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ELVES, DWAEFS. 471
(On deathless food they feed, and live full long, And whirl with
gods through graceful dance and song.) No wonder our sage
elves and dwarfs are equally credited with having the gift of
divination. As such the dwarf Andvari appears in the Edda
181 a
), and still more Alvis (all-wise) ; dwarf Eugel (L.
(Saom.
Germ. Ogel) prophesies to Siegfried (Hiirn. Sifr. 46, 4. 162, 1),
so does Gripir in the Edda, whose father s name is Eylimi ; in
the OFr. Tristran, the nains (nanus) Frocin is a devine (divinator),
he interprets the stars at the birth of children (11. 318-326. 632).
When, in legends and fairy tales, dwarfs appear singly among
men, they are sage counsellors and helpful, but also apt to fire up
and take offence. Such is the character of Elberich and Oberon ;
in a Swiss nursery- tale (no. 165), ( e clilis isigs mandle (a little
ice-grey mannikin), c e clilis mutzigs mandle (stumpy m.), ap
f
pears in an isige chlaidle (grey coat), and guides the course
of events ; elves forewarn men of impending calamity or death
(Ir. Elfenm. Ixxxvi.). And in this point of view it is not without
significance, that elves and dwarfs ply the spinning and weaving
so much patronized by Dame Holda and Frikka. The flying gos
samer in autumn is in vulgar opinion tlje thread spun by elves and
dwarfs; the Christians named it Marienfaden (-thread), Mariensommer,
because Mary too was imagined spinning and weaving.
The Swed. dverg signifies araneus as well as nanus, and dv&rgs-nat
a cobweb. 1 The ON. saga of Samson hinn fagri mentions in cap.
1 7 a marvellous skickja, sem dlfkonurncvr hofftu ofit, mantle that
elfins had woven. On a hill inhabited by spirits you hear at
night the elfin (which troldkone here must mean) spinning,
and her wheel humming, says Thiele 3, 25. Melusina the fay is
called alvinne in a Mid. Nethl. poem (Moneys Niederl. Volkslit.
p. 75). On the other hand, the male dwarfs forge jewels and
arms (supra, p.444-7, and in fuller detail in Ir. Elfenm. Ixxxviii.). 2
1 So the Breton korr is both dwarf and spider.
2 Here is one more legend from Odman s Bahuslan, p. 79 : Thessutan har
man atskillige berattelser ok sagor om smedar, sa i hb gar som barg, sasom bar i
Fossumstorp hogar, hvarest man hordt, at the smidt liksom i en annan smidja om
aftonen efter solenes nedergdng, ok el jest mitt pi, hoga middagen. For 80 ar sedan
gik Olas fadar i Surtung, benaind Ola Simunsson, bar i forsamlingen fran Slangevald
hafvandes med sig en hund, bvilken ta ban blef varse mitt pa dagen bargsmannen,
som ta smidde pa en stor sten, skialde ban pa bonom, bvar pa bargsmeden, som bade
en liusgrd rdk ok bldvulen halt, begynte at snarka at bunden, som tillika med husbonden
funno radeligast, at lemna bonom i fred. Tbet gifvas ok annu ibland
gemene man sma crucifixer af metall, som gemenligen balles fore vara i fordna
VOL. II. D