Álfheimr (region)

Alfheim (Old Norse: Álfheimr, "elf home" or "land between the rivers") is an ancient name for an area corresponding to the modern Swedish province of Bohuslän.

However, the Saga of Thorstein, Viking's Son claims that the two rivers and the country was named from King Álf the Old (Álfr hinn gamli) who once ruled there, and that his descendants were all related to the Elves and were more handsome than any other people except for the giants, one of several references to giants (jǫtnar and risar) being especially good looking.

The Sögubrot af nokkrum fornkonungum also mentions the special good looks of the kindred of King Álf the Old.

The Sögubrot names the sons of Gandálf as Álfar (Álfarr) and Álfarin (Álfarinn) and makes them members of King Harald's bodyguard.

The Sögubrot also relates that Sigurd Hring (Sigurðr Hringr), who was Harald's viceroy on the Swedish throne, married Álfhild, the daughter of King Álf the Old of Álfheim.

That Álfhild's father was the same Gandálf whose sons were at the Battle of Bravalla makes good sense in legendary chronology.

In all these accounts, the son of Hring and Álfhild was supposedly the famous Ragnar Lodbrok, husband of Áslaug (Áslaugr) the mother of Sigurd Hart (Sigurðr Hjǫrt) whose daughter Ragnhild (Ragnhildr) married Halfdan the Black and bore to him Harald Fairhair, the first historic king of all Norway.