The Creation
To the north lies Niflheim, covered by ice and snow.
To the south lies Múspell, a world seething in fire and flames.
Between was a vast emptiness called Ginnungagap.
Venomous water from the spring Hvergelmir in Niflheim flowed into this emptiness, freezing again
and again, layer after layer of ice and rime frost.
Hot winds from Múspell blew over the ice, causing it to thaw and drip.
Life began in these drops and took the form of the giant, Ymir, the first of the evil frost giants.
As Ymir slept, he sweated. A man and a woman grew out of the ooze under his left armpit, and
one of Ymir's legs fathered a six headed son on the other leg. Thus, Ymir was the forefather of all
the giants.
Some of the other melting ice took the form of a cow, Auðhumla. From her teats ran four rivers of
milk, enough to nourish Ymir. She fed off the ice, licking the salty blocks. Her licking formed one
of the blocks into the shape of a man. The shape became animated, and the man named Búri
walked free out of the ice.
Búri had a son called Bor, who married Bestla, the daughter of a giant. They produced three
sons, Óðin, Vili, and Vé.
The three sons of Bor had no use for Ymir and his growing family of brutish giants. They attacked
and killed Ymir. So much blood flowed from Ymir's body that it drowned all the other giants
except for Bergelmir and his wife, who rode away in a hollowed out tree trunk floating on a sea of
gore. All the giants today are descended from them.
Óðin, Vili, and Vé took Ymir's body to the center of Ginnungagap. From his body, they made the
world. Ymir's flesh became the earth, and his unbroken bones the mountains. From his teeth and
bone fragments, they made rocks and stones. They used his blood to make the lakes and ocean
encircling the world. They raised Ymir's skull over the earth to make the sky and placed a dwarf
at each of the four corners to hold up the sky. Glowing embers from Múspell were thrown into the
sky to make the sun and moon and stars and planets. Ymir's brains were thrown into the sky to
make the clouds. Ymir's eyebrows were used to make a fortification around the world, to protect
against the giants. Inside the fortification is Miðgarð, the realm of man.
One day, Óðin, Vili, and Vé were walking along the land and came across two trees with their
roots ripped out of the ground. One was an ash, the other an elm. They fashioned these into the
first man and woman. Óðin breathed into them the spirit of life. Vili provided consciousness, wits,
and a feeling hearts. Vé gave them the gifts of hearing and sight. The man was called Ask (ash)
and the woman Embla (elm), and they were given Miðgarð in which to live. All the races of men
are descended from them.
One of the giants had a daughter named Nótt (night); her son was named Dag (day). Óðin set
them in horse-drawn chariots in the sky to ride around the world. Nótt leads the way, and her
horse is called Hrim-faxi. The drips from his bit form the morning dew. Dag follows drawn by his
horse Skin-faxi, whose gleaming mane lights up the sky and the earth.
A man living in Miðgarð had a son and daughter so beautiful that he called them Sól (sun) and
Máni (moon). Angered by the man's daring, Óðin snatched the children and placed them in the
sky to guide the chariots of the sun and the moon. The sun and the moon are always in a great
hurry because they are being chased by wolves, sons of a giantess.
From the maggots that crawled in Ymir's flesh, Óðin, Vili, and Vé created dwarves. They have
shape and wits of men, but they live under the earth in caves.
Finally, the three brothers built their own realm. Ásgarð is a mighty stronghold, with green plains
and shining palaces high over Miðgarð. They built the rainbow bridge Bifröst to link Ásgarð to
Miðgarð. The Æsir, the guardians of men, crossed over the bridge and settled in Ásgarð. Óðin
Alfaður is oldest and greatest of them all.
And this was the beginning of all that has happened.
The Trapping Of Loki
Some time after the death of Baldr, many of the gods went to Ægir's hall on the island of Hlesey
for a feast. Using his enormous kettle, Ægir brewed oceans of ale for his guests. Many of the
Æsir were present, including Loki. Horns were kept full of ale, and the hall was filled with a great
peace.
Loki couldn't stand the praise being heaped on Ægir's servant, Fimafengr, and killed him. The
outraged Æsir took up their arms and chased Loki out of the hall into the surrounding forest.
Eventually, the gods returned to the hall and resumed their places. Outside, Loki quarreled with
Eldir, another servant, for re-admittance to the hall, promising that before the end of the feast,
he'd blend the gods' mead with malice. As Loki entered the hall, the conversation stopped, and
the hall fell silent.
Told that he was not welcome, Loki reminded Óðin of his promise, made when the two became
blood-brothers: to drink only if a drink was brought to both.
A horn was brought to Loki, who began a flyting (the traditional Norse exchange of insults) with
the assembled gods and goddesses. None escaped his insults and his cruel taunts. Bragi was
accused of cowardice; Freyja of being a whore; Óðin of being womanly and of being guilty of
disgraceful behavior; Frigg and Sif of being adulterers; Njorð of permitting his mouth to be used
as a chamberpot by the giants; Freyr of buying his wife; Heimdall of being a menial servant; and
Þór of being a coward.
Þór could take no more. He threatened Loki's life with his hammer. Loki turned to leave the hall,
prophesying, "You'll never hold another feast such as this. Your hall will be burned by fire, and
everything you own destroyed. Flames will play on your back."
Loki knew that his days in Ásgarð were over. He was certain that the Æsir would avenge Baldr's
death, so he fled. He traveled to a remote, deserted portion of Miðgarð. There, in a hollow near
Franang's Falls, he built a low house, so that no one could see him, having doors in all four walls
so he could watch in all four directions.
Meanwhile, the gods decided that, like Fenris-wolf, Loki must be bound. A party was sent out to
do the job.
When Loki heard the sounds of the approaching Æsir, he turned himself into the shape of a
salmon and jumped into the nearby river. But Kvasir, the wisest of the Æsir, saw some ashes on
the hearth where Loki had burned a net. He realized that this was the way to catch Loki. They
made a net, and on the third attempt, they caught him.
They took Loki to a cave and bound him to three great rocks by the entrails of his son, Nari. Skaði
took a venomous serpent and placed it over Loki's face. The serpent drips poison down onto his
face. Loki's wife, Sigyn, catches the venom in a bowl. But when she leaves to empty the bowl,
Loki writhes in pain, shaking the earth, and this is the cause of earthquakes.
Here, Loki will lie until Ragnarök.
Ragnarok
Ragnarök is the doom of the gods, and the end of the world.
It begins with three winters of wars in Miðgarð. Then Fimbulvetr follows, the winter of winters, with
bitter frosts and biting winds. Three such winters will follow with no summer between them.
Then the end will begin. The wolf Skoll will seize the sun and swallow her, spattering Ásgarð with
gore. The wolf Hati will catch the moon and mangle him. The stars will vanish. The earth will
shake. Every bond and fetter will burst.
Cocks will crow to raise the dead in Hel's realm and the giants in Jötenheim. Jörmangandr will
work his way towards dry land. The ship Naglfar, made from dead men's nails, will sail, packed
with giants. Loki, free from his bonds, will sail with the dead from Hel. The sons of Múspell will
advance from the south, led by Surtr, the flame giant. All will converge on the field Vígríð: giants
and the dead from Hel and Fenrir and Jörmangandr and Surtr and the blazing sons of Múspell.
Meanwhile, the gods, roused by Heimdall's horn, will meet in council. Óðin will ride Sleipnir to
Mímir's spring to take advice from Mímir. Yggdrasil will shake and moan. All of the Æsir and all of
the Einherjar in Valhöll will arm and prepare themselves and follow Óðin to Vígríð.
On the field of battle, Óðin will engage Fenrir, while Þór will be attacked by Jörmangandr. Freyr
will fight Surtr. Freyr will rue the day he gave his sword to Skírnir; Surtr will kill Freyr with a single
stroke. The hound Garm from Gnípahellir will leap at the throat of Týr, and they will kill each
other.
Loki and Heimdall will meet again and cause each other's death. Þór will kill Jörmangandr with a
single stroke from Mjöllnir, but will drown in the venom spewed by the serpent. Fenrir will seize
Óðin between his jaws and swallow him. At once, Víðar, Óðin's son, will press one foot on
Fenrir's lower jaw and grab his upper jaw, tearing the wolf apart and avenging his father.
Surtr will fling fire in all directions. Ásgarð and Miðgarð and Jötenheim and Niflheim will become
furnaces. The worlds will burn and the gods will die. Men, women, and children will die, giants will
die, monsters will die. Birds and animals will die. The earth will sink into the sea.
The earth will rise again out of the water, fair and green. The eagle will fly and catch fish under
crags. Grain will ripen in fields that were never sewn.
Víðar and Váli, sons of Óðin, will still be alive and will make their way back to Iðavöll, the shining
plain where the halls of the gods once stood. Móði and Magni, sons of Þór, will join them there,
and they will inherent their father's hammer, Mjöllnir. Baldr and Höðr will come back from the
world of the dead to Iðavöll, along with Hœnir. They will talk and will build new halls.
Two humans, Líf and Lífðrásir, who hid themselves deep within Yggdrasil, will see light. For
although the sun was eaten by Skoll, she will give birth to a daughter no less fair, who will follow
the same sky-path and light the world. Líf and Lífðrásir will have children; there will be new life
everywhere on earth. With the rebirth of the world after Ragnarök, the golden age of the Norse
gods will return. A radiant hall will rise up which no flames of perdition can touch. In that hall, the
noble warriors who fought along side the gods will live on in joy. The ignoble will be carried away
by a dragon to be eaten. The gods will find the golden playing pieces of their board game in the
shining meadow, and they will build on the triumphant foundations laid down by Óðin.
Thor’s Hammer Gets Stolen
One awful day, Thor discovered Mjolnir (his hammer) had been stolen by Trym, a Jotun. Trym
had hidden the hammer eight stops under the ground. Thor was enraged. Trym stated he would
return the hammer, if he could have the goddess Freyja for his bride. Freyja absolutely refused.
She was extremely upset with Thor for even considering the proposal. There was no way Freyja
was going to marry Trym. The gods of Asgard discussed this serious matter. Heimdall suggested
a plan B. Thor could disguise himself as Freyja, go to Trym and get Mjolnir back during the
wedding ceremony. Now it was Thor’s turn to be mad.
Thor considered himself to be a macho man and this proposition was beneath his dignity.
After Thor had calmed down, he agreed to the plan. Thor was dressed up as a woman.
He borrowed the exquisite necklace named Brisingamen belonging to Freyja. Loki dressed up as
a bridesmaid. During a frightful thunderstorm Thor and Loki arrived in Jotunheim and the home
of Trym.
Trym was naturally overjoyed to see his bride “Freyja”. He immediately invited his soon to be
bride to a banquet in her honor. Thor ate an ox, eight salmon and drank three barrels of mead.
Trym was astonished and asked how a woman could devour such huge quantities of food. Loki,
disguised as the bridesmaid, replied that the bride had not eaten for eight days. Trym then tried
to lift the veil with the intention of kissing his bride. He back away as he caught a glimpse of the
fierce eyes.
Trym did not understand how the most beautiful goddess of Asgard could have such frightening
eyes.
Loki was quick to reply that the bride had not slept for eight days. Trym accepted the
explanations. He was now very eager to continue on with the wedding ceremony. Mjolnir was
placed on the lap of the “bride”.
Trym was now ready for the wedding vows. As soon as Mjolnir was safely placed on his lap,
Thor stood up with the hammer in his hand. Minutes later he had killed the giant Trym and all his
family.
HOW THE FENRIS WOLF WAS CHAINED
FAIR as were the meads of Asgard, we have seen that the Asa folk were fond of wandering far
afield in other regions. Most restless of all was Red Loki, that cunning fellow who was always
bringing trouble upon himself or upon his kindred. And because he loved evil, he would often
betake himself to the gloomy halls of Giantland and mingle with the wicked folk of that region.
Now one day he met a hideous giantess named Angur-Boda. This creature had a heart of ice,
and because he loved ugliness and evil she had a great attraction for him, and in the end he
married her and they lived together in a horrible cave in Giantland. Three children were born to
Loki and Angur-Boda in this dread abode, and they
were even more terrible in appearance than their mother. The first was an immense wolf called
Fenris, with a huge mouth filled with long white teeth which he was constantly gnashing together.
The second was a wicked-looking serpent with a fiery-red tongue lolling from its mouth. The third
was a hideous giantess, partly blue and partly flesh-color, whose name was Hela. No sooner
were these three terrible children born than all the wise men of the earth began to foretell the
misery they would bring upon the Asa folk. In vain did
Loki try to keep them hidden within the cave wherein their mother dwelt. They soon grew so
immense in size that no dwelling would contain them, and all the world began to talk of their
frightful appearance. It was not long before All-Father Odin, from his high seat in Asgard, heard of
the children of Loki. He said to the Asas:
"Much evil will come upon us, O my children, from this giant brood if we defend not ourselves
against them. For their mother will teach them wickedness and still more quickly will they learn
the cunning wiles of their father. Fetch me them here, therefore, that I may deal with them
forthwith."
So, after somewhat of a struggle, the Asas captured the three giant children and brought them
before Odin's judgment seat.
Then Odin looked first at Hela, and when he saw her gloomy eyes full of misery and despair he
was sorry, and dealt kindly with her, saying: "Thou art the bringer of Pain to man and Asgard is
no place for such as thou. But I will make thee ruler of the Mist Home, and there shalt thou rule
over that unlighted world, the Region of the Dead."
Forthwith he sent her away over rough roads to the cold, dark region of the North called the Mist
Home. And there did Hela rule over a grim crew, for all those who had done wickedness in the
world above were imprisoned by her in those gloomy regions. To her came also all those who
had died not on the battlefield but of old age or disease. And though these were treated kindly
enough,
theirs was a joyless life in comparison with that of the dead warriors who were feasting and
fighting in the halls of Valhalla, under the kindly rule of All-Father Odin.
Having thus disposed of Hela, Odin next turned his attention to the serpent. And when he saw his
evil tongue and cunning, wicked eyes, he said: "Thou art he who bringest Sin into the world of
men therefore the ocean shall be thy home forever."
Then he threw that horrid serpent into the deep sea which surrounds all lands, and there the
creature grew so fast that when he stretched himself one day he encircled all the earth and held
his own tail fast in his mouth. And sometimes he grew angry to think that he, the son of a god,
had thus been cast out; and at those times he would writhe with his huge body and lash his tail till
the sea spouted up to the sky. And when that happened the men of the North said that a
great tempest was raging. But it was only the Serpent-son of Loki writhing in his wrath. Then Odin
turned to the third child. And behold! the Fenris Wolf was so appalling to look upon that Odin
feared to cast him forth, and he decided to endeavor to tame him by kindness so that he should
not wish them ill. But when he bade them carry food to the Fenris Wolf, not one of the Asas would
do so for they feared a snap from his great jaws. Only the brave Tyr had courage
enough to feed him, and the wolf ate so much and so fast that the business took him all his time.
Mean time, too, the Fenris grew so rapidly and became so fierce that the gods were compelled to
take counsel and consider how they should get
rid of him. They remembered that it would make their peaceful halls unholy if they were to slay
him, and so they resolved instead to bind him fast that he should be unable to do them harm.
So those of the Asa folk who were clever smiths set to work and made a very strong, thick chain;
and when it was finished they carried it out to the yard where the wolf dwelt, and said to him as
though in jest: "Here is a fine proof of thy boasted strength, O Fenris. Let us bind this chain about
thee, that we may see if thou canst break it asunder." Then the wolf gave a great grin with his
wide jaws, and came and stood still that
they might bind the chain about him; for he knew what he could do. And it came to pass that
directly they had fastened the chain, and had slipped aside from
him, the great beast gave himself a shake and the chain fell about him in little bits.
At this the Asas were much annoyed, but they tried not to show it and praised him for his
strength. Then they set to work again upon a chain much stronger than the last, and brought it to
the Fenris Wolf, saying: "Great will be thy renown, O Fenris, if thou canst break this chain as thou
didst the last."
But the wolf looked at them askance, for the chain they brought was very much thicker than the
one he had already broken. He reflected, however, that he himself had grown stronger and bigger
and moreover that one must risk something in order to win renown.
So he let them put the chain upon him, and when the Asas said that all was ready he gave a
good shake and stretched himself a few times, and again the fetters lay in fragments on the
ground
Then the gods began to fear that they would never hold the wolf in bonds; and it was All-Father
Odin who persuaded them to make one more attempt.
So they sent a messenger to Dwarfland bidding him ask the Little Men to make a chain which
nothing could possibly destroy.
Setting at once to work, the clever little smiths soon fashioned a slender silken rope, and gave it
to the messenger, saying that no strength could break it and
that the more it was strained the stronger it would become.
It was made of the most mysterious things-the sound of a cat's footsteps, the roots of a mountain,
the sinews of a bear, the breath of fishes, and other such strange materials which only the dwarfs
knew how to use. With this chain the messenger hastened back over the Rainbow Bridge to
Asgard. By this time the Fenris Wolf had grown too big for his yard, so he lived on a rocky island
in the middle of the lake that lies in the midst of Asgard. And here
the Asas now betook themselves with their chain, and began to play their part
with wily words.
"See," they cried, "O Fenris! Here is a cord so soft and thin that none would
think of it binding such strength as shine."
And they laughed great laughs, and handed it to one another, and tried its
strength by pulling at it with all their might, but it did not break. Then they came
nearer and used more wiles, saying:
"We cannot break the cord, for 'tis stronger than it looks, but thou, O mighty one, wilt be able to
snap it in a moment."
But the wolf tossed his head in scorn, and said: "Small renown would there be to me, O Asa folk,
if I were to break yon slender string. Save therefore your breath, and leave me now alone."
"Aha!" cried the Asas. "Thou fearest the might of the silken cord, thou false one, and that is why
thou wilt not let us bind thee!"
"Not I," said the Fenris Wolf, growing rather suspicious, "but if it is made with craft and guile it
shall never come near my feet."
"But," said the Asas, "thou wilt surely be able to break this silken cord with ease, since that hast
already broken the great iron fetters."
To this the wolf made no answer, pretending not to hear.
"Come!" said the Asas again, "why shouldst thou fear? For even if thou couldst not break the cord
we would immediately let thee free again. To refuse is a coward's piece of work."
Then the wolf gnashed his teeth at them in anger and said:
"Well I know you, Asas! For if you bind me so fast that I can not get loose you will skulk away,
and it will be long before I get any help from you; and therefore am I loath to let this band be laid
upon me."
But still the Asas continued to persuade him and to twit him with cowardice, until at length the
Fenris Wolf said with a sullen growl:
"Have it your own way then. But, as a pledge that this is done without deceit, let one of you lay
his hand in my mouth while you are binding me and afterwards while I try to break the bonds."
Then the Asa folk looked at one another in dismay, for they knew very well what this would mean.
And while they consulted together the wolf stood gnashing his teeth at them with a horrid grin.
At length Tyr the Brave hesitated no longer. Boldly he stalked up to the wolf and thrust his arm
into his enormous mouth, bidding the Asas bind fast the beast.
Scarce had they done so when the wolf began to strain and pull, but the more he did so the
tighter and stiffer the rope became.
The gods shouted and laughed with glee when they saw how all his efforts were in vain. But Tyr
did not join them in their mirth, for the wolf in his rage snapped
his great teeth together and bit off his hand at the wrist.
Now when the Asas discovered that the animal was fast bound they took the chain which was
fixed to the rope and drew it through a huge rock, and fastened
this rope deep down in the earth so that it could never be moved. And this they fastened to
another great rock which was driven still deeper into the ground. When the Fenris Wolf found that
he had been thus secured he opened his
mouth terribly wide, and twisted himself right and left and tried his best to bite the Asa folk. He
uttered, moreover, such terrible howls that at length the gods could bear it no longer. So they took
a sword and thrust it into his mouth so that
the hilt rested on his lower, and the point against his upper jaw. And there he was doomed to
remain until the end of All Things shall come, when he
"Freed from the Chain
Shall range the Earth."