The realm of Dökkálfheimr.
Dökkálfheimr (スヴァルトアルフ Suvu~arutoarufu, Svartalf in the Japanese version) is a location in Fire Emblem Heroes. It is the realm of nightmares, a world created by the anxiety and terror of mortals. It is the home of the primary antagonists of Book IV.
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At a time when the mortal world gave up their dreams, the dream world was being torn apart, and was on the verge of vanishing entirely. Faced with the end of both of their worlds, Dream-King Freyr of Ljósálfheimr and Lady Freyja of Dökkálfheimr sought out children of pure heart to save their respective realms. They offered these children dream nectar that would make them their most extraordinary selves, something they could only become in dreams. These children became álfr, meaning they could never again return home. Knowing this, Freyr and Freyja made sure to only seek out children who had no home to return to, and no family that loved them. These mortals turned álfr pulled the world back from the brink of nothingness, and saved Freyr, Freyja, and the realm of dreams.
Under orders from Lady Freyja, Triandra and Plumeria invade Ljósálfheimr, the realm of dreams, and work to corrupt it with nightmares. Once Dream-King Freyr of Ljósálfheimr gives the Gullinkambi horn to Alfonse, he’s left defenseless, and Freyja is able to enter his palace within the Realm of Fantasy and have Triandra and Plumeria take him to Dökkálfheimr. This causes the Waking Dream, an event in which the dream realm begins to influence other worlds.
With help from Mirabilis, the ljósálfr of daydreams, the Order of Heroes is able to cross over into Dökkálfheimr from Askr at the Point of Twilight. Seeking Freyr, they journey on, they are confronted by both Plumeria and Triandra. While the Order is occupied, Freyja approaches Freyr with the necklace Brísingamen, which would allow them to expand their land to new realms and take control of the mortal world. Freyr is saddened by the fact that Freyja wants to harm the mortal world, and expresses his regret over having stripped mortality from human children to turn them into álfr in order to save the realm of dreams. Freyja places the necklace on Freyr, which grants her complete control over his powers. The Order arrives too late to stop the situation, and are met with Freyja, who tells them that now that dreams are completely under her control, she can now twist the fabric of reality itself. She can seal even the bridge out of Dökkálfheimr, trapping the Order in a never ending nightmare.
Freyr tells the Order that there is no escape, and they’re forced to retreat. As they flee the nightmares, Freyr tells the Order that be blames himself for how Freyja has ended up, and the truth about how the álfr were born. As Freyja catches up with the, Freyr tells the Order to kill him. As they reluctantly do so, Freyja loses control of his powers, and she can no longer bend dreams into reality.
The Order wakes up in what they believe to be Askr, but find themselves hounded by Freyja, nightmares, and the dökkálfar. Freyja tells Sharena about her past in the dream world, and when they’re met with Plumeria, Sharena attempts to end the situation peacefully, but Plumeria refuses to do so, and is defeated by the Order. After, the Order realizes that without Freyr, the Waking Dream should have ended, and pieces together that they’re still within the realm of dreams, and have been in it since the start. They shift their goal towards finding the Dream Gate and using the Gullinkambi to wake up for good. As they reach the Dream Gate, the Order defeats Triandra, who gets in the way for Freyja’s sake. Alfonse blows the horn at the Dream Gate, and nothing happens. Kiran shows up, and after knocking them out, Peony raises their hood and is met with Alfonse. The Alfonse who’d been journeying with the Order finally pieces together the fact that he is Kiran having a dream of being Alfonse. Freyja appears and claims that Kiran is having this dream because Alfonse was stuck down by He Who Created Everything, Alfaðör, for defeating Hel, and that Kiran doesn’t want to accept that reality. Freyja tells Kiran that if they chose to remain in the dream, they can resurrect Freyr and Alfonse, whereas if they chose to test her words and return to reality, she’ll strip the life she gave from each of the álfr.
Kiran and the order choose to defeat Freyja, and she swears she'll take the lives of the álfr and curses their name as they wake up. However, upon waking, Alfonse is alive, Peony is able to exist in reality, and Freyja meets with Triandra and Plumeria. She gives her life for the two of them, saying that without Freyr, her dream has come to its end. As she dies, Triandra and Plumeria swear to find a way to bring her back, bringing one last smile to Freyja’s face.
Later, Líf and Thrasir enter the room where Freyja rests and tell Triandra and Plumeria that there is a cadre of gods that may be able to grant their wish.
Notable Locations
- Dream Gate - The location at which one can pass between dream and reality. The Gullinkambi must be blown here.
Notable people from Dökkálfheimr
- Freyja - Ruler of Dökklálfheimr and queen of nightmares who loves her older brother Freyr dearly and rages with bitter jealousy at his care for lesser mortal creatures.
- Triandra - A dökkálfar who delivers terrible dreams to mortals. Cold and distant, she lives on without hope.
- Plumeria - A jaded dökkálfar who delivers salacious dreams to mortals. Though she would wish to do away with all cloying mortal desires, she cannot.
Etymology
In Norse Mythology, Dökkálfar (Dark Elves) are a type of elves that are said to live within the Earth and have a dark complexion. Some myths say that they also live in Svartalfheim.
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