Sons of Ivaldi

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In Norse mythology, the sons of Ivaldi were a group of dwarves who fashioned the ship of Freyr (Skidbladnir) and the spear of Odin (Gungnir) as well as the golden hair of Sif to replace that which was mischievously cut off by Loki.

According to Skáldskaparmál, after these objects were created Loki made a bet with another dwarf, Brokkr, that his brother Eitri (or Sindri) would not be able to craft items to match the quality of those displayed by the sons of Ivaldi. This contest resulted in the creation of the boar of Freyr (Gullinbursti), the ring of Odin (Draupnir) and the hammer of Thor (Mjolnir), which were judged by the gods to be even more wondrous than the others. Thus, Brokkr had won the bet.

The account of this tale given in Skáldskaparmál does not reveal the names of Ivaldi's sons, nor how many there were, and they remain conspicuously absent after their initial mention in the stanza. The passing mention made of them in Grímnismál as the creators of Skidbladnir, "the best of ships", likewise sheds no additional light. Thus, their identities are a matter of scholarly speculation.

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