One day, Loki was in an especially mischievous mood and cut off the golden hair of Sif, the wife of Thor. When Thor learned of this, his quick temper was enraged, and he seized Loki and threatened to break every bone in his body. Loki pleaded with the thunder god to let him go down to Svartalfheim, the cavernous home of the dwarves, and see if those master craftspeople could fashion a new head of hair for Sif, this one even more beautiful than the original. Thor allowed this, and off Loki went to Svartalfheim. There he was able to obtain what he desired. The sons of the dwarf Ivaldi forged not only a new head of hair for Sif, but also two other marvels: Skidbladnir (“Assembled from Thin Pieces of Wood”), the best of all ships, which always has a favorable wind and can be folded up and put into one’s pocket, and Gungnir (“Swaying”), the deadliest of all spears.
In Norse mythology, Brokkr is a dwarf, and the brother of Eitri. Brokkr declared that his brother Eitri could make things far more beautiful and useful than the Sons of Ivaldi, whome were comissioned by Loki. While Eitri used magic in a forge that was extremely hot, Brokkr worked the bellows so that the fire would not cool down nor get too hot for the magic. While making the hammer Mjölnir a gadfly bit Brokkr on the eye this time. This temporarily caused Brokkr to stop blowing. That brief stoppage of blowing into the fire caused Mjölnir's handle to become shorter than it should have been Eitri succeeded in making the golden ring Draupnir, the golden-bristled boar Gullinbursti and the hammer Mjölnir. These objects were judged by the gods to be superior and Brokkr won the bet. Brokkr sewed Loki's lips so that Loki would not brag until the thread came out.
Sons of Ivaldi
Brokkr
