How Did Your Downs Name Come About? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

LjósÁlfr · 04-07-2007, 06:35 AM

Well, I used to have a other account here called Amras Oronar, but I didn't like that name anyway, and I was inactive for quit a while. Also, I just discovered I spelled my name wrong, so I registered again under the properly spelled name, since I hadn't made a great ammount of posts anyway (LjösÁlfr first, it's LjósÁlfr now)

Well, LjósÁlfr is Old Icelandic (A dialect from Old Norse) for "(a) Light Elf". Since Tolkien had taken so much from Norse Mythology I wanted a name which connected both with eachother. What did he take from Norse Mythology? Well, the entire principel of elves, dwarves.. Barrow-Wights are basicly the Norse Mythological undead creature's called Draugar (I was considering to make my name Draugr

). And 'The Great End' about which can be red in for instance The Lost Tales, seems to look a lot like the 'Ragnarök'.

As to what Ljósálfar ("Light Elves") exactly are, I give you this text, first in Old Icelandic, then in English, considering Elves (Ljósálfar) and dwarves (Dökkálfar, in other texts by the same writer reffered to as Svartálfar). The text was writter by Snorri Sturluson, a Icelandic historian living from 1178-1241:

"Sá er einn staðr þar, er kallaðr er Álfheimr. Þar byggvir fólk þat, er Ljósálfar heita, en Dökkálfar búa niðri í jörðu, ok eru þeir ólíkir þeim sýnum ok miklu ólíkari reyndum. Ljósálfar eru fegri en sól sýnum, en Dökkálfar eru svartari en bik."

"There is one place there [in the sky] that is called the Elf Home (Álfheimr). People live there that are named the light elves (ljósálfar). But the dark elves (dökkálfar) live below in earth, and they are unlike them in appearance – and more unlike them in reality. The Light Elves are brighter than the sun in appearance, but the Dark Elves are blacker than pitch."

The Dark Elves are basicly Dwarves, they've been called Dvergar in other texts. And they seem sort of evil-ish in this text, well, origenally (in for instance "The Lost Tales") they were.

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04-07-2007, 06:35 AM	#37
LjósÁlfr Registered User Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Sá er einn staðr þar, er kallaðr er Álfheimr. There is a place in the sky, that's called Elf Home. Posts: 23	Well, I used to have a other account here called Amras Oronar, but I didn't like that name anyway, and I was inactive for quit a while. Also, I just discovered I spelled my name wrong, so I registered again under the properly spelled name, since I hadn't made a great ammount of posts anyway (LjösÁlfr first, it's LjósÁlfr now) Well, LjósÁlfr is Old Icelandic (A dialect from Old Norse) for "(a) Light Elf". Since Tolkien had taken so much from Norse Mythology I wanted a name which connected both with eachother. What did he take from Norse Mythology? Well, the entire principel of elves, dwarves.. Barrow-Wights are basicly the Norse Mythological undead creature's called Draugar (I was considering to make my name Draugr ). And 'The Great End' about which can be red in for instance The Lost Tales, seems to look a lot like the 'Ragnarök'. As to what Ljósálfar ("Light Elves") exactly are, I give you this text, first in Old Icelandic, then in English, considering Elves (Ljósálfar) and dwarves (Dökkálfar, in other texts by the same writer reffered to as Svartálfar). The text was writter by Snorri Sturluson, a Icelandic historian living from 1178-1241: "Sá er einn staðr þar, er kallaðr er Álfheimr. Þar byggvir fólk þat, er Ljósálfar heita, en Dökkálfar búa niðri í jörðu, ok eru þeir ólíkir þeim sýnum ok miklu ólíkari reyndum. Ljósálfar eru fegri en sól sýnum, en Dökkálfar eru svartari en bik." "There is one place there [in the sky] that is called the Elf Home (Álfheimr). People live there that are named the light elves (ljósálfar). But the dark elves (dökkálfar) live below in earth, and they are unlike them in appearance – and more unlike them in reality. The Light Elves are brighter than the sun in appearance, but the Dark Elves are blacker than pitch." The Dark Elves are basicly Dwarves, they've been called Dvergar in other texts. And they seem sort of evil-ish in this text, well, origenally (in for instance "The Lost Tales") they were.