Norse mythology

Before land, seas, and skies existed, the universe was a vast nothingness known as Ginnungagap. In this perfect emptiness and silence, only two forces existed: elemental fire and primordial ice. As the flames licked the ice, it melted, and from the first drop, life arose: the godlike giant Ymir, the first of the jotnar. When Ymir slept, more giants burst from his arms and legs to populate the world. Among Ymir’s descendants were also the gods Odin, Vili, and Ve. These three brothers then killed Ymir to bring order to the universe.

Out of Ymir’s body, they created the world. They made the earth from Ymir's flesh; the rocks from his bones; from his blood the sea, lakes, and oceans. When Ymir was killed, the blood flowing from his body killed almost all the giants, except for two, a male and a female, from whom arose a new race of jotnar, one who seeks revenge on Odin for the slaying of their ancestors.

The gods also created us, humans. From two tree trunks, they made Ask and Embla and raised a fence around their dwelling, Midgard, to protect them from the angry giants. But they did not remove magic from our world. And thanks to Odin, who sacrificed his eye for wisdom and runes, we can harness some of that magic ourselves with runic spells.

We live in Midgard, the world of humans. It is a large, flat disc surrounded on all sides by the ocean. Jormungandr, the World Serpent, holds this ocean in place. We are not alone in this world. Many magical spirits share it with us: hulders, nøkker, nisser, and trolls among them.

Most of the gods live in Åsgard: the home of the Æsir. The Æsir are warrior gods. Odin the All-father rules over them. He is the god of warfare, death, and wisdom to whom many chieftains and kings pray. The best warriors who are slain in battle are taken by Valkyries to Odin’s hall Valhalla to serve him in battle. Odin is married to Frigg, the goddess of family, destiny, and weaving.

But before Odin was married to Frigg, he had another son with Jord, the Earth goddess, and that son’s name is Thor. Thor is the god of thunder and strength; he fights jotnar and protects the realm with his mighty hammer Mjølnir.

Odin’s blood brother, Loki, spends most of his time in Åsgard, though he is only half-god; his father is a jotun. He is a trickster god who often gets other gods into trouble with his ploys. But just as often, he gets them out of trouble with his quick wit and intelligence.

The twins Freyr and Freya, as well as their father Njord, also live in Åsgard. They’re actually Vanir gods, but joined the Æsir as a part of a peace agreement after a war between the two god lineages. Njord is the god of sea, wind, and wealth, while his children are both tied to fertility: Freyr is the god of virility, prosperity, and harvest; Freya is the goddess of love, beauty, and magic, yet also war and death.

The rest of the Vanir gods live in their own world: Vanaheim. They are the gods of home and hearth, prosperity, magic, and the elements. Right next to their world is Alfheim, a beautiful world of light the elves call home. They answer prayers regarding nature magic and healing.

The gods’ nemeses are jotnar, the ice giants. They have their own world: Jotunheim, which is a barren wilderness full of tall mountains and icy plains. The giants are not necessarily evil; mostly they are just the forces of chaos the gods are trying to put order to. Some can even be helpful. Mimir, for example, is quite discerning and has shared his knowledge with Odin on many an occasion.

The elemental forces from which all life came still exist. The primordial fire is contained in Muspelheim and guarded by fire giants led by Surtr. The primordial ice belongs to Niflheim, a foggy and cold world very close to Helheim, the realm of death. Niflheim and Helheim are ruled by the goddess Hel, Loki’s daughter. It is in her worlds that most of the dead dwell: those who died of age and illness or dishonorably in battle.

The dwarves, who thrive best underground, have made their home in Svartalfheim. Here, they mine for precious metals and put their smithing skills to good use, forging magical weapons for the gods. It is the dwarves who made Thor’s hammer and Odin’s spear.

These nine worlds are held up by the world tree, Yggdrasil, which is the center of the entire universe. The tree has three roots. One is in Åsgard; under it is the magical well Urdarbrønnen. The norns Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld, the fate goddesses, live by this well. When they are not busy spinning and weaving the threads of destiny, they water the tree to keep it alive. Another root can be found in Jotunheim, by Mimir’s well of wisdom, and the last is deep in the underworld of Niflheim. Next to the root in Niflheim, there is also a well: Hvergelmir, which is the source of all the world’s rivers. But this root is fragile, for the dragon Nidhogg, who also lives in Niflheim, gnaws on it, damaging the world tree.

The tree is home to many other creatures, too. The crown of the tree is the home of the eagle Hræsvelgr, whose mighty wings create all the wind in the world. Hræsvelgr and Nidhogg are bitter enemies, so the squirrel Ratatosk scurries from the top to the bottom of the tree to deliver offenses and angry messages between them. Across the skies above the tree, the wolves Skoll and Hati chase the Sun and the Moon, giving us the endless cycle of day and night.