The Story of Andvari, the Wealthy Dwarf

In the deepest caverns beneath the mountains, where underground rivers run through chambers filled with gleaming treasures, there lived a dwarf whose love of gold had consumed his very soul. His name was Andvari, and he was perhaps the wealthiest being in all the nine realms, yet also the most miserable, for his riches had become both his greatest joy and his terrible curse.

Andvari was not born greedy. In his youth, he had been a skilled craftsman like many of his dwarf kin, creating beautiful objects from precious metals and gems. But as the years passed and his hoard grew larger, something changed within him. The gold began to call to him, whispering promises of power and security that slowly poisoned his heart against all other joys.

The dwarf’s treasure chamber was a sight that would have amazed even the gods. Mountains of gold coins rose to the ceiling, rivers of silver flowed along channels carved in the floor, and precious gems of every color created a rainbow of light that danced off the polished surfaces. At the center of it all sat Andvari on a throne made from a single massive emerald, counting and recounting his wealth with obsessive precision.

But Andvari’s most precious possession was not gold or silver or gems. It was a simple golden ring that he had crafted with his own hands, imbuing it with powerful magic that would continuously generate more gold for its wearer. This ring, called Draupnir’s lesser cousin by some, was the source of much of his wealth, and he guarded it more jealously than his own life.

The dwarf had the ability to take the shape of a fish when he wished, and he would often swim in the underground pools of his cavern in this form, diving to the bottom to search for gold that might have been washed down from the world above. It was a peaceful existence, or so he told himself, though visitors to his realm noted that he never seemed truly happy despite his vast wealth.

Andvari’s solitary life was shattered one fateful day when three visitors arrived in his domain: Odin, Loki, and Hoenir. The gods had been traveling through Midgard when they had accidentally killed Otter, one of the sons of the farmer Hreidmar. To pay the weregild demanded by the grieving father, they needed enough gold to completely cover Otter’s skin, and they had heard tales of the wealthy dwarf who lived beneath the mountains.

When the gods arrived at Andvari’s cave, they found him in his fish form, swimming contentedly in one of his golden pools. Loki, with his cunning nature, immediately devised a plan to capture the dwarf. Using a magical net, he caught Andvari in his fish form and hauled him onto the shore.

“Transform back to your true shape, dwarf,” Loki commanded, “and we will speak of business.”

Andvari had no choice but to resume his dwarf form, his eyes immediately darting to his treasures to ensure nothing had been disturbed. “What do you want, gods of Asgard?” he asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer.

“We need gold,” Odin stated simply. “All of it. Name your price, and we will pay it, but we must have enough treasure to cover the skin of an otter.”

The dwarf’s heart nearly stopped. “All of it?” he whispered. “You would take everything I have worked my entire life to gather?”

“We have no choice,” Hoenir explained gently. “A life has been lost, and weregild must be paid. We will compensate you fairly for your loss.”

But Andvari cared nothing for compensation. The thought of losing his precious hoard was agony beyond bearing. Yet he could see that resistance was futile – the gods would take what they needed regardless of his wishes.

With tears streaming down his face, Andvari began loading the gods’ bags with his treasure. Coins, cups, jewelry, and precious objects – everything went into their sacks. His life’s work, his pride and joy, his reason for existence, all being taken away.

Finally, only one item remained: the magical ring on his finger. Andvari clutched it desperately, hoping the gods might not notice this single piece among all the rest.

But Loki’s sharp eyes missed nothing. “The ring too, dwarf. We need every piece of gold you possess.”

“Not the ring!” Andvari pleaded. “Leave me this one thing, and I can rebuild my fortune. Without it, I have nothing – I am nothing!”

The gods were unmoved by his pleas. They needed every scrap of gold to fulfill their obligation, and the ring was clearly valuable. As Loki pried it from his trembling fingers, Andvari’s grief turned to rage.

“If you will have my ring,” the dwarf snarled, his voice filled with malice and despair, “then let it be cursed! Let this ring bring death and destruction to all who possess it! Let it turn brother against brother, father against son! Let no one who owns it know peace or happiness!”

The curse flew from Andvari’s lips with such vehemence that the very stones of his cavern seemed to shudder. Loki felt a chill as the words struck the ring, imbuing it with dark power.

“Your curse is noted, dwarf,” Loki said coldly, pocketing the ring. “But desperate times call for desperate measures.”

The gods departed with Andvari’s entire hoard, leaving the dwarf alone in his empty cavern. He sat on his emerald throne in the silence, surrounded by nothing but stone and shadow, weeping for his lost treasures and cursing his fate.

But Andvari’s curse proved to be terrifyingly real. The ring would indeed bring doom to all who possessed it. Hreidmar was killed by his own sons for the treasure. Fafnir transformed into a dragon to guard the hoard and was eventually slain by Sigurd. The curse continued to spread, bringing death and tragedy to the Volsung lineage and beyond.

In his empty cavern, Andvari lived on, slowly rebuilding his hoard coin by coin, but never again achieving the wealth he had once possessed. He became a bitter, twisted creature, forever warning visitors about the dangers of greed while being unable to overcome his own covetous nature.

The story of Andvari serves as a powerful reminder that the love of wealth for its own sake can corrupt the soul and that cursing others in our pain often brings more suffering to the world. His tale teaches us that true riches lie not in what we hoard, but in what we share, and that sometimes losing everything is the only way to discover what truly matters in life.