Fafnir the Snow Dragon was a dwarf prince who became trapped in the form of a venomous beast after being cursed by Andvari's gold. He was portrayed by Dave B. Mitchell in Twilight of the Gods, appearing in the fourth episode, "The Worm."
Biography[]
Fafnir becomes the crown prince.
In his youth, Fafnir was one of two princes of the Dwarven kingdom, Nidavellir. He had the power to change his skin and become a crane, while his older brother could become an otter. They enjoyed exploring the kingdom in these forms with their third friend, Andvari, who could become a pike. As they played one day, Loki crushed Fafnir's brother's skull, making Fafnir the crown prince. Loki claimed it was an accident and agreed to pay a settlement to Fafnir's father, but Loki did this on Fafnir's behalf. He paid the king with Andvari's stolen gold. When Fafnir got his hands on the gold, the powerful curse set by Andvari was revealed and Fafnir's form twisted into that of a venomous dragon. To pay his debt to Loki, Fafnir was tasked with protecting the orchard of gold and preserving the apples of immortality.
Fafnir faces his old friend, Andvari.
When intruders found their way into the orchard of gold, Fafnir awoke to recognize his old friend, Andvari. Thinking he came to claim eternal life, Fafnir instead promised him death. Andvari maintained Fafnir's attention for a moment, but Fafnir soon realized that Andvari hadn't come alone, and his allies were plucking the apples of eternal life from the trees. He attacked indiscriminately, smashing the trees and spewing his venom. The invaders were tough adversaries and Fafnir found his wounds multiplying as the battle progressed. His belly was split and, after receiving the fatal wound, he returned to his dwarf body. Instead of killing him, Andvari kicked one of the golden apples toward him, allowing him to live on. However, Leif beheaded him before he could eat it.[1]
Powers and abilities[]
Shapeshifting: Fafnir was able to change his skin between his natural, dwarf body and that of a crane. He could use his crane form to freely explore the kingdom with the crane's ability of flight. After being cursed to take on the form of a dragon, Fafnir could no longer change between these two forms, transforming back into a dwarf only after receiving a mortal wound.
Dragon physiology: While his curse left him without his kingdom, it also made him incredibly strong. Though he lacked the ability to transform into a crane, he could still fly with his dragon wings. His hide was very tough, capable of withstanding most attacks from standard weapons without splitting. God-killing iron could still cut him without issue, and it was possible, depending on the attack, for standard weapons to break the skin. His size was enormous in this form, with astounding physical strength to match. A whip of his tail or stomp of his foot would crack the earth and send his enemies skyward.
Venom spit: In his dragon form, Fafnir could expel venom from his mouth. It flowed like fire and burned to the touch. It was said that Fafnir's drool created the rivers of the orchard of gold, so it was dangerous to touch the water. Fafnir used this venom to defend the orchard from invaders on Loki's behalf to pay off his debt.
Norse origins[]
Fafnir is based on Fáfnir of Germanic folklore. In the original mythology, Fáfnir kills his own father and steals Andvari's gold, becoming a dragon. His brother Regin helped a member of Clan Völsung acquire the sword needed to kill Fáfnir. Leif, the leader of the Völsungs in Twilight of the Gods, was the one to end Fafnir just as a member of the Völsungs did in the original mythology.
Fafnir's brother
Fáfnir and Regin had a third brother, Ótr, who could take any shape, preferring that of an otter. Fafnir's brother in Twilight, who takes the shape of an otter, is likely based on Ótr. Both in the original mythology and in Twilight, Ótr/Fafnir's brother is accidentally killed by Loki, though in the latter, the "accident" is a lie. While Fáfnir was never confirmed to be a dwarf, his brothers were.
Fafnir's father
Meanwhile, the brothers' father, Hreiðmarr, was a sorcerer, also never confirmed to be a dwarf. After Loki killed Ótr, the Æsir paid a settlement of Andvari's gold, as Loki did in Twilight. Among the gold was the cursed ring, Andvaranaut, that would bring misfortune to all who used it, apart from Andvari, who cursed it. The ring could create gold. Hreiðmarr used the ring and his remaining sons killed him for it. Fáfnir took Andvaranaut for himself, transforming into a dragon and driving Regin away. Transforming into a dragon wasn't part of the curse of misfortune in the original mythology, but rather, an ability Fáfnir had.
In Norse mythology, "dragon" and "worm" are synonymous. The title of the episode in which Fafnir appears, "The Worm," refers to both Loki, who becomes a worm to poison the apples of immortality, and Fafnir, who becomes a dragon.
References[]
- ↑ Eric Carrasco, Caitlin Parrish (writers) & Dave Hartman, Andrew Tamandl (directors). September 19, 2024. Twilight of the Gods episode 4, "The Worm."