Norse Creation Myth

Norse Creation Myth

• The Norse creation myth shares similarities with the Greek creation myth.
• The myth begins with Ginnungagap, the "Yawning Void", a timeless space characterized by pure darkness and silence, equivalent to the Greek concept of "chaos".
• Ginnungagap existed before the sun, sky, earth, and gods, and was described in the Poetic Edda as a space where "there was not sand nor sea nor cool waves; Earth did not exist nor heaven above".

Ginnungagap and the Primordial Forces

• Ginnungagap is situated between Niflheim (the source of ice) and Muspellheim (the source of fire).
• Niflheim and Muspellheim are in constant struggle, with one forcing its frost and the other its flames, creating a misty space.
• Eleven poisonous rivers, called Élivágar, flow from Niflheim into Ginnungagap, hardening into ice and eventually forming frost.

The Creation of the First Beings

• When the flames finally melted the ice, the poison from Élivágar created two creatures: Ymir, the first giant, and Audhumla, the primeval cow.
• Ymir is also known as Aurgelmir, the oldest living being, a hermaphrodite who can reproduce without a mate, and the ancestor of all other giants.
• Audhumla fed Ymir with four streams of milk from her breasts, helping him stay alive and reproduce.

The Genesis of Good and Evil

• Audhumla's licking of the salt blocks uncovered the first God, Búri, the ancestor of all other Gods (the æsir).
• Audhumla is responsible for the genesis of both evil and good in the universe.
• The creation of Búri marks the beginning of the eternal rivalry between the gods and giants.

The Gods and Giants

• Búri had a son named Bor, the second generation God, who married Bestla, a giantess, and had three sons: Odin, Vili, and Ve.
• These half-God, half-giant creatures were massive, strong, and wise.
• The three brothers killed Ymir and created the universe from his body parts: earth from flesh, sea from blood, mountains from bones, and heaven from his skull.

The Creation of the Universe

• The four dwarves, created from the worms coming out of Ymir's rotten flesh, were assigned to hold up the sky from the four edges of the earth.
• The killing of Ymir by the ancestors of the æsir marked the beginning of the centuries-long struggle between the gods and the giants.