Norse Mythology
Creation & Gods
Creation
• Ginnungagap- chasm/gap/abyss (“magic
chasm”); existed before everything
– “Of old there was nothing” (Hamilton 459)
• Niflheim- cold land of many rivers; cold mist
• Muspelheim- hot land of fire (Hamilton 460)
The cold rivers of Niflheim and the heat of
Muspelheim combined in Ginnungagap to create a
cold mist. The first humaniod and jotun, Ymir, was
created (Hamilton 459-60). (Jotuns are giants.)
Creation, cont.
• The first god, Buri, was also created at this point.
– Gods and jotuns are separate beings.
• Borr, a god, was the son of Buri. Borr married
Bestla, a jotun. They had three sons: Odin, Vili,
and Ve.
• Odin and his brothers kill Ymir (Hamilton 460).
• They use Ymir’s body to create the world,
Midgard (“middle garden”), home of humankind.
Creation, cont.
• 9 worlds are created in total: Midgard,
Asgard, Vanaheim, Jotunheim, Niflheim,
Muspelheim, Alfheim, Svartalfheim, and Hel.
• An ash tree called Yggdrasil supported the 9
worlds of the cosmos/universe (Hamilton
460).
– Yggdrasil’s 3 roots tap into springs in Niflheim,
Midgard, and Asgard.
• Bifrost is a bridge that connects Midgard to
Asgard.
– Bifrost is guarded by Heimdall.
– Etymology- “shaking rainbow”
Creation, cont.
• The first man and woman are created
from trees. They are named Ask (ash
tree) and Embla (elm tree) (Hamilton
460, Guerber 13).
• Other supernatural beings--dwarfs,
elves, sprites--were also created
(Hamilton 460).
Fig. 1: The Nine Worlds &
Yggdrasil
Gods and Goddesses, cont.
• Odin- “Sky-father” (Hamilton 453)/“All father”
(Guerber 17)
– Has the highest seat in Asgard, a chair called
Hlidskailf, from which he can see all that “was
happening among gods, giants, elves, dwarfs, and
men” (Guerber 17)
– Two ravens who bring him news of humans (Hamilton
454)
– Two wolves whom he feeds
• Frigga- Odin’s wife and queen; goddess of
atmosphere (or clouds) as well as of marital love
and motherly love(Guerber 46-47)
– She had the privilege of sitting on Hlidskialf (Guerber
46).
Gods and Goddesses, cont.
• Loki- trickster god; Odin’s brother (by birth or oath)
– Gets Hoder to kill Balder
• Balder- “radiant god of innocence and light”
(Guerber 65); son of Odin and Frigga
– He became depressed because of a recurring dream,
so his mother made every “animate and inanimate thing
to register a solemn vow not to harm Balder” (Guerber
(216).
• Hoder- god of darkness; blind; Balder’s brother
• Hermod- the “nimble god” (Guerber 65); Odin’s
son; Balder’s brother
– Travels to Hel in order to bring his brother Balder back
(Guerber 222-30).
Gods and Goddesses, cont.
• Hel(a)- goddess of death; her kingdom is daughter of Loki
• Thor- god of Thunder
– “remarkable for his great size and strength” (Guerber 65)
– “Although generally good-tempered, Thor would occasionally
fly into a terrible rage. . . .” (Guerber 65).
• Frey- “god of the golden sunshine and the warm summer
showers” (Guerber 124); brother of Freya
– originally a Vana but welcomed into Asgard (Guerber 124)
– king of Alfheim, home of light elves (Guerber 124)
• Freya- “goddess of beauty and love” (Guerber 138); sister
of Frey
– originally a Vana but welcomed into Asgard (Guerber 124)
– It’s believed that “she often led the Valkyrs down to the
battlefields” and was “therefore often represented with
corselet and helmet, shield and spear” (Guerber 139).
Other Beings
• Valkaries- female; do Odin’s bidding on the battlefield,
bringing the brave dead to Valhalla
• Giants (jotuns)
• Dwarfs
• Elves
• Hugin (thought) and Munin (memory)- Odin’s two ravens
• Norns- 3 female “fates” (Urda, Verandi, and Skuld); guard
the Well or Urd(a)
• Iormungandr- serpent; Loki’s “child”; encircles Midgard
• Nidhug- dragon; chews at Yggdrasil’s roots
• Ratatosk- squirrel; carries messages throughout Yggdrasil
Fig. 2: Odin by BurneJones
Fig. 3: Frigga Spinning the Clouds by
Dollman (Guerber 48)
Fig. 4: Thor by Fogelberg
(Guerber 67)
Fig. 5: Loki and Hodur
Qvarnstrom (Guerber 220)
Fig. 7: The Ride of the Valkyrs by
Dollman (Guerber 187)
Fig. 6: The Norns by
Ehrenberg (Guerber
175)
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Fig. 8: The Rainbow Bridge by Hendrich (Guerber
153)
Works Cited
Guerber, Helene A. Myths of the
Norsemen. New York: Barnes and
Noble, 2006. Print.
Hamilton, Edith. Mythology: Times Tales
of Gods and Heroes. New York: Grand
Central Publishing, 1942. Print.