, they are sought out by men and even Gods for their indisputable talent for creation.
The King of the Aesir Odin requested the after mentioned Huldra Brothers to create a super-weapon of destruction that would be known as Mjölnir, the signature hammer of Thor.
A well-known alchemist named Ivaldi was famous for his feat of harnessing the then frosty power of the realm of Niflheim, creating works of marvel that shocked all the realms.
Ivaldi's son Andvari was also a renowned alchemist, infamous for domesticating the souls of Ancients and using them as beasts of burden, beasts that later on became known as Soul Eaters.
A group of Dwarves were also the ones that took over a former Jötnar residence in Midgard, the Heart of the Mountain that was regarded as the highest peak in the Middle Realm.
God of War Ragnarök
More dwarves are shown in the game. When they saw Kratos and Atreus arrived at their home in their boat, they immediately sounded the alarm and hid themselves in their houses, as they have a strong distrust for any intruder or outsider, thanks to Odin's influence. During the duo's time there, Mimir reveals on how he was able to exploit the dwarves to Odin centuries ago; he convinced the Allfather, who at first wanted to kill the dwarves, that if he wants to dominate over Svartalfheim then he should buy its inhabitants' allegiance instead of doing through force, which acted as some sort of trade. Mimir he convinced them to align themselves with Odin by lying to them. He also talked into their exploitation and selfishly had them make a deal with the Allfather that if they would work for Asgard, then they can buy food from the Aesir, since the dwarves' mining rigs had poisoned Svartalfheim's soil. This is what made them strongly dislike Mimir for his selfishness.
In order to enhance Asgard's weaponry, the latter had the dwarves construct mining rigs so that Asgard can exploit and harness the stolen resources into making more weapons for the army. According to Mimir, for dwarves, crafting a weapon and then handing and entrusting it to a wielder deemed worthy of it, or at least able to utilize so to the best of their ability, was an act most sacred that a dwarven weapon-maker must never take lightly. And so, to manufacture such implements in a generic fashion for rank and file foot soldiers was an insult to the dwarves' principles. Opposing this, a few dwarves tried to shut down the rigs but were unfortunately caught by the Einherjar and were killed in the process, thus making them an example to all who would defy Odin.
A minor executive named Durlin was formerly a rebel leader who, alongside Laufey, led the dwarves in a coup, but had failed. Durlin's head was then cruelly burned off by Heimdall.
The warden of Svartalfheim named Alvís Stonefoot was famously known for imprisoning dangerous monsters using only his wisdom and strength.
Another female dwarf named Lunda is also appeared in this game. She made her first appearance in Vanaheim and would replace Sindri and Brok's place as a blacksmith to aid Kratos after Brok's death.
On the way to meet The Lady of the Forge, Kratos, Brok and Mimir encounter some dwarves who react in disgust at the sight of Brok. They find out the reason why when they go to the forge and Mimir reveals that the reason she did not see Brok is because mermaids speak to people's souls, and it seems Brok is missing a piece. Brok puts two and two together: he had died while he and Sindri were at the forge and Sindri went to the Lake of Souls to get his soul back, only to miss one fourth of it. Because this form of resurrection was something unnatural, the other dwarves shunned Brok and Sindri, forcing them to find a home of their own.
Power and Abilities
Dwarves are famous across all the Nine Realms as a masterful weapon and armor smiths, marvelous builders, and some were peerless alchemists and scientists.
They are capable of using impossible materials in their works; Ivaldi harvested something known as "Mist Echoes", the Leviathan Axe was imbued with the "echoing screams of Frost Trolls", and Mimir mentioned how they could make an indestructible chain out of "a cat's footstep and bird spit". This is due to Dwarven magic being all about the nature of something rather than the form, with Brok stating that it's about intangible aspects of an object.
Dwarves also possess the ability to "walk between realms", being capable of phasing from one realm to another for fast travel. While doing so they remain invisible to non-Dwarves, thus they can avoid conflict and never have the need to use the weapons they make. However, for some reason the Dragons seem to be the only ones who can spot the dwarves while they phase through realms, thus being the Dwarves' only real menace. It was revealed that this power is not common amongst dwarven kind, making both Sindri and Brok particularly noteworthy.
Known Dwarves
- Brok and Sindri: The Huldra Brothers.
- Ivaldi: A famous alchemist, the one who transformed part of Niflheim from a realm of snow, ice, wind and fog into a realm of cursed mist.
- Andvari: A son of Ivaldi, creator of the Soul Eaters.
- Mótsognir: A son of Ivaldi, King of Veithurgard.
- Fafnir: A greedy dwarf who was turned into a Dragon after looking at his reflection from a Vanir mirror.
- Otr: Like Fafnir, Otr is a former Dwarf who turned into a Dragon through unknown reasons.
- Reginn: A Dwarven blacksmith who somehow got turned into a dragon.
- Durlin: A Dwarven official, a friend to Brok and Sindri.
- Lúnda: A female Dwarven blacksmith, part of the same guild of Brok and Sindri.
- Ræb: A Dwarven musician.
- Hreidmar: The father of Fafnir, Otr, and Reginn.
- Griep: A female Dwarven Scribe known for burning Aesir camps.
- Bari: A male Dwarf known for building the great Mead-Hall.
- Lofnheid: A female Dwarf, Tavern Waitress known for slitting the throats of Aesir in the night, still smiling at her execution.
- Althjof: A male Dwarf known for stealing from the Aesir, hung with the same length of rope he'd been attempting to steal.
- Durinn: A generous male Dwarf trying to gain independence for his people, later committed suicide thanks to Odin and Mimir.
- Alvíss Stonefoot: A Dwarf who was the warden of Svartalfheim.
Concept Art
Norse Mythology
A Dwarf is a human-shaped entity that dwells in mountains and in the earth and is variously associated with wisdom, smithing, mining, and crafting. Dwarves are sometimes described as short and ugly, although some scholars have questioned whether this is a later development stemming from comical portrayals of the beings.
The modern English noun dwarf descends from the Old English dweorg. It has a variety of cognates in other Germanic languages, including Old Norse dvergr and Old High German twerg. According to Vladimir Orel, the English noun and its cognates ultimately descend from Proto-Germanic đwerȝaz.
The Poetic Edda poem Völuspá details that the Dwarfs were the product of the primordial blood and bones of Ymir. The Prose Edda, however, describes Dwarfs as beings similar to maggots that festered in the flesh of Ymir before being gifted with reason and humanoid shape by the Gods.
Trivia
- Mimir stated that the Aesir can't tell the difference between the dwarves and the Dark Elves, thus they named their home realm "Svartalfheim", which means "Land of the Dark Elves". The Dwarves, however, call their home realm "Niðavellir".