The Svartálfar (black elves) are mythical beings from Norse mythology. They should not be confused with the Dokkalfar (dark elves). They grew from the maggots of Ymir's flesh, and while similar to men, they are ugly and misshapen. They live in earth and in stones, and their dwelling places is one of the nine worlds upon the world-ash Yggdrasil, Svartalfheim. The daylight turns them to stone.
They are often identified with the Dwarves and the Trolls. According to Kevin Crossley-Holland , "No valid distinction though can be drawn between the dwarfs and the dark elves; they appear to have been interchangeable."
A horde of them appears in Alan Garner's The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, and are contrasted with Lios Alfar (Light Elves). In this story, they dissolve under contact with iron weapons.
