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Dvergatal
English
Old Norse
Runes

ᚦᛅᚱ ᚢᛅᛦ ᛘᚢᛏᛋᚢᚼᚾᛁᛦ
Þar var Mótsognir
There was Mótsognir
ᛘᛅᛏᛋᛏᛦ ᚢᛘ ᚢᚱᚦᛁᚾ
mæztr um orðinn
the mightiest made
ᛏᚢᛁᚱᚼᛅ ᛅᛚᛦᛅ᛫
dverga allra,
of all the dwarfs,
ᛁᚾ ᛏᚢᚱᛁᚾ ᚬᚾᛅᚱ᛬
en Durinn annarr.
and Durinn next;
ᚦᛅᛁᛦ ᛘᚬᚾᛚᛁᚴᚬᚾ
Þeir mannlíkǫn
many a likeness
ᛘᚬᚱᚼ ᚢᛘ ᚴᚢᚱᚦᚢ᛫
mǫrg um gørðu,
of men they made,
ᛏᚢᛁᚱᚼᛅᛦ᛫ ᚢᚱ ᛁᚬᚱᚦᚢ᛫
dvergar, ór jǫrðu,
the dwarfs in the earth,
ᛋᛁᛘ ᛏᚢᚱᛁᚾ ᛋᛅᚼᚦᛁ᛬
sem Durinn sagði.
as Durinn said.



ᚾᚢᛁ ᚢᚴ ᚾᛁᚦᛁ᛫
Nýi ok Niði,
Nýi and Niði,
ᚾᚢᚱᚦᚱᛁ ᚢᚴ ᛋᚢᚦᚱᛁ᛫
Norðri ok Suðri,
Norðri and Suðri,
ᚬᚢᛋᛏᚱᛁ ᚢᚴ ᚢᛁᛋᛏᚱᛁ᛫
Austri ok Vestri,
Austri and Vestri,
ᛅᛚᚦᛁᚢᚠᛦ᛫ ᛏᚢᛅᛚᛁᚾ᛫
Alþjófr, Dvalinn,
Alþjófr, Dvalinn,
ᚾᛅᛦ ᚢᚴ ᚾᛅᛁᚾ᛫
Nár ok Náinn,
Nár and Náinn,
ᚾᛁᛒᛁᚴᛦ᛫ ᛏᛅᛁᚾ᛫
Nípingr, Dáinn,
Nípingr, Dáinn,
ᛒᛁᚠᚢᚱ᛫ ᛒᛅᚠᚢᚱ᛫
Bífurr, Báfurr,
Bífurr, Báfurr,
ᛒᚬᛒᚢᚱ᛫ ᚾᚢᚱᛁ᛫
Bǫmburr, Nóri,
Bǫmburr, Nóri,
ᚬᚾ ᚢᚴ ᚬᚾᛅᚱ᛫
Án ok Ánarr,
Án and Ánarr,
ᛅᛁ᛫ ᛘᛁᚬᚦᚢᛁᛏᚾᛁᛦ᛬
Ái, Mjǫðvitnir.
Ái, Mjöðvitnir.



ᚢᛅᛁᚼᛦ ᚢᚴ ᚴᚬᛏᛅᛚᚠᛦ᛫
Veigr ok Gandalfr,
Veigr and Gandalfr,
ᚢᛁᛏᛅᛚᚠᛦ᛫ ᚦᚱᛅᛁᚾ᛫
Vindalfr, Þráinn,
Vindalfr, Þráinn,
ᚦᛁᚴᛦ ᚢᚴ ᚦᚢᚱᛁᚾ᛫
Þekkr ok Þorinn,
Þekkr and Þorinn,
ᚦᚱᚢᛦ᛫ ᛚᛁᛏᛦ ᚢᚴ ᚢᛁᛏᛦ᛫
Þrór, Litr ok Vitr,
Þrór, Litr and Vitr,
ᚾᛅᛦ ᚢᚴ ᚾᚢᚱᛅᚦᛦ᛫
Nár ok Nýráðr,
Nár and Nýráðr,
ᚾᚢ ᚼᛁᚠᛁ ᛁᚴ ᛏᚢᛁᚱᚼᛅ᛫
nú hefi ek dverga,
now have I told -
ᚱᛁᚼᛁᚾ ᚢᚴ ᚱᛅᚦᛋᚢᛁᚦᛦ᛫
Reginn ok Ráðsviðr,
Reginn and Ráðsviðr -
ᚱᛁᛏ ᚢᛘ ᛏᛅᛚᚦᚬ᛬
rétt um talða.
the list aright.



ᚠᛁᛚᛁ᛫ ᚴᛁᛚᛁ᛫
Fíli, Kíli,
Fíli, Kíli,
ᚠᚢᛏᛁᚾ᛫ ᚾᛅᛚᛁ᛫
Fundinn, Náli,
Fundinn, Náli,
ᚼᛁᛒᛏᛁ᛫ ᚢᛁᛚᛁ᛫
Hepti, Víli,
Hepti, Víli,
ᚼᚬᚾᛅᚱ᛫ ᛋᚢᛁᚢᚱ᛫
Hanarr, Svíorr,
Hanarr, Svíorr,
ᚾᛅᛦ ᚢᚴ ᚾᛅᛁᚾ᛫
Nár ok Náinn,
Nár and Náinn,
ᚾᛁᛒᛁᚴᛦ᛫ ᛏᛅᛁᚾ᛫
Nípingr, Dáinn,
Nípingr, Dáinn,
ᛒᛁᛚᛁᚴᛦ᛫ ᛒᚱᚢᚾᛁ᛫
Billingr, Brúni,
Billingr, Brúni,
ᛒᛁᛚᛏᛦ ᚢᚴ ᛒᚢᚱᛁ᛫
Bíldr ok Búri,
Bíldr and Búri,
ᚠᚱᛅᛦ᛫ ᚼᚢᚱᚾᛒᚢᚱᛁ᛫
Frár, Hornbori,
Frár, Hornbori,
ᚠᚱᛅᚼᛦ ᚢᚴ ᛚᚢᚾᛁ᛫
Frægr ok Lóni,
Frægr and Lóni,
ᚬᚢᛦᚢᚬᚴᛦ᛫ ᛁᛅᚱᛁ᛫
Aurvangr, Jari,
Aurvangr, Jari,
ᛅᛁᚴᛁᚾᛋᚴᛁᛅᛚᛏᛁ᛬
Eikinskjaldi.
Eikinskjaldi.



ᛘᛅᛚ ᛁᛦ ᛏᚢᛁᚱᚼᛅ
Mál er dverga
The race of the dwarfs
ᛁ ᛏᚢᛅᛚᛁᚾᛋ ᛚᛁᚦᛁ
í Dvalins liði
in Dvalinn’s throng
ᛚᛁᚢᚾᛅ ᚴᛁᛏᚢᛘ
ljóna kindum
down to Lofarr
ᛏᛁᛚ ᛚᚢᚠᛅᚱᛋ ᛏᛁᛚᛁᚬ᛫
til Lofars telja,
the list must I tell;
ᚦᛅᛁᛦ ᛁᚱ ᛋᚢᛏᚢ
þeir er sóttu
the rocks they left,
ᚠᚱᚬ ᛋᛅᛚᛅᛦ ᛋᛏᛅᛁᚾᛁ
frá salar steini
and through wet lands
ᚬᚢᛦᚢᚬᚴᛅ ᛋᛁᚬᛏ
Aurvanga sjǫt
They sought a home
ᛏᛁᛚ ᛁᚬᚱᚢᚢᛅᛚᚬ᛬
til Jǫruvalla.
in the fields of sand.



ᚦᛅᚱ ᚢᛅᚱ ᛏᚱᚬᚢᛒᚾᛁᛦ
Þar var Draupnir
There were Draupnir
ᚢᚴ ᛏᚢᛚᚼᚦᚱᛅᛋᛁᛦ᛫
ok Dolgþrasir,
and Dolgþrasir,
ᚼᛅᚱ᛫ ᚼᚬᚢᚼᛋᛒᚢᚱᛁ᛫
Hár, Haugspori,
Hár, Haugspori,
ᚼᛚᛁᚢᚬᚴᛦ᛫ ᚴᛚᚢᛁᚾ᛫
Hlévangr, Glóinn,
Hlévangr, Glóinn,
ᛏᚢᚱᛁ᛫ ᚢᚱᛁ᛫
Dóri, Óri,
Dóri, Óri,
ᛏᚢᚠᛦ᛫ ᚬᛏᚢᛅᚱᛁ᛫
Dúfr, Andvari,
Dúfr, Andvari,
ᛋᚴᛁᚱᚢᛁᛦ᛫ ᚢᛁᚱᚢᛁᛦ᛫
Skirvir, Virvir,
Skirvir, Virvir,
ᛋᚴᛅᚠᛁᚦᛦ᛫ ᛅᛁ᛬
Skáfiðr, Ái.
Skáfiðr, Ái.
ᛅᛚᚠᛦ ᚢᚴ ᚢᚴᚢᛁ᛫
Álfr ok Yngvi,
Álfr and Yngvi,
ᛅᛁᚴᛁᚾᛋᚴᛁᛅᛚᛏᛁ᛫
Eikinskjaldi,
Eikinskjaldi,
ᚠᛁᛅᛚᛅᚱ ᚢᚴ ᚠᚱᚢᛋᛏᛁ᛫
Fjalarr ok Frosti,
Fjalarr and Frosti,
ᚠᛁᚾᛦ ᚢᚴ ᚴᛁᚾᛅᚱ᛬
Finnr ok Ginnarr.
Finnr and Ginnarr.



ᚦᛅᛏ ᛘᚢᚾ ᚢᛒᛁ᛫
Þat mun uppi,
So for all time
ᛘᛁᚦᚬᚾ ᚬᛚᛏ ᛚᛁᚠᛁᛦ᛫
meðan ǫld lifir,
shall the tale be known,
ᛚᚬᚴᚾᛁᚦᛁᛅ ᛏᛅᛚ
langniðja tal
the list of all
ᛚᚢᚠᛅᚱᛋ ᚼᛅᚠᚬᛏ᛬
Lofars hafat.
the forbears of Lofarr.

Commentary
The Dvergatal (“Reckoning of dwarfs”) is a list of dwarf names of Northern mythology, in which Tolkien picked up the names of the members of Thorin’s company. The Dvergatal is a part of the Vǫluspá (“Prophecy of the Seeress”), a most important poem from the Poetic Edda or Elder Edda, an anonymous collection of verse related to the ancient Scandinavian heathenry, gathered and preserved in the Codex Regius, an Icelandic manuscript from the 13th century. The Vǫluspá tells through the mouth of a wise-woman the fate of the world in a set of great and wild visions; it is both a cosmogony and a eschatology. Snorri Sturluson, the great Icelandic writer of the 13th century, copiously quotes from it in his own digest of Northern mythology, the Prose Edda or Younger Edda.

We know of the Vǫluspá from the Codex Regius (Konungsbók), the book of Haukr (Hauksbók) and the quotes in the Prose Edda ; the versions are slightly different, for instance regarding the name of some dwarfs. The text given here was reconstituted in the standardised spelling of Old Norse by superposing versions. The English text follows the 1936 translation by Henry Adam Bellows, modified so as to achieve a correspondence with the Norse text given beside.

The text is transcribed in Germanic runes or futhark, from the series called Younger Futhark, used in Scandinavia from the 9th to the 12th century. The runes are of the “long-branch” variety, also (rather improperly) called “Danish runes”. We made use of Robert Pfeffer’s typeface Pfeffer Mediæval.  Open this mode in Glaemscribe

References
The Poetic Edda. Translated by Henry Adams Bellows. 🌍 Internet Sacred Text Archive.
Björnsson, Eysteinn. Jörmungrund. 🌍 Internet Archive.

The works of John Ronald Reuel and Christopher Tolkien are under the copyright of their authors and/or rights holders, including their publishers and the Tolkien Estate.
Quotations from other authors, editors and translators mentioned in the bibliography are under the copyright of their publishers, except for those whose copyright term has ended.
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