Norse Creation Myth
Out of Fire and Ice: The Norse Creation Story
In the beginning there was Múspell, the realm of fire, and
Niflheim [niv-uhl-heym], the realm of ice. Between them there
was nothing except a vast emptiness called the Ginnungagap
[gin-oong-ga-gahp]. For many ages there was nothing else.
But gradually, sparks began to fly out of Múspell while icy
fogs billowed out of Niflheim. They met in the middle of
Ginnungagap, which became as mild as a summer's day; the
fog condensed into water-drops, and the drops were given life
by the sparks.
Out of the mixture condensed Ymir [ee-mir], the first giant.
As he slept, a male and a female giant grew under his
armpits, and another one sprouted out of his foot. These
strange children were the ancestors of all the giants, who are
the terrible enemies of gods and men.
But the gods had a very different origin. Out of the fire and
ice also came a giant cow named Audhumla [owd-hoom-la].
She was hungry, so she began to lick the salty ice flowing out
of Niflheim. On the first day that she licked the ice, she
uncovered a man's hair; on the next day, his head was visible;
and on the third day, the whole man came free of the ice. His
name was Búri, and he was the ancestor of all the gods. He
married the daughter of a giant and had a son named Borr,
who also married a giant's daughter. Borr's sons were Odin,
Vili, and Vé, who would become the great gods of the Norse.
Even though the gods had married giant women, they were
enemies with the giants from the beginning. They fought
constantly, until one day Odin, Vili, and Vé finally killed Ymir.
So much blood poured out of Ymir's wounds that all the giants
were drowned--except for one, who climbed on a chest with
his wife and floated to safely. In this way, the feud between
the gods and giants continued.
Meanwhile, the three brothers dragged Ymir's body to the
middle of the Ginnungagap and made it into the world we
know. Ymir's flesh became the earth, his blood became the
oceans, and his bones became the mountains. They made his
skull into the sky; the stars they made with sparks from
Niflheim, but they made the clouds out of Ymir's brains.
After Odin, Vili, and Vé had finished, they went walking along
the seashore to look at the world they had made. Washed up
on the shore were two tree-trunks. The three gods shaped
them into the forms of a man and woman. Odin gave them
breath and life; Vili gave them thought and movement; and Vé
made them able to speak, hear, and see. Then they gave them
clothing and names: the man was called Ask and the woman
was called Embla. From them are descended all the people of
the world.
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