Nidavellir

Nidavellir
Type	Realm, kingdom
Inhabitants	Dwarves

Nidavellir was the kingdom of the dwarves where Andvari lived. It appeared in the second episode of Twilight of the Gods, "Heretic Spear."

Events

The bog woman's riddle: In order to enter the dwarf kingdom, those seeking to enter would need first to answer the bog woman's riddle. When Sigrid and her companions arrived outside the kingdom, the woman of the bog awakened, but they could not understand her speech, so Hervor attacked her. After a brief battle, Loki was able to clear up the misunderstanding and Ulfr was able to answer the riddle.

Acquiring Antler: One of Sigrid's requirements for her goal of revenge was the acquisition of a weapon that was capable of killing Thor Odinson. For this, she went to Nidavellir to meet Andvari and buy a weapon made from his god-killing metal. He showed her his wares and she chose his spear, Antler. Hervor, the Seid-Kona, and Leif also took up new weapons to help in Sigrid's quest and Andvari decided to join them.

Sigrid's iron cladding: As the group left Nidavellir, Andvari pointed out the possibility of cladding Sigrid in iron from the liquid metal of the bog. This was something only available to one who had traveled through Hel's red door and bathed in the blood of its gateway. It gave Sigrid a unique defense within her skin.

Locales

Andvari's forge: His forge was where Andvari crafted his cursed weapons of god-killing iron. When Sigrid's group sought such a weapon, they traveled to Andvari's forge to request one. Andvari welcomed their business, granting them four cursed weapons. Made of god-killing iron, said weapons were stored within branches of a tree bearing female visage and the curse placed on them had multiple purposes; to extend his own life and ensuring only those with pure intentions could wield them at the cost of losing something of value — latter which to deter thieves, Loki included.

The bog: The river that flowed through Nidavellir carried the liquid metal used by the dwarves to forge their works. To get into the kingdom, one would have to travel along the river through the bog and answer the bog woman's riddle to open the gates.

Norse origins

Nidavellir is based on Niðavellir of Norse mythology. Niðavellir is generally accepted as one of the nine realms of Norse mythology, being the home of the dwarfs. There are unresolved issues with the specifics of Norse cosmology and it may be the case that Svartálfaheimr, home of the dark elves, takes Niðavellir's place. Dwarfs have also been said to live in Svartálfaheimr and both worlds are described as existing north and downward from Midgard. On the other hand, it's also true that removing one or the other leaves eight known worlds among the nine, so there's room for both, resulting in both commonly being accepted.

Niðavellir is said to exist underground near Hel and the dwarfs could use any stone or mountain as a gateway to reach it. The craftsmanship of the dwarfs was of the highest level, with items like Thor's powerful hammer Mjolnir and Freyr's boar Gullinbursti (see Tiwaz#Norse origins) originating in Niðavellir.