Alberich
Also called Aelfric, Alpris.
Alberich is the dwarf-king of Germanic heroic legend, guardian of a cursed treasure hoard in the Nibelungenlied and its related Norse figure Andvari.
At a glance
- Tradition
- Germanic folkloreNorse mythology
- Region
- Germany (place of origin)
- Trait family
- The Unseen-Walkers
Near this figure
Traits
Read from the figure's description, which a model wrote. Open "why" for the sentence a trait came from.
Behaviour
- Treasure guardian
why
He possesses a cloak or cap of invisibility, a recurring attribute in the same textual tradition, and his rule over the hoard makes him a gatekeeper figure standing between the heroic world above and the wealth, and danger, that lies beneath it. In the Nibelungenlied, Alberich is overcome by Siegfried, who wins both the invisibility cloak and mastery of the hoard from him by force, after which Alberich is bound to serve the new possessor of the treasure rather than being destroyed outright.
- Reluctant servitude through magical binding
why
In the Nibelungenlied, Alberich is overcome by Siegfried, who wins both the invisibility cloak and mastery of the hoard from him by force, after which Alberich is bound to serve the new possessor of the treasure rather than being destroyed outright.
Utility powers
- Invisibility
why
He possesses a cloak or cap of invisibility, a recurring attribute in the same textual tradition, and his rule over the hoard makes him a gatekeeper figure standing between the heroic world above and the wealth, and danger, that lies beneath it. In the Nibelungenlied, Alberich is overcome by Siegfried, who wins both the invisibility cloak and mastery of the hoard from him by force, after which Alberich is bound to serve the new possessor of the treasure rather than being destroyed outright.
Roles
Judged from the works' own entries, not from the description. Carries: the figure holds the role. Meets: the role is in its stories, held by something it meets.
- Shadow carries
2 citations
- Carol Rose, Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins, s.v. "Alberich."
- Maria Leach, editor, Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legend, s.v. "Alberich."
- Trickster carries
2 citations
- Carol Rose, Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins, s.v. "Alberich."
- Maria Leach, editor, Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legend, s.v. "Alberich."
- Circle meets
2 citations
- Carol Rose, Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins, s.v. "Alberich."
- Maria Leach, editor, Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legend, s.v. "Alberich."
- Hero meets
2 citations
- Carol Rose, Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins, s.v. "Alberich."
- Maria Leach, editor, Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legend, s.v. "Alberich."
- Wise Old Man meets
2 citations
- Carol Rose, Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins, s.v. "Alberich."
- Maria Leach, editor, Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legend, s.v. "Alberich."