Ivaldi

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Ivaldi was a master blacksmith who lived and worked under duress in Ásgarðr to repay a life debt to Odin. A native of Svartálfaheimr, he was remembered in Norse mythology as a dwarven smith. After Ivaldi returned to his home realm, the Isu warlord Surtr invaded it and captured him, putting him to work once again to reveal how a recently-uncovered elven relic worked. With the famed blacksmith thought to be dead, a resistance network against the occupiers named themselves the Sons of Ivaldi in his honor.

Mythology

In Norse mythology, the Sons of Ivaldi were an unnamed group of dwarves he had fathered who made several key pieces for the gods, including Freyr's magically unfolding ship Skíðblaðnir, Odin's returning spear Gungnir, and Sif's golden hair. According to the 17th century Icelandic poem Hrafnagaldr Óðins ("Odin's raven-galdr") styled after the anonymously-written Poetic Edda, they were all collective brothers to Iðunn, who is described as the "youngest of the elder children of Ivaldi".

Biography

Early life

Ivaldi grew up in Svartálfaheimr sometime during the Isu Era. As a member of the dwarves, he was part of a society that traded resources and weapons, and as such, Ivaldi grew a great disdain for slavers. During his life, he fathered at least one child, Alf. At a later date, the dwarf was bound to repay a life debt to the leader of the Asgardian Isu Odin, leaving his work at home to his child and moving himself to Scandinavia. There, he was forced to create any Piece of Eden the Æsir wanted within his forge at the center of the Isu city. He made several powerful artifacts throughout his life, including Odin's signature weapon, the Spear of Eden Gungnir.

Forging Gleipnir

After a jötnar army attempted once again to invade Asgard and failed, Ivaldi was disturbed by the Builder, a covert operative of the hostile Isu faction in disguise. Unaware of the Builder's true intentions to kill Odin or of his patriotic affiliations of the enemy group, Ivaldi gave permission to the stranger to enter his forge. He asked the dwarf if he knew anything about consciousness transfer experiments and how they would affect the Asgardians but, feeling that something was wrong, Ivaldi refused to answer. Just in time, Odin approached the two Isu, drawing the Builder away. The Æsir leader asked his blacksmith for help in the creation of a device that would be capable to contain Loki's illegitimate child Fenrir, whom he feared would kill him in the wake of the Great Catastrophe, an event that the Nornir had prophesized through some calculations.

In return for Odin's promise to free him when the work was finished, Ivaldi agreed to craft the object the All-Father desired. In order to create such a machine, Ivaldi then requested Odin to look for certain resources and, after a while, he returned to the dwarf with the materials he needed. Ivaldi gathered them and started forging the tool, which would hold the young Isu until the disaster struck the Earth. After informing his master that the creation of the object would take some time, the blacksmith also mentioned to him that his cousin's brother-in-law Borin had drunk a mead made in Jötunheimr and had his consciousness somehow successfully transferred to the body of a goat. This intrigued Odin, but the two men were disturbed by Odin's wife Freyja, and the dwarf refused to speak more, not wanting to be dragged into their conflict.

After Odin travelled to Jötunheimr and sacrificed his left eye in the Well of Mímir to obtain the secret to technology capable of saving the Æsir from the catastrophe, he returned to Asgard and saw Ivaldi expectantly waiting for him by the doors to the realm at the base of Heimdall's Tower. He handed the completed Gleipnir to the now one-eyed Isu, instructing him on how to use the device correctly. Odin stayed true to his promise, ending the life debt, and a thankful Ivaldi walked away to return to his homeland.

Muspel invasion

Ivaldi's return to Svartálfaheimr did not stay peaceful for long, as Odin's son Baldr was soon kidnapped by the Muspel leader Surtr in his campaign to invade the dwarven homeland with the help of the jötnar. The dwarves held up in Shelters, large vaults that protected them from the fighting outside. Ivaldi tried contacting other Shelters but was ambushed on his way by Glöð's forces and swallowed whole by a beast they had with them.

With Ivaldi believed dead, Gunborg took over his position as leader of their shelter. When Odin came to find his son, she told him of Ivaldi's passing, saddening the Æsir. However, in the process of chasing down a relic sought by Glöð, Odin discovered Ivaldi was alive and rescued him from Surtr's forces. Glöð pursued Odin and in the fight that followed revealed that he himself was the creature that had abducted the dwarf.

Behind the scenes

Ivaldi is a mythical figure and character appearing in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, where he is portrayed by Carl Andersson, who later returned to reprise his role in the 2022 downloadable expansion Dawn of Ragnarök.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (first appearance)
  • Dawn of Ragnarök
• The World of Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Journey to the North – Logs and Files of a Hidden One (mentioned only)