Svartalfheim

Svartalfheim, also known as Svartálfaheimr, is a realm in Norse mythology listed among the Nine Worlds. It is associated with the svartálfar, a race often translated as dark elves. In Old Norse sources the svartálfar are described as a dwelling people distinct from the ljósálfar, the light elves of Alfheim. The exact nature and location of Svartalfheim are unclear and vary across texts; some passages place the realm underground or beneath the earth, and some traditions link it with Nidavellir, the dwarven world. The surviving sources offer limited detail about its geography, inhabitants, or governance, and scholarly interpretations differ on its relationship to other realms and to the dwarves.

Etymology reflects its meaning: svart means black or dark, and álfar means elves. The label highlights a dichotomy between the dark elves and the light elves cited in Norse poetry and lore, though later traditions sometimes blur these categories with dwarven elements.

In modern popular culture, Svartalfheim is widely depicted as the home world of the Dark Elves in Marvel Comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In these adaptations it is portrayed as a subterranean or otherworldly realm with a distinct, often harsh and technologically anachronistic aesthetic, ruled by Malekith and his followers. These portrayals build on the mythic association of Svartalfheim with dark elves, but they reinterpret the concept for contemporary storytelling.