Sketch of the Day: In Norse mythology, dvergar were the beings who served as the inspiration for the “dwarves” that Tolkien made so popular. In fact, Tolkien’s dwarves in The Hobbit were named after those listed in the Poetic Edda (the original material from which a great deal of Norse myth stems). Famed as craftsmen for gods and giants alike, the services of the dvergar were prized. In this chapter, Max has made a visit down to a pair of dvergar brothers to negotiate for an enchanted Viking ship that can sail of itself and shrink down to a convenient pocket size.