This article contains lore based on real-life sources from Norse mythology as introduced from the God of War Norse era.
| “ | The Light and Dark Elves have been fighting for control of the Light of Alfheim for millennia. Staying neutral in the conflict is key to staying alive. The hive material of the Dark Elves should also be avoided due to its often explosive nature. Beware too the unpredictable Fimbulwinter light pulses that emanate from the Light. Sandstorms plague the wilderness surrounding the Light Temple, and are also best avoided. | ” |
–Description of Alfheim on the Field Notes | ||
Alfheim, also known as Álfheimr, is one of the Nine Realms of the World Tree, home of the Light and Dark Elves and a major location in God of War (2018).
The Light of Alfheim is also where the Bifröst gets its power source to traverse the realms through Týr's Temple. While the Light is in the home of all Elves, the Light and Dark subraces have been at war for its possession for centuries, with the Light of Alfheim having changed masters back and forth over two hundred and thirteen times.
When the Light Elves have control of the Light of Alfheim, the Light shines free and the skies of their realm are adorned blue. When the Dark Elves have it, the Light is concealed by a large plant of some sort and their skies are tainted red.
However, the Vanir Freyr seemed to have been the one to give absolute control of the Light to the Light Elves for the longest they ever have, since the luminous beings named him their overlord and gave the God residence in their realm. It was most likely the Vanir's recent disappearance what gave the Dark Elves the advantage they needed to reclaim the Light for themselves.
Alfheim was already turning dim by the time Freyr's sister Freya brought Kratos and his son Atreus to the Elf realm in order to retrieve a portion of the Light for their own purposes. Since the Dark Elves were concealing the Light and any access to it, the outsider Gods were forced to oppose the Dark Elves in order to once again release the Light, a conflict that ended with the demise of the Dark Elf King.
With the Dark Elves defeated and the Light Elves released from their grip, Alfheim once again shone brightly.
Norse Mythology[]
Elves and their homeland, Alfheim, loom large in the popular imagination. Thanks to later folklore and their incorporation into modern media, the elves are often believed to have been prominent in Norse belief. The surviving literature, however, tells a different story. Elves are rarely mentioned and Alfheim is known to us through only a few short passages in later works.
Norse mythology often mentions the Nine Worlds that are inhabited by different races. Alfheim, which translates as “The World of the Elves,” is usually named among them. Although Alfheim is often listed as one of the Nine Worlds, however, there are no sources that directly name it as such. In fact, there are very few sources that mention Alfheim at all. The homeland of the elves is mentioned in passing only twice in Old Norse sources. The Poetic Edda and Prose Edda each contain just one passage that references Alfheim by name.
One line in the Poetic Edda says that Alfheim was given to the god Freyr as a tooth gift. These were gifts presented to an infant when their first tooth came in, meaning that the Vanir god was made lord of Alfheim when he was only a few months old. Snorri Sturluson had more to say about Alfheim in the Prose Edda, although he still gave an incomplete description of the land. He confirmed that Alfheim was the home of the elves. He specified, however, that the light elves, which he called ljosalfar lived there while the dokkalfar, or dark elves, resided below the earth.
The Prose Edda says that these two groups of elves were “unalike in appearance, but by far more unalike in nature.” Many have assumed that these dark elves were the same race as the svartalfar, or black elves, mentioned elsewhere. Although neither source described Alfheim itself, descriptions of the elves themselves likely provide insight into what their world would have been like. The light elves were said by Sturluson to be beautiful, radiant beings. Most interpretations of Alfheim suppose that the land these elves lived in would be similarly bright and fair.
Another passage in the Prose Edda is often assumed to refer to Alfheim, although the name is not specifically given. The text explains Norse cosmology and mythology explained through a character who recounts what he knows in a test of knowledge. When asked about the heavenly realms that will survive Ragnarok, the character names three and says that the highest of them is called Vidblain. Vidblain, “Wide Blue,” is where the character believes that the hall of Gimle lies. After Ragnarok, Gimle will become the heavenly abode of the honored dead. Now, however, the character says that only the light elves live in the land of Vidblain. Because the light elves live there, scholars believe that Vidblain and Alfheim may have been one and the same. Because the sources have so little information about either, however, this cannot be proven for sure.
In the God of War Series[]
The bright realm of Alfheim is adorned with abundant and colorful flora, alongside luminous fauna which glitter the lands and skies of the Elf realm. The Elves' artistic architecture includes their unique light crystals, sapphire colored stones fueled by the Light of Alfheim that are plugged to structures in order to create bridges made of solid light.
Plot[]
Backstory[]
After the creation of the Nine Realms, fallen souls began to gather in the Lake of Souls, the base well of the Light of Alfheim. The Elves, who at this point weren't split between Light and Dark, built the Light Temple to harness the Light's energy, and began to worship it. However, many of them became addicted to their newfound power and control of the light, hence forming the Light Elves, who sought to use the Light of Alfheim to enhance their race. The other Elves believed that the Light and the natural resources of Alfheim are sacred and shouldn't be used for selfish purposes, thus forming the Dark Elves, who sought to return the Light back to its source.
Over time, this conflict led to a never-ending war between the two sides which devastated Alfheim's lands. With the creation of the Light Temple, Alfheim's desert, which was once full of life, slowly withered into a storm-ridden wasteland, which became the main point of operations for the Dark Elves as they fought to gain control of the temple. The Dark Elves made use of Hive matter, a dark and web-like substance that was naturally produced in Alfheim, as a counter-measure for the Light, whilst the Light Elves sought to destroy it.
At some point, Freyr travelled to Alfheim and accidentally wandered into the Lake of Souls during a herb-induced stupor. When he emerged, the Light Elves mistakenly took him for a divine figure connected to the Light, and began to worship him, building statues in his honour. Freyr used his new position to promote peace between the Light and Dark Elves, however, the constant conflict between the Aesir and Vanir began to take a toll on his home and his mental state. This eventually resulted in Freya's Marriage to Odin, a decision that infuriated Freyr, feeling that his sister had abandoned her family and her realm to live with the faction that had tormented his people for centuries. Distraught, Freyr abandoned Alfheim, and his efforts to sow peace between the Elves were short-lived.
Over the years, control of the temple switched between the Light and Dark Elves many times as the war raged on.
God of War (2018)[]
Upon Freya's advice, Kratos and Atreus travelled to Alfheim to acquire a sample of the Light in order to dispel the Black Breath, a corruption of magic that Odin had created to stop anyone from reaching the peak of Midgard's tallest mountain. By the time they arrived, the temple was under control of the Dark Elves, and much of the Temple was covered in hive matter, blocking the Light and darkening the sky. Unaware and unconcerned of the history between the Elves and seeking to fill the Bifrost Lamp, Kratos stubbornly made his way through Alfheim. Atreus was distressed as he saw numerous defenceless Light Elves being slaughtered by the Dark Elves, which prompted Kratos to encourage Atreus to close his heart to it, telling him that he was witnessing the aftermath of a war, and since neither of them knew what had led to this outcome, it was not their place to judge it. Kratos bluntly ordered Atreus to ignore the elves unless they attacked, much to Atreus' disapproval.
As they explored the temple, Kratos and Atreus fought off numerous Dark Elves under the command of the Dark Elf King Svartáljǫfurr, with the Hive Matter encasing the Temple corridors making their task much harder. They eventually reached the Light column, and Kratos stepped into the Light to refill his lamp, but due to Atreus believing he heard Faye's voice inside the Light, Kratos decided to submerge his entire body inside the Light to find Faye, causing him to be trapped inside the Light whilst Atreus was attacked by Dark Elves.
Whilst Kratos was trapped, he found himself walking through dream-like reconstructions of areas in the Nine Realms whilst following Faye's floating ashes and hearing Atreus’ voice talking to her. When crossing a bridge, Kratos called out to Faye, believing he saw her standing before him, but Atreus pulled him out of the Light before he could go any further. Kratos angrily demanded an explanation, but was left speechless at the large number of Elf corpses left in Atreus’ wake, realising that he had been gone for a long time, despite him only feeling moments pass whilst inside the Light. Furious, Atreus yelled at him for leaving him alone again, accusing him of not caring.
With the Bifröst lamp refilled, Kratos and Atreus made their way out of the temple, using Light-infused arrows to activate secret crystal bridges. They were once again ambushed by Svartáljǫfurr, who was defeated in combat, but with his dying breath he warned the pair that their interference in Alfheim was a grave mistake. Once they reached and opened the main gate, Light Elves began making their way back into the Temple, pleasing Atreus, whilst Kratos remained indifferent. They also located Groa’s shrine close to the temple gate, depicting her prophecy of Ragnarök and her eventual death at Odin’s hands.
God of War: Ragnarök[]
After freeing ‘Tyr,’ Kratos, Atreus and Mimir sought for information on Ragnarök and how to avoid it, to which Tyr advised them to seek Groa’s shrine upon hearing of the hidden Jötnar mural prophecies that only Giants could unlock. Knowing that the shrine was in Alfheim, the group made their way there, finding themselves at the opposite side of the temple to the one they explored prior.
Thanks to Kratos and Atreus’ attack on the temple pre-Fimbulwinter, the Light Elves had taken back control of the Temple, and the war was still ongoing, albeit with the Dark Elves now trying to claw back control, and much of the fighting taking place near the barrens. Despite their control of the temple being largely due to Kratos and Atreus' efforts, the Light Elves were hostile on sight and the group were forced to fight them off as they made their way to the temple, much to Tyr’s lament. During this time, Tyr and Mimir discussed the history of the Elves, notably Freyr’s involvement in the war as well as the differing beliefs on the Light that set the Light and Dark Elves apart. As they explored the temple, they found that the Light Elves had put extra security measures in place, placing the bridge-opening light crystals on themselves and their statues rather than at the bases of where the bridges would open.
Missions[]
Regions[]
God of War (2018)[]
- Lake of Light
- Light Elf Sanctuary
- Light Elf Shore
- Light of Alfheim
- Ringed Temple Interior
- Ringed Temple Trench
- Týr's Bridge
God of War: Ragnarök[]
- Temple of Light
- The Strond
- The Canyons
- The Barrens
- The Below
- The Hjarta
- The Burrows
- The Forbidden Sands
Characters & Residents[]
Freyr † (formerly)
Beyla (formerly)
Byggvir (formerly)
Bestiary & Bosses[]
God of War (2018)[]
- Dark Elves
- Draugr
- Tatzelwurm
- Ancient (Boss)
- Svartáljǫfurr (Boss)
- Olrun (Boss)
God of War: Ragnarök[]
- Light Elves
- Dark Elves
- Alva (Boss)
- The Maven (Optional Boss)
- Svipdagr the Cold (Boss)
- Sisters of Illska (Boss)
- Hjalti the Stolid (Boss)
- Stinnr & Sterkr (Optional Boss)
Trivia[]
- Time moves much slower inside the Light of Alfheim than it does outside it, since Kratos navigated inside it for just moments, but Atreus waited for him outside it for many hours.
- Brok is not allowed back into Alfheim for offences he has committed. Brok refuses to tell the young Atreus about it "on account of all the swearin' and stealin' and fuckin' involved".
- Some of Alfheim's flora seems to be sentient, since Atreus seemed to be able to listen to a specific type of Elf plant that has a pulsating heart, and showed pity the first time his father "killed" one.
- That type of Elf plant can be seen in some parts of Midgard as well.
- The large plant that the Dark Elves used to conceal the Light of Alfheim seemed to be sentient as well.
- Alfheim also harbored an Ancient.
- The rune of Alfheim is Sowilō (ᛊ), which means "sun".
- The Realm travel door for Alfheim depicts the light of Alfheim being worshipped by the Light Elves while the Dark Elves rest beneath them, seemingly ready for war.
Sources[]
Gallery[]
