In Norse mythology, Niðafjöll (, ; ) is a location in the northern underworld. Niðafjöll is the site from which the dragon Nidhogg comes. According to Snorri Sturluson, the good and virtuous people will live here in a golden palace after Ragnarök, despite its proximity to Hel.The Guardian Spirits of Iceland (Legend from the Land of Ice and Fire)Niðafjöll (Niðafjöll Publications)
Niðafjöll is mentioned in Völuspá (verse 66) from the Poetic Edda:
Etymology Fell () is an old word for mountain and highland, but the prefix niða- is unclear. A direct cognate is unknown, but it is speculated to be related to , the "waning" face of the moon, as opposed to ("new"), the "emerging" face of the moon. Thus a potential direct translation could be "waning mountains", or rather, "mountains of waning". Other suggestions have been something like "dark mountains".
References
Other sources Faulkes, Anthony (trans. and ed.) (1987) Edda of Snorri Sturluson (Everyman's Library) Lindow, John (2001) Handbook of Norse mythology (Santa Barbara: ABC-Clio) Orchard, Andy (1997) Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend (Cassell) Simek, Rudolf (2007) translated by Angela Hall. Dictionary of Northern Mythology (D.S. Brewer)
External links Bellows, Henry Adams (trans.) (1923) The Poetic Edda. New York: The American-Scandinavian Foundation. Available online in www.voluspa (org).