Overview
Fjalar and Galar are infamous dwarven brothers in Norse mythology, remembered not for craftsmanship, but for murder, trickery, and the creation of the legendary Mead of Poetry. They lured Kvasir — the wisest being in existence — into a private meeting, killed him, and collected his blood in vats.
Mixing Kvasir’s blood with honey, the dwarves brewed a powerful mead that granted poetic inspiration and wisdom to those who drank it. This drink would become the most coveted substance in the Nine Realms, desired by gods, giants, and mortals alike.
Their deeds did not stop there: Fjalar and Galar later killed the giant Gillingr and his wife, only to lose the mead to their vengeful son Suttungr — and eventually to Odin himself.
Key Deeds & Legacy
The Murder of Kvasir
Claiming that Kvasir had “choked on his own wisdom,” Fjalar and Galar hid their crime and kept his blood, setting the stage for the Mead of Poetry.
Brewers of the Mead of Poetry
By mixing Kvasir’s blood with honey in great vats, they created a mead that could turn anyone who drank it into a master poet or wise scholar.
The Death of Gillingr and His Wife
The dwarves drowned the giant Gillingr and later crushed his wife with a millstone, provoking their son Suttungr to seize both them and the mead in revenge.
Setting the Mead on Its Path
Though Fjalar and Galar created the Mead of Poetry, they ultimately lost it to Suttungr, and later Odin. Their actions ripple through myths of poets, kings, and skalds who seek a taste of its power.
Greed, Genius, and Consequence
The brothers embody the dangerous blend of cunning and cruelty — creators of something beautiful and powerful, yet undone by their own treachery.
Quick Facts
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Domain
Hidden Halls & Brew-Vats
Fjalar and Galar operate in secret dwarven halls, where vats of mead, carved stone, and shadowed forges hide deeds that echo through sagas and skaldic verse.