The Norse people are from southern and central Scandinavia, later known as the Vikings. Their creation story is as follows.
Ginnungagap is the vast chasm of chaotic, potentially creative energy that always was. To its north lies Niflheim, a world of the most intense cold, and to its south, Muspelheim, a world of equally intense heat. A poisonous river, Elivâgar flowed from Niflheim to Ginnungagap which hardened into ice. When the heat of Muspelheim met with the icy Elivâgar a might battle took place with each side trying to destroy the other. Sparks from Muspelheim fell upon the icy river and warmed it, forming drops of water. From these drops grew the evil, icy hearted frost giant Ymir, ancestor of all future frost giants, and Audhumbla, a cow.
The cow survived by licking salt off the icy river and nourished Ymir with rivers of milk. Ymir, nourished with milk, went to sleep wherein he fell into a sweat. He sweated a male and female pair of giants who were responsible for the ensuing giant population from under his left arm. As the cow licked away the ice, there slowly emerged the form of a tall, strong, handsome man named Búri. Búri, unlike Ymir was a good man with a warm heart. Búri singlehandedly produced a son Borr who married Bestla the daughter of one of the Frost Giants.
Borr and Bestla went on to have three sons, Odin, Villi and finally Vé. The three brothers were the first the Gods and began the elite Aesir race of which Odin was the All-Father. The brothers deciding that no evil should exist in the world set out to slay Ymir. After a hard battle, Ymir was killed – his blood gushed through the world and drowned all other frost giants except one giant and his wife, the only survivors of their race. Odin and his brother got to work and used every part of Ymir to fashion the earth. His eyebrows formed the land (called Midgard); his blood filled the ocean and rivers; his strong bones formed the mountains; his teeth and broken bones became pebbles and stones; his hair sprouted plants and trees; his brain formed the heavy clouds; and his enormous skull formed the arching heavens.
The Gods continued the production, bringing sparks from Muspelheim for the Sun, the Moon and the stars. The Sun and Moon travelled around the earth on chariots riden by drivers who were trained to keep time forever. The Gods also made Night a dark and gloomy giantess and Day a bright and beautiful man of the Aesir race. Once satisfied with their job the brothers created a man and woman in Midgard out of an Ash and Elm tree giving them the gifts of wisdom, speech, hearing and sight. The coupled lived happily in Midgard as father and mother of the entire human race.
The story is a rollercoaster of vivid imagination, or so it seems at this point in time. The apparent violation of all things logical makes it quite hard for one to truly believe this tale. Even so, the essential basis of the social conflict and harmony hold true till this day. The giants and Gods are clearly superhuman beings who also feel anger, betrayal, love and the rest of the emotional spectrum. One can also wonder when the myth started, and whether it has been corrupted over the years as the concepts of chariots and anatomy probably took a while to develop. Interestingly, unlike other major creation myths both man and woman were created simultaneously, and hence were considered equal.
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