Alfheimr

Alfheimr, also known as Alfheim, is a realm in Norse mythology. It is the homeland of the light elves, or ljósálfar, and is considered one of the Nine Worlds in the cosmology of the Norse sagas. The name derives from Old Norse Alfheimr, meaning “Elf Home” or “Elf Realm.”

In the standard Norse worldview, Alfheimr is situated in the upper or heavenly regions of the cosmos and is connected to the other worlds by Yggdrasil, the world tree. It is described as a place of light and beauty, inhabited by elves who are distinct from the darker “elves” or dwarves that are sometimes said to reside in Svartalfheim (Svartálfaheimr).

Rulership over Alfheim is mentioned variably across sources. Some texts identify the fertility and prosperity deity Freyr as its ruler, while others imply that the realm and its inhabitants operate with a degree of autonomy or are governed by the elves themselves.

The primary sources mentioning Alfheimr are the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda. In Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda, Alfheimr is presented as a defined world within the Norse cosmology. The poems of the Poetic Edda reference the elves and their realm as part of the broader mythic landscape, though without always providing a consistent political account.

In modern culture, Alfheimr is frequently invoked as a celestial or elven realm in fantasy literature and games, preserving its image as the luminous homeland of the elves within Norse-inspired myth.