Essence of Norse Mythology
Norse tradition, drawn from various sources, describes four general phases for the world:
1. the creation of the world, and everything in it
2. the beginning of time
3. Ragnarök - the destruction of the world
4. the rise of a new world from the sea
Snorri’s account tells of two opposing realms before there was anything else: Niflheim and
Muspelheim, representing ice and fire respectively. Between them lay Ginnungagap, an empty
void which should have kept the two realms apart but didn’t. Once they met, the fires of
Muspelheim melted Niflheim’s ice, and from it issued, dripping wet, Ymir the giant and Audhumla
the cow.
Audhumla uncovered the forefather of the gods, Búri, by licking the ice. Borr, son of Búri, and the
giantess Bestla sired the first gods: Odin, Vili, and Vé. The three gods combined to kill Ymir, and
taking advantage of his size, used his remains to fashion the world. Ymir’s flesh became the earth,
and his skull the sky. His bones were raised as mountains, and his blood became the sea. Out of
two trees - or pieces of wood - were the first human couple created: Ask and Embla.